Architecture sights in La Rochelle
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Towers
La Rochelle's three defensive towers can be visited individually, or on a combined ticket.
To protect the harbour at night in times of war, an enormous chain was raised between the two 14th-century stone towers at the harbour entrance, giving rise to the name of Tour de la Chaîne ('chain tower'). There are some informative exhibits on the history of the local Protestant community, and superb views from the top.
Across the harbour it's also possible to climb the 36m-high, pentagonal Tour St-Nicolas.
So named because of its role as the harbour's lighthouse (lit by an enormous candle), and one of the oldest of its kind in the world, the conical 15th-century Tour de la Lante…
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Temple Protestant
The austere Temple Protestant was built in the late 17th century, though it became a Protestant church only after the Revolution. After the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre of 1572, many surviving Huguenots took refuge in La Rochelle before the city was besieged in 1627 by Louis XIII's forces under the command of Cardinal Richelieu.
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Hôtel de Ville
Flanked by a 15th-century Flamboyant Gothic wall and a resplendent 17th-century Renaissance-style courtyard, the Hôtel de Ville has guided tours in French at 3pm daily in June and September, 3pm and 4pm daily in July and August, and on weekends during the rest of the year.
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