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La Rochelle ( UK: / ˌlærɒˈʃɛl /, US: / ˌlɑːroʊˈʃɛl /, French: [la ʁɔʃɛl] ⓘ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: La Rochéle) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.
Aug 6, 2023 · 2. Towers of La Rochelle. If you started your visit of La Rochelle by the Old Port, you couldn’t miss the 3 emblematic towers that mark the entrance and exit of the harbor: The Lantern tower, a former lighthouse which also served as a prison. The Chain Tower, before used as an entrance gate to the port.
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- Aquarium La Rochelle. La Rochelle's state-of-the-art, family-friendly aquarium is home to 12,000 marine animals and 600 different species. Visits begin by descending in a…
- Musée Maritime. In a series of boldly coloured, red, blue and yellow canopied hangars at the Bassin à Flot, the Maritime Museum evokes the history of La Rochelle port,…
- Tour de la Lanterne. Easily mistaken for an ornate church spire, the conical 15th-century Tour de la Lanterne is La Rochelle's beauty queen. It was so named because of its…
- Réserve Naturelle Marais d'Yves. An easy 15km drive south of La Rochelle, this nature reserve runs a free nature centre where you can peer through telescopes to watch some of the 192…
Jun 5, 2024 · La Rochelle, city, Atlantic seaport and capital of Charente-Maritime département, Nouvelle-Aquitaine région, western France, situated on an inlet opposite Ré Island. The city, which has straight, regular streets, a large park, and shady promenades on the sites of its old fortifications, grew considerably after 1946, especially to the west.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Old Harbour. La Rochelle’s harbour is the first thing to see when you arrive, not just because it’s gorgeous, but it demonstrates the close relationship the city has always had with the ocean .
- Tour Saint-Nicolas. Defending the opening to the harbour for five centuries, Saint-Nicolas is the taller of the two towers. Named for the patron saint of sailors and fishermen, the structure is deceptively large, and at 42 metres it’s more of a whole fortress than just a tower.
- Tour de la Lanterne. A few steps along Rue sur les Mars from Tour de la Chaîne is the newest of La Rochelle’s three towers. This one is from the 15th century and as much as serving a defensive purpose it was built to look good: A decorative octagonal spire crowns an older and more austere circular base.
- Old Quarter. The cobblestone streets behind the Old Port, worn down by centuries of walkers, deserve a leisurely saunter. The 16th-century renaissance Hôtel de Ville is still being restored after a fire but can be seen on tours beginning at 15:00 and 16:00.
La Rochelle is a city in Charente-Maritime on the Atlantic coast of France. It has a charming old town and harbour, and is often called "la ville blanche" (the white city) for its limestone buildings: they're handsome in any weather, but brilliant when the sun shines down from a big blue Atlantic sky. In 2020 La Rochelle had a population of 77,210.
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49,762. La Rochelle, France. Located on the Bay of Biscay, La Rochelle’s history mostly involved the sea; today it has a large pleasure-boat marina. Thus its heart is the picturesque "Vieux Port" ("Old Harbor"). The city retains a rich architectural heritage, and has an aquarium, attractive gardens and a natural-history museum.
