The Vieux-Port towers
ModerateTour Saint-Nicolas, Tour de la Chaîne & Tour de la Lanterne
The towers that guarded the harbour mouth for six centuries. Climb one for the view over the port and out to the islands.
Vieux-PortMedievalViews
La Rochelle & Fort Boyard, France
Ideal: 2–3 daysBest: May–Jun, SepPrice: Expensive
In 60 seconds
La Rochelle & Fort Boyard in 60 seconds
La Rochelle's old harbour is still guarded by its medieval towers, and the arcaded streets behind it make one of the most handsome small cities on the Atlantic. From the quays, boats head out to Fort Boyard — a stone ship of a fortress on a sandbank between Île d'Aix and Île d'Oléron, finished in 1857 when it was already obsolete, and seen only from the water. Combine the boat trip with a landing on car-free Île d'Aix, and give a day to cycling Île de Ré across its bridge.
CoastIslandsCycling
Best for
- History
- Beaches
- Nature
- Food
Known for
- Fort Boyard
- The towers of the Vieux-Port
- Île de Ré
Skip if
You hope to go inside Fort Boyard. It is closed to visitors and seen only from a boat.
Your match
Choose a few travel interests and we will show how well La Rochelle & Fort Boyard fits them. Choose interests
See
Must experience
The things that would make the trip incomplete without them.
Fort Boyard by boat
Napoleonic sea fort
Boats from La Rochelle and Fouras circle the fort close up; the ones that also land on Île d'Aix make the better half day.
Pertuis d'AntiocheBoat tripFrom the water only
Île de Ré
Salt marshes, white villages & cycle paths
Cross the bridge and hire a bike: flat paths through salt pans and oyster beds to the harbour of Saint-Martin.
Île de RéCyclingFull day
Aquarium La Rochelle
ExpensiveAtlantic and tropical aquarium
One of Europe's largest private aquariums, on the quays opposite the old town.
Les MinimesFamiliesRainy day
Beyond the obvious
Hidden gems
Less obvious, rarely queued for, and usually the part people remember.
Île d'Aix
Car-free island where Napoleon left France
A small island of walks and bikes, where Napoleon spent his last days on French soil in 1815.
Île d'AixCar-freeCycling
Fort Louvois
Sea fort reached on foot at low tide
Walk across the causeway to a 17th-century fort facing Oléron when the tide is out — and check when it turns.
Bourcefranc-le-ChapusLow tideOysters
Brouage
Star-shaped walled town in the marshes
A fortified salt port left stranded inland as the sea retreated; walk the ramparts over the marshes.
Hiers-BrouageFreeWalls
Stay
Where to stay
Areas rather than hotels — pick the right one and the rest follows.
Vieux-Port & old town
ExpensiveArcades, quays and the towers
Everything on foot, and the island boats leave from the quay.
BoatsWalkable
Saint-Martin-de-Ré
Very expensiveFortified harbour town on Île de Ré
Stay on the island to have its lanes and harbour to yourself once the day visitors cycle home.
IslandQuiet evenings
Practical
Know before you go
- Getting in
- TGV trains from Paris Montparnasse reach La Rochelle in about three hours.
- Fort Boyard
- Boat trips run mainly from spring to autumn from La Rochelle, Fouras and the islands; the fort is circled, never landed on.
- Getting around
- La Rochelle is a cycling city — it lent out free yellow bikes as early as 1976 — and Île de Ré is best seen by bike.
Context
History in 5 minutes
Enough to make what you are looking at legible.
- 1627–1628
Cardinal Richelieu besieges Protestant La Rochelle for fourteen months until it surrenders.
- 1804–1857
Fort Boyard is built on a sandbank to guard the mouth of the Charente; by the time it is finished, guns can reach across the strait without it.
- 1815
Napoleon spends his last days in France on Île d'Aix before surrendering to the British.
Further out
Nearby escapes
Worth a day if you have one to spare.
Rochefort
Royal naval arsenal on the Charente
The 17th-century naval town, its long Corderie Royale rope works and the dockyard where the frigate Hermione was rebuilt.
About 30 minutes by trainHalf dayHistory