West coast of France (La Rochelle)

[sofietucker]

So we're on the Prinsendam this Sept. & will stop in Lorient, La Rochelle & overnight in Bordeaux--whee! We have set up private excursions with our shipmates via roll call....

 

But La Rochelle is seeming a little problematic--and we really don't care for the ship's tours: $$, long drives for brief stops.

 

What did you do there? Was it fun/eye-opening? How did you get around? Thanks!

Edited August 2, 2015 by sofietucker

[Morgans]

LA Rochelle is a gorgeous place on its own. If you wanted, you could spend the day looking around the town and sampling some of the delicious food The area is famous for fish and also crepes - sweet and savoury. The local drink is cider - sweet or dry.

The shops are excellent and you will be spoilt for choice. The town is delightful and merits more than a quick look.

 

Should you wish to travel further afield, then the Ile de Re is worth a visit and has some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe.

 

Docking at La Rochelle tends to be at La Palisse which is about 20 minutes drive into town. The several times we have been, the local Chanber of Commerce has provided a free bus but I have had that this depends on which cruise ship you're on.

 

Be warned, it can be chilly and very windy as its on the Atlantic Coast but it is an absolutely beautiful town .

[Turtles06]

We had a port call in La Rochelle two years ago, in the fall. Very DIY-able, and we had an enjoyable day, spent mostly walking around the charming Vieux Port area, visiting the three towers, and just taking it all in. For lunch, I had the best Nutella crepe I've ever eaten, which made the day complete. :) (That plus the sea salt caramels. :) )

 

The ship docked outside of town, and there was a free shuttle running back and forth. Do some searches on line, and you can find street maps and plenty of information about La Rochelle and the history of the towers, etc. Enjoy!

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[Turtles06]

One more La Rochelle photo, this one taken from the tower in the foreground of the photo above. It really is a charming little spot.

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[whatnot]

We were docked at La Palisse last September on Sea Dream Yacht Club. We took a bus shuttle into La Rochelle that was provided by our ship. It was a charming and very enjoyable city. DIY is certainly possible there. I don't remember seeing any cabs so unless you have a shuttle that could be a problem because it is about 20 minutes into town. The port area is very industrial. They were loading wheat onto a ship near ours and the small particles were blowing right onto our ship. It was almost impossible to stay outside during this process but they sure didn't stop loading because we were there. The port area where we were docked was a WWII German submarine base and you could see the submarine pens from where we were docked. That was kinda neat! At any rate you definitely want to get to La Rochelle and not spend all day at the port!

[Langoustine]

I believe the frigate L’Hermione may be back in La Rochelle by the time you are there. She was in NYC recently, and is quite interesting. She's a reproduction of the ship Lafayette sailed to America in 1780. Here's a website: http://www.thegoodlifefrance.com/the-sailing-of-hermione-from-la-rochelle-2015/

Edited August 18, 2015 by Langoustine