Château de La Roche-Courbon

[Eli_6]

Anyone know how to get there from La Rochelle cruise ship terminal?  How far is it?   I am trying to decide whether to book the excursion with my cruise ($500 for 2 adults and 2 kids) or try to get there on my own. It appears admission is only $8.50 so the upcharge for a bus seems quite a bit unless it is a very long drive.

[sailing canary]

It's a 45 minute drive from La Rochelle. If you Google their website, it gives details on how to get there. Maybe renting a car as there are 4 of you might be a less expensive option?
There is a drop down menu choice on the website for an English version if your French isn't up to it. I tried to cut and paste it to here but failed!

[sleepingcat]

presumably you ve been to La Rochelle previously and are looking to see something other than the city?  If not, then be aware that La Rochelle is one of the most lovely cities in France, gorgeous harbour, lovely historic old town, and great beaches and a park that goes for miles. Would be a shame not to see it.  I can see the cruise terminal is not that close to the old part of town but probably only a taxi ride, if there is no shuttle. 

 

oh and I forgot to mention the restaurants..... 

[edinburgher]

 2 adults and 2 "kids"

 

You didn't give the ages of your kids, so they could be anywhere between 2 and 20,but just to say that la Rochelle is a holiday resort in addition to a working town, so if this a first visit you may find plenty to do in town without heading off miles away.

 

There are beaches and parks, an aquarium, towers, museums and the little shuttle boat which criss crosses the harbour on one side and the giant marina on the other.  It is one of the biggest marinas in Europe and the short crossing is a nice thing to do.

 

Amongst the museums is the "automatons" museum next to the miniatures museum.  The automatons museum is where you can see working models and they are entertaining for adults and kids alike.  There is also a large market, many shops to browse, an older historic centre to explore and a large selection of restaurants, cafes, bars etc.

 

Should your plans to visit a chateau fall through, you could check the la Rochelle Tourist Info website for ideas, also sites such as Tripadvisor la Rochelle, or simply search with something along the lines of "la Rochelle for kids".

 

You could actually have a very enjoyable day in town, unless of course this particular chateau has something of special interest to you all.

 

Ships dock at la Pallice some distance from town, and your ship may run shuttles to a central square, or take a taxi, or the public bus.

Edited February 23, 2023 by edinburgher

[Eli_6]

Thanks for the responses!  We decided to just go into town as yall suggested instead of booking an excursion or trying to go to the estate. I think it will be too much trouble to get to the Chateau and I don't want to pay over $500 for all 4 of us to go.