La Rochelle

[Cruise Junky]

Hi - we're currently planning a land trip for next year...for those that have been, would you recommend an overnight in La Rochelle, or just a visit? We'll be driving from Southern Brittany to Bordeaux.

 

Thanks

[daliflor]

Hi - we're currently planning a land trip for next year...for those that have been, would you recommend an overnight in La Rochelle, or just a visit? We'll be driving from Southern Brittany to Bordeaux.

 

Thanks

 

It depends on how much you want to explore and if you want to stay in La Rochelle (1 day should do) or extend your exploration to the near by islands (in this case, an overnight is preffered not to rush it).

 

To quote a traveler:

 

"La Rochelle is also the starting point for another adventure... but no need to set sail, it is right next door! By crossing a 9,603 ft long bridge at the western end of the city, you will land on the Isle of Ré, which offers you a total change of scenery. In good weather, you will be struck by the intense surrounding brightness.

 

Dazzling light dances off these whitewashed houses that stand So low you’d think they were dollhouses.

 

In grayer weather, a nice long invigorating walk along the beach is just what you need. Why not continue your jaunt towards the charming little fortified ports of the island that all participated in the rich and turbulent history of the area? You can visit: St Martin and its ramparts, a masterpiece designed by Vauban, the great military engineer under Louis XIV; La Flotte and its small medieval market at the tip of the island; then, the “Phare de la Baleine” (Whale Lighthouse), ordered built by Louis XIV’s minister of finance, Colbert, to protect the boats that would run aground there, never to reach the port of La Rochelle.

 

Perhaps you’ll run into "the donkey who wears pants"… It became the emblem of “the island of white gold” at a time when salt marshes constituted one of the leading economic resources. Farmers had come up with the idea of dressing their donkeys in pants to protect them both from mosquitoes and from the salt that ate away at their skin and drove them mad."

 

 

We did the one day (as a Port of Call) during our cruise in April 2011:

 

http://lisbontoengland2011april.shutterfly.com/pictures/9181

 

 

 

Enjoy your stay! La Rochelle is absolutely a charming area not to be missed!