La Pallice is a commercial port situated 6 km to the west of the historic fortress port of La Rochelle.

From the ship you have a nice view of the bridge to Ile de la Re.

Facilities at the port:

This is a commercial port with little (temporary) facilities. There is nothing within walking distance.
Your only choices here are to take cruise organized tours or to take the shuttle bus into La Rochelle (9 Euro, 6km, about 30 minutes). Very few if any taxis around.

La Rochelle is a quaint and delightful place to stroll and shop for a few hours. Plenty of outdoors cafes.

Note: There will be a shuttle bus, however it only will be announced shortly before you arrive (the night before) as not to jeopardize the regular excursion sales of the cruise company.

The shuttle bus stops in the center at the tourist office.

Printable maps to take along.

Cruise Calendar for La Rochelle

Watch a destination video.

With an exceptional 2400 hours of sunshine per year, as much as the French Riviera, and the neighboring island of Ré, Oléron, Aix and Madame, La Rochelle is an ideal holiday resort. Beaches, greenery, fortifications, chalk cliffs... its beauty and diversity create an ideal setting to profit from life's pleasures. With more than three million visitors each year, La Rochelle is the third most visited city in France.

La Rochelle by night is magic. The light, the ambience, shadows of buildings on the streets, the dark blue sky.. all of that will enchant you, photographers on here. Yes, the reflects of enlightened buildings on water are unforgettable... Because La Rochelle is about that: water everywhere...

Aquarium de La Rochelle: Near the old port: this is the most popular attraction in La Rochelle, and one of the largest aquariums in Europe. The aquarium newly reopened in 2001 after expanding to become six times larger than it previously was. Today more than 10,000 species of flora and fauna inhabit the aquarium, spread out over two levels.

The exhibits are divided according to body of water: the Caribbean Room, the Atlantic Room, etc. There is also a shark tank where various species of sharks swim in over 1.5 million liters of water. In the Jellyfish Tunnel, you can walk through 360-degrees of jellyfish, who swim above and below you.

The towers of the Vieux Port in the rich and powerful town of La Rochelle are remarkable examples of military and palatial architecture. They provide splendid views of the harbor and nearby islands from their round galleries. The Tour Saint-Nicolas guards the gateway to this major maritime trading center and symbolizes the alliance between the king and the town. Like its neighbor across the harbor, the Tour de la Chaîne, the tower dates from the 14 th century and was designed by the same architect who built the Chateau de Vincennes.

Boat trips from the harbor to nearby islands are popular - including trips to Ile de Ré and Ile d'Oleron. Discover the islands of Aix, Oléron and Ré on the horizon. The island of Ré offers wonderful beaches, great cuisine and biking trails.

On a shore tour you can explore by boat the serene rural waterways of the 'Green Venice' national park - or relax on one of the lovely beaches of the nearby Ile de Re.

Euro

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Language: French.

Plenty of free WiFi available at the sidewalk cafes, look at the signs.

Local emergency number:

Police:              17
Fire brigade:      18
Ambulance:       15 

A webcam

Most shops, businesses, information services, museums and banks in France stay open all day. The exceptions are the smaller shops and enterprises, which may close for lunch sometime between 12.30pm and 2pm. Basic hours of business are from 8 or 9am to 6.30 or 7.30pm Monday to Saturday for the big shops and Tuesday to Saturday for smaller shops (some of the smaller shops may open on Monday afternoon). You can always find boulangeries and food shops that do stay open, however, on days when others close – on Sunday normally until noon.

There's plenty to do in La Rochelle on a sunday, especially in the summer. (Boat trips to the islands, and the town beach). The Aquarium is open all year round and has a great top floor restaurant. The Natural History Museum is well worth a visit. Like most towns in France, Sundays are quite sleepy, the shops are shut but restaurants are usually busy with families getting together for sunday lunch

National holiday dates:

January 1 New Year's Day
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
Ascension Day (forty days after Easter)
Pentecost or Whitsun (seventh Sunday after Easter, plus the Monday)
May 1 May Day/Labour Day
May 8 Victory in Europe Day
July 14 Bastille Day
August 15 Assumption of the Virgin Mary
November 1 All Saints' Day
November 11 1918 Armistice Day
December 25 Christmas Day

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