Arrived here on Friday and walked to our apartment from the train station. The walk took us down to the old port, so we had our first look at the scenery of La Rochelle. It’s a really pretty city, much bigger and busier than I had imagined. We’ve got a nice little apartment with an outdoor terrace.
Our first full day in the city was a cloudy one so ideal to walk around and explore. Our first port of call was La Marche, a famous old food market literally a 5 minute walk from where we are staying. Out of all the markets we’ve visited in the last 10 weeks this is the best of them. You must visit this place if in La Rochelle.
We bought some lovely looking lamb kebabs with some new potatoes and veg for tonights dinner, and then we went off to see the aquarium, which from what I’ve read is one of the top 10 attractions in the whole of France. It was around £16 per person to get in, and it was well worth it. Apparently it has over 12,000 species of fish and marine life inside.
Back to the market now to hunt down some oysters for lunch. Got there just in time as the market was just about to close for the day. We had 12 oysters and a glass of wine (well paper cup) for £12. That’s what I call a yummy good deal.
We then took a stroll around the town and took in some of the architecture. A lot of it is 14th or 15th century and is very impressive. We also took a walk to Concurrence beach which is about a 10 minute walk from the centre and worth a visit if you want to lay back and chill for a bit.
Day 3 was nice and sunny so we took an electric ferry boat across to Minimes beach, takes about 20 minutes for 3 euros each way. Very nice beach with a coastal path to explore which runs from the back of the beach right round the headland on the west side of the beach. Enjoyed some mussels and frites for lunch at a nice beachside restaurant. I thoroughly recommend a day out here if you want to catch some sunshine and have a swim.
