Have you ever been somewhere and seen just enough in a few short hours to know you had to return?
That’s what happened to me in La Rochelle, France.
My friend Patricia Sands and I stayed overnight in this historic Atlantic port during our Epic & 80 road trip through France. We had just one day to explore, but it was enough to discover a city full of intriguing history, unexpected connections, and curiosities that left me wanting to know more.
There were medieval towers guarding the harbor, an extraordinary café with a connection to a familiar actor and a famous mystery writer, and glass ships enclosed in bottles of Cognac. Even the city’s appearance intrigued me. The pale limestone buildings made La Rochelle look almost whitewashed. How did that happen?
By the time we left, I had more questions than answers. And plenty of reasons to return.
Coffee at the Historic Café de la Paix
Café de la Paix was one of the unexpected discoveries of our visit to La Rochelle. With its gilded woodwork, enormous mirrors and globe lamps, the café was worth visiting for its magnificent interior alone. Coincidentally, friends from Uzès were also in town, so we arranged to meet them there for coffee. Only later did I learn that the café’s Belle Époque decoration, dating largely from around 1900, is protected as a historic monument.
Another surprise was discovering that one of the café’s regulars during the 1930’s was Georges Simenon, the Belgian novelist who created Inspector Maigret, the French detective portrayed by Rowan Atkinson (of Mr. Bean fame) in a TV mystery series. Simenon reportedly arrived on horseback so often that the café owner installed a ring outside for him to tether his horse.
La Rochelle’s Old Port and Medieval Towers
La Rochelle’s Vieux Port is dominated by two imposing medieval towers, reminders of the city’s long history as one of France’s important Atlantic seaports. The Tour Saint-Nicolas and Tour de la Chaîne stand on opposite sides of the harbor entrance, where a heavy chain could once be stretched across the water to control access to the port.
Centuries of stories must lie behind those ancient stone towers.
During our visit, scaffolding covered Saint-Nicolas. Nevertheless, sailboats, excursion boats, and a little yellow electric shuttle carrying passengers crossed the harbor.
A City With Centuries of History
Beyond the harbor, we passed through the Grosse Horloge, the monumental clock gate leading into the old town. There we found the fortified-looking Hôtel de Ville, timber-framed buildings, churches and monuments whose histories we scurried past. I photographed them anyway, hoping to identify them later.
What I did know is that La Rochelle’s history had to be as interesting as its architecture. It was an important trading port, a Protestant stronghold in the 17th century, and a departure point for French settlers heading to North America. Its maritime prosperity was also connected to the Atlantic slave trade.
Yes, there is clearly much more to this city than its beautiful harbor.
Glass Ships, Grapes and Other Mysteries
One of the most memorable discoveries in La Rochelle was passing a shop with a street display of beautiful glass bottles and a shopkeeper handing out samples of flavored cognac. It didn’t really register with me until then that La Rochelle is in Charente-Maritime, one of the departments in the Cognac-producing region.
The cognac was a treat, but the miniature glass ships, bunches of grapes, and other delicate glass shapes in glass bottles stopped me to find out more.
I’d seen traditional ships in bottles before, but these glass creations were something different.
It was another unexpected discovery that made our short visit to La Rochelle, France so memorable.
How did they get them inside? The glass objects in the bottles were far too large to have passed through the narrow openings.
Needless to say, we went into the shop to have a closer look. The shop was filled with cognac of all kinds, including new flavors.
The shelves were filled with examples of glasswork that made me curious about the skill and patience involved in producing them.
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Why I Want to Return to La Rochelle
Yes, La Rochelle stands out as one of those places I want to return to someday — a city whose history waits around every corner. The connection between Café de la Paix and Inspector Maigret’s creator, the towers that once protected the harbor, the fortified Hôtel de Ville, and the extraordinary glasswork in the Cognac shop were all discoveries that deserve more time. One day wasn’t nearly enough. La Rochelle left me with plenty of reasons to return—and more mysteries to investigate.
Have you visited La Rochelle? What did you discover that stayed with you? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for my next visit.
