Old Port

The Vieux-Port of La Rochelle

The Vieux-Port is the historic and beating heart of La Rochelle, the oldest of the ports of the town, framed by its famous medieval towers. The La Rochelle audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this former fishing port become a marina, lined with bars, restaurants and lively quays, where to stroll facing the boats and the ramparts.

The historic heart of the maritime town

What is better than to stroll on the Vieux-Port of La Rochelle? Bars, restaurants, ice cream or churros sellers according to the season: the Vieux-Port remains lively in all circumstances. It is the heart of the town, there where visitors and inhabitants like to make a pause, eat on a terrace facing the towers and the boats that compose the setting. Cradled by the lapping of the waves and the chiming of the masts, you stroll on the quays of this former fishing port, become today a marina, admiring the imposing towers from different angles over the walk. The Vieux-Port is the oldest of the ports of La Rochelle; its history goes back to the Middle Ages, when the town, first a simple fishing village, developed to become one of the great trading ports of the kingdom, prospering thanks to wine, salt and trade with the north of Europe and, later, the Americas. This merchant wealth made the fortune of the town and earned it great liberties, that had to be defended by arms and by the towers that still guard its entrance. Today, the port has lost its merchant vocation in favour of boating and tourism, but it has kept all its charm and its animation. At sunset, when the white façades and the towers are tinted with gold, the Vieux-Port offers one of the finest spectacles of the Atlantic coast. A historic port and a heart of the town, the Vieux-Port is a fine stop of the discovery of La Rochelle.

What to see

Here you discover the oldest port of La Rochelle, historic heart of the town, a former fishing and trading port become a marina, framed by the famous medieval towers; lined with bars, restaurants and lively quays, where to stroll facing the boats and the ramparts, it offers at sunset one of the finest spectacles of the Atlantic coast. The Vieux-Port is the heart of La Rochelle. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Vieux-Port lies in the heart of La Rochelle, at the gates of the historic centre, reachable on foot. It is an open-air port freely accessible, lined with quays, bars and restaurants, framed by the towers. You discover it during a walk, particularly pleasant at the end of the day.

What is the Vieux-Port of La Rochelle?

The oldest port of La Rochelle and the historic heart of the town, a former fishing and trading port become a marina; it prospered in the Middle Ages thanks to wine, salt and trade, which earned the town great liberties, defended by the towers that guard its entrance; it is today lined with bars, restaurants and lively quays.

Where is the Vieux-Port of La Rochelle?

In the heart of La Rochelle, at the gates of the historic centre, in France.