Saint-Nicolas district

The Saint-Nicolas district, in La Rochelle

The Saint-Nicolas district is one of the most lively and most charming of La Rochelle, a former district of the fishermen become a maze of bohemian lanes near the Vieux-Port. The La Rochelle audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this sector full of character, where shops, art galleries, bookshops, bars and restaurants animate streets with white houses and colourful façades.

The bohemian soul of the former district of the fishermen

You enter the Rue Saint-Nicolas, heart of the district of the same name and one of the unmissable passages of the town. Situated a little apart from the medieval town, on the other side of the Vieux-Port, the Saint-Nicolas district is a former district of fishermen, that has been able to keep its authenticity while reinventing itself. It is today the ideal place to rummage and stroll among the somewhat bohemian shops, the craftsmen's workshops, the art galleries and the bookshops, in a relaxed and creative atmosphere that contrasts with the tourist effervescence of the Vieux-Port. Bars and restaurants are also there, and you like to linger on a terrace in this district full of charm, particularly lively in the evening and at weekends. The whiteness of the low houses, typical of La Rochelle, mingled with the colourful façades of the shops, makes the lanes very attractive, where it is pleasant to stroll without a precise goal. Along the squares, like the Place de la Fourche, and the passages, you discover a village in the town, that has kept a district spirit and a life of proximity. The former sailors have given way to the artists and the independent merchants, but the popular and convivial soul remains. A district of fishermen and a bohemian village, the Saint-Nicolas district is a fine stop of the discovery of La Rochelle.

What to see

Here you discover one of the most lively districts of La Rochelle, a former district of fishermen with a bohemian charm, a little apart from the medieval town; its lanes with white houses and colourful façades shelter shops, craftsmen's workshops, art galleries, bookshops, bars and restaurants, in a relaxed and convivial atmosphere. The Saint-Nicolas district is the living soul of La Rochelle. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Saint-Nicolas district lies in immediate proximity to the Vieux-Port of La Rochelle, on the other side of the basin, reachable on foot. It is a freely accessible district, to be explored through its lanes, shops and terraces, particularly lively in the evening and at weekends. You discover it during a walk.

What is the Saint-Nicolas district in La Rochelle?

A former district of fishermen become one of the most lively and charming of La Rochelle, a little apart from the medieval town; its lanes with white houses and colourful façades shelter bohemian shops, craftsmen's workshops, art galleries, bookshops, bars and restaurants, in a relaxed atmosphere, lively in the evening and at weekends.

Where is the Saint-Nicolas district in La Rochelle?

In immediate proximity to the Vieux-Port of La Rochelle, on the other side of the basin, in France.