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Hi , I and my 13 year old daughter are going with hubby to conference in La Rochelle for a week in June. Since I dont speak French cant tell what is on the website . Was wondering if I should book any daytrips/reservations for tours to local museums etc for my daughter and I before we leave the states. Have never contacted a travel agent in the past wondering where to start. Thanks, Margaret

A regular travel agent in the States (where I presume you live) will not be able to do anything for youa s far as day trips are concerned. You can find some info. on La Rochelle at the Rough Guide web site - roughguide.com. The town has a lovely harbor area and the cnetral city is great for walking. You and your daughter can do this on your own. There are good beaches nearby, which are reachable by bus (or taxi if you want more convenience and don't want to shell out $$). For daytrips farther afield, you can wait until you are there and ask at the hotel and/or at the tourist office, located at the harbor.

Margaret: A travel agent won't have a clue what you should do or how you should do it in La Rochelle. First thing you'll need to know is that the tourist office is at Place de la Petite Sirène. Any organized tours you want to take can be arranged there, in English. But there's plenty to see and do in La Rochelle, too. The port is lovely, graced by two towers, the Tour de la Chaîne (a huge chain used to run between them to keep invaders out)and the Tour St-Nicolas. As you'll see as you stand at the harbor, there are plenty of boat rides for sale, within the harbor and beyond - you buy tickets at the little kiosk. Climb up the Tour de la Lanterne for a great view of the city and port -its interior walls are covered with graffiti that foreign prisoners left there between the 17th and 19th centuries. There's a delightful, if quirky, perfume museum at 33,rue du Temple, a Hôtel de Ville with a stunning facade and courtyard dating from the 16th century, an eclectic Muséum (yes, not musée) d'Histoire Naturelle, and a Musée du Nouveau Monde that focuses on maritime commerce, including the slave trade. Your daughter might enjoy the aquarium also, where glass tunnels take you past tanks of fish, sharks, tortoises, and other marine life. Do take the time to go out to Ile de Ré. This is where the famous sea salt is harvested, and you can see the salt beds and often the people who cultivate it (though the region is still suffering a bit from the oil spill year before last). There are plenty of good beaches on Isle de Ré, and it's also a fine place to bike ride, if that interests you. The main village, and the prettiest, is St-Martin-de-Ré, but take time to tour the whole island - it's small enough to see in half a day. In St-Clément-des-Baleines, you might want to have lunch at the Café du Phare. The local specialty, poutargue, which is a luscious combination of cod's roe, sour cream, and shallots, is especially good here. Back in La Rochelle, restaurants we've enjoyed have been Les Quatre Sergents, at 49, rue St-Jean-du-Pérot, le Bistrot de l'Entracte at 22 on the same street,and Restaurant La Solette, 11 place de la Fourche.

I do read French, so checked out a couple of the sites (I've never been to La Rochelle). There are several museums, including a wax museum, fine arts, natural history, history of Protestantism, etc. There are a variety of tours, most are available through the tourist office; no indication if they are in English. Don't bother to book ahead; wait until you arrive. Most conference planners know that spouses will be along, and usually arrange for tours. If not, or the tours don't appeal to you, your hotel will be able to help (look for a giant rack of colored brochures in the lobby, and ask the concierge). Based on the descriptions and pictures of the city, I suggest you plan to do your own walking tour; just wander around, get lost, find a restaurant where nothing's in English and enjoy the adventure. For a map and some info about the city, go to (it's in English): http://www.mappy.co.uk/direct/mappy/accueil Enjoy your trip; to help with the no-French thing, get a traveler's phrase book and practice some of the polite stuff, like thanks and good morning.

Hello Margaret, I was there two years ago and visited Île de Ré. The area is fabulous, the town of La Flott is like a mini-St.Tropez. It is a wonderful little village and we went off on a day trip to the Rémy Martin vineyards with a car rental from a French rental agency that was across from the La Rochelle train station. People were very helpful and tried to communicate with us even with our limited French speaking skills. Have a fun time.

Can't say enough about La Rochelle. The old part of the city, what is called the "ancient quarters" are very nice indeed. They are mostly lined with stone arcaded sidewalks, off of which you will find some very good stores selling some great local products: pineau, cheeses, oysters, cognac (Cognac is close), confitures (jellies and preserves), and on and on. As an architect I have to agree that the Hotel de Ville is an excellant example of what I call provincial Renaissance, and well worth seeing. So is the Hotel de la Bourse (the old Exchange House), though it's not from the same period. The Cathedrale St. Louis is a good example of Baroque architecture. But it is the inner part of the gothic quarter with its sidewalks, narrow streets and old stone and wood buildings that is wonderful. Its right off the port, through a great city gate with dome and clock. The Ill de Oleron south of Re is also quiet nice and less crowded. It still retains its rural character. As for things to do, there used to be a jazz festival that, I think, was held in summer. I don't know if that goes any more, however. And in the evening the best thing is to walk along the port and sit in one of the many restaurants, eat great seafood and enjoy the scenery of medieval towers, water and sail ships and watch the sun set.

Hi Margaret You've got some great info here! Just 2 more suggestions: Do a Thalasso half-day or day with your daughter, since La Rochelle is one of the major 'stations' in France for this seawater spa therapy . . . it'd be really fun to get pampered in French! Also, if a whole week in a beautiful seaside historical sunny port town sounds like a bore, head to London for a day or 2: KLM Buzz airlines now does a cheap route between La Rochelle and London: http://www.buzzaway.com/index.html HTH and have fun!

EVeryone thank you for your replys. I am looking forward to seeing La Rochelle .I am sure my daughter and I will have a great time. :-)