We read an online article that talked about a dozen cities and towns in France to visit during the winter. At the end of today’s post I’ll put the complete list that includes a couple of classic ski destinations, a few that you might think of as being only summer resorts, and one city we’d never been to despite wanting to do so for years. In the description of La Rochelle, author Evie Burrows-Taylor wrote that it’s “Full of arcaded walkways, half-timbered houses and more than its fair share of lighthouses…and in winter you won’t have to battle other tourists to appreciate it.” Given the “shoulder-to-shoulder” travel experiences that most of us have seen since those restrictions from the dark days of Covid were lifted, that final comment about not having to compete with others to enjoy the town was all that we needed to hear.

Although we were land based, our exploration of La Rochelle started with what travel website Culture Travel said, “Sailing in from the ocean, the first tower ships would see….” the Lantern Tower. Given that it may have been completed in 1209, over the centuries that would have been a lot of ships drawn to its light with some of those passengers eventually being held inside since it was also used as a prison. These international “guests”, Spanish, English, and Dutch, left their graffiti behind with carvings etched in the walls that you can still see today.

Once drawn towards the harbor, those ships might not have been able to enter the safety of the port because of the two towers we visited next. (Featured photo today across the top.) The aptly named Chain Tower from 1390 housed a massive iron chain that could be stretched across the harbor entrance to the Saint Nicolas Tower (1376) to effectively prevent any larger vessels from entering or leaving. 

To get from the harbor area into the original part of the city we had to pass through the medieval walls via the gate called the Porte de la Grosse Horlage. Although named for the “big clock” at the top of the tower, I thought that the 2 ton bell added in 1476 was even more impressive. Once inside the walls it was a short walk to the oldest city hall—Hôtel de Ville—still being used in France with public services first offered on the site in 1298. That original building was reconstructed in 1490 with a semi-fortified exterior intended to display the power and wealth of this growing city.

Not surprisingly, only one street over from there is a magnificent mansion built in 1555. Maison Henri II, called that for its Renaissance style rather than for any previous owner, has a gallery on the ground floor and a loggia above. The museum interior is apparently no longer open but we were happy with the views from the courtyard.

To see some of those “arcaded walkways and half-timbered houses” mentioned above in the article that drew us to the city, we first walked along Rue des Merciers that is indeed lined with half-timbered medieval houses and townhomes. And just in time for lunch we went to the arcaded Rue St-Jean-du-Perot that had been recommended to us if we wanted to “eat like a local” instead of in the restaurants that circle the port. Online reviews consistently favor the eateries we found just one block back from the water.

Interestingly, while researching the sites to visit during this trip, I saw a story entitled, “Which part of south-west France is the top ‘dream destination’ to move to?” You can probably guess that the destination was La Rochelle, and now we know why.

The original article from The Local was called “14 towns in France you have to visit in winter”

• Annecy, French Alps
• Cassis, Provence
• Blois, Loire River
• Beaune, Burgundy
• Colmar, Alsace
• Etretat, Normandy
• Honfleur, Normandy
• Josselin, Brittany
• St Malo, Brittany
• Troyes, Grand Est
• Eguisheim, Grand Est
• Megeve, French Alps
• Chambery, French Alps
• La Rochelle, Atlantic coast