Camping in La Rochelle

When city camping in La Rochelle, you can walk to the impressive harbour or to the city's medieval buildings. The historic Renaissance-style town hall is also a favourite spot for taking photos. Holidaymakers who come to France to camp on the beach can look forward to the fine sandy Atlantic coast: after an eventful day of carriage rides or Segway tours through the city, the beach is the perfect place for pure relaxation under the French sun.

Camping in La Rochelle: the best campsites

La Rochelle, the white city on the Atlantic coast, is one of the most beautiful addresses in France for an exciting camping holiday by the sea. PiNCAMP provides you with all the important information and reveals where you can find the best campsites in La Rochelle.

Camping in La Rochelle means culture, relaxation and wellness in all its facets: Active holidaymakers and bathers are attracted by the proximity of many campsites to the Atlantic coast. Relaxing on the sandy beach is a great way to forget the daily grind, while fishing trips and sailing courses also await. In addition to water sports or cultural excursions, La Rochelle is also a great place to relax in one of the spas with massages and beauty treatments.

The 5 best campsites in La Rochelle

Can't combine culture and a beach holiday? In La Rochelle it is. Almost all of La Rochelle's campsites are located near the sea - but the picturesque city centre with its impressive Renaissance architecture, medieval half-timbered houses and postcard-worthy old harbour is still only a few minutes away from the campsites. Here are the top 5 campsites in La Rochelle. At these sites, you'll get excellent service, a beautiful location and won't have to dig too deep into your wallet.

Au petit port de l'houmeau

Quiet and clean 4-star campsite with a large swimming pool for the kids, modern sanitary facilities and a cosy bar. The terraces of the mobile homes are screened by hedges so that you have a private retreat in the bungalows. And all this is available at a first-class price-performance ratio.

Camping Île de Ré - La Grainetière

This campsite is located on the Île de Ré, an island connected to the mainland by a bridge and just a stone's throw from La Rochelle. Although the site is not directly on the beach, you can reach the dream beach of La Bois in 10 minutes by bike. Both the spacious pitches and the chic mobile homes leave nothing to be desired.

Camping Le Soleil

Inexpensive site close to the centre, perfect for a short stay in La Rochelle. The facilities at the campsite are somewhat spartan and there is no electricity on the pitches. However, the main sights of La Rochelle are just a few minutes' walk away. There is private access to the sea and beach.

Camping Le Sable

A 4-star campsite close to the beach with a large water park, pools, water slides and an entertainment programme, including free archery every day. In addition to the pitches, simple but clean rental accommodation with up to 3 bedrooms is also available.

Camping A La Corniche

Cosy 3-star campsite, which is characterised above all by its excellent mobile homes. The rental accommodation is modern, well equipped, clean and simply invites you to stay a few days longer and relax on the wooden terrace.

Survival tips for travelling to La Rochelle

Depending on where you live, you can travel to La Rochelle either via Belgium or southern Germany. Some popular routes are: - From Berlin, around 1560 km via Leipzig, Frankfurt am Main, Saarbrücken, Metz, Orleans and Poitiers; - From Hanover, most holidaymakers take the approximately 1200 km route via Dortmund, Cologne, Liège, Mons, Paris and Orleans; - The route from Munich to the campsite in La Rochelle is around 1280 km and goes via Stuttgart, Strasbourg, Nancy, Troyes and Orleans.

Generally speaking, the motorways in Belgium are not in the best condition. If you have the choice between travelling via southern Germany or Belgium, it is better to take the route via southern Germany and then drive directly across the border into France. Although there are often traffic jams around Stuttgart, it is a much more pleasant drive overall. Due to the long distance, it is a good idea to spend the night at one of the many campsites near the motorways - especially if you are travelling with children. Recommended rest stops for a short break are the Taunusblick service area on the A5 and the La Longue Vue service area in Tours in France. With a picnic area, seating area, deckchairs, baby changing tables and Wi-Fi network, you can relax and recharge your batteries for the journey ahead.

Maximum speeds in France

When driving on the motorway in France, the maximum speed limit is 130 km/h, or even 110 km/h in wet conditions. The maximum speed limit on country roads is 80 km/h.

What about tolls on motorways in France?

A tiresome topic in France is the toll that you have to pay on many motorways. Theoretically, it is possible to drive toll-free and set your sat nav so that you only drive on country roads. The country roads are often not in the best condition, and there are lots of roundabouts in France - especially with a motorhome or caravan, it's no fun constantly braking and starting up again. In the long run, it will also cost you a lot of fuel - so ultimately you won't save that much money if you avoid the motorways.

These are the top 5 sights in La Rochelle

La Rochelle used to be an important trading centre and has an exciting history, as the rebellious inhabitants often rebelled against the king. La Rochelle's landmarks include the picturesque Old Port (Vieux Port) with its two mighty fortified towers and the old town surrounded by defensive walls. Here are the top sights not to be missed during your camping holiday in La Rochelle: - La Rochelle Aquarium: With over 65 different tanks, the aquarium is one of the largest in Europe - Bunker de La Rochelle: One of the newer museums, housed in the bunker of the former German city commander. - Tour de la Lantern: Once used as a lighthouse, the building later served as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries - Town Hall: This magnificent building with a Renaissance façade from the late 15th century is one of the city's landmarks - Porte de la Grosse Horloge: Those entering the city from the harbour walk through a large bell tower with clock faces, dome and lantern into the centre.

Also practical for camping holidays on the Atlantic: the island of Île de Ré is just a stone's throw away from La Rochelle. The seaside resorts of Châtelaillon-Plage and Fouras-les-Bains are also nearby.

Insider tips for camping travellers

• Travelling locally: If you are travelling by public transport, buy the La Rochelle City Pass. The ticket is valid for up to seven days for travelling by bus and train, and various excursions are also discounted. Holidaymakers can either get into taxis at the special stops or order the vehicles by telephone to the desired address.
• To discover the city as part of a guided tour, it is best to choose an exciting themed event. We recommend the evening tours with the night watchman, the special tour for families with children and the city tour by horse-drawn carriage or bicycle.

Activities and excursions

The harbour town of La Rochelle offers enough entertainment, leisure and excursion options to keep you entertained. From the campsite in La Rochelle, you can head straight for a wellness trip, a city tour, boat trips or mysterious events.

Spa visit

There are several wellness centres in the city. The Bien-Etre department offers Amma massages and acupressure techniques. The thalassotherapy centre at the Spa Marin is all about beauty and well-being from the water. The Comptoire du Soin is located in the centre of La Rochelle and offers around 100 m² of relaxation.

Boat trip to Fort Boyard

The fortress in the middle of the sea near the island of Ile d'Aix became famous in various television shows. Today, holidaymakers can visit the seemingly impregnable castle by boat on half-day or full-day excursions. Audio commentaries provide visitors with the most exciting information while they sit back and relax. Pets are also allowed on some of the boats.

Escape Hunt

If you fancy an unusual adventure, Escape Hunt in La Rochelle is the right place for you. Participants are locked in a room for an hour and have to solve exciting puzzles to get back to freedom.

events

May

• Sarabande des Filles: A sporting event in which only women can take part. It involves walking or running either five or ten kilometres. To keep participants and spectators in high spirits, a total of five bands play around the course.

June/July

• International Film Festival: This event attracts numerous film fans to the French coastal town. There is no competition between filmmakers, but over 200 films are presented over ten days.

July

• Francofolies La Rochelle: Around 100 concerts by French and French-speaking artists are performed over five days. The event, which has been organised since 1985, is free of charge.

September/October

• Le Grand Pavois: Every year, around 800 exhibitors gather at the international boat show, which covers an area of around 100,000 square metres. The unique thing about this event is that boat lovers can test drive their dream yacht on the sea before buying it.

November

• La Rochelle Marathon: France's third largest marathon has been held in the harbour town every year since 1991. The course consists of two almost identical laps of the city centre, with men under 50 starting at one point and women and men over 50 at another.

Gastronomy

French cuisine is famous worldwide for its delicacies. On the Atlantic coast, ingredients from the sea are particularly popular. Moules frites, mussels with chips, can be found on almost every menu. Fish dishes, oysters and seafood are offered in every variation. Meat lovers will get their money's worth with entrecôte or lamb in cognac.

Vegetarians can fill up on excellent blue cheese, aromatic soups and fresh salads. Desserts such as chocolate mousse or the almond sand cake Broyé du Poitou will tantalise the sweet tooth. Local wines from Bordeaux, for example, are served as drinks. Cognac can be enjoyed with both aperitifs and desserts.

Best time to go camping in La Rochelle

La Rochelle is known for its warm, temperate climate and many hours of sunshine. From April onwards, the thermometer reaches 15 degrees Celsius on some days. Ideal temperatures for cycling tours and hikes. Perfect conditions for an outdoor holiday then prevail between June and September. During this period, temperatures average between 17.7 and 19.7 degrees Celsius - with maximum temperatures of 24 degrees.

In July, it gets really summery with around 9.8 hours of sunshine a day. The water averages 20 degrees until August. Due to the maritime influence, there is relatively high rainfall in winter. Nevertheless, average maximum temperatures of 8.5 to 12 degrees invite you to enjoy a refreshing holiday on the coast.