Presentation of our team :)

Ophélie

Héloïse

Zixi

Kang

Peng

Shuai

Huan

Geography of La Rochelle

Geography

Localisation

With over 80,000 inhabitants, this port city on the Atlantic coast is situated halfway between Nantes and Bordeaux. The capital is only 2 hours 45 minutes away by daily TGV trains.

How to get to La Rochelle

By air: La Rochelle-Ile de Ré Airport
It serves a number of European destinations (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Munich, Madrid, Bologna, etc.). There are a dozen direct lines including Lyons, London, Birmingham, Southampton, Dublin and Edinburgh, used by over 200,000 passengers in 2007.

La Rochelle-Ile de Ré Airport, +33 (0)5 46 42 30 26, www.larochelle.aeroport.fr

By Train

- 6 TGV per day La Rochelle - Paris, in 2h50mn
- At least 1 train per day La Rochelle - Marseille,
- 12 trains per day La Rochelle - Paris,
- Over 100 trains leave La Rochelle station all through the year for destinations such as Fontenay-Le-Comte, Poitiers, Bordeaux, Nantes, Paris, Angoulême, Toulouse and Lourdes.

SNCF, 36 35, www.voyages-sncf.com

By Road, from:

Paris: 467 km
Lyons: 650 km
Toulouse: 400 km
Nantes: 146 km
Marseilles: 825 km
Strasbourg: 950 km

The climate

With its exceptional sunshine (2,400 hours per year, or as much as the French Riviera) and its proximity to the Islands of Ré, Oléron, Aix and Madame, La Rochelle is a special holiday resort.
La Rochelle enjoys an oceanic climate. With plenty of rain in autumn and in winter, the winters are mild, and it is the sunniest spot on the Atlantic littoral.
In summer, temperatures are tempered by the sea breeze. It is caused by the rise in the ground temperature during the day while the sea temperature remains constant, and can be felt as wind which sometimes blows fairly strongly from the sea inland in the afternoon. Ideal for sailing, the breeze also keeps maximum temperatures agreeable.

General Introduce

General

La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.

History and Heritage

La Rochelle was founded in the 10th century as a fishing village which began to expand in the 12th century to reach its apogee in the following century through the wine and salt trade.

With the protestant coup d’état on January 9th 1568, the people of La Rochelle opted for the reformed side. The city then acquired the status of free city. But in 1628, Louis XIII and Richelieu laid siege to the city, which threatened the latter's policy of unification, for thirteen months. Faced with famine, the city fell and found itself without a town hall and stripped of its privileges.

Sea trade helped it back to its former glory, especially thanks to regular interchange with New France and the West Indies. From 1694, trade picked up as did the intellectual renaissance and artistic influence.

In the 19th century, wars and the French Revolution put the city into a stupor until the creation of the port of La Pallice in 1890. During the Second World War this became a German submarine base. In 1945, La Rochelle was the last French city to be liberated but luckily escaped major damage.

Today

The city has beautifully maintained its past architecture, making it one of the most picturesque and historically rich cities on the Atlantic coast. This helped develop a strong tourism industry.

La Rochelle possesses a commercial harbour in deep water, named La Pallice. The large submarine bunker built during World War II still stands there, although it is not being used. La Pallice is equipped with oil unloading equipment, and mainly handles tropical wood. It is also the location of the fishing fleet, which was moved from the old harbour at the center of the city during the 1980s.

La Rochelle also maintains strong links with the sea by harbouring the largest marina for pleasure boats in Europe at Les Minimes, and a rather rich boat-building industry.

La Rochelle has a very big aquarium, and a small botanical garden (the Jardin des plantes de La Rochelle).

The Calypso, the ship used by Jacques-Yves Cousteau as a mobile laboratory for oceanography, and which was sunk after a collision in the port of Singapore (1996) is now displayed (sadly rotting) at the Maritime Museum of La Rochelle.

One of the biggest music festivals in France, "FrancoFolies", takes place each summer in La Rochelle, where Francophone musicians come together for a week of concerts and celebration. 2004 marked the 20th anniversary of this event.

La Rochelle is the setting for the best-selling series of French language textbooks in the UK, titled Tricolore. The central character, Martine Domme, lives with her family at the fictional address of 12, Rue de la République.

Tourism

La Rochelle is a dynamic, welcoming and lively city which will captivate you for some hours or days …

… first of all with its maritime character. Anchored to the Atlantic coast, near the Islands of Ré and Oléron, La Rochelle is best discovered and enjoyed through its various ports: the Old Port in the city centre, the marina at les Minimes, the Commercial port of La Pallice, and the fishing port of Chef de Baie. Its exceptional water and its taste for sports challenges have made it a household name on the national and international boating circuit.

At La Rochelle, come and enjoy the Ocean within the City …

… with its prestigious heritage, preserved and prized over the years. La Rochelle the White, and its two Towers guarding the Old Port; but also its churches, its secret roads lined with arcades, its old wooden and aristocratic houses, its stately residences which take you back to a fascinating history …
In addition, Arts and Culture are part of everyday life. La Rochelle lives at an intense pace with big events like the Francofolies, the International Film Festival, the Grand Pavois, the TV Fiction Festival, the "Jazz between the Two Towers" Festival, and a good number of others!
At La Rochelle, come and absorb an authentic living heritage, and plunge straight into what's happening!

… by its quality of life in the end. When talking about environment, the name of La Rochelle is often associated with it. The image of the city is indissoluble with the quality of its city life, such is the resolve to keep La Rochelle beautiful and innovative, and make it a model of urban ecology.
The city privileges "clean" forms of transport (self-service bicycles, electric shuttles, sea bus, electric cars …) and natural spaces (parks and gardens, the marsh of Tasdon, the "Pavillon bleu" listed beach).
At La Rochelle, come and enjoy a unique experience in quality of the environment and quality tourism!

Find out more about:

how to get around and discover La Rochelle, click here.
Sites to visit, accommodation and eating out, click here (links to the Tourism Office website: http://www.larochelle-tourisme.com/

Welcome to our exhibition :)

Hello everyone,

The students of the "Groupe Sup de Co" invite you to join them on december16th, at 2 pm in the principal hall of the school. A stand will be in place to inform and awe people on the wonders of La Rochelle. Its purpose is to promote the city and to show local cuisine and wines. To let people not only see what La Rochelle holds, but to taste it as well.

You will have the opportunity to try some traditionnal food of La Rochelle in our stand and in a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
You will also have a wonderfully choice of brochures, flyers, books and advertisments about the activities and events that you can enjoy in La Rochelle.

Our team ( Ophelie, Héloïse, kang, peng, zixi, shuai, huan) is looking forward to see you.