La Rochelle area - any top tips of things to do / must sees?

[Portofino]

We are off in 2 weeks time for 3 weeks in a gite complex. We will be about 10 mins from Chatellailon plage and 30 mins from La Rochelle. Top recommendations much appreciated.

Ile de Re - for cycling, beaches, walks, wildlife, meal out - I would recommend St Martin de Re for meal and people watching, Ars en Re for markets, pottering and Bois en Re for beaches.

La Rochelle - Aquarium is a great day out, good shopping, visit old port and nice and compact to walk around.

Royan - La Palymre zoo - lovely spread out zoo and great for kids (though polar bears are a bit sad)

Saintes - for history/Roman ruins etc..

Cognac - nice history, shady cafes and walks - and urm...cognac :)

Puy du Fou - a bit of a drive (hour and a half) but worth it - honestly (see previous threads for tips etc...)

Les Sables d'olonne for alternative beach life, zoo, shopping, shell museum etc...

Ile d'Oleron - less commercial than Ile de Re but nice walks, fishing villages and beaches

Rochefort for history and jazz festivals in July/August (Wednesdays)

Hope this helps

Thanks so much. We've done Saintes and Cognac already, but looks like loads to do in between laying by the pool.

I am definitely going to Ars en Re.

Agree with peppersquint's list, bit just to add Fouras on the coast too; nice seaside town with 4 beaches, a road train and overlooking Fort Boyard.

The lighthouse in Ile de Re is worth visiting/climbing, and has a good gift shop.

If you don't mind travelling oradour-sur-glane is worth a visit
www.oradour.info/ or Rochechouart

la Roche Courban chateau fairytail castle

Little boats for kids nice town pretty
st savinien sur Charente

futuroscope in poitiers

cycle plus picnic on Ile de Re

The Aquarium in La Rochelle is amazing. Lighthouse at end of Oleron. Trip to fort Boyard from Boyardville on Oleron.

My dad has just phoned from La Rochelle and says he and dmum had great day out yesterday
here

My dsis is further down the coast and recommends accrobranche - treetop adventures

You could search for Pmf? (ages self)

Otherwise, another vote for l'Ile de Re and Puy du fou.

Ooh dd loves throes tree climbing things.

Pmf? Googling brings up lots of political stuff....

Pmf was a robot that helped teach schoolkids French (as part of a series of textbooks), millions of years ago in my youth He looked like Dusty Bon, avec un beret, je pense.

But I think I am getting mixed up, and perhaps he didn't live in La Rochelle... That was the Tricolore series of books, IIRC. Or perhaps they are one and the same?

a friend of mine always recommends eating here (she has stayed here too). She is quite a gourmet and says it is the best vegetarian food she has ever had. Oh yes, they're vegetarian, if that doesn't put you off...

Hazel - I remember him and he did live in La Rochelle

On a totally separate note - did anyone have a german text book in which a family had a dog called "Lumpy"?

Porto
It's near les Mathes so could do climbing treetop thingy and then zoo later in the day. My tip would be to go to the zoo later in the day for less parking issues( nightmare) and less people. It's open quite late in the evening and is VAST !
I have spent a whole day there and not noticed the time until my tummy told me it was def time for more steak frites!
Lots of baby animals ( major breeding prog)and the apes are amazing - a way at the very end- orang-utans chimps and gorillas.
There is a nice restaurant just south of the zoo called Le Flandre.( in the forest behind la Grande Cote beach.
It's q pricey tho so maybe not avec les enfants

Take waterproofs, we spent a very rainy day cycling around il de rae (sp?) was warm but very wet and when we got back and recounted this to French friend she said always potential to rain in that part of France (was in August!)

Take waterproofs, we spent a very rainy day cycling around il de rae (sp?) was warm but very wet and when we got back and recounted this to French friend she said always potential to rain in that part of France (was in August!)

Highly recommend green Venice (marais poitevin) for a day trip. Hire a boat and do some exploring

Porto here's a bit more info on the climbing place
It's called the Parc indian forest or something equally un-pc
here