For centuries, the ancient walled city of La Rochelle was an important maritime port. Now a major tourist centre, there are plenty of things to see and do.

By far the best way to see La Rochelle is to walk around the Old Harbour and through the nearby network of pedestrianized streets. Here there are arcaded streets recalling the days when traders would show off their wares, on counters protected from the weather, as soon as they were unloaded from the ships. Some of the streets are cobbled with stones brought back as ballast by ships returning from taken emigrants to the New World.

Some of the many things to see and do include:

• St Nicholas' Tower
  Along with 'The Chain Tower', St. Nicholas' tower stands guard at the entrance to the harbour. It is possible to climb to a lookout platform where there is a wonderful view of the Old Harbour and surrounding town.
• Musee du Noveau Monde
  The museum of the New World, house in an 18th-century mansion illustrates the links between La Rochelle and the New World from the 16th-century onwards.
• La Rochelle Aquarium
  Just a short walk from the towers in the Old Harbour is a marine environment, created using more than 3 million litres of seawater, which houses exhibits of the flora and fauna of the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the tropics.