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Make the most of La Rochelle Train Station without baggage!
France’s west coast, outside of Bordeaux at least, is sadly underexplored by most international travelers. Picturesque coastal treasures like La Rochelle are incredible travel destinations that few people ever get to. With a typically charming Old Port lined with medieval buildings and wharfside shops and seafood restaurants, La Rochelle’s beautiful waterfront is as enjoyable as any in France. There’s also the gorgeous Île de Ré island just off the coast that offers a truly unique experience for one of France’s most remote locales.
While some travelers will fly into the city’s airport, most will arrive by way of Poitiers, Tours, Bordeaux, and Paris via the TER and TGV train lines. La Rochelle Station, also known as Gare de La Rochelle, is situated in the heart of the city and provides easy access to the Old Port and La Rochelle’s best landmarks and cultural offerings. Here’s everything you need to know:
Almost every hotel will offer a concierge service where you can drop the bags off a few hours before check-in. This, however, isn’t always convenient given that your hotel might be out of the way from the best sightseeing spots or a work commitment. If you’re planning on sightseeing right as you get into La Rochelle Station, you might want to find a place to drop the bags off closer to the Old Port and other travel hotspots.
La Rochelle train station does offer some limited left luggage facilities, however, these fill up quickly and might not be the most convenient if you’re trying to explore La Rochelle before heading to your hotel. If you’re looking for the best luggage storage La Rochelle has, you’ll want to look into a luggage storage service like Bounce, which has locations throughout La Rochelle’s primary landmarks.
The best service offering luggage storage in La Rochelle is easily Bounce. With dozens of luggage storage spots near La Rochelle Ville station, you’ll be able to securely store your bags while you sightsee. With the intuitive Bounce mobile app, you can find and book luggage storage ahead of time or on the go! All you’ll have to do is show your confirmation to the attendant, and you’ll be set.
Walking around La Rochelle, you’ll get the sense that this port city’s identity is wrapped up in its relationship with the ocean. With a humble background as a fishing village and a thriving history as one of western France’s major ports, La Rochelle has a lot to celebrate when it comes to setting sail. It was a major launching point for immigration or recreational travel to every corner of the globe, especially when France was a major colonial power. The best place to learn about this history is the impeccable Maritime Museum along La Rochelle’s waterfront. This sleek waterside building is reminiscent of shipping hangars, and boasts colored canopies, making it impossible to miss. You’ll find hundreds of artifacts and model ships detailing the various eras of La Rochelle’s fishing, shipping, and cruise line industries.
If you haven’t noticed, basically everything in La Rochelle is based around its relation to the ocean. This is certainly the case with the city’s most popular attraction, the incredible Aquarium La Rochelle. This expansive facility has over 600 species of aquatic wildlife, including exotic fish, dolphins, and puffins. There are also observation points like the old ‘submarine’ that offer panoramic views of the massive fish tank, and there is a glimmering Galerie des Lumières (Gallery of Lights). This is easily the best way to spend an afternoon if you’re visiting La Rochelle with the whole family.
Commanding the entrance to the Old Port are the magnificent 14th-century Towers of La Rochelle. These defensive structures loom large over the otherwise quaint wharf and will captivate younger travelers and history buffs. The main ones to admire are the Tour Saint-Nicolas, the Tour de la Chaîne, and the Tour de la Lanterne. The ancient Tour de la Lanterne also operated as the lighthouse for La Rochelle for centuries, the oldest in Western Europe in fact. The Tour Saint-Nicolas and the Tour de la Chaîne combine to make the fortified entrance to the harbor and can be seen from almost anywhere on the waterfront.
La Rochelle Airport (full name La Rochelle – Île de Ré Airport, or simply Aéroport La Rochelle) is situated northwest of the city center and is a minor transportation hub for carriers like Ryanair. The most common destination from the airport is La Rochelle Station, with a direct route between the airport and the train station via the D5 Bus Line. The trip only takes about 30 minutes and costs about $5.
La Rochelle is a highly compact city, with most landmarks and attractions being within a 25-minute walk from La Rochelle Station. The Vieux Port (or the Old Port) is only about a 15-minute walk from the train station. Another popular option is the Yélo bike-sharing program. La Rochelle is relatively flat, so exploring the city on two wheels is the most convenient way to see the entire city. Even better, there’s a bike docking station outside of La Rochelle Train Station.
One of the most interesting aspects of La Rochelle is the windswept island of Ile de Ré that sits off the coast. It’s one of the fascinating and remote places that seems unchanged by time, offering a unique travel experience that’ll provide insight into the region’s distinctive cultural heritage. The whitewashed buildings that dot the island’s ten villages have distinctive terracotta roofs, and the Phare des Baleines lighthouse towers over the rest of the island. The mainland is linked by a bridge, with taxis taking about 30 minutes from La Rochelle Station and costing about $70 on average. There’s also Nouvelle-Aquitaine’s regional 3/3E bus line running from the city center, including La Rochelle Station, which stops in every village on the island. The whole trip lasts about two hours.
The most reliable La Rochelle luggage storage facilities are available strictly through the Bounce network. With premium features and the most convenient locations, your La Rochelle adventure just got a whole lot easier. It doesn’t stop there, because Bounce has thousands of locations throughout the country and the rest of Europe. If you need to store luggage when traveling through any French city, there’s really only one option!