It’s a good two hours by car from Bordeaux to La Rochelle, a city I can totally recommend you to visit. If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you’ll know that I’ve had a crush on La Rochelle for many years. What’s more, my lovely French friend Anne-Laure and her family live nearby. We’ve known each other since our student days, so the anticipation of seeing her, her husband and her daughters again this time is big!
Coming home: Seeing my dear friends Anne-Laure & Julien again after so many years here on the Atlantic coast of France was definitely one of the highlights of this trip to France!
Another highlight being that since we last saw each other, there’s well – four little ones more among us!
Exploring La Rochelle with (young) kids: City travel tips.
Together with Anne-Laure’s daughters Joséphine and Louison, my husband, my parents, my little boys and I explore the city of La Rochelle. As always, it is super handy to have the locals with you!
Anne-Laure and Julien know exactly what it’s like to be out and about with small children (needs, hunger attacks, what to do and where to play!), as well as the best places for a lunchtime snack (Aux Délice de Vero, near the “Big Clock” in La Rochelle’s old harbour) and that the shopping experience in the Rue du Port starts right at the harbour.
Above all, they recommend a visit to the new Ferris wheel in La Rochelle (yes, it’s worth the ride!) and the “Aquarium La Rochelle”, the “big fish house” as Liam likes to call it. It’s conveniently located right in the harbour; if you’re travelling by hire car like us, we can recommend the L’Encan car park right next to it.
Salut, La Rochelle! The view of the city’s Old Harbour with the “Big Clock” Tower, which marks the entrance to the Old Town from the harbour.
Of course, we just had to stop for some ice cream …
… enjoy one of the many little cafés …
… and visit the Aquarium La Rochelle with the kids.
From La Rochelle to Les Sables d’Olonne: What to do and where to go with young children.
Around an hour further up the coast from La Rochelle is Les Sables d’Olonne. “Les Sables”, the beach, is in the name and is really worth a visit.
Just behind the beach, and perhaps even more remarkable than the rest of the town itself, is the pretty little neighbourhood of Quartier de l’Ile Penotte. Unique “shell graffiti” adorn the walls of the houses, leading to the neighbourhood no longer being an insider tip: we are lucky and only share the streets with a few other visitors on the day of our visit.
Pretty wall gazing at Quartier de l’Ile Penotte in Les Sables d’Olonne …
… and it’s true that the “murals” are real works of art, fascinating to all of us!
The perfect place for taking your holiday pictures!
Thank you so much for bringing us here, dear Anne-Laure, dear Louison!
A quick visit to the beach at La Plage le Veillon.
A little later, we stop off at La Plage le Veillon beach. Actually, it was to unpack our beach toys and go for a swim! Due to the rather cool weather though, we end up taking only a short walk, opting instead for a quiet stop at the local beach restaurant.
My mum, quizzing my friend Anne Laure for tips on where to go in nearby Bretagne.
Playground and Skatepark de la Faute sur Mer in L’Aiguillon la Presqu’île.
Another good idea for a stop with children is the large playground and skate park in the unspeakably beautiful village of L’Aiguillon la Presqu’île! Completely free to access, the boys and girls really enjoyed their stay here.
Despite the not so sunny and rather cool weather, the kids of course enjoy the big playground experience.
Dinner in L’Aiguillon la Presqu’île: “Julie dans la cuisine” will have you taste the sea on your plate.
Again following the local advice by Anne-Laure and Julien, we have dinner in a lovely little restaurant called “Julie in the kitchen” – Julie dans la cuisine. Sounds good – and it is, because I’m still dreaming of my seafood meal there! My husband also likes the burger, the children enjoy fish, chips and ketchup. Bon appétit!
Julie dans la cuisine – a real taste of the French Atlantic coast on my plate.
Thank you so much for making us feel home here with you, dear Anne-Laure, dear Julien!
We’ve really enjoyed spending some days and beautiful travel moments with you and “all the family”!
On with a day in Angers. Including a visit to the fortress, a cute little slow train, delicious crêpes and an overnight stay in L’Oisellerie, one of the oldest buildings in the city.
From La Rochelle and the French Atlantic coast, we travel just under two hours further inland towards the Loire Valley and the medieval fortified town of Angers. There, while looking for a special place to stay for the six of us (my parents and the four of us), I came across L’Oisellerie, one of the oldest (the oldest?) buildings in the city, right next to the mighty cathedral. The overnight stay is a real highlight, despite or perhaps even because of the historic walls (no lift, old half-timbering everywhere but totally beautifully renovated).
Angers is Anne-Laure’s university town. I thus first travelled here about 18 years ago through her. Returning with the family now is great fun; I remember exploring the fortress with the boys in a very similar way to my first visit back then.
New highlight: We discover “Le Petit Train Electrique“, a 100% electrically powered slow train through the old town, which departs directly from the tourist information centre in Angers.
Hello, Angers!
The kids love visiting the historic fortress; the new turtle from La Rochelle has to go everywhere with them.
For culture vultures: inside the castle is a huge tapestry that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
Walking across the old bridge from downtown Angers …
… we can recommend the Crêperie Le Connétable right in the middle of the old town (try the typical galettes savoury crêpes, or the Crêpes Suzettes sweet ones!) …
… here’s a picture of us in front of the oldest accommodation in Angers …
… L’Oisellerie, another travel tip we can really recommend …
… and finally, of course, we had to make good on our promise of taking the slow train through the old town with the boys.
In my next post, I’ll take you to Mont Saint Michel, our last major destination on this family trip through France. Click here for my post about Bordeaux and the surrounding area, including travel tips for families.