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Life in La Rochelle
La Rochelle’s year of festivals, the Central Market, the local press and six twin towns, from New Rochelle to Essaouira — and #visitlarochelle.
Through the year
- JunyearlyBoating Week (Semaine du Nautisme)Free introduction to sailing on the Cours des Dames, at the Vieux-Port — 2026: 17–22 June.
- Jun–JulyearlyLa Rochelle Film Festival (Fema)Film festival of retrospectives, classics and new releases — 2026: 26 June – 5 July; 2027: 25 June – 3 July.
- JulyearlyLes Francofolies de La RochelleThe famous festival of French-language music — 2026 and 2027: 10–14 July.
- SepyearlyLa Rochelle TV Fiction FestivalFrench and European TV drama, public screenings and awards — 2026: 15–20 September.
- Sepsince 1973Grand Pavois La Rochelle boat showBoat show afloat at the Port des Minimes — 2026: 22–27 September.
- OctyearlyLa Rochelle Jazz Festival (formerly Jazz entre les deux tours)Autumn jazz at La Sirène and La Coursive — 2026: 7–11 October.
- NovyearlyInternational Adventure Film and Book Festival (FIFAV)Adventure films, books and talks at the Espace Encan — 2026: 16–22 November.
- Novsince 1991La Rochelle Marathon – Serge VigotCity marathon on the last weekend of November — 2026: 29 November.
Sources: francofolies.fr · festival-larochelle.org · grand-pavois.com · CNC · larochellejazzfestival.fr · Châtelaillon-Plage tourist office · festivalenfrance.com. Checked 14 October 2026 — please confirm dates with the organisers.
Central Market (Les Halles)
Mainly food market under 19th-century iron halls in the old town, open every morning, spreading into surrounding streets on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Every morning from 8:00 to 13:00; the big market days are Wednesday and Saturday.
Place du Marché, 17000 La Rochelle Eat & drink
Local news
The regional daily Sud Ouest covers La Rochelle in its Charente-Maritime edition. The city publishes its own news on larochelle.fr, and the tourist office of the La Rochelle area on nous-larochelle.fr.
sudouest.fr larochelle.fr nous-larochelle.fr
Associations & local life
A student town, a sailing capital and a festival city, La Rochelle lives to the rhythm of its clubs, festivals and volunteers. Do you run an association or an event in La Rochelle? Write to us via the contact form to be listed in this guide.
Twin towns
La Rochelle is twinned with six towns, from the United States to Morocco.
Essaouira since 1999
An Atlantic port twinned with La Rochelle since 1999 — and, like it, a member of the Visit network.
New Rochelle since 1910
The oldest partnership: New Rochelle, in Westchester County (New York), was founded in 1688 as La Nouvelle-Rochelle by some 33 Huguenot families, many of them craftsmen from La Rochelle, after which they named the settlement.
All twin towns
- New Rochelle (United States)since 1910
- Acre / Akko (Israel)since 1972
- Lübeck (Germany)since 1988
- Essaouira (Morocco)since 1999
- Santiago de Figueiró (Portugal)since 2003
- Petrozavodsk (Russia)listed by French Wikipedia only; year and current status not confirmed
Sources: Wikipedia (La Rochelle) · Wikipedia FR (La Rochelle) · Wikipedia (New Rochelle). The city website could not be consulted to confirm the list.
The Visit network
Neighbouring “Visit” destinations on the Atlantic coast and beyond, sorted by distance from La Rochelle.
#visitlarochelle
Share your photos and videos of La Rochelle, its towers and the Vieux-Port with the hashtag #visitlarochelle.
Instagram #visitlarochelle
YouTube #visitlarochelle