La Rochelle – Île de Ré Airport is the main gateway to La Rochelle and the nearby island of Île de Ré. Pleasure boats and ferries dock at Port Des Minimes while international cruise ships occasionally dock at the Môle d'escale pier on the far end of the Viaduc Président Christian Morch bridge.
You can also get to La Rochelle by high-speed train (TGV – Train à Grande Vitesse) from Gare Montparnasse in Paris. Travelling on a budget from within France, you can also consider getting to La Rochelle by bus. By car, La Rochelle is accessible via the A10 from Paris and Bordeaux.
La Rochelle – Île de Ré Airport (LRH)
La Rochelle – Île de Ré Airport, or simply Aéroport La Rochelle, lies 5.5 km west of the city centre, or an 11-minute transfer via Avenue Jean Guiton. The airport serves direct flights from other cities within France and across Europe such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, London, Manchester, Dublin, and Geneva. Connecting flights are required for other international destinations.
Aéroport La Rochelle provides free and unlimited Wi-Fi throughout the terminal and boarding area. Public transport to take you to La Rochelle’s city centre include the Yélo bus network (+33 (0)8 10 17 18 17), which can also take you to the 28 communes of La Rochelle. The buses run every 20 minutes Monday–Saturday from 6 am to 9 pm and hourly on Sundays and public holidays between 9 am and 7 pm. You buy your tickets on the bus.
To get to any of the 10 villages on the island of Île de Ré, you can hop on the Transdev electric coach between Monday and Saturday, using the 3E line.
You can find taxis at the exit of Arrivals by companies such as Blanchard Valet Service (+33 (0)6 83 92 29 08), My Course (+33 (0)7 66 48 89 38), Taxi David (+33 (0)6 20 19 63 30), and Taxi Pascal (+33 (0)6 58 83 51 71).
Major car rental companies are available just past the passenger car park. They include Europcar (+33 (0)5 46 41 09 08), Sixt (+33 (0)5 79 53 00 10), Avis (+33 (0)5 46 41 13 55), and Hertz (+33 (0)5 46 00 93 27). It’s best to book ahead either by phone or online. When you’ve booked a rental car, a representative will be on standby to pass you the keys upon arrival.
Gare de La Rochelle train station
The Gare de La Rochelle train station on Place Pierre Semard, just south of the city centre, has trains linking La Rochelle to Bordeaux, Nantes, Poitiers, Paris, and several other regional destinations, served by TGV and TER rail services. The train station itself is a historical landmark, dating back to 1922.
Upon arrival, there are car rental agencies just opposite the station and taxis are easy to find. There’s also a bus that runs from Gare de La Rochelle to the island of Île de Ré.
You can use the self-service ridesharing electric cars run by Yélomobile (+33 (0)8 10 17 18 17), accessible 24/7 at their charging docks outside the station. Obtain a Yélo card from the station to use these small, 100-km-range city cars and return after use to any docking station. You’ll be charged based on the duration of use.
Port des Minimes
Yachts and pleasure boats dock at the large Port des Minimes (+33 (0)5 46 44 41 20), which is 2.4 km from the centre of town. It’s the largest marina in France with slips for over 3,000 vessels. From the port, you can use regular taxi services provided by various companies as well as the Yélo night taxi service. The Illico bus is available to take you across town in under 10 minutes.
A solar-electric ferry service lets you continue your trip over the waters between Minimes and the Old Port in under 20 minutes. The Yélo bike-sharing and Yélomobile car-sharing schemes are also available as fun and convenient ways of getting around the city from the port.
