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Time Zone
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
Currency
Euro (€) = 100 cents.
Language
French.Sightseeing
The ancient port of La Rochelle, from which many pioneers left to explore the new world, is today a popular vacation and sailing port. It has a beautiful market place, an aquarium and is home to Saint Nicholas Tower and the Tour de la Chaîne which guard the entrance to the town’s harbour. Many visitors to La Rochelle head for Cognac, a little town of only 22,000 inhabitants known all over the world. In an area of some 150,000 acres, the only brandy that can be called Cognac is produced. Use of the name is forbidden for brandy which is made elsewhere or from other than one of the seven officially accepted varieties of grape. The Valois Château, located here, was the birthplace of Francis I. Visitors with longer to spend in the area also head to Saintes to see the Roman architecture and art in this town which was once capital of Western Gaul and is now a picturesque market town. The Ile d’Oléron, France’s largest island after Corsica, is also worth a visit – Le Marais aux Oiseaux bird park is a popular day out.
Shopping
Cognac or local porcelain from the town of Limoges. Special purchases also include lace, crystal glass, cheeses, coffee and, of course, wines, spirits and liqueurs. The department store, Galleries Lafayette, is located under the arches in La Rochelle and is a good place to buy clothes, jewellery, cosmetics or even food.
Eating Out
Cognac, seafood, oysters from the nearby Ile d’Oleron. Pineau des Charentes wine, cagouilles (snails) and local goat’s cheese.
Location
Europe and France
Region
France