In 2018, we booked a last-minute long weekend vacation to France and picked La Rochelle and neighboring island, Ile de Ré, as our destination. Jeffrey and I both are descended from French Huguenots (protestants who fled Catholic France in the 16th & 17th centuries) – and both of us had family members who landed in Charleston many generations ago (where there’s still a French Huguenot church downtown!).
Now, the history of the Huguenots is all but forgotten in France, but the small town of La Rochelle is a dream and the island of Ile de Ré… it’s perfect.
We rented a car and drove to La Rochelle to spend the first few nights. La Rochelle is a very approachable size with a beautiful harbor and plenty of restaurants. When we went over Memorial Day (end of May), it was light outside until after 9pm, which was so nice that dusk seemed to last for hours.
After La Rochelle, we headed across the bridge to Ile de Ré. It’s about a 30-minute easy drive (note: the bridge has a toll of about 16 Euros but it’s half-priced in the low-season).
We stayed in the center of the island’s main town: Saint-Martin-de-Ré. It is a picturesque village with flowers growing on most every house and delicious restaurants – all with outdoor dining. The most memorable part of our trip was renting e-bikes and exploring the whole island – stopping to visit each little town. It was our last trip as a family of two and I’ll always remember it as such a special trip.
