Marans / La Rochelle
This final stage of La Vélo Francette shares the way with the longer La Vélodyssée cycle route. You follow the Canal de Marans towards the sea before branching off for the great city of La Rochelle via the Canal de Rompsay. Although this stage is easy, it allows you to end La Vélo Francette with a flourish – plus there’s the possibility of a dip in the Atlantic! Islands beckon just off the coast, if you wish to prolong your experience of douce France!
Gradients and elevation
Road types
Surface
The route
There are interlinking stretches of greenway, first beside the Canal de Marans to La Rochelle, then along the Canal de Rompsay, to take you to La Rochelle. In town, cycle paths lead you to the Vieux Port, the historic central harbour lined with grand buildings and restaurants, and to the Baie de Port Neuf further west.
Tourist Offices
SNCF Train Services
Marans train station: there are plans afoot to reopen the station to create a rail link La Rochelle <> Marans from 2017.
La Rochelle train station: High-speed TGV train links with Poitiers > Tours > Paris and Poitiers > Bordeaux
Regional TER trains for Luçon > La Roche-sur-Yon > Nantes et Rochefort > Saintes > Angoulême
www.ter.sncf.com/poitou-charentes
Don’t miss
Marans: the port and its quays; the banks of the Sèvre Niortaise River; the 19th-century covered market; Notre-Dame Church, with its striking belltower made from metal and glass – built in 1988, it has become a belvedere for the wider area; the ruins of the former church of Saint-Etienne; the Moulin de Beauregard, an 18th-century mill in the centre of the town that’s still in use; the Parc du Bois Dinot grounds
La Rochelle: the Vieux Port, the historic central port; the Grosse Horloge gateway; Place du Marché, the main market square; St-Louis Cathedral; the historic arcaded streets lined with grand homes; Charruyer Park and the Promenade de la Concurrence, green lungs in the city; the fine museums; Port des Minimes, the modern marina with all manner of amenities; the Aquarium...
