Blog: Real estate agency teams up with the La Rochelle tourist office for a guided tour

On Monday, 20th June 2022, the team at Maxwell-Baynes, Christie's International Real Estate had the opportunity to organise a guided tour of La Rochelle in partnership with the city’s Tourist Office.

During this sunny afternoon, the entire La Rochelle team and some of our clients attended a guided tour of the city led by the top tourist guide from the city’s tourist office.

As part of the tour, we had the opportunity to learn about the key sites and monuments in La Rochelle. Visiting and learning about the old harbour, the city’s famous memorials and its fortifications. We also walked through the ancient streets, allowing us to retrace the history of the city from its creation to the present day.

The old La Rochelle harbor's towers Vieux-Port de La Rochelle before (above) and the remaining parts by end of the 19th century XIXe (copyright free image)

La Rochelle, English one day, French another, has always been an important commercial harbour on the Atlantic coast. Open to the world, boats from Nordic countries, England, Europe, Africa and Asia have moored there.

Richelieu on La Rochelle's city walls (1881), oil on canvas by Henri-Paul Motte (1846 - 1922)

During the 17th century, the city was a virtually impenetrable fortress under the command of the famous Cardinal Richelieu, and in 1628 it was one of the last Protestant cities in France to fall apart under French royalty.

Nowadays, the vestiges of this time are still very present, in particular the old harbor’s famous towers. The city also keeps prints of its cultural diversity and perpetuates it by welcoming thousands of foreign tourists every year.

The visit ended with a drink in the Maxwell-Baynes Christie's International Real Estate office of La Rochelle, situated on Quai Valin, on the old port. A delightful end to this inspiring and enlightening tour.

It was a visit steeped in history, which we strongly invite you to discover for yourselves.

We thank the La Rochelle Tourist Office for this wonderful moment. The establishment also offers other historical tours on many subjects that will fascinate you and immerse you in the history of this beautiful coastal city, in the Charente Maritime.

Written by Lucas Pajaud