Fishing, trade, boating, cruising: La Rochelle is a "must" on the Atlantic coast. Its four ports make it one of France's most important harbours for tourism and trade.

La Rochelle has a long tradition as a fishing port. The port left the centre of town in 1993 to set up in La Pallice.
Today, the harbour constitutes a major commercial platform for a wide range of maritime products: among other things, salting and smoking, the mussel and oyster sector supplied by local producers.

France's eighth biggest port with 7.5 millions tonnes in 1999 (a record) and first port in France for wood products (notably paper paste), imports fertilizers, aluminium and various other products. It also exports wheat, maize, oleaginous products and frozen meat all over the world.

With 3500 berths, les Minimes is Europe's biggest marina on the Atlantic coast. Every year it hosts Europe's biggest floating boat show: The Grand Pavois.
In the shade of its two towers La Rochelle has developed the only Atlantic port capable of meeting the needs of big boats, just next to well equipped shipyards; it can boast of the best naval architects and designers; its sail makers, its superstructure production and of its research and engeeniring workshops.  For the first time in Continental Europe in 1998 La Rochelle was chosen for a stop over in the Whitebread race and has been again for the Volvo ocean race in 2002.

La Rochelle is the Atlantic port of call chosen by the big cruise liners.

2000 has been a busy year with 32 liners and more than 22500 passagers.