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Getting around
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The bus terminal for Autoplus, the town's efficient
public transport
system, is also located on place de Verdun, and there is another local bus terminal at 44 cours des Dames. Once you've stowed your luggage, you can use
bikes
to get around: on quai du Carenage, facing restaurant-lined cours des Dames across the Vieux Port, is the free municipal
bike park
, part of the Autoplus system and heir to Michel Crepeau's original no-identity-check, no-restrictions, pick-up-and-leave scheme. You get two hours of free bike time after handing over a piece of ID; after this it's a generous 6F/€0.95 per hour (office open May-Sept daily 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-7pm). You can also rent bikes from the
gare SNCF
and from Motive Location, opposite the Maritime Museum (tel 05.46.31.03.66).
Car rental
is available from Ada/Budget, 1 av de Gaulle (tel 05.46.41.35.53), and Rent-a-car, 29 av de Gaulle (tel 05.46.27.27.27). Autoplus also has a nifty
taxi system
with flat rates between any two of 46 "
bornes
" - terminal posts with a card-activated calling system, operating 24 hours. You can buy the cards and find out the inexpensive going rate at Boutique Autoplus, 5 rue de l'Aimable-Nanette, near the tourist office (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 2-6pm, Sat 9am-noon).
Boat trips
around La Rochelle and to neighbouring islands are organized by Ocecars, on Place de Verdun (tel 05.46.00.92.12), and Interiles runs guided day-trips from La Rochelle to the Ile d'Oleron (July-Sept 9.30am-8.15pm; tel 05.46.50.51.88; 175F/€26.68 - doesn't include lunch); weather and tides may affect crossings. The town's other attractions include a good
beach
, about 2km south of the centre at Les Minimes, reached by bus #10 from place Verdun or by the more entertaining
bus de mer
, a small boat which runs from the old port to Port des Minimes, stopping off at avenue Marillac en route (April-June & Sept Sat & Sun hourly 10am-noon & 2-7pm; July & Aug half-hourly 10am-12.30pm & 1.30-11pm; Oct-March hourly 10am-noon & 2-6pm; 10F/€1.52 one way). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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France,
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