| Our family holiday cottages are centrally located here in the Charente Maritime and just an hours easy drive is La Rochelle and its superb Aquarium; perfect for either a very hot afternoon to escape the sun or a rainy day. Great even for young ones as most tanks go down to ground level, so even the tiny ones can see. Does get very busy in high season so again, top tip is to go early. We usually make a full day of it, aiming to get to the aquarium as it opens. The children love the 'submarine' (lift) that takes them down to the ocean floor and the glass walkway which surrounds you with jelly fish. The aquarium is split into different areas, tropical waters, Mediterranean seas etc. There prize exhibition is the shark tank which is 3 floors depth where you can gaze at these elegant creatures swimming down to the depths. |
| The Aquarium, La Rochelle A popular day trip from our family friendly holiday cottages in the Charente Maritime |
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| As is often the case with children, our hallway carpet - as you walk 'through the water' the fish scatter. The boys would happily play there for hours if we let them, trying to 'catch' the 'fish' The last exhibit is a tropical jungle where you can see turtles and pirhanas and also guess the scents of vanilla, petula and other such things found in the tropics. As with most places these days, the exit takes you into a large shop where you can purchase anything from whale keyrings to large cuddly sharks. |
| recommend leaving the aquarium at this point and making your way into La Rochelle to eat at our favourite restaurant, Andrés. A short walk away is a jetty here you can catch a boat taxi which will drop you right outside the best restaurants in La Rochelle. For a family with young children, Andrés is where you can have a fantastic seafood meal but they also have a childrens menu, high chairs and where the staff, although always busy are good with the children, giving them a colouring place mat and some crayons. |
| high, so it won't matter if the kids make a bit of noise too. With our older boys, in summer, we'll sit in view of the anchor outside, so we can enjoy a leisurely lunch and they can play at pirates on the anchor in between courses. La Rochelle has great shops and hundreds of coffee shops, bars and restaurants, it's bustling with activity and an essential day trip when staying with us at our family friendly holiday cottages. |