The Musée d'Orbigny-Bernon occupies a 19th-century hôtel particulier and tells the longer history of La Rochelle: from the Roman remains to the medieval city, the Wars of Religion, the rebuilding under Louis XIV. Upstairs, the museum holds one of the most surprising collections in the French provinces — a vast collection of Chinese and Japanese export porcelain, accumulated by the Bernon family during the 18th and 19th centuries.
The blue-and-white Kangxi pieces and the famille rose Qianlong wares are exceptional. Allow at least an hour. The museum is small enough to do calmly even on a busy day, and the contrast with the more difficult Musée du Nouveau Monde is a useful counterpoint.