The Aquarium de La Rochelle, on the quay between the Vieux Port and Les Minimes, is one of the best-curated aquariums in Europe and the city's most-visited attraction. The route through is more than a kilometre, organised geographically from the local Atlantic coast to the tropical reefs of the Caribbean and the Indo-Pacific. The signature tank — a vast cylindrical Atlantic basin with sharks circling — comes early and sets the tone.
Allow at least three hours. The aquarium is busy with families on weekends and through the school holidays; book online to skip the queue. The tropical greenhouse at the end, with parrots and butterflies, is a pleasant surprise after the dark of the tanks. Café, restaurant, and shop on site.