The port
Port des Minimes in La Rochelle offers 5,157 berths on the Atlantic coast, surrounded by a lively nautical district and a sandy beach.
Port des Minimes is located in La Rochelle, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, on the French Atlantic coast, just a few minutes from the city's historic centre and its Old Port. Developed from the 1970s onward on former marshland, it now forms, together with the surrounding district, a genuine nautical hub organised around several basins linked by around 15 kilometres of pontoons.
With 5,157 berths, Port des Minimes ranks among the largest marinas on the European Atlantic coast, a status regularly highlighted by specialised press and tourism guides. It welcomes both sailing and motor yachts, with capacity suited to larger vessels, and offers facilities for boat maintenance and lifting. The harbour office welcomes boat owners, including visiting yachts with dedicated berths for short stays.
The Minimes district brings together a large number of nautical professionals, from boatyards and sail lofts to sailing schools, alongside shops and restaurants set along the pontoons. A sandy beach extends the waterfront promenade, while a water shuttle, the Bus de Mer, connects the marina to La Rochelle's Old Port, making it easy to travel to and from the city centre on foot or by bike.
Every September, the marina hosts the Grand Pavois, a well known in-water boat show that gathers several hundred exhibited boats and draws tens of thousands of visitors over several days. Held since the early 1970s, this event reflects the site's role in the development of recreational boating on the Atlantic coast and in the nautical life of the La Rochelle region.
