La Rochelle Travel Risk — Moderate Risk (32/100)
Is La Rochelle safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
La Rochelle scores 32/100 on our travel risk index (Moderate). The US State Department rates France Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 28 May 2025); the UK has no advice against travel; Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution. No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Disease & health (score 15)
Crime (score 25)
September 27, 2026
La Rochelle, France has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 32 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is crime at 25/100; the lowest-rated category is disease & health at 15/100; last updated September 27, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the France travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is La Rochelle to visit in 2026?
La Rochelle currently sits at 32/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine with normal precautions, but a few categories below score high enough that planning matters. The highest-rated risk category for La Rochelle is crime (25/100), and the lowest is disease & health (15/100). This page was last updated on September 27, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: security (44/100) and natural hazards (32/100).
A score of 32 is higher than the scores of 36% of the 241 countries we cover.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 15, 2026
La Rochelle, France currently carries a moderate risk baseline safety score of 32 out of 100 with a US State Department advisory level 2. Travelers should also be aware of an ongoing drought affecting France and a Level 1 global dengue health notice from the CDC.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 16, 2026 08:32 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Crime (score 25/100): Use registered taxis or ride-share apps. Keep electronics out of sight in public transit. Read recent reviews for your specific neighborhood.
- Transport safety (score 20/100): Use the safest available transit. For high-risk routes, prefer reputable carriers and avoid late-night driving.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in La Rochelle
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Daytime conditions are generally secure along major corridors and commercial districts. Keep bags zipped and avoid displaying high-value items openly.
Risk levels elevate noticeably after dark outside main central zones. Avoid walking alone through unlit parks, alleys, or quiet transit stations; favor pre-booked door-to-door transport.
Safety by Traveler Type in La Rochelle
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
No group-specific warning is triggered in La Rochelle for solo travelers (Crime 25/100 · Transport 20/100), women traveling solo (Crime 25/100), families with children (Health 15/100 · Natural disaster 15/100), older travelers (Health 15/100 · Transport 20/100), business travelers (Digital 20/100 · Money 25/100 · Transport 20/100) and lgbtq+ travelers (Advisory 15/100 · Political 15/100): these scores sit in the low-to-moderate range, so standard precautions apply. Local laws affecting LGBTQ+ travelers and gender-specific incident rates are not captured in our scores; check your government's travel guidance.
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | low |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | low |
| Road safety | low |
| Public transport | low |
| Tourist scam risk | low |
| Night safety | low |
| Last updated | September 27, 2026 |
Live conditions in La Rochelle
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
France - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
-
Drought is on going in Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Belgium, Belarus, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Russia, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, San Marino, Ukraine, ORANGE · country-wide · 2026-02-11
The Drought notification level is Orange.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-16 08:32:18 UTC
Natural hazard calendar & history
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of La Rochelle happened in January and February (2 of 2 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the France travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the France entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-16 07:26:45 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit La Rochelle
The most weather-stable two-month window for La Rochelle is July–August, when typical daily temperatures run from about 16°C to 25°C and monthly rain averages 35 mm.
No threshold-level heat, cold, wind, or cyclone flag appears in the stored normals; November is the wettest typical month at about 101 mm.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Sep 5, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Practical safety map
Safety infrastructure nearby in La Rochelle
La Rochelle has 6 hospitals, 9 police stations, 1 embassies, 10 pharmacies and 3 fire stations within 7 km of the city center in the latest OpenStreetMap extract.
The interactive map loads when it approaches the viewport.
Facility list (works without JavaScript)
- Hospital: Association Pour Adultes et Jeunes Handicapés
- Hospital: Centre d'oncologie et de radiothérapie
- Hospital: Centre de réadaptation cardio-vasculaire Cardiocéan
- Hospital: Centre de réadaptation fonctionnelle Richelieu
- Hospital: Centre hospitalier de La Rochelle
- Hospital: Hôpital psychiatrique Marius Lacroix
- Police: Unnamed police
- Police: Caserne Renaudin - Gendarmerie Maritime
- Police: Fourrière
- Police: Gendarmerie nationale
- Police: Police municipale
- Police: Police municipale
- Police: Police municipale d'Aytré
- Police: Police nationale
- Police: Police nationale
- Embassy: Consulat danois
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie Asselin Scanu
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie de la Paix
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie de la Porte Royale
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie de Suède
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie des Arcades
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie du Gabut
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie du Marché
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie du Minage
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie du Palais
- Pharmacy: Pharmacie Gambetta
- Fire station: Centre d'incendie et de secours de La Rochelle Mireuil
- Fire station: Centre d'incendie et de secours de La Rochelle Villeneuve-les-Salines
- Fire station: SSLIA
Map and facility data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Locations can be incomplete or outdated; confirm before relying on them. See this destination’s numbers or browse emergency numbers by country.
Emergency numbers (France)
| Police | 17 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 15 |
| Fire | 18 |
| General | 112 |
See nearby hospitals, police, pharmacies, embassies, and fire stations on the safety map.
Essential local emergency phrases
Show this screen to first responders, hotel staff, or passersby if you cannot speak the local language during an emergency.
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | medium |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | low |
Standard French healthcare infrastructure serves the city, though specific English-speaking medical care details are not provided in the sources. Travelers should ensure their insurance covers potential medical needs.
Common scam patterns
- Fake English Tourist Parking Meter Scam. A criminal impersonates a tourist from England to trick people, particularly targeting the elderly, at parking meters. The scammer diverts the victim's attention to steal their bank card, which has resulted in significant financial losses. Tip: Never let strangers assist you or handle your bank card at parking terminals, and keep a close eye on your personal belongings.
Area notes
- Vieux Port. The postcard-perfect historic harbor and fortified old port area features medieval towers, daily fish auctions, and a high concentration of visitors.
- Port des Minimes. A maritime and marina area accessible via the city's bus network, popular for yachting and coastal activities.
Frequently asked questions about La Rochelle
Is La Rochelle safe?
La Rochelle currently scores 32/100 on our composite travel risk index (moderate risk; lower is safer). It already includes the current US State Department advisory for France (Level 2 of 4). Official advice can change quickly, so check it again shortly before you travel.
Sources: Travel Risk Calculator — La Rochelle · Methodology
Is La Rochelle safe from fires?
No wildfire events within 100 km of La Rochelle appear in GDACS records in the past five years. Smaller local events are not always listed, so check local warnings during your stay.
Sources: GDACS
Run a personalized assessment for La Rochelle
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Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2026 | 18 → 32 | low → moderate | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
Every editorial change to La Rochelle's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
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Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for La Rochelle
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for La Rochelle, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.