City is overall safe, depends on which part tho. I would say " mireuil " and " les minimes " are less safe. After living here for 10 years a few things definitely happened to me but I wouldn't say it's a common occurrence

La Rochelle is a quiet town, you have some homeless people in the city center, but most of them are not dangerous. As girls, it’s ok to walk in the dark but think about your safety first, you never know. Avoid parks at night, you have no light and sometimes there is weird people.

I feel really safe in this city. As in everywhere I recommend being alert and prudent. Overall there few bad stories. I suggest moving by bike in the dark, that’s what I do and it makes feel safer when I have to do quite a distance, especially went the streets aren’t enlightened. At night you can ask the bus driver to stop in between stops.