La Rochelle

La Rochelle needs 1 day: touring the medieval Saint-Nicolas and Chain towers, guarding the old harbor entrance since the 14th century, and cycling across the bridge to Île de Ré, with its whitewashed houses and salt fields, the same afternoon. June-September brings the mildest weather on the French Atlantic coast. It's mid-priced. It was a Protestant stronghold during the French Wars of Religion, besieged by Cardinal Richelieu in 1627-1628 until it surrendered to starvation, and its harbor towers -once linked by a chain to block enemy ships- remain the city's symbol.