Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo needs 1 day: walking atop the 12th-century walls that completely encircle the walled city, with views of the English Channel and nearby islands, and crossing to Fort National at low tide, in a single day. May-September brings the mildest weather and the most predictable tides. It's mid-priced for Brittany. It was a base for privateers authorized by the French crown to attack enemy ships between the 16th and 18th centuries, and its walled city, rebuilt stone by stone after being almost completely leveled in 1944, is today one of Europe's most cited examples of faithful historical reconstruction.