WEUR

Life in La Rochelle overflows with energy as fishing boats unload their catch and cafés fill with the clatter of plates piled high with the area’s famed oysters and mussels. Order up your own plate and soak in the scene with a glass of pineau. Above it all rise the 14th-century Saint-Nicolas and Chain Towers, reminders of a city that once withstood the great siege of 1627. Climb the 147 steps of the 15th-century Lantern Tower for sweeping views over the city’s limestone roofs and the Atlantic beyond.

Perched on the northern edge of Normandy and bookended by history and sea, Cherbourg is a heritage port with a vast harbor that once sheltered Napoleon’s navy. This history is superbly detailed at the town’s museum, Cité de la Mer, where submarines, aquariums, and maritime galleries bring Cherbourg’s spirit to life. Spend the morning exploring, then wander cobbled lanes and markets alive with the scent of cheeses and cider before stopping for a lunch of freshly shucked oysters in a Belle Époque brasserie.