Dinan, France

This magical quaint little town is Dinan in France. It’s an ancient riverfront city and one of the best preserved walled medieval towns in France. With its 3km long ramparts, half-timbered houses, attractive port and cobbled streets filled with art galleries and craft shops, it’s worth a day of anyone’s time.

The sprawling town square, Place du Guesclin, is named after a 14th-century military leader famous for victories over England. Dinan's historic commercial center, Place des Merciers, is lined with picturesque half-timbered and arcaded buildings.

The structures date from the time when property taxes were based on the square footage of your ground floor. To provide shelter from both the taxes and the rain, buildings started with small ground floors, then expanded outward into upper floors, with roofs that nearly touched their neighbors'.