Saumur

You'll find putting up with the famous snobisme of the Saumurois well worth it once you get a gander at Saumur's magnificent historic center. Studded with elegant 19th-century town houses and the charming Place St-Pierre, lorded over by the vast 12th-century church of St-Pierre and centerpiece of a warren of streets, cafés, and ice-cream parlors, this centre historique is sheer delight. Looming over it all—icon of the town and a vision right out of a fairy tale—is Saumur's mighty turreted castle high above the river. You'll be using up many of your camera's flash cards here in a jiffy.