La Rochelle

Eric Pouhier, CC BY-SA 2.5 , via Wikimedia Commons

La Rochelle, capital of Charente-Maritime and one of the most livable cities in France, is a pretty good place to go and get nautical.

If you want action, why not take to the waves on a catamaran?

Or if you'd rather keep your feet on the ground, you could go for a wander around La Ville Blanche (as La Rochelle is known) and get some great views by climbing the two towers that used to protect the harbour from the troublesome English.

A highlight is visiting La Tour de la Lanterne, which has acted as a lighthouse and a prison and has graffiti made by forlorn English prisoners in the 18th century and a backgammon board carved into the floor by someone in room 4.

To see what is going on under the surface, you could visit the aquarium and while in a sea mood, check out the maritime museum , before heading to town's long sandy beach.

When it comes to food, well it's seafood obvs, but leave some room for these other specialities .

But this is also a place to discover the part this département plays in the French love for parenthesising meals with aperitifs and digestifs. The not so well known local aperitif, P ineau des Charentes made from fortified grape must, is a pretty good prelude to any meal and world-famous Cognac is a perfect end. There a many places to try these local tipples, but this one is just by the harbour.

If you have a day or two spare, why not visit the Île de Ré? You can take a bus or boat there and use the RespiRé electric shuttle bus or hire a bike and cycle around the island exploring the 10 villages and trying oysters from the cabins

h5> Highlights /h5>