2 Best Sights in Bordeaux and the Wine Country, France

Founded in 1280 by Jean de Grailly on behalf of the British king, Cadillac was once a walled city and still maintains the ancient town plan to an unusual degree. Two of the fortified doors still stand—the Porte de L'Horloge, with its old clock, and the Porte de la Mer—along with portions of the old ramparts and several period houses. The tourist office offers informative guided tours in English year-round.

The remnants of three Gallo-Roman villas, built successively over five centuries on the same site, offer a glimpse into the life of a prosperous landowner and include a 700-foot-wide dining room, galleries, and terraced gardens. The earliest vestiges, richly decorated with mosaics of marble imported from North Africa, date from AD 14–20. An on-site museum provides historical information and displays relics recovered from the site.