Bayeux, France: best known for the eleventh-century tapestry bearing its name, but it holds a special place in recent history as well, as it was the first town liberated by the Allies after they landed on Normandy beach in 1944. As a result, its appeal is a mix of the classic (the Norman-Gothic Bayeux Cathedral dominates the skyline) and the more contemporary (a somber, minimalist World War II cemetery).