Historic District Sights
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Old Town Sacramento
It's more than a little stagey, where candy-scented streets rumble with baby boomers on Harleys, but this walkable district holds California's largest concentration of historic buildings and a few fine museums.
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Yōkaichi Historic District
Uchiko's picturesque main street has a number of interesting buildings, many now serving as museums, souvenir stalls, craft shops and charming teahouses. The old buildings typically have cream-coloured plaster walls and 'wings' under the eaves that serve to prevent fire spreading from house to house.
On the left as you walk up the street, look for Ōmori Rōsoku, Uchiko's last remaining candle manufacturer. The candles are still made by hand here, according to traditional methods, and you can watch the candle-makers at work.
As the road makes a slight bend, several well-preserved Edo-era buildings come into view, including Ōmura-tei and Hon-Haga-tei, the latter of which is…
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Setokawa to Shirakabe-dōzō
From the train station, walk right(north) two blocks and turn left towards this historic canal district (瀬戸川と白壁土蔵街, Seto River and White Wall Clay Storehouse Quarter), one of the region's prettiest strolls. Its handsome streets boast white- and dark-wood-walled shops, storehouses and private homes. Carp-filled waterways course through the district. You can buy fish food for ¥50.
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Old Town
Below the castle, the steep Old Town has a remarkably different feel to modern Stirling, its cobblestone streets packed with 15th- to 17th-century architectural gems. Its growth began when Stirling became a royal burgh (about 1124), and in the 15th and 16th centuries rich merchants built their houses here.
Stirling has the best surviving town wall in Scotland. It was built around 1547 when Henry VIII of England began the 'Rough Wooing' – attacking the town in order to force Mary, Queen of Scots to marry his son so the two kingdoms could be united. The wall can be explored on the Back Walk, which follows the line of the wall from Dumbarton Rd to the castle. You pass the…
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Motomachi
On Mt Hakodate's lower slopes, this area is home to the lion's share of 19th-century sites, and commands stunning panoramic views of the bay. The places in the following listings are all located in close proximity to one another, and are easily reached on foot.
To get to Motomachi, take tram 5 from the station and get off at the Suehirō-chō stop, then walk uphill for 10 minutes. Alternatively, get off at the end of the line and walk along the waterfront first, visit the cemetery, then stop at the buildings as you walk uphill to Suehirō-chō.
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Dutch Quarter
The best of the city's half-timbered houses and rickety roof lines are clustered together in this Tudor enclave just a short stroll north of High St. The area remains as a testament to the 16th-century Protestant weavers who fled here from Holland.
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Barbican
To get an idea of what old Plymouth was like before the Blitz, head for the Barbican, a district of cobbled streets and Tudor and Jacobean buildings, many now converted into galleries, craft shops and restaurants.
The Pilgrim Fathers' Mayflower set sail for America from the Barbican on 16 September 1620. The Mayflower Steps mark the point of departure – track down the passenger list displayed on the side of Island House nearby. Scores of other famous voyages are also marked by plaques at the steps, including one led by Captain James Cook, who set out from the Barbican in 1768 in search of a southern continent.
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Citadel
Behind Jardin Romieu looms Bastia's citadel, built from the 15th to 17th centuries as a stronghold for the city's Genoese masters. One of the citadel's landmarks, the Palais des Gouverneurs houses Musée d'Histoire de Bastia, which provides an overview of the history of the city. A few streets to the south, don't miss the majestic Église Ste-Marie and the nearby Église Ste-Croix, featuring gilded ceilings and a mysterious black-oak crucifix, which was found in the sea in 1428.
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