Charleston

A four-block covered market crowned by the Market Hall of 1841, where Gullah basket makers weave sweetgrass baskets using a technique brought from West Africa.

💡 Take the time to talk to the basket makers, who are happy to explain their work; a genuine sweetgrass basket takes hours of weaving and is priced accordingly, so beware of imported copies. Price: free entry.

Thirteen Georgian merchants' houses on East Bay Street, mostly 18th century, whose pastel facades date from the restoration of the 1930s, opening onto the cobbled lanes nearby.

💡 Come early in the morning, before 9am, to photograph the row without parked cars or groups, with the rising sun on the facades. Then walk up to Waterfront Park and its pineapple fountain. Price: free.

The stone seawall at the tip of the peninsula, with a raised promenade facing Fort Sumter, antebellum mansions with tiered porches and the oaks of White Point Garden behind.

💡 Walk the loop in the late afternoon, when the harbour breeze cools the promenade, and continue north along Church Street and Meeting Street, the best-preserved streets of the South of Broad area. Price: free.

The beach island closest to the centre, with 10 km of sand, houses on stilts, South Carolina's best surf spot and a view of the Morris Island lighthouse.

💡 In summer, arrive before 10am, as the single bridge to the island jams up at weekends. Parking in town is paid by the day, $10-25 depending on the season and the day, or €9-22. Price: beach access free.

A live oak on Johns Island several centuries old, about 20 metres tall, whose low branches, some resting on the ground, shade more than 1,500 m².

💡 The park opens from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday, and only in the afternoon on Sundays; the gate closes on the dot. Do not climb on the branches, it is forbidden. Combine it with Folly Beach or the farms of Johns Island. Price: free.