Colmar, France
Though almost 70,000 people call this 1000-year-old SPOThome, it retains its small-town charm. A smattering of buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries still stand in its protected historic centre (albeit in various stages of disrepair and renovation), including the Old Customs building and the two-storey Pfister House, a resplendent wooden structure originally built for a wealthy hatter.