Colmar, France
A recent article in the Huffington Post (and as my research later showed, several other travel outlets) listed Colmar as “one of the most charming towns in Europe.” While charming it might be, in our opinion it is far from a town, since the buildings seem to be located on a Hollywood set, with no full-time residents, empty second-floor spaces, and no real day-to-day living within its walls. Yes, it is an old French village, and yes, it has some renovation and expansion underway of its museum and associated educational facilities. But to us, it was a quaint-looking tourist trap, at least when we were there.  I certainly hope that as time goes on and improvements are completed it will indeed become one of the most charming “lived in” towns in Europe.  I did, however, enjoy looking at the architectural details, pedestrian streetscape, store signs and other graphics, all of which are needed for that reported “charm.”