Colmar, France

As the capital of central Alsace, Colmar offers a delightful mixture of French culture and Bavarian architecture. Though the city is more than 1,000 years old, it remains fairly well preserved, and the colorful, half-timbered homes look like they are ripped right from the pages of a childhood fairytale. Each year, the town is transformed into a brightly-lit wonderland for the Christmas Markets, when visitors rejoice in purchasing handmade goods and foods.

(Photo: iStockphoto/Grafissimo)