Mataro, Spain

The steam locomotive Mataró may have been the first to cross Spain, but the modern city it's named after offers little excitement for most expats. The 28-kilometer rail line inaugurated in 1848 has long since been upgraded, yet the town itself remains a persistent bureaucratic headache, with the locomotive's 1865 retirement a fitting metaphor. While a replica was built in 1948 to commemorate the centenary, the reality is that Mataró provides few draws beyond its coastal location - hardly the vibrant, dynamic experience many seek when moving abroad.