Laredo

You would hardly know it today, but Laredo was a home port of the Spanish Armada and remained Spain's chief northern harbor until the French sacked it in the 18th century and Santander became the regional capital. Thus the little town was visited by Spanish royals, including Isabella the Catholic and Charles I, better known as the Holy Roman Emperor Carlos V. When Charles—the most powerful monarch in European history—stopped by in the mid-16th century, he donated two brass choir desks in the shape of eagles.