Montenegro

Montenegro packs dramatic scenery into a country smaller than Connecticut. The Bay of Kotor is the centerpiece — a fjord-like inlet ringed by limestone mountains, with the walled old town of Kotor at its base and the perched village of Perast nearby. Budva and the coastline south of it get busy and built-up in summer, with beach clubs and a nightlife scene that draws crowds from Serbia and Russia.

Inland, the country shifts entirely: Durmitor National Park has glacial lakes, the deep Tara River Canyon (one of Europe's deepest gorges, good for rafting), and hiking through the Dinaric Alps. Lovćen National Park, closer to the coast, offers sweeping views back down to the bay from Njegoš's mausoleum.

Montenegro was part of Yugoslavia and briefly joined with Serbia after that breakup, gaining full independence only in 2006 — a recentness that still shapes local identity and politics. The country uses the euro despite not being in the EU.

Roads are winding and mountainous, so travel between coast and interior takes longer than distances suggest. Food mixes Italian influence on the coast (seafood, pasta) with heartier Balkan fare inland, like ćevapi and kačamak.