Albania

After stifling decades as a Communist backwater, Albania is fast-emerging as one of the leading tourist destinations on the Balkan Peninsula. Between its sublime mountains, ample beaches, and numerous historical sights, this small country has an awful lot to offer.

Fortressed from the world by its extensive mountains but also a natural Balkan steppingstone, Albania has had a trying, invasion-prone history: Romans, Visigoths, Huns, and other conquering powers had long subjugated the territory before the Ottomans took over in the 1400s. Albania finally achieved independence in 1912, endured the First and Second World Wars as a series of monarchies, and then entered an austere Communist chapter that prevailed until the early 1990s. More Westernized and less obscure today, the country harbors a host of historical landmarks scattered from the Adriatic lowlands to farflung valleys of the Albanian Alps. Among them are the Greek and Roman ruins of Butrint (Buthrotum), shipwrecks of multiple eras under the Adriatic waters of Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park, the Ottoman-era cores of Berat and Gjirokastra, and the many landmarks of Shkodër, from Rozafa Castle to the Ebu Beker Mosque. The National Museum of History in the capital, Tirana, is a must-see for anyone intrigued by the Albanian story, including the legacy of the Illyrians who settled the region back in the Bronze Age and to whom modern Albanians trace their heritage.

But Albania’s as much about the outdoors as the annals of European history. You’ll find some of the loveliest and most extensive beaches in the Mediterranean along the Albanian Riviera, with coastal cities such as Vlore serving as hubs for sun-worshipping idylls on the Adriatic. Rawer adventure, meanwhile, awaits in the interior of the country, which from north to south is dominated by a series of mountain ranges. The alpine scenery here rivals that of anywhere in Europe: Appreciate the snowfield-scattered horns, mirror-like tarns, precipitous gorges, and highland valleys in national parks such as Valbona Valley and Shebenik-Jabllanice. The wildest corners of Albania still support Eurasian lynx, brown bears, gray wolves, golden eagles, wild boar, and other stirring symbols of primeval Europe.

Whether you’re exploring it in one of Tirana’s museums or in some sleepy mountain village, traditional Albanian culture is still vibrant even after the rigid decades of Communist rule. From folksongs and dances to the Mediterranean- and Turkish-flavored cuisine, the old ways have been beautifully preserved here.

If you only associate Albania with its Cold War-era guise, or if this part of the Balkans is something of a geographic blank for you, a visit is bound to surprise. Sweeping scenery, lively culture, big-time history: It's all here, from the jagged mountaintops to the Adriatic shore.