In recent years, Ohrid has stolen the shine from the Balkans’
sparkling Adriatic coast – without doubt thanks to the town’s
namesake lake. Navigate the bougainvillea-strung Old Quarter to the
13th-century St John at Kaneo church for waterside views before
renting a boat and making ripples. See the town at its most lively
during August’s Ohrid Summer Festival of music, art and theatre, or
use it as a launchpad for natural immersion; Ohrid sits at the
intersection of three national parks. The city of Bitola is a great
day trip from here.

Stay: Apartment Fantasy

Does Europe’s largest shepherds’ settlement classify as a small
town? For beauty’s sake, we say: yes. Catch the cable car from
Kamniška Bistrica and let city stresses melt into the thin Alpine
air as you sample the simple life (along with sour milk and žganci,
a buckwheat mush) between 140 shingle-roofed huts and jangling
cowbells. It’s a great starting point for meadowy hikes and
mountain-bike rides, too. Like this? Check out Lukomir in Bosnia
and Herzegovina or Theth, a remote herders’ settlement hugged by
the Albanian Alps.

Stay: Chalet Zlatica Velika Planina

Cradled by mountains and crowned by its famed Old Bridge, Mostar
is the rightful darling of Bosnia and Herzegovina – but it doesn’t
need anyone else to shout about it. Instead, set your sat nav 40
minutes’ drive north to Počitelj. Currently on the Unesco Tentative
List, this medieval walled village is a warren of crumbling stone
houses tufted with pomegranate bushes. Visit the Hajji Alija Mosque
before gawping across the Neretva river from the ruined
Gavrakapetan Tower.

Stay: Anna
Maria Medjugorje

Where town meets country, Peja (or Peć) is a city for lovers of
the great outdoors. It’s backed by the ominous Prokletije
Mountains, so nature never feels far – even when you’re having a
nosey in the Bajrakli Mosque or perusing the bazaar, downing
Turkish coffee and a slice of byrek (a traditional Balkan pie of
spinach and cheese). The unspoiled Rugova Canyon – one of Europe’s
longest and deepest of its kind – is a mere 3km away. Venture into
its Gryka e Madhe (Great Canyon-cave) for pictures you’ll want to
show off later.

Stay: Resort Ujevara e Drinit

Jutting out of Slovenia’s short but stunning Adriatic coast,
this traffic-free medieval city has soaked up the charm of its
Italian neighbours – from here it’s a 45-minute drive to Trieste and just over two to Venice. That being said, Piran is something of
an antidote to tourist-heavy La Serenissima. A lunch of salty-fresh
sea bass will fuel your wanderings through the colourful Tartinijev
Trg and up a hilly alley, stopping at St George’s Church before
reaching the city walls. On a clear day, you’ll spot the Dolomites
across the gulf.

Stay: Art Hotel Tartini

Often bypassed by travellers schlepping between Split and
Dubrovnik, Korčula is the sixth-largest of Croatia’s
sun-soaked islands, where dense forests of oak and cypress give way
to quiet coves, sleepy villages and sprawling vineyards of pošipa
and grk grapes that are catching the noses of discerning
oenophiles. Get your culture-fix in Korčula Town (Icon Museum is a
highlight) before a lunch of local pasta, žrnovski makaruni, and a
dip at Pupnatska Luka beach to the south.

Stay: Lešić Dimitri Palace​

The magnificent Tsarevets fortress is the focal point of Veliko
Târnovo, one of Bulgaria’s oldest towns. Framed by a kink in the
Yantra River, along with forested hills beyond that, this medieval
spot was given a splendid revamp during the 19th-century Bulgarian
National Revival – spy its telltale architecture as you mosy
around. Souvenir hunters should make a beeline for the Samovodska
Charshiya handicraft market.

Stay: Rooster Hostel

Scottish novelist William Boyd wrote: “God made the world in six
days, and on the seventh day, he took his time and created this
fjord under Lovćen.” Indeed, while many travellers flock to
Montenegro’s summer playground of Budva, those after a more
ethereal trip wash up in the Bay of Kotor. Its banks are sprinkled
with camera-ready medieval towns, of which Perast is perhaps the
prettiest and most unspoiled. Though it only has one main street,
this pocket-sized spot is home to 16 churches and 17 palazzi
fringed with wild figs and other such flora. From here, take a
water taxi to Perast’s storied islet, Our Lady on the Rocks.

Stay: Hotel Heritage Hotel Leon Coronato

Tirana might be Albania’s capital, but it’s stayed well under
the radar of most travellers – for now at least; this thriving city
is undergoing a cultural evolution, so plan a visit before others
catch on. What it lacks in oh-so-obvious beauty, it makes up for
with multicultural charm. Relics of the Tirana’s Ottoman, Italian
and communist heritage (don’t miss the Pyramid) can be found on its
mural-flecked streets. Good food comes cheap (try the beefy local
dish of fërgesë), café culture is buzzing and nightlife in the
Blloku district is wild.

Stay: Hotel Stela Center

Niš may be Serbia’s third-largest city and the birthplace of
three Roman emperors, but it’s often overlooked by travellers
hell-bent on happening Belgrade. Niš’s heritage doesn’t make for
light viewing – sites of interest include the Ottoman Skull Tower
and Serbia’s most notorious Nazi concentration camp, Crveni Krst
(Red Cross) – but its sombre past has given way to a curiously
cultural present in which cars share roads with Roma in horse-drawn
carriages and the music scene rivals that of Novi Sad.

Stay: ArtLoft Garni Hotel