Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro & Croatia

It was an absolute delight to extend my tour of the Balkans to include these incredible countries this year. Dubrovnik was truly mind-blowing—its Old Town easily holds its own against any of the world’s most celebrated attractions.

Budva in Montenegro and Ohrid in North Macedonia both met—and in some ways exceeded—my expectations. Tirana, meanwhile, was far more fascinating than I anticipated. I had no idea that from 1948 to 1988, Albania was essentially Europe’s North Korea. Its borders were sealed, and foreigners—especially Westerners—were unwelcome. The country’s leader was a staunch Stalinist, and at the height of his brutal regime, one-third of Albania’s adult population had been imprisoned for some period by the secret police.

Dictatorship and tyranny are twins—inevitable bedfellows. Why hasn’t the world learned this?

TIRANA, ALBANIA