Montenegro

Montenegro is one of Europe's youngest countries - it only became independent in 2006 - but the land itself is ancient and dramatic. The name means "Black Mountain" in Venetian, and the mountains here are genuinely formidable. The Tara River Canyon is the deepest in Europe, Durmitor National Park has glacial lakes surrounded by jagged peaks, and the Bay of Kotor is often called Europe's southernmost fjord, though technically it's a submerged river canyon.

For a country smaller than Connecticut, Montenegro packs an absurd amount of scenery into a tiny space. You can go from the medieval walled town of Kotor to a ski resort in under two hours. The coastline has beaches, historic fortresses, and the glamorous island of Sveti Stefan. The interior is wild and mountainous, with bears, wolves, and some of the last truly untouched wilderness in Europe. Tourism is booming, real estate developers are circling, but for now Montenegro still feels like the Mediterranean used to feel before everyone discovered it.