Kotor, Montenegro

Kotor’s UNESCO-listed old town is enclosed by 4.5 kilometres of Venetian-era walls, culminating in a fortress reached by 1,350 steps. Set at the base of Europe’s deepest canyon-like bay, its Adriatic scenery rivals anything on the Dalmatian coast. Yet visitor numbers remain 70% lower than Dubrovnik’s annual 1.5 million, preserving an authentic, uncrowded atmosphere.