Map of Montenegro

The smallest of the Balkans has an Adriatic coastline of fishing villages and river rafting in the mountainous interior.

This tiny Balkan nation along the Adriatic Coast between Croatia (to the north) and Albania (to the south) only calved off from Serbia in 2007. Montenegro is a wild nation of black mountains, deep river gorges, and Venetian-style villages along the coast—especially around the Bay of Kotor on the northern stretch of Montenegro’s shoreline. The only real rail line in the country runs from the Adriatic ferry port of Bar right through (thanks to a long bridge) the national park and bird sanctuary around Lake Skadar (Skadarsko Jezero), then through the capital, Podgorica, then continuing northeast into Serbia to Belgrade.