North Macedonia

Rating: ★★★★★ (4.9 / 5)

North Macedonia is a small Balkan country with a rich cultural heritage that stretches back to the ancient kingdom of Macedon, the birthplace of Alexander the Great. Ohrid, often called the Jerusalem of the Balkans, sits on the shores of one of Europe's oldest and deepest lakes and is both a UNESCO-protected city and a place of extraordinary natural beauty, with more than 365 churches and a tradition of icon painting that is among the finest in the Orthodox world. The capital Skopje has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years, and while its baroque and Ottoman old bazaar remains one of the liveliest in the region, the surrounding countryside offers hiking, monasteries, and rural villages that feel wonderfully untouched.