MONTENEGRO'S HIDDEN GEM

Nestled between soaring peaks and sea, the coastal town of Kotor will leave you in awe

- LUCY MCGUIRE

Some describe Montenegro's Kotor as a scaled-down version of Croatia's Dubrovnik. Yet there's more to its charms than that. Sandwiched between precipitous mountains and dazzling Adriatic waters, this walled town is truly enchanting. Its medieval streets double its appeal, filled with trinket shops, bazaars and restaurants offering irresistible East-meets-West cuisine.

MELTING POT

Kotor has passed through the hands of a long list of rulers, from Roman beginnings and the early Byzantines to the Austro-Hungarian empire. Fortunately, thanks to the help of UNESCO, which stepped in following earthquake damage in the 1970s, its Venetian plazas, four Romanesque churches and maze of alleyways have been remarkably well preserved.