PHOTOGRAPHS: ZABOTNOVA INNA/SHUTTERSTOCK. WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM ALEX CREVAR AND JESS COLE.
10 Tirana, ALBANIA
You’d be hard-pressed to imagine a better-placed travel hub than Tirana, which sits between the Adriatic Coast and the Albanian Alps. But this is no gateway town; rather, it’s a vigorous metropolis that has undergone a transformation thanks to its former mayor Edi Rama (now Albania’s prime minister). Bland, concrete-grey buildings are now canvases for a Pantone rainbow of creativity, while commuters are encouraged to pedal rather than drive. Green spaces have reclaimed their rightful prominence amid the city’s eclectic architecture, and reminders of an iron-fisted, post-WWII communist legacy are scattered around streets peppered with farm-to-table restaurants and cocktail bars. The result is compelling.
TOP EXPERIENCES
■ The conversion of Bunk’Art – from a massive Cold War bunker into a history and contemporary art museum – is Albania’s most exciting new sight. The bunker was built for Albania’s political elite in the 1970s and remained a secret for much of its existence. Now it hosts exhibits that combine Albania's modern history with contemporary art. bunkart.al
■ The Austrian-built Dajti Ekspres cable car whizzes you from the suburbs of Tirana high up onto the mountainside in 15 minutes. The views are fantastic at the top, and there are plentiful eating and drinking opportunities, plus activities and hiking trails to enjoy. dajtiekspres.com
■ Named for the owner’s collection of antique Albanian radios, Radio is a multifaceted dream with décor that includes vintage Albanian film posters and even a collection of communist-era propaganda books to read at the bar over a cocktail. It attracts a young, intellectual and alternative crowd. It’s set back from the street, but well worth finding in otherwise rather mainstream Blloku.
Rr Ismail Qemali 29/1
■ Uka Farm was founded in 1996 by former Minister of Agriculture Rexhep Uka, who started organic cultivation of agricultural products on a small plot of land. His son Flori, a trained winemaker and standout amateur chef, is now the driving force behind the excellent restaurant, which opened in 2014. Guests can enjoy fresh, flavourful vegetables and locally sourced cheese, meat and quality homemade wine. Bookings essential.
Rr Adem Jashari, Lanknas
9 Vipava Valley, SLOVENIA
Peppered with terracotta-tiled hamlets and Gothic spires, and lined with grapevines stretching along gentle slopes, it would be easy to mistake the Vipava Valley for a rustic Tuscan idyll. But these fertile winelands, bounded by steep karst plateaus to the north and south, are still remarkably undiscovered – and they’re hiding in plain sight, just west of Ljubljana.
Vines have been cultivated in Slovenia for millennia, but today this is a land of boutique winemakers, so put away any notions of fusty wine tastings or guide-led group tours of wine cellars. The cellar door experience in Slovenia’s western winelands feels more like a relaxed get-together among friends. More often than not, it’s the winemakers themselves who meet visitors and lead tastings, showing guests around their estates with pride and splashing out glugs of their wines with satisfying abandon.