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.