Swimming in dazzling blue waters off the Albanian coast  recently, it occurred to me that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d enjoyed a Mediterranean holiday without the madding crowds or eye-watering costs. Yet here I was, enjoying one-dollar coffees on deserted beaches flanked by olive groves and pine forests. Ridiculous, I thought. Why isn’t this place on everyone else’s radar?

The reality is when we think about Europe –  particularly places that promise a Riviera-style experience – that countries bordering the Adriatic Sea (with the exception of tourism heavy-hitter Italy) rarely get a look-in. Our prediction? As travellers increasingly look for destinations that offer more bang for their buck, the following destinations in “the other Europe” are going to be the next big thing in travel. Get in early!

Croatia

Blame its Game of Thrones pedigree, or its popularity with sailors thanks to its abundance of marinas and charter companies, but one of the more well-known eastern destinations is postcard-perfect Croatia, which shares a maritime border with Italy.

Word about the country’s medieval cities, Unesco-listed national parks, festival culture and yes, excellent sailing conditions has long been out, but there’s no reason you can’t enjoy its highlights in the shoulder seasons of April to May or September to October.

Kicking off with Old Town exploration of Dubrovnik, the options are endless. Perhaps hire a charter boat to cruise around its 1244 islands and islets (Hvar is perhaps its most glamorous, while Korčula with its olive groves and pine forests lays claim to Croatia’s most atmospheric). Or maybe head up towards spectacular Plitvice Lakes National Park with its terraced lakes and waterfalls, and the seaside city of Pula, where vineyards overlook the sea and the Roman amphitheatre, before making your way back down. The walled city of Split – best known for Diocletian’s Palace – is a highlight for a reason, so should be on anyone’s itinerary.

Those who can bear peak summertime crowds can buy tickets for the Dubrovnik and Split Summer Festivals, Ultra Music Festival (multiple cities) and Hideout (Zrce).

FUN FACT: Proving its worth as the ultimate film destination, most of romantic comedy Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was filmed on the island of Vis.

CRUISE: Take in Croatia’s top islands with Unforgettable Croatia’s 10-Night Discover Croatia Cruise and Land Tour, priced from $4520 per person.

GETTING THERE: Qatar Airways flies daily to Doha from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, and operates two flights per day from Doha to Zagreb.

Albania

If you’re asking yourself “where?” that’s precisely the reason Albania – which only emerged from decades of communist rule in 1991 – has managed to preserve itself from mass tourism despite laying claim to a dazzling Ionian and Adriatic coastline, a wealth of ancient Roman and Greek cities and a dramatic mountainous landscape.

Significantly cheaper than its Balkan neighbours and home to some of the friendliest locals anywhere in Europe, the vibe – usually first felt in vibrant capital Tirana – is authentic (with deep Ottoman overlay reminiscent of Turkey in the 1980s), relatively crowd-free, and above all, safe (yes, even for solo female travellers).

You’ll no doubt have your eye on the Albanian Riviera, a 130km stretch of startling turquoise between Sarandë and Vlorë, and the prettiest towns for a little beach umbrella and raki action include Ksamil, Himarë, Drymades and Dhërmi. Done with the sun and sand? While the walking trails of the Albanian Alps may be calling your name, don’t leave Albania without exploring the ancient ruins of Butrint and Apollonia, the historic castle-centric towns of Gjirokastër and Berat, and a little time wandering the quaint fishing villages dotted around Lake Ohrid (Lin, north of Pogradec, is particularly scenic).

FUN FACT: Some 750,000 nuclear bunkers were believed to have been built across Albania between the 1960s and 1980s. You can take a tour of Bunk’art 1 and Bunk’art 2 in Tirana.

TOUR: Get a taste of everything Albania has to offer with Explore’s 11-Day Highlights of Albania tour, priced from $2750 per person.

GETTING THERE: Emirates offers daily flights to Dubai from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while Flydubai flies between Dubai and Tirana three times a week.

Slovenia

Fancy a compact destination which serves up breathtaking alpine peaks alongside a bustling la dolce vita café culture, and a sparkling Mediterranean coastline teeming with thermal spa resorts?

There’s long been talk that Slovenia – bordered by Italy to the west, Austria and Hungary to the north and Croatia to the south – offers all the best parts of Europe within proximity. And tourism figures are quick to show how popular “see it all in a day” tourism can be: despite a population of just over 2 million, Slovenia welcomed 6.2 million visitors in 2023, yet it still ranks as one of the greenest, most pristine nature destinations around the globe, perfect for those keen for outdoor adventures in particular.

While capital Ljubljana offers plenty of chocolate-box charm, many strap on their hiking boots and head to the Julian Alps, where you can tackle the 270km Juliana Trail and swim or ride in traditional Pletna boats around Lake Bled. Although there are more than 10,000km of well-marked hiking trails around the country, earning those views isn’t for everyone, so why not explore the wine regions of Goriška Brda and Vipava (both of which border Italy), or experience the beach resort towns of Piran, Izola and Portorož, where local spas offer therapeutic treatments based on mud and brine from the nearby salt plains.

For those interested in a picturesque Sound of Music-typesetting, look no further than the Lower Sava Valley region in the southeast. It has the castles and forested hilltops without the yodelling.

FUN FACT: With more than half of the country covered by forest, Slovenia has one of the world’s largest brown bear populations.

TOUR: G Adventures highlights the top sights around the country with its seven-day Slovenia Discovery tour, priced from $2999 a person.

GETTING THERE: Emirates offers daily flights to Dubai from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while Flydubai flies between Dubai and Ljubljana four times per week.

Montenegro

Thanks to its diminutive size (about half the size of Albania), few plan a stand-alone trip to Montenegro, usually tacking on a couple of days from neighbouring Croatia or Albania. Don’t believe those who insist Montenegro can be seen via a day trip from Dubrovnik. The country – which won independence from Serbia-Montenegro in 2006 – packs in a wealth of diverse landscapes and experiences of particular interest to the more adventurous among us.

While the historic Bay of Kotor with its Unesco-listed Old Town remains the country’s tourism drawcard (similar to Dubrovnik with a fortress and multiple medieval churches and cathedrals plus Venetian palaces, with a substantially cheaper price point), much of the action centres on the mountainous city of Žabljak, located at an altitude of 1456m. Here, you can zip line across Tara Canyon, the deepest in Europe, go white water rafting along Tara River, which runs a vibrant blue, and take your pick of an extensive network of hiking trails in Durmitor National Park (one of five across Montenegro). Its Black Lake loop has been voted by alltrail.com users as one of its most popular.

However, it’s Montenegro’s Adriatic coastline that really shines. Its ancient towns and beaches are considered some of the prettiest in Europe, not to mention quietest if you happen to be in towns such as Kotor on ship-free days. Aim to visit Tivat if you’re craving the glitz and glamour of Monaco without French Riviera price tags, Budva for that classic resort town which comes alive at night, and Ulcinj which has a far calmer coastal scene and one of the continent’s longest beaches (Velika Plaža).

TOP TIP: Don’t miss Ostrog Orthodox Monastery, built into the side of a mountain.

FUN FACT: Break out the swimsuit – Montenegro is home to more than 100 beaches.

CRUISE: Enjoy an eight-day Montenegro Sailing Adventure from Dubrovnik with Intrepid, priced from $3209 per person.

GETTING HERE: Turkish Airlines operates daily flights between Melbourne and the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica and from November 29, 2024, between Sydney and Podgorica, all via Istanbul.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Whether it’s due to its complex history and the aftermath of its 1990s civil war, or the fact it’s less marketed than neighbouring Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (or just plain Bosnia between friends), still largely falls under the radar for many travellers. To overlook it would be a mistake, for more so than any other Balkan country, Bosnia is celebrated for its East meets West culture informed by centuries of Ottoman rule, as well as Austro-Hungarian history. Add to that a landscape of staggering mountain scenery, raftable rivers, low-cost ski resorts and more medieval castle ruins than you ever deemed possible, and you have a crowd-free destination that ticks every box.

Sarajevo, considered the “Jerusalem of Europe” with its melting pot of cultures, is equal parts fascinating and heartbreaking. Intersperse visits to the likes of the old bazaar of Baščaršija and 14th-century Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque with stops at the Sarajevo War Tunnel and Gallery 11/07/95, a space dedicated to preserving the memory of the Srebrenica genocide.

Half an hour away, the town of Visoko is enjoying a new wave of tourism thanks to its Bosnian pyramids (a series of pointy hills), while quaint Medjugorje is a popular pilgrimage site for Catholics due to a series of reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary.

Not into religion? Bosnia may have only 20km of coastline, but Neum, the country’s only seaside town, featuring large hotels and a tourist scene, is well worth a visit. The town of Mostar is one of the most picturesque in Europe, while ski resorts of Jahorina and Bjelašnica are located within an hour of Sarajevo’s CBD.

FUN FACT: In 1984 the country became the first socialist state to host the Winter Olympics.

TOUR: Meet Bosnia has a six-day self-guided hiking tour of Bosnia via the Dinarica Hiking Trail, priced from €300 (about $490) a person.

GETTING THERE: Lufthansa operates flights to Sarajevo via the European hubs of Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, Cologne and Stuttgart.