Venice is built on more than 100 islands in a marshy lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. Its stone palaces seemingly rise out of the water. There are no cars or roadways, just canals and boats. Take a ride on its famous Grand Canal and view the Rialto Bridge. 

Founded by the ancient Romans, Trieste stands on the Adriatic coast below the Karst Plateau, a few kilometers from the border of Slovenia. Historic Italian, Austro-Hungarian and Slavic cultural influences are all evident in its layout, which encompasses a medieval old city and a neoclassical Austrian quarter. 

Gorgeous and tiny Trogir (formerly Trau) is beautifully set within medieval walls, its streets knotted and mazelike. It's fronted by a wide seaside promenade lined with bars and cafes, and yachts in the summer. Trogir is unique among Dalmatian towns for its profuse collection of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture. This, along with its magnificent cathedral, earned it World Heritage status in 1997.

This historic town, spanning a deep valley of the Neretva River, was developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman frontier town. Mostar has long been known for its old Turkish houses and Old Bridge. The reconstructed Old Bridge and Old City of Mostar is a symbol of reconciliation, international cooperation and of the coexistence of diverse cultural, ethnic and religious communities. 

Regardless of whether you are visiting Dubrovnik for the first time or the hundredth, the sense of awe never fails to descend when you set eyes on the beauty of the old town. Indeed it's hard to imagine anyone becoming jaded by the city's marble streets, baroque buildings and the endless shimmer of the Adriatic, or failing to be inspired by a walk along the ancient city walls that have protected a civilized, sophisticated republic for centuries. 

The old city of Kotor is a well preserved urbanization typical of the Middle Ages, built between the 12th and 14th century. Medieval architecture and numerous monuments of cultural heritage have made Kotor a UNESCO listed "World National and Historical Heritage Site."

Lively, colorful Tirana is the beating heart of Albania. Having undergone a transformation of extraordinary proportions since it awoke from its communist slumber in the early 1990's, Tirana's center is now unrecognizable, with its building painted in primary colors, and public squares a pleasure to wander.