Montenegro's riverside capital — ćevapi by the Morača, an Ottoman clock tower, and Lake Skadar 20 minutes away
Podgorica is the most underrated capital in Europe — not despite its smallness (population 200,000) but partly because of it. The city operates at a human scale: the Ottoman-era Stara Varoš (old quarter) with its 15th-century clock tower, the Ribnica fortress ruins where two rivers meet, and the mosque district can all be walked in 20 minutes. The Morača River runs through the city cold, fast, and aquamarine green — ideal for swimming in summer below the canyon walls. Montenegrin food is unflashy and excellent: ćevapi (grilled minced meat sausages with flatbread and kajmak) from buregdžinica…
Podgorica (named Titograd from 1946 to 1992 in honour of Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito) was almost entirely rebuilt after being bombed 72 times in WWII, leaving the pre-war Ottoman city virtually destroyed. What survived is small: the Stara Varoš quarter, the 15th-century Clock Tower, and the Ribnica fortress ruins. Montenegro declared independence from Serbia in June 2006, following a referendum in which the yes vote passed with 55.5% — just above the EU-required 55% threshold — making Podgorica the capital of the newest state in Europe at that time. The country joined NATO in 2017 and has…