Lithuania

Lithuania rewards the curious. Vilnius has one of Europe's largest and loveliest old towns, a baroque maze of church spires, hidden courtyards and cafés where the coffee is serious and the prices are not. It even contains a self-declared republic of artists, Užupis, with its own tongue-in-cheek constitution nailed to a wall in a dozen languages. Beyond the capital, the country opens into lakes and forests. Trakai's island castle sits in postcard perfection twenty minutes away. The Curonian Spit, a ribbon of giant sand dunes and pine forest between lagoon and sea, is a UNESCO landscape made for slow cycling and smoked fish lunches. The extraordinary Hill of Crosses stands witness to quiet, stubborn faith. Lithuania is affordable, uncrowded and quietly proud. Get there before the word spreads.