Albania remains a true hidden gem in the Balkans, and Berat is its finest jewel. Nicknamed the “City of a Thousand Windows” for its rows of whitewashed Ottoman houses with tall windows stacked up a hillside, Berat offers an aesthetic unlike anything else in Europe. Berat Castle at the summit is still inhabited by local residents today, making it one of the oldest continuously lived-in castles in the world. It’s UNESCO-listed and growing in popularity — come before the crowds do.