Serbia

I flew into Belgrade from Skopje in late 2020 and found a city that doesn't sleep, pandemic or not. Knez Mihailova, the main pedestrian street, was strung with Christmas lights in the shape of gift boxes, carriages and arches. Every wall in Savamala and Dorćol seemed to have graffiti, stickers or a mural, some beautiful, some political, some just funny. Belgrade is gritty and creative, and it knows it.

The fortress at Kalemegdan sits above the spot where the Sava meets the Danube, and it's the best free sunset in the city. The river is also where the nightlife lives, with floating clubs called splavovi that go all night. I ate spicy spiral sausages with potatoes, walked past the grand government buildings with their gardens and flags, and kept thinking that Belgrade is the most underrated capital in Europe.