Minsk is a mind-blowing experience. Ostensibly a European capital, the city hearkens back to Soviet times: the KGB building can't be missed, and the clean streets are lined with more Soviet iconography than you can shake a sickle at. Never mind, a slick new nightclub is rolling out drum 'n' bass tonight. Before that, drop in to the new sushi bar.
More than a decade after Bosnia-Hercegovina was only heard of in international news as a conflict area, this 'most easterly point of the west and the most westerly point of the east' is now trying to get itself back on the world's travel maps.
Ever wanted to eat blood sausages washed down with a syrupy liquor of unknown origin, check out abandoned Soviet military installations, or go bog walking then get flogged with birch branches in a scorching hot sauna? You can do it all in Estonia, the small territory which packs in some charming quirks without ruining your budget.
Flanders' 'most sociable city' is known for fun, fashion and youthful exuberance - away from the jaded tourist trail. Hasselt's user-friendly centre is an everyday shopping, eating and drinking fest and, every October, Belgium's unofficial jenever capital gets on the gin for a two-day celebration.
Albania's capital since 1920, Tirana is compact and easy to explore. It lies almost exactly midway between Rome and Istanbul, and its architecture has been influenced by both, as well as by Russia. Most visitors to Tirana begin at Skënderberg Square, a great open space in the heart of the city.
Hungary is a heart-stealer; it will lure you back again and again to sample its rich wines, lounge in its thermal spas, gaze at its birdlife and make one more attempt to master its hermetic language. It has all the luxury of western Europe with a Magyar twist and at half the cost.Its graceful capital Budapest has a lively arts, cafe and music scene, and is host to a range of cultural and sporting festivals. In the countryside you'll find majestic plains, resort-lined lakes, Baroque towns, horse markets and rustic villages.
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The littlest and southernmost of the Scandinavian countries, Denmark offers a storybox mix of lively cities and rural countryside. Ancient castles, ring forts, jazz festivals, the sleekest modern design you'll ever see and the people who invented Lego - who could ask for more?Danish Vikings once took to the seas and ravaged half of Europe, but these days they've filed down their horns and forged a society that sees itself as a benchmark of civilisation, with progressive policies, a commitment to free speech and a liberal social-welfare system.
Grandiose Vienna was the showpiece of the all-conquering Habsburg Dynasty. Monumental edifices line the city centre, world-class museums burst with treasures, white stallions strut their way down mirrored halls, and renowned orchestras and angelic choirboys perform in lavish concert halls.Vienna has plenty of lower-brow pleasures too - walks in the woods, splish-splashing high jinks on the river, indulgent evenings in its renowned wine taverns, bar-hopping till dawn. If you can't find something to please you in this generous, opulent, open-armed city, you're ready for the grave.
Belgians love their coastline. True, there's not a lot of it to love (only 66km, or 41mi), but the fun seaside resort of Ostend will win you over too. It may be a town you associate more with ferry ports than the typical Belgian drawcards, but don't beer and frites always taste better by the sea?
Latvia is the small, flat and largely boggy meat in the sandwich between its Baltic neighbours. It packs a lot in though: start with Rīga, its vibrant coastal capital, and move on to photogenic castles, music festivals and scenic river valleys.
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