Within living memory, Montenegro was one of the smaller states that made up the nation of Yugoslavia. With the end of the Cold War, however, Montenegro emerged as a tiny nation of its own. With both picturesque beaches and a northern region dotted with mountains, Montenegro is a popular tourist destination for visitors from the United States as well as both eastern and western Europe. National Geographic Traveler, a publication updated only once each decade, has declared Montenegro to be one of the "50 Places of a Lifetime."
Montenegro's beaches are located along the Adriatic Sea, a portion of the Mediterranean separating Italy from the coastline of nations such as Albania and Croatia. Many holiday rentals in Montenegro are situated in beach cities that combine the best of modern water sport opportunities with ancient city centers that date from the medieval period or earlier. One of the most popular areas is the Ulcinj region along the southern part of the coast, which the New York Times ranked as one of the "Top 31 Places to Go in 2010."
Tourists visiting Europe can easily add Montenegro to their route in part because in 2002, the country has adopted the Euro as its official currency. Sites of interest in the country include the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, and the Basilica of St. Luke, which is over 800 years old. In medieval monasteries in Montenegro, there are frescos totaling thousands of square meters.