Our silver medalist Climbing 10 positions to take second-place honors this year is a country of snow-capped Alpine peaks, stylish beach resorts, and a glorious green and golden interior where ancient towns cast shimmering reflections into lazy rivers.

There are no bars on the windows here, and people don’t use car alarms. When you walk up to the crosswalk, the traffic stops to let you pass, and the drivers are courteous to one another…I don’t hear horns. Bicycles are on the sidewalk unattended. When I cleared customs, the immigration officer in charge was a woman. Local men are wearing shorts, and tall fair-skinned people can pass for natives. This can’t be Latin America...

Hédervár is one of 1,000 castles (or historical mansions, palaces, chateaux, and manor houses as they also can be called) in Hungary, 800 of which are registered historic monuments. Many are located in northwestern Hungary, called northern Transdanubia, making it one of the world’s best destinations for castle-hopping.