Kukës sits high in northeastern Albania, close to Kosovo and North Macedonia, where the White Drin and Black Drin meet below the mountains. It is a practical border city, but not just that: the old town was drowned by the Fierza reservoir, the new town was built on higher ground, and the surrounding ridges give the place a stark, frontier feel.
The best reason to stop is the landscape around the Drin. The Kukës Bridges and Lake Fierza make good first viewpoints, especially late in the day when the water and mountains soften. South and east of town, gorges and limestone walls pull climbers and hikers into rougher country.
Kukës also carries a modern story. During the Kosovo War it sheltered huge numbers of refugees, a role remembered at the Kosovo Exodus Memorial. Add the communist-era Underground City and the nearby ruins of Peca Castle, and Kukës becomes worth a spare day for travellers already crossing the northeast.