Stories of Kosovo’s turbulent past live in the architecture of its capital. On a walk through the city, Pristina’s buildings and monuments have much to tell about the history of Europe’s youngest country.

At the end of an alley in Sarajevo’s old town, third-generation coppersmith Kenan Hidić is at work making intricately decorated pieces in a craft that dates back to Ottoman rule.

The 1995 massacre at Srebrenica was Europe’s worst act of genocide since World War II and has come to define this town in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Travelling in Albania is fascinating – even more so if you take the time to get to know it.

I wasn’t lost. Not in the way I could be in mountains and trails like these. But I had no idea where I was or where I was going.

The trip from Belgrade to Bar is about 11 hours, but I rode that train for two weeks.

“Everyone goes to Bitola but no one goes to Kruševo,” complained the guy behind the hostel reception desk. “I’ll go. Where is it?”

I had expectations of Kosovo as a country still finding its identity after a war that wasn’t all that long ago. So I was surprised to instead discover a country that was traveller-friendly and packed with history, culture and sights.

During my three-week trip in Serbia I kept track of my expenses and put together this guide of the cost of accommodation, food, transport and sightseeing.

On paper it seemed possible. Pelister National Park was mere kilometres from Bitola in south-west Macedonia. With a sizeable town on its fringes, surely the park would be pretty accessible? Yes. And no.