6 - Becici, Kotor Bay and Perast, Montenegro

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Located in the south Balkans on the Adriatic Sea, Montenegro's popularity has risen in the last decade, but despite a developing infrastructure and more airlines launching routes to the capital, Podgorica, the country hasn't been overrun by tourists, meaning that areas like Becici and the picturesque Venetian Perast have remained fairly unspoiled - beware of peak season in the summer months though, as the whole strip tends to get quite crowded by holidaymakers.

Although Montenegro has lots to offer in terms of wildlife, we chose to take it easy at the beach for a couple of days to recover from those arduous train journeys. The town of Budva is the most popular with tourists, especially in high season, however, less than a mile away is Becici and its mile and a half of sandy beach. If rest and relaxation also include sightseeing for you, then we strongly recommend making the trip northwards along the coast and inland to Kotor Bay, where the ancient medieval fortified town is beautiful (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and a must on any itinerary within Montenegro.

Another town to visit is Perast, which surprisingly has some stunning examples of typical Venetian architecture, which was built in the 17th and 18th centuries when the country belonged to the Republic of Venice. Impressively well preserved, a couple of hours to stroll around the city is enough to grasp its charms.

For a country that has only just regained its independence in 2006 after being absorbed by the formation of Yugoslavia, Montenegro's authentic local attributes like its culture, natural sites and architecture have remained intact in comparison to the other countries on our itinerary, which seemed to have suffered to a greater degree.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Belgrade, Serbia