Serbia

Serbia sits at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, where the Sava flows into the Danube and two alphabets coexist on the same street signs. It is a country where a 19th-century linguist created a perfectly phonetic writing system, where Nikola Tesla's ashes rest in a golden sphere, and where a tiny town of 2,000 people hosts half a million visitors for a trumpet festival every August.

The culture runs deep here. Belgrade, one of Europe's oldest cities, has been destroyed and rebuilt over 115 times. The food is hearty and unapologetic - grilled meats with kajmak, slow-cooked cabbage rolls, and fruit brandy that doubles as both welcome drink and household remedy. Serbia punches well above its weight in sports, music, and invention, and rewards those who look beyond the usual tourist routes.