Experience the best of Pristina

Pristina lies on a plain among low hills in the middle of Kosovo, and its centre mixes Ottoman, Yugoslav-era and modern buildings. Mother Teresa Boulevard is a long pedestrian street of cafés and shops, running south from Skanderbeg Square. The Imperial Mosque, dating from the fifteenth century, and the Clock Tower are among the older landmarks, and the National Library is wrapped in a metal lattice beneath white domes.

The Ethnological Museum, set in an Ottoman-era family compound, shows how households once lived, and the Kosovo Museum holds finds from the Neolithic period onwards. Germia Park, a forested hill on the edge of town, is a favourite green space. Gračanica, a medieval monastery with painted frescoes and a UNESCO listing, lies just south, and Prizren, an old Ottoman town with a river and a fortress, is a drive to the south-west.

Flija, a layered pancake baked slowly under a lid, is a Kosovar speciality, joined by byrek, grilled sausages called qebapa, stuffed peppers and baklava. Strong Turkish-style coffee fills the café terraces at all hours. Winters are cold with snow, summers are hot, and spring and autumn bring mild days.