With my latest trip to Bosnia, I’ve completed another one of my travel goals which was to travel to every Balkan country. It’s one of my favourite travel areas and for sure, it won’t be the last time I visit just because they’ve been “ticked” off the bucket list. The Balkans are becoming more and more popular although some regions are still overlooked by tourists. This list was meant to be a “top 5”, but I couldn’t resist making it into “top 10” – there are so many amazing places to explore in this part of the world.
Note that there are different lists as to what defines “the Balkans”. I’ve gone with a particular list for the purpose of this blog and my list.
Why do I love the Balkans so much?
- Many areas are often very underrated and quiet on the tourist front. This can help you experience life the real Balkan way and not the tourist way. You learn a lot about how people live their day-to-day lives and about their culture. I’ve been to various places in the Balkans where I’ve felt like one of the only tourists.
- When visiting some of the lesser-known areas, the people can really give you a warm welcome. They are intrigued and interested to know why you are visiting and want you to have a great experience in their country. I’ve received some of the warmest hospitality while travelling in the Balkans.
- The food! Of course, each country has its own speciality and its own way of making certain dishes. In general, Balkan food has good meat and delicious pastries. You can eat anytime you want and often on-the-go, something appreciated by a solo traveller on the move!
- The Balkans have incredible natural beauty. From national parks to lakes and waterfalls, it’s all right there, ready to be explored.
- Although it can be hard to find any accurate information online about buses and trains, it’s relatively easy and cheap to travel around the Balkans, mostly by bus. The buses are comfortable, cheap and mostly on time!
My top 10 Balkan destinations
- Ohrid, North Macedonia
I had dreamed of visiting Ohrid after seeing pictures but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of the lake and the famous church of Lake Ohrid. It’s not often that upon arriving in a new place, I automatically want to extend my stay. A week wasn’t enough to take in this magnificent place. It can be a little hard to get to with only a handful of destinations going to Ohrid airport but you can also arrive by bus from Skopje or Tirana. Ohrid is a very relaxed place and there are lots of activities to do in and around the lake.
2. Belgrade, Serbia
I spent a month in Belgrade in 2021 and didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know much about the country other than people’s negative perceptions and I certainly had quite a few asking if it was safe to travel there. They couldn’t have been more wrong and Serbia is now on my list of top countries! Belgrade is an interesting city with lots to do (Nikola Tesla Museum, the Yugoslavian history museum, the fortress and the park to name a few). The people were very welcoming to me and wanted me to have a good experience of their country.
3. Athens, Greece
I spent nearly two months in Athens studying so I felt that I got to know the city on a more personal level and stayed in a less touristy neighbourhood. One thing that makes me enjoy a place more is how the people react to you. I didn’t get any Athenians staring at me, wondering what I was doing there as a foreigner in their neighbourhood. This made me feel comfortable and almost at home. Athens is simply gorgeous and full of historical sites to visit. You can also hop on a ferry and visit one of the neighbouring islands in less than an hour. Don’t forget to visit the Olympic stadium – you can even run on the track in the mornings!
4. Zagreb, Croatia
I stopped off in Zagreb in 2019 as a “filler place” between Slovenia and catching a flight to Slovakia and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a charming city with lots to do. One of my favourite things about Zagreb is that it’s full of quirky museums. You can end up getting bored of visiting natural history or archaeological museums worldwide, but in Zagreb, they have something for everyone – the 80s museum, the museum of broken hearts, the chocolate museum and even a hangover museum. If you want something more traditional, you can also find art and Croatian history museums. If you’re in Zagreb, make sure you do a day trip to Plitvice lakes – one of the most stunning places I’ve been to. I’ve heard it gets crowded in summer so plan your trip well!
5. Kotor, Montenegro
Montenegro can often be overlooked as Croatia gets a lot of attention around that area. Kotor is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains overlooking the bay. You can do a lot of activities around the bay, including visiting the church in nearby Perast. Kotor is known for its stray cats and you can even contribute to feeding them by visiting and donating to the cat museum.
6. Brașov, Romania
Romania is a very underrated Balkan destination and one that is very special to me. Romania was my first teaching destination. At 23 years old, I went to spend a summer teaching at a camp near Brașov and had the best experience. I loved getting to know a country that no one I knew had been to. Brașov is home to Bran Castle (a.k.a Dracula’s castle!), the Black Church that was blackened by a fire in the 17th century and beautiful streets to explore. It even has its own “Brașov” sign that you can visit and get amazing views of the city.
7.Jajce, Bosnia
This is a recent addition to the list, and I’m glad I took the time to visit it. A small town in central Bosnia with a waterfall in the middle where two rivers merge. It literally looks like a postcard with the fortress in the background. Although it’s only a small town, there’s enough to do here for the day, taking in the view of the waterfall from all angles, the fortress, the catacombs and more! You can get a bus here from Sarajevo or Banja Luka. For a deeper insight into life in Bosnia, you should definitely follow my friend ‘Balkatinos’ on Instagram!
8. Niš, Serbia
Niš makes the list for a slightly different reason than its Balkan counterparts. It’s not necessarily somewhere with stunning nature as other places on the list, but it’s a place that had a big effect on me, so I felt it deserved to be named. Located in southern Serbia and known as the birthplace of Constantine the Great, there is a lot to be learnt in Niš. It has the best preserved World War II concentration camp in Europe. If you’re going to take the time to learn about concentration camps and World War II, then do it in a place where you won’t be overwhelmed with people taking inappropriate selfies. I was pretty much the only person in the camp and took the time to visit every room and read every story. It was emotional and at times, incredibly hard to take in (cut to me crying on the park bench outside) but I am grateful for the experience. You can also visit the monument in the big park where the prisoners were taken to be executed and the tower made of skulls from the Ottoman Empire.
9. Lake Bled, Slovenia
No “top Balkans” list is complete without giving Lake Bled a mention. Lake Bled is beautiful no matter what the weather. You can spend a day or a few days here depending on what you want to do and it’s reachable by train or bus. The warmer the weather, the more activities you’ll find. My favourite was to hike up to the top of the forest, where you get a stunning view of the lake. You can also visit the church in the middle of the lake via boat or go to the castle. On a hot day, you can kayak or swim in the lake too.
10. Split, Croatia
Croatia is a truly beautiful place, so it’s made the list more than once! Split is a charming town where you can spend a great afternoon getting lost in the historical centre. Take the time to visit the park and keep going up! It can be a hard uphill walk but the views at the top are worth it. They say that Split can get overcrowded in summer so you might want to plan your visit at another time of year if you prefer a more relaxed visit.
My advice for travelling in the Balkans
- Take the time to learn some language basics and it will be appreciated by locals. English is spoken in some of the more touristy areas but in many towns, they don’t not even in bus stations or when taking taxis. The best thing is that a lot of Balkan languages are almost identical so learning something such as hvala (thank you) will serve you in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and more!
- Bus travel is the way to go in the Balkans and it’s how locals travel. The buses aren’t expensive and they are reasonably comfy. Some stations require you to pay a platform fee – usually about a euro in local currency – to access the platform. Always have some change on you. You have to pay this even if you got your ticket online so you don’t want to be caught out. Places where I had to do this were Banja Luka and Belgrade. Some countries use the Cyrillic alphabet, so it’s a good idea to learn the name of the place you’re going to using the local alphabet so you know what to look for on the bus.
- There is a lot of history to learn in the Balkans and a lot of events were not so long ago. Take the time to learn how life was and how things have changed. Remember that there may still be ongoing territory or political disputes so try not to bring these up in conversation. Make sure you are aware of anything that can affect your travel. For example, if you enter Kosovo from Serbia, you will need to exit that way. Similarly, if you enter from another country such as North Macedonia. Going in one way and then trying to go to Belgrade might get you in trouble!
- In places that don’t have as many tourists, it can be harder to arrange trips with tour companies, especially as a solo traveller. Many places typically charged 100 euros for a day trip, which can make a dent in the budget, and wouldn’t take fewer than 2 people. Plan in advance to try and suss out what’s available for you. You can even consider hiring a private driver, which is what I did in Belgrade to visit the TV tower, which worked out cheaper than a tour (which wouldn’t take me on my own anyway!).
There are endless places in the Balkans to travel to, this list doesn’t even touch the start of it. There are places I will definitely go back to (Ohrid, Belgrade for example) and more places I want to visit that I haven’t been to (Sarajevo, Berat, Prizren to name a few). Even if I’ve been to every country at least once, the Balkans will be on my travel list for many years to come and should be on yours too!