ALL ABOUT THE BALKANS
Your comprehensive guide to Southeast Europe
Welcome to the Balkans! This cluster of countries in Southeastern Europe is made of up some of the most interesting and beautiful places to visit on the continent. However, which countries exactly are part of the Balkans is not exactly clear to many.
We went with the widest definition of the Balkans there is, encompassing all of ex-Yugoslavia (Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and Kosovo), as well as Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey. While some of these countries are not entirely on the Balkan peninsula, such as the Greek islands or Anatolian Turkey, we cover them on this site as we want to be the most helpful resource possible for Balkan travel on the internet.
Here, you can read some of our general travel advice on traveling the Balkans, or you can navigate through the menu on top to discover each country in more depth.
ALL BALKANS POSTS
21 Hilariously True Balkan Memes You Need in Your Life
We love a good meme - and we don't know if any other geographic region in the world does a meme better than a Balkan meme. We've sent each other quite a few Balkan memes of the years, so we've collected a few of our favorite memes about the Balkan countries from all...
7 Fabulous Balkan Ski Resort and Winter Holiday Ideas
The Balkans are known for their stunning mountains, which makes sense considering the entire penninsula is named after a mountain range! While we love exploring Balkan cities and never run out of things to do in Sofia in winter, we sometimes find ourselves itching for...
25 Balkan City Breaks for the Perfect Quick Getaway
Very often when someone is looking for information about traveling the Balkans, they're going to be backpacking the region or have at least a week to explore. However, don't overlook how great the Balkans are for enjoying a quick city break! While I could easily spend...
The 10 Balkans Itinerary Commandments (Plus Sample Itineraries)
Having traveled or been based in the Balkans for the past two or so years, Stephanie and I have a lot of opinions on Balkans travel (here's 25 of them). Mostly, we believe that this a region that deserves its time. Unfortunately, many people plan insane...
Balkan Bus Trips: 10 Things You Must Know Before Your Ride
Since there aren't many options for budget flights between Balkan countries, if you decide to go backpacking in the Balkans you'll more than likely find yourself needing to take a bus between Balkan cities. While Balkan bus trips can be economical, they are typically...
These Are the 12 Balkan Countries Plus the Top Reason to Visit Each One
While I've been obsessively traveling the Balkans for years, I can distinctly remember a day before I could list the Balkan countries off the top of my head. Now that I've explored each one (though some more in-depth than others), here's a list of the Balkan...
41 Things You Need to Know Before Backpacking the Balkans
We are obsessed with backpacking the Balkans! As two American girls who have relocated to Sofia, we've done our fair share of Balkan backpacking, going on everything from quick two-week stints through Greece and Serbia to multi-month long backpacking trips through...
The Best Balkan Food You Need to Try
Balkan food is hearty and filling, full of salads made with seasonal produce, delicious dips, and grilled meat. Some foods in the Balkans can be found everywhere -- virtually every Balkan country has a variation on borek/burek, and if you can't find grilled meat...
25 Reasons You’ve Got To Travel the Balkans
I first visited the Balkans in 2016 and promptly fell in love with the region.... so much so, that I actually moved here as a result of that first Balkans trip. Between the mountains of Montenegro, the coastline of Albania, the lakes of North Macedonia, and the...