Balkans Travel Blog
Travel tips and resources for travellers: Travel guides, itineraries, abandoned places, street art and off-the-beaten-path places in the BalkansHello and welcome to our Balkans travel blog. You will find all our blog posts from the European countries collectively known as the Balkans in this section of our website.
Maybe you found our Balkans travel blog because you are considering a visiting the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, or perhaps you are partway through planning a trip to the Balkans. Whatever the reason, we hope we can provide some useful resources and travel tips for the Balkan countries.
Which countries are included in the Balkan region is often cause for debate. The Balkan Peninsula lies in southeastern Europe and typically includes the seven countries that make up the former Yugoslavia plus three more bringing the total number Balkan states to ten. The countries are Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. Some sources include Moldova as a Balkans country, but for the purpose of organising our posts, we’ve categorised Moldova as the former USSR. Some people exclude Slovenia from the list, but include Hungary. Arguably part of Turkey (the European part west of Istanbul) and northern mainland Greece have one foot on the Balkan Peninsula.
Geography and politics both come into play when defining the Balkan countries and settling on which countries make the list could turn into a much longer post than we have room for on our Balkans travel blog page.
As you would expect from a region that stretches from Central Europe to the Black Sea, the Balkans comprises a myriad of landscapes, experiences, cultures, cuisines and history. It’s impossible to pick a favourite, and the Balkans cannot be summed up in a singular cliched strap-line, other than “something for everyone”!
Our Balkans blog posts are generally aimed at independent travellers and backpackers like us and have a strong focus on travelling around using public transport, staying in budget accommodation and exploring off-the-beaten-path and lesser-visited places.
Browse all of our Balkans blog posts
Visiting Perushtitsa and the Three Generations Monument in Bulgaria
Three Generations Monument in Perushtitsa is a worthwhile half-day excursion from the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv. Read our guide for independent travellers.
Where to break the journey between Istanbul and Sofia
Edirne in Turkey and Plovdiv in Bulgaria are two excellent places for independent travellers to stop en route between Istanbul and Sofia.
2016 Travel Review in Photographs
2016 travel review: a roundup of the countries we travelled to in 2016, 2016 travel highlights and a lot of wanderlusty photographs with links to articles.
Communist-era Architecture in Sofia, Bulgaria
Sofia architecture – A guide Communist-era architecture in Sofia, Bulgaria. Socialist architecture includes brutalist concrete and impressive monuments.
Electric Utility Box Art, a unique form of Street Art in Sofia, Bulgaria
In Sofia, Bulgaria, numerous electricity transformer boxes / circuit kiosks have been adorned with creative street art. We call it Electric Utility Box Art.
Travel Shot | St. George Church on St. John Mountain in Kotor | Montenegro
Hike from Kotor’s ancient ramparts to St. John Mountain and behind the fort is the lovely Church of St.John. Featured in travel photography of Montenegro.
Monument to the Founders of the Bulgarian State
The Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria in Shumen: also known as the Founders of the Bulgarian State Monument, this Cubist-style memorial is gargantuan.
Visiting Buzludzha Monument: Communist Party HQ in Bulgaria
What self-respecting lover of modernist Communist-built architecture wouldn’t want to see the visually impressive UFO-shaped Buzludzha Monument?!
Twelve More Forts and Castles from Around the World
Part 2 in a series featuring must-see forts and castles around the globe, with some of the most impressive fortifications we have visited on our travels.
Twelve Forts and Castles from Around the World
Forts and castles from around the world that you must visit. A photo essay featuring the finest forts and castles we have visited on our travels.
The Pyramid of Tirana, Albania
Formerly known as the Enver Hoxha Museum, the Pyramid of Tirana, in Albania’s capital, is one of the city’s more unusual tourist attractions.
What to do in Skopje, North Macedonia – Europe’s most eclectic capital
What to do in Skopje: a guide on how to spend a few days in Skopje, capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Eclectic architecture contrasts with the Old Town.
Things to do in Bitola, North Macedonia
Things to do Bitola, North Macedonia. This underrated town has 18th and 19th century architecture, an engaging Old Town and archaeological ruins.
2015: A Review of our Travelling Year in Photographs
2015 Travel Review: Our Year in Photographs. When it comes to travel, 2015 was another fantastic year for us, once more packed full of superlatives.
Longterm Travel: Seven Years on the Road
Seven years of longterm travel. Today marks the date when, seven years ago, we left the UK and began our nomadic life. These are some of our highlights.
IF YOU ENJOYED OUR BALKANS TRAVEL BLOG, YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN READING OUR BLOG POSTS FEATURING THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, SEEING MORE OF OUR PHOTOS OR CHECK OUT OUR PAGE DEDICATED TO BRUTALIST AND MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE AND MONUMENTS AND MEMORIALS.
If you enjoyed our Balkans Travel Blog…
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our latest blog posts as well as our latest news from the road less travelled…
Looking for a unique face mask inspired by travel, architecture, and photography? Check out our Redbubble store. Redbubble is a marketplace which allows us to create products using our photography and digital designs. In addition to face coverings, you can buy prints, posters, mugs, t-shirts, tote bags and even shower curtains and bath mats featuring our photography.