Are the Balkans The Best Travel Destination Ever?

Obviously there can’t be just one destination for everybody — 100 different travelers could be looking for 100 different things. But the Balkans have a lot of the “things” that travelers like.

Idyllic, soaring mountains. Mediterranean white sand beaches and islands. Fun and walkable cities. Delicious, fresh food. A deep history along with ancient sites and museums to show it off. Welcoming residents — on one excursion, a guide movingly thanked us for visiting his country and encouraged us to tell our friends back home to visit. You’re unlikely to get that kind of welcome in Barcelona or Berlin.

To that impressive list, add two more important traveler intangibles: 1) the region is affordable (sometimes shockingly so — am I really in Europe?) and 2) these countries are remarkably safe and stable.

Oh, and English is the lingua franca all over the region.

I’ve visited parts of the Balkans several times (Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro), both for pleasure and for work, but this last trip was my most extensive, covering Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Albania. In coming weeks, I’ll post additional articles here detailing some of my recent experiences, but I wanted to get things rolling with a quick overall shout-out to the region.

First, one may reasonably ask: what are the Balkans? It’s not always a straightforward question. Borders and geopolitical groupings can be a fraught topic in this region. For the traveler, all of this history of conquest, throwing out the invaders, then getting betrayed by a new regime can actually make a visit more interesting. But for many of the residents, borders and history are sensitive issuesBut don't worry, the locals understand that ignorant tourists have not been marinated since birth in their respective ethnic group's history. My experience was that they viewed me as an open minded, neutral person as they often gravely, but gently, described to me their political history. They also know that visitors may be across the border the next day and hear a different version. Either way, I found locals mostly thrilled when any visitors wanted to learn about their country. , to say the least. For example, here’s an interesting Reddit thread I came upon about whether Yugoslavians liked being Yugoslavians. Plenty of opinions.

The pictures above show some different takes on the Balkans. For my recent trip, I was mostly in the Western Balkans (though I started in Bulgaria, to the East).¹

In addition to the attractions listed above, I also marvel at how the Balkans were, just a few decades ago, mainly in the headlines as a warzone and a site of potential war crimes. A few signs of of those 1990s conflicts have been deliberately preserved as a memorial, but the region as a whole is rebuilt and thriving.

I especially felt this contrast in Tirana, now a hip, energetic city. I wondered what people over the age of 45 who endured the paranoia-influenced oppression and cut-off-from-the-world existence under Enver Hoxha must think. Were I someone who suffered through those years, I would probably have to blink every time I stepped outside — “Wait a second, what is this? Okay, yes, I’m still in Albania. It’s just not the 20th century anymore.”

Finally, the Balkan flag game is strong. These countries are not just throwing a few stripes of various colors on a rectangle and calling it good. Except for Bosnia with the blue and yellow slashes. Not a fan of their flag. (Sorry!) But the red and white checkerboard shield on Croatia? Love it.

The Macedonian red and yellow sun seems vaguely Asian to me, but it looks great flapping on a pole. I’m probably in the minority, but I even like Kosovo’s flag. It’s not that exciting, but the colors and distinctive shape work for me. If you’re into flags at all, it’s instantly recognizable and that’s a plus.

But by far the number one flag here is Albania’s iconic black double-headed eagle on a deep crimson background. Talk about bold.

Montenegro also went with a double-headed eagle and I would be happy to claim this as my country’s flag. It’s pretty cool, but Albania, wow. Their flag scares some people. You could conquer the world with that flag.