The Balkans region is a collection countries in the south east of Europe. Well known for its turbulent history of unrest, the Balkans has more recently grown in popularity with tourists. Stunning mountain ranges, beautiful coastlines and affordable prices have made the area is a viable alternative to more traditional summer destinations. My wife, Lauren and I spent time travelling through many Balkan holiday destinations in the summer of 2022 taking a road trip through Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. In this article we share advice, hints and tips from our experience.
Picking your Balkan holiday destinations
The Balkans is made up of ten countries, either wholly within the region or substantially (20%+) within the region. This is our brief run down of the six we visited:
Albania
Incredible coastlines which rival Croatia, and not hard to find a bargain. The popular costal towns such as Durres get very busy and are well geared up for tourists. But the south offers some of the most stunning coast. The mountains also provide some respite from the hot summer temperatures and national parks such as Theth have stunning scenery and less hustle and bustle. We found Albanian people to be extremely friendly and interested in us; in some of the smaller villages, they wouldn’t even let us pay for our own coffee!
Bosnia & Herzegovina
Sarajevo is a beautiful and exciting city and the summer evenings were a sight to behold as the lights come up and the deep blue sky turns to black. However the heat is inescapable and intense. There are also an assortment of small, delightful towns with appealing old buildings and bridges such as Mostar and Konjic. The country is one of the most awe inspiring to drive through with green mountains and blue rivers. Rafting and hiking are popular tourist pursuits but only with proper guides and equipment. There are still landmines here which means freestyle rural wondering is not recommended.
Croatia
The beaches are mostly concrete or stone but the Adriatic waters are unparalleled. Croatia is certainly much more touristy than other parts of the Balkans that we visited. Many of the most beautiful coastal towns and cities have been transformed into tourist hot spots, with almost no other local industry to be seen. As a tourist, the infrastructure is noticeably better than that of other Balkans countries; the roads are good, public transport and other services are readily available and generally it is easy to get whatever you might need. However, if you are looking to discover something new or join the locals for an authentic experience, you may have to venture away from the coast.
Montenegro
One of our favourite places from the road trip. The coastline is beautiful but very busy in the summer months with cruise ships coming into places like Kotor. Montenegro has plenty of picturesque mountains, rivers and lakes. Away from the coastline it is noticeably under-developed but there are many hidden gems in the form of family run guest houses. The food was unexpectedly good, especially the fish. Like much of the Balkan holiday destinations there is an interesting mix of Christian and Muslim influence. Roads are of variable quality but the country seems well suited to road trips with regular opportunity to stop off at inviting family restaurants and crumbling old villages.
North Macedonia
The capital, Skopje, is one of the most unusual cities we have ever visited. It is filled with classical inspired buildings, bridges and sculptures aping ancient Rome. However much of it was constructed very recently, as part of a controversial project known as Skopje 2014. It is fascinating but being there in July was simply too hot. Lake Ohrid on the other hand is the perfect summer antidote. In our opinion it is the standout hidden gem of the Balkans. The lake is massive and borders both Albania and North Macedonia. We stayed in the town of Ohrid which is half picture-perfect old town and half modern commercial and residential resort. The water is blue and flat, perfect for swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding and regular boats trips run out around the lake.
Lake Ohrid (North Macedonia) on the other hand, is the perfect summer antidote and in our opinion, the standout hidden gem of the Balkans
Serbia
The people we met had a wild sense of humour and fun loving nature. Novi Sad is an up and coming city with a burgeoning culture and food scene. The Danube has become a swimming spot for Novi Sad locals but is far from the cleanest water we swam in. Belgrade is architecturally interesting and surprisingly green, filled with an immense range of bird life that take flight at dusk, heading for their own secluded island. Outside of the cities the lush, green mountains and hills stretch for miles in all directions. Otherwise, as a landlocked country, the mountains are the best bet for summer sanctuary, but beware the snakes!
Transport yourself with care
We drove through the Balkans as part of a Europe-wide road trip. Our car’s air condition stopped working only once, in June, in Vienna during a heatwave. It made driving a horribly uncomfortable experience. We were stuck to the seats with sweat and were generally irritable. I don’t know how we would have coped without air-conditioning, during the height of summer in any of our Balkan holiday destinations. If you are driving your own car, have the air conditioning serviced before you go. If you are renting, test that it works before you set off. Travelling by public transport, air conditioning can be more hit and miss and it is worth checking before setting off on a daytime trip. In all cases it is advisable to travel outside of the peak daytime heat, usually before 11am or after 5pm.
Take care in the heat
It is easy to be overly confident when setting off in the morning, walking around a new place. The heat can catch up with you fast. In many Balkans holiday destinations you may not always be within easy reach of accessible drinking water. Lauren and I like to go out for the day with only a loose plan and explore where the day takes us. But on more than one occasion in the Balkan we were caught out by a severe lack of shade and few stopping opportunities. It is wise to plan your time outdoors with built-in break stops and have an idea of where you are going. We would also strongly recommend wearing a hat and carrying sunscreen and water at all times of the day.
Water and altitude are your friends
After less than 24 hours in Skopje in July, we packed our bags and drove to Lake Ohrid. The city heat was unbearable in most places we visited. As we reached the peak of summer, we realised the only comfortable places were near bodies of water or high up in the mountains. Reading and looking at photos of the incredible towns and cities in the Balkans made me determined to visit in spite of the climate, but this was a mistake. Plan your trip around these cooler locations and you won’t regret it.
Double check the accommodation reviews
We had some fantastic accommodation while we were travelling through the Balkans. But we also had some strange experiences where things weren’t quite as advertised. A parking space and air conditioning were our main criteria we looked for when searching for a room; everything else was secondary. We found however, that listings could not always be relied upon. Cross-checking customer reviews became essential. Also the accommodation photos could be very helpful in confirming the presence of the criteria we were looking for. A bit of detective work will go a long way!
Balkan holiday destinations in the summer time have a lot to offer.. Balkan countries genuinely rival the best of the more typical European destinations. With good planning and these pieces of advice, you can expect a truly breath-taking experience.
Jon
Jon is an adventurer at heart. He has driven 8000 miles across Europe, completed multi-day hikes and swum with sharks. He has had a long and impressive career managing in a training and education business as well as leading transformational change during Covid-19. He has now taken the brave decision to step away from corporate life to pursue his creative ambitions. He is currently editing his first book as well as creating this blog. Together with Lauren, Jon has embarked on many adventures including a winter road trip of Italy, a sleeper train tour for his birthday and kayaking in the Galapagos Islands.