The Balkans are hot, hip and cheap! The Balkans in the South and East of Europe consists of all the ingredients you need to have a great trip. Cheap, cozy streets and cozy terraces. In this article I will take you to 5 great destinations in the Balkans that you should not miss.
Also read: World wise: The safest and most dangerous countries in Europe
1. Ljubljana, Slovenia
I have trouble pronouncing the name Ljubljana, but this is where my 'Balkan journey' started along the various Balkan destinations. Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of Slovenia† Slovenia is the most prosperous country in the Balkans.
We had a hostel, near the center, called Hostel Tivoli. Not too much fuss, just cosy, centrally located and including breakfast. You can choose to sleep in a dormitory, but they also have private rooms.
This link takes you directly to the hostel on Booking.com
We didn't really have a tight plan about what we wanted to see in Lubljana. If you want to chill in a park I recommend Park Tivoli. Not to be missed places in Ljubljana are further: the Dragon Bridge and the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas. Are you into art? Then check Metelkova! Thank me later. Good to know is that you pay with the Euro in Slovenia. So you don't have to go to an exchange office to exchange money for foreign currencies.
Also read: Roadtrip Balkans | Enjoying nature and culture
2. Zagreb, Croatia
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Soccer player Luka Modrić is Croatian. What I noticed is that many surnames of Croats end with ić. Zagreb seemed boring to me at first, but this city has a lot to offer. When I searched the internet for sights in Zagreb I saw a cemetery.
I thought huh, is this right? We went to cemetery Mirogoy. Normally I don't really like going to cemeteries, but this cemetery was impressive and beautiful at the same time. The graves are remarkable and people of different religions are buried here.
Tip: Read also round trip Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro in three weeks at familyopreis.nl!
The museum for broken relationships is recommended. In this museum you can see objects, such as a shoe or a mirror. Each object has a story and there is a text indicating why the relationship was broken. It is remarkable. Hint: student? You get a discount with your student card
3. Brač, Croatia
We will stay in Croatia for a while, because Croatia is the top of the Balkan destinations! Did you know that you can easily get everywhere in Croatia by public transport? There are buses everywhere. By the way, in Croatia you pay with the Croatian Kuna. If you leave by bus and you have luggage that you need to load, you have to pay extra for your luggage. Converted to euros you will lose about 1 euro on this.
Do you want ultimate peace and nature? Then go to island Bol, Brač. From the mainland, from Split can be reached by boat. Golden War is the beach you must admire.
For a chill vibe in the evening go to Varadero. Do not expect much from the nightlife in Bol. People come here for their rest. We first went to rest in Bol and then to Party Island Hvar! Easily accessible from Brač by boat.
4. Budva, Montenegro
For the real summer feeling go to Montenegro and then Budva. In Budva you can find the high class Montenegrins and there are also many Russians.
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Budva has a cool nightlife and is also dirt cheap. People pay here with the Euro. For literally 2 euros you could get a burger bun. It is recommended to take a boat trip to 'Hawai'. It was very nice that we got to know some locals and we got an explanation about Budva and they gave us tips. They were so friendly that I even got a beach towel with the flag of Montenegro, a very nice souvenir! If you want to party go to Club Trocadero. Most of the clubs are located on the beach, which gives it a very chilled out vibe. After the party, most head straight to the snack bars and eateries for a greasy bite. Hmmm… not a bad idea.
5. Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade is the close of the list of Balkan destinations. During the Balkan trip I got to know a lot of people. The original plan was that we would end up in Sofia. Everyone told us not to skip Belgrade. If you hadn't been to Belgrade, you wouldn't have been to the Balkans. So we decided to go to Belgrade anyway. Once there we decided to stay here for 1 week and to miss our flight home from Sofia. Why Belgrade you may ask? The people are nice and the nightlife is top!
In Serbia people pay with the Serbian dinar. Did you know that inventor Nikola Tesla is serbian? The airport is named after him and you also have a Nikola Tesla museum (tip).
In the evening you can go for a nice walk in Belgrade and there are all kinds of clubs on the water. TAG en freestyler have stayed with me. Good to know is that you often have to make a reservation to enter the club. This is free of charge and can be done via WhatsApp, FaceBook or Viber (often used there).