>>2853195
I'm going on a trip in late March to Sarajevo for about 4 days, anything there to see?

>>2853195
Albania is a great country and pretty cheap, some great hikes in the north and amazing beaches in the south. Tirana is a nice city too, easy to get around and some cool museums.

Croatia is a bit more touristy, but still worth checking out. I stayed in Zadar and visited Plitvice lakes, which was well worth it. Would probably go island hopping next time if I went.

>>2853195

Albania and Macedonia are awesome and unique countries. Kosovo, Bosnia, Serbia are also cool. Montenegro and Croatia are beautiful but too touristy and samey. Bulgaria is alright but a bit less friendly. If you're counting Romania then it's pretty pog

>>2855903
Do your own research. Do what YOU want

I've never been but I would assume the only places that might not be great are the heavily muslim parts

>>2853195
Do a stretch of peaks of the balkans.

>>2853195
Albania is top tier

>>2853195
Can recommend:
>Albanian Riviera
>Accursed Mountains
>Neretva Valley
>Croatian Islands
>Sokobanja
>Rugova Canyon
>Ohrid
>Ulcinj & Lake Shkoder
>Gjirokaster

Slovenia and Romania are not Balkan nations, but I can definitely recommend visiting them. More Roman/Austro-Hungarian/Slavic influence then Balkan

>>2856019
What's the geogaphical definition of the Balkans?

>>2856019
This very alibi confronts us with the first of many paradoxes concerning Balkan: its geographic delimitation was never precise. It is as if one can never receive a definitive answer to the question, "Where does it begin?" For Serbs, it begins down there in Kosovo or Bosnia, and they defend the Christian civilization against this Europe's Other. For Croats, it begins with the Orthodox, despotic, Byzantine Serbia, against which Croatia defends the values of democratic Western civilization. For Slovenes, it begins with Croatia, and we Slovenes are the last outpost of the peaceful Mitteleuropa. For Italians and Austrians, it begins with Slovenia, where the reign of the Slavic hordes starts. For Germans, Austria itself, on account of its historic connections, is already tainted by Balkanic corruption and inefficiency. For some arrogant Frenchmen, Germany is associated with the Balkanian Eastern savagery—up to the extreme case of some conservative anti-European-Union Englishmen for whom, in an implicit way, it is ultimately the whole of continental Europe itself that functions as a kind of Balkan Turkish global empire with Brussels as the new Constantinople, the capricious despotic center threatening English freedom and sovereignty. So Balkan is always the Other: it lies somewhere else, always a little bit more to the southeast, with the paradox that, when we reach the very bottom of the Balkan peninsula, we again magically escape Balkan. Greece is no longer Balkan proper, but the cradle of our Western civilization.

>>2856019
Slovenia is former Yugoslavia, it has to be Balkans

>>2856042
So Greece and Albania aren't Balkans?

>>2856033
Balkan are areas in Europe that were once ruled by Turks, but excluding Greece, as it centers around the Balkan mountains.
The very word "Balkan" is etymologically Turkish

but to answer OP...
recommend
> Belgrade (Serbia)
> Montenegro (beaches, water, dramatic mountains)
> Transylvania
do not recommend
> Muslim parts of Bosnia incl. Sarajevo
> Romania proper (outside of Transylvania)
> Macedonia

>>2856030
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwDrHqNZ9lo

Been living in Bulgaria off and on, it's still cheap although on the rise, friendly enough but still balkan spirit ready to fight, food is good, has things to go in the cities and plenty of nature activities outside of them

Just switched to euro

>>2855927
That is just one degree of separation from someone else telling me what to do

>>2856058
Why don’t you recommend Macedonia? Tell me about your it experience, I have never been but I’m interested

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>>2853195
Go to Mileseva Monastery in Serbia to see The White Angel fresco, it's one of the best pieces of medieval art in all of Europe

>>2856220
It's actually not because you can pick and choose what actually interests you.

>>2853195
I'm Bulgarian and honestly other than a short stay I'm not sure there'd be much to do here for you. Stay a couple of days partying in the capital if that's your thing and visit some of the older historical cities for some sightseeing, but probably shouldn't take you more than a week for the whole thing. Prices are still probably relatively cheap for foreigners, despite adopting the Euro this year.
Anyways personally I'm spending as much time as possible in Japan and away from here the last 2 years and it's more worth imo.

>>2853195
I recommend Guca trumpet festival in late August. Rural serbian village goes from 700 to 7000 people overnight, great party, 0% touristy. Get ready to be sleep deprived for the whole 3 days tho, they shoot artillery blank shells everyday at 8am to wake everyone up.

Anyone here been to Mostar? I've heard mixed opinions and it seems small so I'm only spending 1 night there on my upcoming Balkan trip, and devoting more time to Sarajevo.

>>2856666
>checked
Difficult to know without knowing your wider itinerary, season going, time constraints and interests.
I liked it, and there's quite a few interesting aspects to the city. Naysayers are probably low test, low curiosity folk who just looked at the bridge all day.

>>2856670
3 week trip, going to several other Balkan nations as well, in the summer.
I'll make the most of my time there for sure, I know the city has more to offer than the bridge. I just am prioritizing other places so I could only fit one day in, usually I don't do quick stops like that but I really want to see it, without sacrificing time from elsewhere

>>2853195
Bumping. Gonna be in Bosnia for a month or two to keep costs low as I'm travelling full time. Thinking of spending a month in Sarajevo and just day tripping/overnighting a couple times. Any recs? Is Belgrade better? Mostar? I'm trying to stay out of the EU to not use up my 90 Schengen days too quickly.

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>>2856787
>>2857079
Neretva Valley is kino. There's a guy who runs a guest house on a peninsula where 2 rivers meet, and the train crosses over next to a fish restaurnt. He likes tking people out on his boat, and his cousin is/was an NBA player.

You've got Tito's Bunker and a kino rafting hostel further up.

There's also the train tracks which were blown up to use in a huge budget Yugoslavian film.

The further up the valley you go, it turns from Croatian to Bosniak. Mostar is kino for exploring the differences.

A month in Sarajevo would be boring as fuck. Do Mostar - Sarajevo a little slwoer and appreciate shit off the beaten track.

Split - Mostar is an epic bus journey, takes you up some scary as fuck cliffs.

From Sarajevo I got an overnight bus to Montenegro which went through Respublika Srpska. I always wish I spent time there.

Going the other way, Peja in Kosovo is cool. Rugova canyon is amazing. I got a taxi from Peja to the border town for peanuts, then got a bus to Ulcinj, which I liked. Pirate Hostel was decent, as was the boat trip.
If you have time for Albania, Accursed Mountains and Riviera are S-tier.

Always wanted to do Titos' railway from Bar-Belgrade.

I'd probably wanna do some shit like picrel if i had the chance
Leg 1
>Split - Mostar - Neretva - Sarajevo - Belgrade

Leg 2a
>Tito's railway to Bar to Ulcinj to Shkoder for Theth-Valbone hike, a short incursion into Kosovo, and then to Tirane

Leg 2b
>Baseboi approach across the Serb broder into Kosovo to check out Rugova, before getting to Tirane

Leg 3
>See Tirana, check out Vlore and Syzan Island, then chill on the Riviera

Imo, to get the most out of the Balkans you need to traverse geography and history:
>Moutains and beaches
>Croatia-Boasnia, Bosnia-Serbia, Serbia-Albania history
Crossing borders and zigzagging hits both and contextualses shit

>>2857079
Also re: Belgrade, short answer is yes. It was the Yugoslavian capital, and is therefore far better connected to everything. It's far more fun, with much more happening, too.
Sarajevo is nice, but a bit boring.

>>2857082
>>2857083
I was gonna do 4 nights in Sarajevo and 3 nights in Belgrade, with one or two day trips from Sarajevo, and I want to check out Novi Sad from Belgrade if I have time.
Or I should say I am going to do that, since the itinerary is set in stone now. I'm very excited for both cities, i know Sarajevo is quieter but the history is fascinating. And it's my first city on the trip so the extra day is the first one to get acclimated.

At the risk of getting clowned on here. . . It's one of the last places in Europe that are still somewhat authentic and genuine as a tourist destination, but it's rapidly changing, particularly in Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia. It's Berlin and east Germany as a whole was 15 years ago.

Take the top 3 destinations of any given Balkan cunt, avoid them and your bound to have a good time.

>>2857514
>clowned on
You need to be 18 to post here.

Why so many people recommend Serbia? I had to layover in Belgrade for one night because my flight was delayed and I feared for my life from the airport to the hotel. Right out of the airport, my taxi tried to charge me double the price of the normal fare, even when I had the printed out ticket from the official taxi booth stating price should only be this much. They grouped up and took away my ticket and coerced me into paying a higher fare. The city is also desolated and depressed like a third world rural town. I was staying in the city center but after walking in any directions for 5 minutes, it starts to look like some Vietnamese farming villages.

>>2857661
hard filter. imagine taking taxis from airports lmao. spread the word of serbia being dangerous, bro. people like you make it all worth it for us.

>>2857661
>was staying in the city center but after walking in any directions for 5 minutes, it starts to look like some Vietnamese farming villages.
Sounds SOVLful, now I'm even more excited for my visit

How are intercity roads charged in Bosnia?
I know that Serbia has toll booths and you buy a pass for Romania,