Top 10 Best Places To Visit In All Of The Balkans
I spent the last few years exploring southeastern Europe, and I want to show you my favorite places. So here’s my Balkans top 10. The Balkans are known as one of Europe’s most affordable regions. There’s no set definition of the Balkans, but usually, they are made up of the countries of Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. That’s a lot of countries. The Balkans are famous for their medieval towns, natural beauty, and complex history. It’s a region, I hope everyone can explore.
1. Kotor, Montenegro
Let’s start this article off at Montenegro's coastal town of Kotor located in what some consider to be Europe’s southernmost fjord Kotor, which is one of the most well-preserved medieval old towns in all the Balkans. It’s grown in popularity over the years and it’s a popular cruise-ship stop. If you want to get one of the best views of couture, you can drive the serpentine road to get a panoramic view of the entire bay and surrounding mountains. I mean just what a beautiful city from Kotor you can make the 30-minute drive over to the nearby islet of Sveti Stefan, it’s this 15th-century island fortress that has been converted into a five-star luxury resort. If you can afford it, it would be quite the place to stay while we’re still in Montenegro we’re going to check out the Durdevica Tara Bridge.
This is one of the coolest arch bridges that I’ve ever seen. The bridge was finished in 1940 and it consists of five arches, with its highest being over 564 feet above the river below I mean just such a crazy-looking bridge.
2. Mostar, Bosnia, and Herzegovina
All right after Montenegro, we’re going to head over to the neighboring country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, known for its beautiful rivers, medieval bridges, and fascinating history, it’s quite the place to visit. Now, one of my favorite places in the country is the city of Mostar. The most popular feature of the city is the old bridge. It’s an ottoman bridge from the 16th century. It stood for 427 years until it was destroyed in 1983 during the Croat Bosniak war, but in 2004 it was rebuilt. Now, one of the cool things that I love about the bridge is that they let you cliff jump off of it.
I believe it’s a nearly 20-meter fall to the river below, so it’s pretty high, but next time in Bosnia, I’m going to make sure to send a gainer off of the bridge. Another cool spot in Bosnia is the Kravika waterfalls. Only a 40-minute drive from Mostar. The Kravika waterfalls are home to an incredible amphitheater of cascading waterfalls, with some as high as 25 meters tall. What’s cool, is they let you swim there so it’s just a great place to spend during the warm summer months.
3. Dubrovnik, Croatia
After Bosnia, we’re going to head up to Croatia. Now I have to say that Croatia is one of the most beautiful countries in all of Europe. One of my favorite places in Croatia is Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is one of the most popular medieval towns in all of Europe. The history of Dubrovnik dates back to the 7th century when it was founded by refugees. One of the most notable features of Dubrovnik is the walls that surround the city they’re almost two kilometers in length and anywhere from four to six meters thick, which were used to protect the city throughout history. The unique look of the city has made it a popular filming location for series such as the game of thrones.
4. Pula, Croatia
Now, another fascinating city in Croatia is Pula. The city is home to the pula arena. It’s this perfectly preserved Roman amphitheater. That was constructed from 27 BC to 68 AD. It’s the only remaining arena to have four side towers and it’s the world’s sixth-largest surviving roman arena. What’s cool is you can walk inside of it which is such a wonderful sight to see. Now right at the coast of pula are the Brijuni Islands. That’s a set of 14 uniquely shaped islands. Just have a distinct look to them. Now, if you want to head inland, you can check out the Plitvice Lakes National Park, it’s home to some of Europe’s most beautiful lakes and waterfalls.
They remind me a lot of Bosnia’s Kravika waterfalls. You take an electric boat over the water and explore the 16th terrace lakes of the park. There is one walkway to walk and explore I mean just such a beautiful place. I can’t believe the color of the water there.
5. Lake Bled, Slovenia
Alright, after Croatia, we’re going to head up north to visit Slovenia, now one of my favorite places in Slovenia is the fairy tale destination of Lake Bled located just 40 minutes drive outside the capital of the juvenile lake blood is one of Europe’s most scenic lakes. It’s famous for its island that has a church on it. Another stunning place in Slovenia is the river Soca. This river is over 138 kilometers long and passes through western Slovenia and Italy. It’s considered to be one of the most beautiful rivers in all of Europe, and I can see why it has a very distinct emerald, color to it that I’ve never seen before it’s a great place to go kayaking and river rafting. I mean the river is just full of so many rapids winding turns and senior bridges. I can’t think of a better place to spend a hot summer day.
6. Varna, Bulgaria
Afterward, we’re going to head down to Bulgaria to the beautiful city of Varna now Varna is located on the east side of Bulgaria right on the coast of the black sea. I went here last summer to film a video. I had had no expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised by its beauty and history. It reminded me a lot of California's coastline. It had great beaches, wonderful weather, and tons of entertainment. I was also surprised by the amount of history there there were tons of roman ruins. I drove out to this place called Cape Kaliakra. It’s this point that goes out to the ocean and it’s home to an impressive ancient fortress that dates back to the Roman times in the fifth century.
Another cool historic spot is this place called the Aladzha Monastery. It’s a medieval orthodox Christian cave monastery that dates back to the fifth century. Now another cool spot in Bulgaria is the Belocradchik Fortress, it’s located in the Balkan mountains. It’s this ancient fortress among some unique rock formations. The fortress was captured by the Ottomans in the 14th century. The thing that strikes me about the areas is how they incorporated the rocks into the fortresses. I mean just such a unique place. I've never seen anything like it.
7. Transylvania, Romania
All right after Bulgaria, we head up north to Romania to see the medieval castles of Transylvania. Now Transylvania is a very intriguing yet spooky region. Transylvania is where Bram Stoker’s novel counts Dracula takes place now, one of the most famous locations in Transylvania is the Bran Castle located near the city of Brasov. The castle was built around the 14th century and served as a fortification against the ottoman empire due to its dramatic architecture and possible connection to Vlad the impaler of the castle has been named Dracula's castle. I could imagine count Dracula using this castle as a hideout. Now Romania is also home to this cool road called the Transfacarasan Road, it’s full of hairpin turns, and it’s easy to see why it’s one of the most popular roads in all of Europe.
8. Meteora, Greece
After Transylvania, we’re going to head over to Greece to visit the medieval Monasteries of Meteora, located in central Greece Meteora is home to six monasteries built upon nearly inaccessible rock pillars. During the 14th century, monks were facing attacks from Turkish raiders, so they needed a place where they could worship and safety. They decided to start building the monasteries on the rocks. These places of worship were perfect for their bunks because the only way to reach them was by climbing long ladders. The monasteries became a place of refuge and over 20 monasteries were built during the 14th century. I was lucky enough to go here a few years ago when I got there I was just amazed by the architecture of these monasteries. They are perched perfectly on the cliff edge and you wonder how people could have built these in medieval times. Monks and nuns currently live in the six surviving monasteries, the largest one, is the monastery of Great Meteoron. If you’re ever in Greece make sure you visit this magical place.
9. Mount Olympus, Greece
Another incredible spot in northern Greece is Mount Olympus or otherwise known as the mythical mountain of the gods at 9570 feet high, it’s the highest mountain in all of Greece. According to Greek mythology, this is where Zeus and other greek gods resided. If you want to hike the mountain of the gods, it’s recommended to do the hike in two to three days and I’d recommend having a guide because it can be quite dangerous and a confusing hike.
10. Athens, Greece
While we’re still in Greece, we’re going to head over to the iconic city of Athens, it’s the capital and largest city in Greece, and it’s one of the world’s oldest cities, Athens is such a wild place with so much history. One of my favorite places in Athens is Acropolis. If you want to get into Parthenon, it cost about 20 euros. So it’s a little expensive, but it’s worth it, especially if you’re there. When I went to the acropolis, I was able to get some of my favorite time-lapses over the city they’re just an endless sea of white buildings with mountains in the background, if you do go to Greece, I recommend exploring Athens for at least a day or two, it’s just such a unique place.
Well, that is it for my Balkan's top ten.