Now, I have visited the majority of the capital cities in the Balkan region of Europe. In this blog, I’m going to rank all of the Balkan capital cities that I have visited from the worst to the best. Just as a quick disclaimer, I don’t want to get into any political debates or arguments, but if we include Kosovo, there are 11 countries in the Balkan region, and if you don’t include Kosovo, there are 10. I have been to all of the Balkan capital cities apart from Skopje in North Macedonia, and if we exclude Kosovo, I’ve not been to Pristina as well. So, I’m going to rank all of the other Balkan capital cities first. Once I’ve been to Skopje and Pristina, I’ll be able to add those to the list. But for now, I’m just going to rank the other 9.
And finally, before I share my rankings with you, do drop a comment in the section below letting me know what your favorite capital cities are in the Balkans and which ones you like the least. Now, let’s get to the rankings. I’ll start with number 9, my least favorite Balkan capital city, and that has to be…
Podgorica, Montenegro
Start with number 9, you’ve Montenegro’s Podgorica. Now, you may be looking at this picture thinking, “Wow, Podgorica looks absolutely wonderful,” but I’m sorry to break it to you, this is not actually Podgorica in this picture, this is Kotor, another city in Montenegro. Now, I don’t actually have any footage whatsoever from Podgorica, and to be honest with you, it’s probably a good thing that I don’t have any photos because Podgorica is so bad to the point where you wouldn’t want to take any pictures anyway. There’s nothing to do there, there’s nothing to see, it’s just lots of roads with lots of random, ugly buildings, that’s all it is. If you are going to come to Montenegro, I highly recommend you come to Kotor instead. It’s a lovely city with fantastic architecture, and the bay is one of the most incredible bays in Europe. Alternatively, another destination that I went to is a town called Budva on the coast. It’s got a really nice Old Town by the sea. I personally prefer Kotor over Budva, but Budva is a nice place too, certainly better than Podgorica. Now, if you are doing a Balkans backpacking trip or a traveling trip, you will probably pass through Podgorica as it is the main bus terminal in Montenegro. If you are traveling by bus from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, or Croatia, you will probably stop by Podgorica on the way to, for example, Kotor or Budva. Just don’t plan an overnight stay in Podgorica because you don’t need to. It’s a waste of time and a waste of money.
Zagreb, Croatia
Now, in eighth place on my list of Balkan capital cities is Croatia’s Zagreb. Zagreb is certainly an improvement from Podgorica. It is a much nicer city with things to do and a nice historic center. You have some nice Austro-Hungarian architecture in the city, and there’s a good public transport infrastructure with trams in Zagreb. However, I would say that Zagreb is just a little bit boring. It’s a bit plain and less vibrant. There are some nice green spaces and art galleries, but to be honest, I think you can see the highlights of the city within a day, and it’s not somewhere I particularly want to go back to because I feel like I’ve experienced it already. I just think that there are more exciting places to visit, even in Croatia. Personally, I would recommend Split over Zagreb. Just as a side note, if any of you have been to Lincoln in the UK, Zagreb is as kind of reminds me a bit of Lincoln for some reason.
is Ljubljana, Slovenia
Now, in seventh place out of these Balkan capital cities is Ljubljana, Slovenia. The reason why I rank Ljubljana above Zagreb is because I think Ljubljana is a more impressive city, but I do believe that the Old Town in Ljubljana has nicer architecture. I certainly recommend that you take a stroll through the city so you can appreciate its beauty, and also through Ljubljana’s Old Town. You have the river that runs through it, and you’ve got lots of cafes and restaurants by the river, so in the summer, I can imagine that it’s really nice to sit by the river and have a drink. Unfortunately, I went in March, and it was cold and rainy, so I would recommend that if you’re going to come, make sure you do so in the summer, from June to September, because you’re not guaranteed good weather in the winter months, and Ljubljana really is somewhere where if you’re there during a cold, rainy day, it’s going to be a lot more miserable than on a nice, sunny day. Again, like Zagreb, I do think you can probably see the highlights of the city within 24 hours, and for me, to be honest with you, it’s just not exciting enough. It’s not to my personal taste. I also found it to be quite expensive as well; food prices were not cheap.
Bucharest, Romania
Here’s on to number 6 in this list of Balkan capital cities, and the sixth best Balkan capital city in my opinion is Bucharest, Romania. Bucharest is a bit of a funny one because you have this really nice historic Old Town in the city center with cobblestone streets and lots of grand architecture. It’s called the “Paris of the East” for a reason because the architecture is very similar to Paris. And then once you’re outside the Old Town, it really is a proper Communist, brutalist-style city with some buildings. You’ve got lots of big, spread-out, somewhat shabby-looking Soviet-era buildings. You certainly do want to check out the Palace of the Parliament, which is one of the largest buildings in the entire world; it really is huge. You’ve got some museums and also some art galleries to check out as well. You do have lots of palaces and lots of green spaces as well, so there are definitely some cooler, quirky things that you can do when you’re in Bucharest. But for me, there is just a little bit of an eerie vibe; the city does feel a little bit creepy. While the Old Town is very grand and very nice, it can get a little bit quiet during the day, and again, outside the Old Town, it does feel a little bit run-down and shabby. But I would certainly recommend you do try some Romanian food; you definitely want to make sure that you do try the Romanian donuts, as you can see in the clip here, they are really, really good. And also, do make sure you try sarmale, which is minced meat stuffed in kind of a cabbage roll; really tasty, really good. And also, if you do like nightlife, there are lots of bars and clubs you can go to in the Old Town, but to be honest, some of the music at some of the bars there was unnecessarily too loud. You may want to check out some other places outside the Old Town if you are looking for maybe better nightlife.
Tirana, Albania
And so now we get to the fifth best Balkan capital city that I’ve been to, and that is Tirana, Albania. Now, the reason why I’m going to rank Tirana above Bucharest is because I feel like there is a charm in Tirana that there just isn’t in Bucharest. Like Bucharest, there is a Communist history, and there is definitely a kind of shabby feel with some of the buildings in the city, but I just feel that Tirana has a hustle and bustle and a liveliness that Bucharest just doesn’t have. However, I wouldn’t say that there is too much to do in Tirana from a tourist perspective. You do have some galleries, some history museums, and you also do have some impressive mosques as well in the city too. And the good thing about Tirana is that not only is it one of the cheapest capital cities in the Balkans, but it’s also one of the cheapest capital cities in the whole continent of Europe too. Prices of food, drinks, and accommodation are all considerably cheaper than many Western European destinations. You definitely do want to try some Albanian food when you are there. I recommend you try a dish called “fërgesë,” which is kind of like cottage cheese and tomatoes stewed. You can get it with ivory peppers or with chicken or beef liver too. It is quite filling, so do be aware of that. Also, when you are in Tirana, I recommend that you go to this chain of coffee stores called “Blejery.” They do milkshakes, smoothies, cookies, cakes, coffees, etc. I also found that there were lots of vibrant bars you can go to in the nighttime in Tirana. This clip here was recorded in August 23 on a Tuesday night. You see here that even on a Tuesday night, the bars were really packed. So, I do certainly think Tirana is one of the most vibrant cities in the Balkan region. However, I would say that because it is quite lively to see, and because there isn’t really too much to do from a tourist perspective, I do think fifth place out of my list is fair for Tirana. So, Tirana is going to be in fifth place.
Sofia, Bulgaria
And we get on to the fourth best Balkan capital city that I have been to, in my opinion, and that fourth best Balkan capital city is Sofia, Bulgaria. Now, if you do like peaceful cities with lots of green spaces, then Sofia is a city that needs to be on your list because for me, it is one of the most peaceful and green capital cities that I have ever visited. I visited Sofia in October 23; it was really warm, about 20 to 25 degrees, so I do recommend that you do not visit during the winter months because it is nice to walk around these green parks on a nice warm day. And of course, you definitely want to check out the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral; it is absolutely spectacular with these golden domes on top of it, and definitely do go inside as well because it’s really fantastic inside. Also, the great thing about Sofia, if you are a carnivore who loves your meat, is that Sofia and Bulgaria have fantastic meat. In the summer, you can go to this barbecue place here in Sofia in the NDK park, which does big barbecues; really good meat here. And also, another good thing about Sofia from a tourist perspective is that the transport infrastructure here is really fantastic. You’ve got trains, buses, a metro system, a tram system as well, and the metro system even connects the airport with the city center. But if you are staying in the city center, it’s extremely walkable, so you don’t really need to use much public transport anyway because it’s so compact.
But there are certainly a couple of disadvantages with Sofia. Firstly, it’s not a very vibrant place; it is one of the least vibrant capital cities that I have ever been to. There isn’t much nightlife at all; in terms of nightlife, I think it’s one of those places where you kind of have to research where to go because if you do take a stroll through the city center on a Saturday night, you could be really disappointed because it was so empty, it was almost dead. And also, I didn’t think Sofia was particularly cheap; it’s not one of the most expensive places in Europe, but it’s not one of the cheapest either. I found the prices in Sofia to be quite similar to Podgorica, but cheaper than Paris maybe, but more expensive than other places in the Balkans like Bosnia, Albania, etc. So, the prices aren’t necessarily bad, but considering it isn’t the biggest tourist destination in the world, there aren’t really any heavyweight tourist destinations here apart from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. And considering it isn’t the most dynamic and exciting and vibrant city you’re going to visit, I do think that the bang for your buck you get here, or the value you get from coming here, isn’t as good as some other places in Europe. So, that’s why I’m going to rank it 4th; it’s a good destination, but it just isn’t one of my all-time favorites.
Belgrade, Serbia
Now we’re up to number 3 in the list of Balkan capital cities, and the third best Balkan capital city that I have listed is Belgrade, Serbia. Now, the thing is, unlike Sofia, Belgrade is actually a very vibrant city both during the daytime and in the evening. There are lots of shops, lots of cafes, lots of bars, which are always full of people. Like other places in the Balkans, there is a really big cafe culture in Belgrade. I do highly recommend that you go to the Belgrade Fortress; it’s just a very nice place to have a walk around. In the summer, you do get some nice views of the city and the two rivers, the Sava River and the Danube River. And also, you certainly want to go to the Eastern Orthodox Saint Sava’s Church in Belgrade. Not only, again, is it spectacular on the outside, but it’s also spectacular on the inside, and definitely, you want to go inside, just like the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia. It is free to go inside. And you also certainly want to check out this very nice district called Skadarlija; it’s a kind of bohemian district of Belgrade which is full of cobblestone streets, lovely atmosphere, lots of cafes, lots of restaurants. It really does remind me so much of being in somewhere like Greece or Turkey.
And I do recommend you do that. There are some really nice restaurants there, but I do highly recommend that you do make a reservation if you are going to go to one of these restaurants in Skadarlija. It is always busy there on a Wednesday night, and most places were absolutely full and would not let me in. Now, Serbian food is absolutely fantastic; at least for me, it is. You’re going to love the meat here; you’re going to love eating the cevapi and the pljeskavica that you get throughout the Balkans. And you’re also going to really enjoy the prices because the prices of food, drinks, accommodation are really, really good in Belgrade. It’s definitely one of the cheapest places in the Balkan region and absolutely value for money because of the mix of history and mix of cultures. In some parts of Belgrade, though, it feels like you’re walking in an Austrian town; there’s not the particles that you’re working in a Turkish town. I guess the only drawback that I can really think of with Belgrade is that the public transportation structure is not fantastic; it’s not the best in the world, as it does lack some routes. But to be honest with you, because it is such a walkable city, you don’t really need to use public transport to get around the city anyway. And also, I guess if you are a party animal too, do not expect wild, crazy nights like the ones in some of the bigger European cities; there are good bars and good pubs and a nice vibrant atmosphere, but nothing really crazy.
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Now, in second place on my list of Balkan capital cities, it is Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Now, the thing with Sarajevo is that it is one of the most culturally rich cities in Europe. The city has an incredible history and an incredible mix of cultures. With the Austrian-Hungarian influence, you’ve got the Ottoman influence; you’ll see Catholic churches, Roman Catholic churches, you’ll see Orthodox churches, you’ll see mosques, you’ll see synagogues. And also, Sarajevo is the birthplace of the First World War; it is where Franz Ferdinand was killed. And of course, in more recent times, we’ve had the Yugoslav wars, we have had the Bosnian genocide. Now, as for the genocide and the conflicts, there are three museums that you definitely want to check out. You do want to check out the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide, you also want to visit the War Child Museum, and the last one you want to go to is Gallery 11th July 1995. Now, in addition to these three museums, you can also join a proposed individual Sarajevo tour, and what I’m going to do is. And the tour guide really does bring the history and the events of the 1990s to life; it is a very emotional experience.
So, I definitely recommend you do get your tickets to that. But now, on a more positive note, you are going to love the food here. You’re going to love the cevapi as you get throughout the Balkans, and you’re going to also enjoy the burek, a really good burek from Bosnia. And you definitely want to have a Bosnian coffee with a Turkish delight as well. And you’re also going to really enjoy the prices because the prices of food, drinks, accommodation are really, really good in Sarajevo. It is definitely one of the cheapest places in the Balkan region and absolutely worth it because of the mix of history and mix of cultures. In some parts of Sarajevo, though, it feels like you’re walking in an Austrian town; there’s not the particles that you’re working in a Turkish town. I guess the only drawback that I can really think of is that the public transportation structure is not fantastic; it’s not the best in the world, as it does lack some routes. But to be honest with you, because it is such a walkable city, you don’t really need to use public transport to get around the city anyway. And also, I guess if you are a party animal too, do not expect wild, crazy nights like the ones in some of the bigger European cities; there are good bars and good pubs and a nice vibrant atmosphere, but nothing really crazy.
Athens, Greece
And now that finally leads us on to my number one favorite city in the Balkans, and you would have guessed it by now because, for now, I’ve run out of capital cities, and that city is Athens, the capital of Greece. For me, there are not many better travel experiences you can have on planet Earth than going up to the Acropolis and seeing the Parthenon and seeing the incredible views all across the city of Athens. Athens is a very vibrant city, full of life; obviously, you’ve got the ancient ruins around the city. If you love ancient history, there are really not many better places in the entire planet to go to. For me, the city is full of character, so many restaurants, so many coffee shops, lots of markets, lots of bars, lots of cafes; it’s just a really cool city, in my opinion.
The only real problems I can think of are that it is very, very touristy, so especially within the summer, it is going to be really crowded. And also, I do think that the people from Athens aren’t too friendly, but to be honest, that’s to be expected because it’s such a tourist city. Normally in very touristy cities, people aren’t too friendly. But the cuisine, the atmosphere, the history just outweighs all of the negatives, in my opinion. Athens is one of my favorites in Europe; it isn’t my ultimate favorite destination I’ve been to, but it is not far away. And speaking of cuisine, you’re going to have fantastic food; some of the best food in the world, and maybe the best food in the Balkans. You want to get a gyro, you want to try some souvlaki, and of course, nothing really beats having a Greek salad with a cold beer in the sun.
And actually, thinking about it, I guess another disadvantage with Athens is that it is not the cheapest place; it is not very cheap. But to be honest, in terms of value, it is good value for money because it is satisfyingly cheaper than many other major destinations in Western Europe. So even though it may not be the cheapest destination you’re going to go to, all things considered, I do think it is worth the money, and I do think you do get value for money coming to Athens. You also do have a fantastic nightlife scene; it’s very vibrant at night, lots of bars, rooftop bars, cocktail bars, clubs as well.
Concluding comments
I’ll just assume concluding remarks all of these issues are really safe cities, and you’re not gonna have any problems unless you go looking for problems. Or it just saved me a bit more careful when Athens because Athens is such a tourist he says you do want to take a bit more care. And I was tired of the historic center, there are some more run down areas of Athens too, particularly more care in Athens. But for me, all of these places are really really safe places to visit. Now again, do let me know in the comments if you do agree or disagree with my list, and also do give me your list as well just because of interesting to see if we do have any disagreements you so do drop a comment if you’re a beginner now. I do hope that you have found this blog in very helpful and useful, pleace subscribe. Then you will find all the important tips and hacks through your email.
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