Balkans cities

“My absolute favourite place is Sarajevo,” says Stefan Hellmuth of our partner, Intrepid Travel. “This city is poised to become a major destination in south-eastern Europe in the coming years, so best to go now before the secret gets out.

Visitors to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans should go there without prejudice in regards to the causes of the 1990s war. Listen to stories from different angles and from people of different ages in different regions, and stay open minded. After all, the majority of the people suffered, and no one wanted this to happen.”

Some Balkan cities, such as Sarajevo and Mostar, still display horrendous scars of war, while others, like Kotor, are pristinely beautiful. Some like Dubrovnik are thick with tourists in the summer months; others remain far quieter. Some have architecture that reflects centuries of being tussled over by empires, while others retain just a few fragmented landmarks.

As Ollie Pemberton of our partner Exodus Travels notes, the best way to get a feel for them is in the company of a local guide, often someone who has lived in these communities their entire lives: “The passion is evident from all our guides. All of them are really passionate people. In Albania for example they’re so concerned about people leaving having had the best time of their life. They really want people to realise how great it is, so they’ll go overboard talking about the history and taking people to places that visitors wouldn’t normally go to.”

Our Balkans holidays are typically multi-country tours, during which you’ll travel overland by road or rail between cities, with the occasional diversion into more rural and remote areas. Even stopping for just a night or two allows you to get a feel for the distinctive ambience of each city. We suggest stopping at cafés as often as possible is a good way to achieve this. Handily, it also lets you compare their styles of coffee.

Situated in a dangerously strategic position where the Danube meets the Sava River, over the course of its history the Serbian capital has been fought over in more than 100 wars, besieged, bombed and burned to the ground many times.

And yet… Belgrade remains one of the most pleasant cities in the Balkans to visit, with the rail journey from Podgorica through canyons and gorges, between snowy mountains, incredibly scenic. The city is a vital intersection between Eastern and Western Europe, creating a fascinating cultural mix – the food particularly is renowned, we recommend stuffed wraps known as sarma as a delicious snack on the go.

John Penge, from our partner Exodus Travels, enjoys Belgrade and parts beyond: “On the journey from the airport it may not look like the prettiest of cities, but when you get into the centre things vastly improve. Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park are very nice places to explore, with some good views of where the Sava and Danube rivers meet. Outside Belgrade, I enjoyed the train ride to Mokra Gora and my stay in the village of Sirogojno. Sirogojno is a little village to the west of Serbia, where you can enjoy the tranquil setting as well as learn about how the community lives.”

The destruction of Stari Most, the 16th-century bridge spanning the Neretva River by Croat forces in 1993 was one of the great cultural tragedies of the Croat-Bosniak War. It was commissioned by Suleiman the Magnificent, the 10th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and a splendid reconstruction has now been erected, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and symbol of reconciliation in a city that still feels split down the middle. The population on the east bank is predominantly Bosniak and on the west Croatian, most Serbs having fled Mostar during the conflict.

This unofficial capital of the Herzegovina region is best visited in spring or autumn, although in summer you can watch (among thick crowds) as daring young men dive 20m from Stari Most’s parapet in exchange for donations. Beyond the picturesque Old Town, much of Mostar remains bombed out, but the surviving architecture includes Kajtaz House, once a harem, and a 16th-century hammam, now a museum where you can learn about the rituals of the Turkish bath.

Sarajevo is among the most culturally diverse cities in Europe, often compared with Istanbul for the way it stands at a crossroads between East and West. Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated here, sparking World War I, and Sarajevo still bears many scars from the more recent Yugoslav Wars. The Tunnel Museum informs visitors about how the city withstood a 1,400-day siege, while architectural highlights include the 16th-century Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and the Bašcaršija bazaar, where residents have bought and sold their wares since the days of the Ottoman Empire.

Tom Wilkinson, Europe product manager at our partner Exodus Travels, has travelled the Balkans several times and has particular affection for Sarajevo.

“It’s an enormous region, of course, but I think you would get a good contrast by visiting Ljubljana, Tirana and Sarajevo. In my opinion, the most interesting city is Sarajevo, because of the history of the fairly recent conflict there. The scars are still very real despite redevelopment.

“The Tunnel Museum on the outskirts is a must-see. An old house riddled with bullet holes was the entrance to the tunnels, and you’re being shown round either by people who were involved in the conflict themselves or their children, so it’s very fresh and well-informed. Also, in Sarajevo you’ve got Christianity and Islam together, which Is unusual for a European capital.

“Tirana in Albania has evolved very rapidly since the dictatorship ended. It used to be only the party elite – a third of the population or so – who were allowed cars. Now everyone’s bought them and it’s a bit of a nightmare cycling in the centre.”