The Balkans don’t get anywhere near the attention they deserve. We’ve now visited the region quite a few times, covering a good stretch of it – from the north-west down to the south-west, from Sofia across to Plovdiv, through the mountains of Montenegro and along much of Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.
Our favourite corner so far is the Rila Mountains, particularly Rila Monastery and the Seven Rila Lakes, which we’d rank among the most beautiful places we’ve seen anywhere in the world. That’s the magic of the Balkans in a nutshell. In the space of just a few hours, you can go from swimming in the Adriatic to driving winding mountain roads through dramatic limestone landscapes, from Ottoman-era old towns and historic monasteries to peaceful lakeside villages where life seems barely changed for decades.
Planning your Balkans adventure? Before you set off, take a look at KKday for tours, attraction tickets, transfers and other travel experiences available across parts of the region (affiliate link).
Our Balkans Travel Guides
We currently cover three countries here: Montenegro, Bulgaria and North Macedonia. Our Montenegro journey took us from the mountains and deep canyons of the north to the Adriatic coast, while our Bulgaria and North Macedonia travels have combined wine country, historic cities, mountain hiking, thermal spas and the Black Sea.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia are all firmly on our future travel list. We haven’t yet visited Albania, and we’re not committing to publication dates just yet. For now, these are the Balkan destinations we know well enough to recommend from our own experience.
Montenegro
Montenegro packs an extraordinary amount into such a small country. We travelled from the north-east towards the Adriatic, spending several days on the road and constantly surprised by how dramatically the landscapes and climate changed within such short distances.
The mountains and the Adriatic coast sit close enough together that you can spend the morning beside the Bay of Kotor and the afternoon exploring dramatic mountain scenery. For us, that contrast is a big part of what makes Montenegro so appealing for a couples’ road trip.
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s easy to understand why.
The Tara Canyon plunges almost 1,300 metres, making it one of Europe’s deepest canyons, while Durmitor’s glacial lakes sit high above sea level. Our route took in Black Lake, Žabljak and the Đurđevića Tara Bridge, before an attempted mountain crossing turned into an unexpected encounter with several metres of snow in June.
The views from the bridge were genuinely breathtaking, while Black Lake was every bit as beautiful as the photographs suggest. The failed attempt to cross Sedlo Pass became one of those travel stories we’ll probably remember for longer than some of the things that went according to plan.
Read our Durmitor National Park: Black Lake, a Sky-High Bridge and Snow in June.
The Adriatic Coast of Montenegro
The Bay of Kotor folds in on itself like a fjord, surrounded by mountains, historic towns and stone buildings – although it’s the scenery that stays with you long afterwards.
We based ourselves in Dobrota, just outside Kotor, and explored the bay, Kotor Old Town, Our Lady of the Rocks and the coast further south towards Sveti Stefan. We also made a day trip to Skadar Lake, where the landscape changes again from mountains and sea to wetlands and bird-filled waters.
There’s a particular kind of romance to watching the changing light over the bay from a waterfront terrace, glass of local wine in hand. It’s wonderfully simple, yet surprisingly difficult to beat.
Read our The Adriatic Coast of Montenegro: Kotor, Sveti Stefan and the Bird-Filled Waters of Skadar Lake.
Seafood Specialities in Montenegro
Food became an unexpectedly important part of our Montenegro experience. Fresh mussels from the Bay of Kotor were particularly memorable, and we ended up buying them in large quantities and cooking them ourselves during our stay.
We also tried scallops and other local seafood, and explored the Montenegrin na buzaru style of preparing shellfish with wine, garlic and olive oil. For us, seafood was less about finding a particular restaurant and more about buying something fresh, taking it back to our accommodation and turning it into an evening together.
Read our Montenegro Seafood: Mussels, Buzara, Scallops & Local Wine.
Bulgaria & North Macedonia
Our most recent Balkan journey was an 11-day circular road trip through Bulgaria and North Macedonia, beginning and ending in Sofia.
The route combined Bulgaria’s wine country with the lakes and wineries of southern North Macedonia, an overnight stay in Skopje, thermal spa time in Sapareva Banya and a two-day hike to the Seven Rila Lakes.
For couples who enjoy combining scenic driving, mountain landscapes, wine, good food and slower evenings, it proved to be one of our favourite Balkan road trips so far.
Bulgaria & North Macedonia: An 11-Day Road Trip
This circular road trip starts and ends in Sofia, taking in Bulgaria’s wine country, Melnik, the wineries and lakes of North Macedonia, Matka Canyon, Skopje and, finally, the Rila Mountains.
Eleven days gives you enough time to complete the route at a comfortable pace, provided you don’t spend too long enjoying the wineries along the way.
The route:
- Days 1–2: Sofia to Melnik, including a stop at Villa Melnik for the winery and pool
- Day 3: Baba Vanga’s house, Popova Kula Winery, then across the border to Tikvesh Lake
- Days 4–5: Tikvesh Lake and Tikveš Winery
- Day 6: Matka Canyon
- Day 7: Skopje
- Days 8–10: Sapareva Banya and the Seven Rila Lakes
- Day 11: Return to Sofia for the flight home
Read the full Bulgaria & North Macedonia: An 11-Day Road Trip itinerary.
Melnik, Bulgaria
Melnik was one of the highlights of the Bulgarian section of our road trip. The town is tiny, but its setting beneath the distinctive sandstone pyramids makes it memorable, while the surrounding wine country provides a very good excuse to slow down.
We also visited the area around Rupite and Baba Vanga’s house, adding a rather unexpected cultural detour to a day already full of wine and unusual landscapes.
Read Melnik, Bulgaria: Sand Pyramids, Wine & Baba Vanga’s House.
Southern North Macedonia: Tikvesh Lake & Wineries
Crossing from Bulgaria into North Macedonia took us into a completely different landscape, centred around Tikvesh Lake and one of the country’s best-known wine regions.
We visited Popova Kula Winery, where a generous tasting lunch introduced us to Macedonian wine and some memorable rakija, before staying at Villa Tikvesh Lake overlooking the water.
A second visit to Tikveš Winery took us underground into its wine cellars for a tasting lunch, while evenings at the lake involved fresh local food and a rather memorable fried catfish dinner.
Read Southern North Macedonia: Tikvesh Lake, Popova Kula and the Biggest Winery in the Balkans.
Matka Canyon & Skopje
The next stage of the road trip took us from Tikvesh Lake to Matka Canyon, where we stayed beside the water and took a boat trip through the canyon to Vrelo Cave.
From there we continued to Skopje, spending a night in the city centre and exploring the Old Bazaar, bridges and historic parts of the city.
Read Matka Canyon and Skopje: Caves, Bridges and a City That Comes Alive at Night.
Sapareva Banya & the Seven Rila Lakes
The final mountain section of the road trip brought us back into Bulgaria, where we based ourselves in Sapareva Banya for thermal spa time and a hike to the Seven Rila Lakes.
The weather in the Rila Mountains can change quickly, and our June hike still involved snow on parts of the trail. It was our second attempt at reaching the lakes – the first had been abandoned because of poor weather – which made finally completing it particularly satisfying.
Read our Sapareva Banya & Seven Rila Lakes guide.
More from Bulgaria
Our Bulgaria content now goes beyond the 11-day road trip. We’ve visited the country on several different journeys, which means some of these articles describe completely separate trips rather than one continuous itinerary.
Sofia & Plovdiv
We’ve visited Sofia and Plovdiv on separate trips, making this a useful city guide if you’re starting or ending a Bulgarian road trip in the capital or want to combine the two cities.
Sofia provides the country’s urban starting point, while Plovdiv brings Roman ruins, an atmospheric Old Town and the restaurants and bars of Kapana.
Read Sofia & Plovdiv: A Couple’s Guide to Bulgaria’s Capital and Its Oldest City.
Wineries of Central Bulgaria
On another journey through Bulgaria, we explored the country’s wine country, visiting Chateau Copsa in the Rose Valley and Zagreus Winery in the Upper Thracian Valley.
The two estates offer very different experiences – a castle-style winery and cellar at Chateau Copsa, and a modern organic estate focused on Mavrud at Zagreus.
Read Wineries in Central Bulgaria: Chateau Copsa & Zagreus Winery Guide.
Bulgaria’s Black Sea Coast
After the vineyards of central Bulgaria, another journey took us east to the Black Sea coast, where we based ourselves in Primorsko for a week and explored the surrounding coastline.
We visited Sozopol, Sveti Vlas, Nesebar and Varna, combining beach time with historic old towns, coastal walks and the very different atmosphere of Bulgaria’s larger seaside resorts.
Read Black Sea Coast of Bulgaria: Primorsko, Sveti Vlas, Sozopol, Nesebar & Varna for Couples.
Belogradchik, Bachkovo & Bulgaria’s Mountains
One of our earliest Bulgarian road trips took us from the north-west of the country through Belogradchik, with its extraordinary rock formations and fortress, before continuing south to Bachkovo Monastery and the mountains.
This trip predates our later Bulgaria and North Macedonia road trip, but it remains one of our more unusual Bulgarian journeys and gives a different perspective on the country’s landscapes.
Read A Short Bulgarian Road Trip: Belogradchik, Bachkovo & the Mountains That Shape the Country.
Why We Keep Coming Back to the Balkans
The Balkans have become one of our favourite parts of Europe precisely because they don’t feel like a single type of destination. One trip can combine mountain roads and glacial lakes, another can revolve around wine and food, while another can finish with a week beside the sea.
For couples, that variety works particularly well. You can spend the day hiking, driving or exploring a historic town and then slow everything down over a long dinner, a bottle of local wine or an evening walk by the water.
We’ve still got plenty of the Balkans left to explore. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia remain firmly on our list, and we’re sure we’ll eventually add more countries and more roads to the map.
For now, though, these are the places we know from our own journeys – and the ones we’d happily return to together.
The long way round, as a couple
Read more:
About the Author & Travel Philosophy
The author, ainarsbl, is a Level 7 Google Local Guide, Master Reviewer and Expert Photographer with over 1,000 contributions, 200 reviews and 600 photos. His focus is on discovering scenic landscapes, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, cities and meaningful travel experiences for couples. Learn more about the Travel42.uk authors and our approach to exploring the planet together.