About Balkan Guide
Balkan Guide exists because the Balkans are some of the most underrated destinations in Europe — and we want to fix that.
Who We Are
Meet Paul
Paul is one of our Balkans-based team members, passionate about uncovering the region's best-kept secrets. He's responsible for our restaurant guides and destination write-ups, personally visiting each spot to make sure our recommendations are genuine. When he's not on the road, you'll find him exploring local food markets, chatting with shopkeepers, and tracking down the best burek in town.
We're a small team of travelers and writers who've spent years exploring Southeast Europe. What started as a personal collection of notes and restaurant recommendations grew into a full resource when we realized how many travelers skip the Balkans simply because the information isn't easy to find.
We've driven the hairpin turns of the Transfăgărășan, eaten burek at 6am in Sarajevo's Baščaršija, swum in the Blue Eye spring in Albania, and gotten lost in the cobblestone alleys of Ohrid. We're based between the Balkans and the UK, traveling regularly to keep our guides accurate and our restaurant picks current.
Why This Site Exists
Most Balkan travel information online is either outdated, overly generic, or scattered across dozens of blog posts and forums. We built Balkan Guide to bring it all together in one place — curated, practical, and honest.
Our goal is simple: help you discover the Balkans beyond the obvious stops. Dubrovnik and Lake Bled are beautiful, but so are Berati, Kotor, Prizren, Veliko Tarnovo, and a hundred other places most tourists never hear about.
What We Offer
10 Countries
Albania to Slovenia — comprehensive coverage of the entire Balkan region
191 Destinations
From capital cities to hidden mountain villages and secret beaches
Restaurant Guides
Hand-picked restaurants with local dishes, price ranges, and honest reviews
Trip Planner
Interactive tool to build your custom Balkan itinerary with maps and routes
How We Help Travelers
- Destination Guides: Detailed pages for 191 destinations across 10 countries, covering what to see, where to stay, where to eat, and how to get around.
- Curated Restaurant Database: Over 750 restaurants across the Balkans, picked for authentic food rather than tourist traps. Filter by country, city, cuisine, and budget.
- Interactive Trip Planner: Build a multi-stop Balkan itinerary — pick your destinations, see routes on a map, and estimate travel times and costs.
- Travel Blog: In-depth articles on Balkan road trips, city guides, seasonal tips, budget travel, safety, border crossings, festivals, and more.
- Practical Guides: Honest information on costs, transport, eSIM/internet, insurance, visa requirements, and border crossings — the stuff that actually matters when you're planning.
How We Stay Independent
Balkan Guide is reader-supported. We use affiliate links with Booking.com, Amazon Associates, and a few other partners. When you book a hotel or buy travel gear through our links, we earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. This is how we keep the site running without paywalls or sponsored content.
Our recommendations are independent. We only suggest places we've been, restaurants we've eaten at, and products we use ourselves. Read our full affiliate disclosure →
Get In Touch
Have a question, a correction, or a restaurant tip we should know about? We read every message. Contact us →