It goes without saying that the best souvenir from the Balkan countries is time spent there. But if you want a tangible souvenir to take home, here are artisan crafts that are made locally, used daily and have long histories.
Souvenirs is a word often associated with tourist tat, but the Balkans is not a turbo-charged tourism industry, so things you can buy in markets still tend to be handcrafted items. Supporting local craftespeople is all part of being a conscientious traveller and leaving a positive impact.
These top 10 ‘souvenirs’ are craft items we genuinely love, use and gift to our friends. Some are practical, some beautiful, some edible, and all of them will have you hankering to go back long after you’ve unpacked your bag.
Quick FAQs (before we dive in):
Will I have time for shopping on an Undiscovered Balkans Active holiday?
Yes! We have days off and time spent in capital cities, for example:
- Bosnia hiking holiday – Lukomir village, famous for thick hand-knitted socks
- Multi-activity trips in Albania –a visit to the kilim factory in Shkoder
- Serbia holidays – include time spent in Belgrade to explore the flea markets
- North Macedonia Activity holiday– a day in Skopje’s old town bazaar
What are the food and liquid restrictions?
No fresh food, plants, fruits or vegetables. Cheese is a grey area – if it’s live and gooey, it’s probably a no. If it’s a hard, compact cheese then it should be fine.
Can I bring honey home? (The kind of honey a beekeeper sells by the side of a road).
Yes- jams and honey are encouraged! Also, it’s a great idea to buy jams at the source, because fruit pickers and gatherers are paid extremely little for their labour. When local people make their own jam they can sell their berries at a fairer price. So, every pot of jam helps.
Wine & Alcohol
When returning to the UK, you are allowed to bring the following in your hold luggage for personal use according to GOV.uk:
- Wine (still) – 18 litres (24 standard bottles)
- Spirits and other liquors over 22% alcohol – 4 litres (around 5 bottles)
- Alcoholic drinks up to 22% alcohol (not including beer or still wine) – 9 litres. This would be sparkling wine, fortified wine (for example port, sherry) or cider.
If you go over the allowances, don’t be tempted to go through the green channel. HM Customs and Excise sometimes come down hard on those who exceed their limits without declaring it.
Remember even after paying duty, most items you bring home should still work out as excellent value.
1. Handwoven kilims from Lake Shkodra (Albania) and Pirot (Serbia)
Albanian weaving traditions date back to Ottoman times, when rugs were given as dowries (paja). Motifs vary across the Balkans, but Albanian kilims often feature local and tribal patterns, each telling a story of place and family.
In the fishing village of Zogaj, on the shores of Lake Shkodra, Nebija Qotaj quietly keeps the ancient craft of rug weaving alive. She first sat behind a loom at just ten years old, taught by her mother and grandmother. Today, she runs a women-led weaving cooperative producing handloom kilims and linens in warm ochres, rusts and earthy reds.
Our Multi-activity holiday in Albania includes a visit to the kilim factory in Shkoder where you meet the weavers, see the rugs, and probably be tempted to take one home with you too.
Pirot, in southern Serbia, is also highly renowned for its beautiful kilims, woven from wool of the sheep raised on the nearby Stara Planina mountains. We visit on our Serbia hiking holiday.
2. Hand-knitted wool socks (priglavke) and quilts
All across the Balkans, you can find beautiful blankets, bonnets, jumpers and other cosy woollens, hand-knitted by women.
Best of all are Priglavke: thick, hand-knit wool socks made for real winters; for people who spend time outdoors. They’re practical, durable and very warm!
A recent instagram story went viral about an American lady who hiked 14 kms into the mountains to buy socks from an elderly Bosnian woman. We don’t blame her – after a long hike or kayak, priglavke are pure therapy for the feet.
You will have a chance to find knitted socks on our Bosnia hiking holiday when we visit Lukomir village, where knitting is a local speciality.
One story that shows the importance of textile traditions is that of the ‘Bosna quilts‘ cooperative. During the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, a group of female refugees were transferred to an asylum hostel in Austria. A local artist named Lucia Lienhard-Giesinger was invited to give them something to do.
Soon, the women were transforming Lucia’s bold abstract designs into large-scale textile works which have become collector’s items.
Thirty years later, the 11-woman cooperative is still going, but now in Goražde, eastern Bosnia. It is coordinated by Safira Hošo, one of the original refugee participants.
These are collector pieces with a price point in the hundreds of euros, but we wanted to mention this project as it is a great example of how high quality Bosnian craft became internationally acclaimed art.
4. Shkoder carnival masks (Albania & Montenegro)
It surprises many travellers to learn that most Venetian carnival masks are actually made in Albania, at the Venice Art mask factory in Shkoder. Edmond Angoni and his family have been supplying Venice for decades – but they keep some for themselves.
As a result, Shkoder now throws its own Mardi Gras masked carnival in February, which you can read about in our festivals blog post.
The masks are fun and theatrical without being gaudy, and make for striking wall pieces long after carnival season ends.
Kotor old town also has a strong tradition of carnival masks, given the Montenegrin coast was under Venetian occupation from 1420 to 1797. The nostalgic Italians set up their own masked ball, which over the centuries evolved into the annual Kotor carnival.
5. Ajvar: the Balkan pantry essential
If there’s one edible souvenir everyone wants to take home, it’s ajvar. This roasted red pepper spread is a staple across the region and true comfort food when spread on thick toast. Every family claims theirs is best. It’s eaten with grilled meats, cheese, bread, eggs — or straight from the jar if no one’s looking.
You can find excellent versions back home by Macedonian brand Pelagonia, but buying a homemade jar in the Balkans hits differently.
Our North Macedonia Activity holiday includes a half day of ajvar making in Skopje’s old town bazaar.
6. Balkan wines (and rakia)
The Balkans quietly produce some of Europe’s most exciting new wines, from Croatia’s Plavac Mali, Montenegro’s bold Vranac to Serbia’s revived Prokupac. Even wine critic Jancis Robinson is a fan. See our complete guide to Balkan wines to get detailed info on the best labels and vineyards.
If you can’t carry all those bottles back with you, then you may be able to find an equivalent at an online wine retailer like Tanners. However, wines from non-EU countries are harder to source, so if you discover a bottle from a small boutique winery that you love, bring it home.
Being offered a homemade bottle of a rakia or vinjak as a gift is the ultimate compliment. Rakia comes in any and all flavours – basically whatever fruit the family grows goes in the still. It may not taste quite the same back home as it did on holiday, but you can always give it to unsuspecting guests!
7. Copper coffee pots
Among the clanging workshops and coffee-scented alleys of Sarajevo’s Baščaršija, coppersmiths keep a craft alive that has shaped the city for centuries. Copperwork arrived in Bosnia with the Ottomans, and Sarajevo quickly became famous for it.
We love the work of Nermina Alić – Sarajevo’s only female coppersmith. The trade traditionally passed from father to son, but Nermina learned the craft from her father, Hadžan Alić, helping in the workshop for years before taking it over in 2007.
Her pieces are beautiful but made to be used: coffee sets, trays, džezvas and water vessels, each hand-hammered and etched with delicate patterns. She also hosts workshops.
During our Bosnia holidays we spend time in Sarajevo where you can explore the Baščaršija and even try your own coppersmithing, or get a pot hand-engraved with your name.
8. Personality perfumes in Sarajevo (Bosnia & Herzegovina)
In Sarajevo’s old town, three brothers run one of the most quirky experiences in the Balkans: perfumes designed for your personality.
Their shop, Kalem i Misk specialises in attar perfumery: the ancient art of cold-pressing fragrance oils, dating back to Mesopotamia. Adnan, Tarik and Zejd learned the craft from their father, using herbs and wildflowers foraged from Bosnian hills.
The shopping experience is characteristically Sarajevan. On entry, customers are invited for a coffee and a chat. Then the brothers concoct perfume options based on your personality. It turns out they are great psychologists!
During our Bosnia holidays we spend time in Sarajevo where you can find Kalem i Misk.
9. Fun things found in flea markets
There are Ottoman style bazaars all across the Balkans, from Skopje, Sarajevo, Pristina to Tirana, plus Belgrade’s Kalenić green market which becomes a flea market at weekends. (Our Serbia hiking holidays includes time spent in Belgrade to explore the flea markets).
In Tirana and Shkoder’s shops in Albania, you can find beautiful traditional clothes from the 19th and 20th century, such as gorgeous folk dancing shoes or cosy slippers.
Handwoven baskets are of a high quality across the Balkans and could be substituted for hand luggage if you were clever about it!
Pair that with local pottery — bowls and plates glazed in a folky, vibrant colour palette. These are pieces that somehow make food tastier and are most often shaped by hand rather than mould.
Last but not least, we adore the bells worn by goats and sheep in rural areas of the Balkans. Their lovely mellow clang reminds us of moments spent deep in nature, where all you can hear are bees buzzing and the cows mooing down in the valley.
10. Brutalist design books & monuments (Serbia)
If you’ve ever found yourself inexplicably drawn to Yugoslav architecture, you’ve probably already encountered Zupagrafika. The publisher has become a cult name among design obsessives worldwide. Their books, posters and intricate paper dioramas reimagine brutalist architecture with humour and beauty.
Serbia holidays includes time spent in Belgrade to explore the shops.
11. Go mad for the roses in Bulgaria‘s Thracian valley
Throughout May and June damascene roses bloom across central Bulgaria, in a valley that produces over 50% of the world’s rose exports for essential oils, perfumes, cosmetics and food. The intensely fragrant flower is rich, sweet and heady.
If you visit Bulgaria in May-June, you’ll find planty of roadside stalls selling rose oil, perfumes, teas and jams. The Thracian valley itself is closer to Plovdiv than Sofia, where we are based on our Bulgaria holidays. However, whose to say you can’t extend for a road trip after hiking the Plana Planina with us?
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