Although we’re craving the warmer months, let’s just sing the praises of long winter nights for a moment. The Balkans has some of Europe’s most spectacular dark skies for star gazing and these are at their best in winter and spring. It’s no wonder given areas of natural beauty are still so remote and untouched
This week we share a recipe for a cheese pie called Gibanica, popular across the Balkans, especially on feast days like St Tryphon’s on February 14. Gibanica is faintly similar to the famous burek, but has a few important nuances you need to know before you cook it. Who is St Tryphon? The paton saint
Driving in the Balkans: A guide to Albania, Montenegro & beyond
- Destinations, Safety, travel, Travel Advice
- 4x4 adventure tours, balkan roadtrip, driving, Safe travel, travel tips
Driving in the Balkans can be hugely rewarding – dramatic mountain scenery, quiet country roads and the freedom to reach places public transport doesn’t serve. But there are a few important rules and quirks to know before that Balkan road trip. Border crossings aren’t always straightforward, road conditions can change without warning, and Google maps
Hiking in Kosovo: a travel writer explores the epic Rugova Canyon
- Guest Interviews, Inspiration, Kosovo, Wilderness
- cold water swimming, hiking, Hiking Holiday, Kosovo, lakes, mountains, wild swimming
Hiking in Kosovo: the ethereal beauty of Rugova Canyon Kosovo is the most underrated but exciting new destination for adventurers. Balkans travel writer Camilla Bell-Davies shares her firsthand account of hiking and wild swimming in the Rugova Canyon. Last year in June, in search of wild swimming, I hiked the Liqenati lakes trail in Kosovo’s
Meet Ana, tour leader for our Montenegro Family Adventures
- Family Travel, Meet the team, Montenegro, Uncategorized, Undiscovered Montenegro
- adventure travel, Balkan food, Hiking Holiday, kayaking, Montenegro, mountains, mountains, Undiscovered Montenegro
Given that Undiscovered Balkans started life in Montenegro, it feels only right to introduce you to the woman leading the way on our Montenegro family adventure. Meet Ana; a true local, and the kind of companion who knows every bend in the road, hidden trail and story worth telling. We chat with Ana in winter
Balkan Bunkers: Exploring Albania, Serbia and Bosnia’s communist relics
- Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Inspiration, Serbia, Uncategorized
- Albania, Belgrade, Bosnia, communist history, Serbia, Undiscovered Balkans, Yugoslav history
Ever stood inside a Cold War nuclear bunker built to survive an atomic blast? Across the Balkans, these strange concrete domes have become a unique part of the landscape. Built by Tito’s communist regime in Yugoslavia and Enver Hoxha in Albania, Balkan bunkers are some of the most fascinating Cold War relics you can explore
Sip your way through the Balkan wine regions
- Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Food, Inspiration, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Uncategorized
- Balkan wine, gastronomy, hiking, hiking, hiking, travel tips, travel tips, Wine tours
Wine, like rakia, is woven into any Balkan adventure. It is poured generously at guesthouse tables, shared after long hikes, and produced in vineyards that cling to steep hillsides, river valleys and sunbaked plains. This week, we sat down with Dušan Jelić of @winesofserbia to talk Balkan wine regions and wines. Dušan has worked in
Events Calendar: Balkan festivals in 2026 worth planning a trip around
- Balkan cities, Destinations, Festivals & Events, Inspiration, Uncategorized
- Balkans, Events, Festivals
From February onwards, the Balkans 2026 events calendar is chock-a-block, from winter masked carnivals and spring folk customs to summer music festivals on Adriatic beaches. Our top tip? Travel either side of a festival to balance the cultural buzz with the calm of a hike in the mountains, a kayak along the coast, or a
A Balkan writer’s top travel tips for 2026: discover Bosnia, Serbia & Kosovo
- Balkan cities, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Family Travel, Food, Homestays, Inspiration, Kosovo, Serbia, Wilderness
- 2026 travel, Balkans, Belgrade, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia holidays, Kosovo, Peaks of the Balkans, Sarajevo, Serbia, Via Dinarica
This week, we invited journalist and travel writer Camilla Bell-Davies to be a guest blogger and tell us which Balkan countries are on her radar in 2026. Camilla lived in Serbia and often travelled to Bosnia and Kosovo for a change of scene. She wrote about Balkans travel for The Financial Times, The Guardian and
Race-cations in the Balkans in 2026
- Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Destinations, Events, Festivals & Events, Inspiration, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Uncategorized
- marathon, outdoor sports
If taking on a marathon, triathlon or other sporting challenge is in your New Year’s resolutions, why not tag a holiday onto it? Apparently it’s a thing: the ‘race-cation’ (when you complete some sort of outdoor challenge either side of a holiday) is rising in popularity and we’re here for it—what a great excuse to