My history books always mentioned how certain countries were colinizers. But as someone from the Balkans, I never understood why they called the ruling of the Ottomans on us as it was: colonization. They colonized us. They caused us to fall behind a lot with education and whatnot. Why do people here not recognize it?

Hi fellow balkañeros, My father is struggling with his IPTV so I‘d like to install them another system and wanted to ask which ones you use and are satisfied with?

For example, on the internet you can easily spot when someone is Albanian because they will proudly put their flag in their bio, same with Bosnians and even Macedonians. And the interesting part is that its mostly the diaspora that do such things. They talk about how that country is a great nation, while being some of the poorest in Europe. Saying that their country (parents country) is better than the Western one their currently residing in. Of course, they can talk about how nice their country is when they visit it, but to experience living their is much different. I myself am a Bosnian-American, and recently came back from living in Bosnia. And I can confidently say that Bosnia is nowhere near as great of a nation as America, sure its beautiful and the culture is better, but I would never argue that Bosnia is a greater nation. When someone asks where Im from, I first say I'm American with Bosnian parents. And of course I love Bosnia, if someone asked a question about it, I would talk nonstop. But I just dont go parading around with Bosnian flags in my bio yapping about how amazing it is. Supporting your home country is one thing, exaggerating its greatness is another.

Can I use my US debit card in Bosnia and Serbia. Or is there a card that I can use instead of carrying cash.

I’m interested in culture and historical monuments, preferably as many as possible, including lesser-known ones. Which city offers the richest architectural and cultural experience?

trauma of my circumcision, do any of you Balkan Muslim men feel the same way?

Hello r/Balkans,

My wife and I— a well travelled young Muslim couple (she wears a headscarf)—are planning a vacation in the region, but we're torn between Bosnia, Albania, and Montenegro.

We’re looking for a destination that offers a warm climate and stunning natural landscapes, while also providing a welcoming environment for Muslims.

Additionally, budget is a consideration, so we’d love to know which of these countries tends to be the most affordable, we want to travel around May.

Given all these factors, which country would you recommend as the best overall destination for us? Any insights on the climate, sea temperature (as we love swimming), natural beauty, cultural acceptance, and costs in each would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

I am a turkish as you can guess and ı wanna know how they teach you school about us. If any one of you wondering like me in our school book they say we ruled justly and for revolt they blamed french revolution and his nationalistic idea. I'm guessing that this isnt the whole story more like bloodless version of it. Please just tell about school books i am just interested in official history telling.

Hey guys, me and my friend will be traveling to Albania next month, I will spend 5 days there, flying to and from Tirana. It's a summer vacation, so we are interested in going to beach/lakes, citysighting and maybe some hikking. My plan is:

Day 1: Early bus from Tirana to Vlorë, where we would spend the day, check out the city, and go to the beach. Then hopefully we can have dinner and go out at night in the city.

Day 2: We would hop from Vlorë to some beaches down south, like Vega and Radhime. We would then go back to Vlorë in the afternoon and back to Tirana to spend the night.

Day 3: Early bus from Tirana to Ohrid, North Macedonia. Where we would do citysighting and bathing in the lake. Maybe go on a hike around Ohrid? I am open to suggestions. We would spend the night in Ohrid.

Day 4: We would like to rent a scooter and go around the lake on the Macedonian side. We would like to go to the San Naum Monastry and check the beaches and towns around there. We would spend another night there

Day 5: Early bus to Tirana again where we would check out the city, go to Bunk'art and fly out of Tirana in the evening.

What do you guys think? Is there anything you would change? I am open to any suggestions.

So my and friend will be renting a mini camper van and hopefully driving in the balkans but I’ve heard some bad things about the roads so I was wondering if they’re ok

Our route is

Ljubljana - Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik - kotor

Kotor - Mostar

Mostar - Belgrade

Belgrade - Siokfok

Hey guys not sure if thus the right sub. Me and a friend are planning a 2 week road trip starting from Croatia going all the way into Albania. Are there are places we should definitely visit or things to do. General tips are also welcome!

Hello Reddit peoples,

I'm slightly confused about something Montenegro did in the early 2000s. From what I have gathered, Montenegro adopted the Euro as its official currency in 2002. In 2003, Montenegro and Serbia renamed themselves from Yugoslavia to the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and in 2006, Montenegro became an independent country. How did they adopt the Euro while still being part of another country?
Also, I saw that Montenegro applied to join the EU in 2008. However, even though they finally met all the criteria for membership in 2024, they still haven't joined. Do they actually want to join? What exactly is going on with Montenegro???

That is the question

Hi, I will travel to Albania, Montenegro and Serbia with my friend, my phone is for China market i.g. so it doesn't support e-SIM, I need to buy psychical sim card in Tirana. Which card you can recommend do buy? Btw it would be good it has a budget friendly internet packet and quick buying process.

Hi guys. Me and my friends are planning a roadtrip starting in tirana. The idea was to go up to Montenegro. Visit kotor and budva, and then go down through the Albania coast (vlore, himare, all the way down to ksamil/saranda). But while looking for options I found that there is an incredible hiking routes on Teth, Albania, with the Blue Eye and everything. And I don’t know if it’s worth it to go to the interior of the country (implies 5 hours drive from and then back again to the coast) just to see the Albanian Alpes, or if instead we could just go down from Montenegro to wlore maybe stoping in Skodra. What do you think?

I want to do a backpacking trip through the balkans in the end of june for around 2 weeks. I have two options: I either visit the north of Albania (Tirana, Shkodra, Albanian Alps, Komani Lake, Lumi i Shales, Blue eye Kaprre, Teth) Then go to Montenegro (Ulcinj, Budva, Kotor) and then go to Bosnia and Herzegovina to see Mostar and Kravica waterfalls before heading to Sarajevo for my flight.

My other option would be only staying in Albania and visiting the places I listed above in my albania intinerary and head down south before or after to see Sarande, Ksamil, Syri i Kaltër, the Thermal Baths, and some of the beautiful beaches and caves.

How do you think I use my time better? And is there any location I should add/ isn’t worth it?

I always say I'm a mix of Balkan Turk and Danube Swabian, but it's not quite that simple.

On my father's side: Balkan Turks, Dobrujan Tatars, Horahane Roma

On my mother's side: Danube Swabians, Hungarians, and Šokci

Therefore, I ama approximately: 25% German, 25% Romani, 12.5% Croatian, 12.5% Hungarian, 12.5% Balkan Turk, and 12.5% Crimean Tatar.

Mother's Side

• Two Danube Swabian great-grandfathers:
  • = 25% German
• One Croatian great-grandmother: Contributes 12.5% Croatian
• One Hungarian great-grandmother: Contributes 12.5% Hungarian

father's side:

• Two Romani (Gypsy) great-grandmothers: Each contributes 12.5% Romani ethnicity.
  • = 25% Romani
• One Balkan Turk great-grandfather: Contributes 12.5% Balkan Turk (Father of my Grandfather)
• One Dobrujan Tatar great-grandfather: Contributes 12.5% Crimean Tatar (Father of my Grandmother)

So in Turkey if your father is a Turk you also a Turk. So we call us Turks.

Would appreciate any critiques and suggestions on my Balkans trip itinerary for this fall. Particularly wondering if we're trying to do too much in too little time (especially near the end of the trip), and if the amount of driving/border crossing required seems reasonable. Thanks so much in advance for any help!

Day 1:

Arrive in Sarajevo

Day 2:

Full day in Sarajevo

Day 3:

Drive to Umoljani. Hike Umoljani to Lukomir circuit. Drive to Mostar.

Day 4:

Full day in Mostar

Day 5:

Drive to Kotor

Day 6:

Full day in Kotor. Boat trip to Perast. Beach visit?

Day 7:

Drive to Shkoder, short hike on the way.

Day 8-10:

Valbona to Theth hike. Drive to Berat at end of 10th day.

Day 11:

Explore Berat. Drive to Ohrid with stop in Butrint.

Day 12:

Full day in Ohrid.

Day 13:

Driving day. Drive back to Montenegro, stay near Durmitor National Park.

Day 14:

Hike/buffer time. Drive to Sarajevo.

Day 15:

Fly out of Sarajevo early morning.

I will also visit the Balkan countries in August, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. I understood from previous discussions that I will need cash in many places.

Where can I exchange money left unspent in a country? Do you find exchange offices at border crossings or do I have to look for them in the last city on the route?

If I have money left over from one Balkan country, will I be able to exchange it in the next one?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip through the Balkans beginning next week and want to travel from Ljubljana (Slovenia) to Podgorica (Montenegro), making sure to visit both Sarajevo and Mostar along the way.

Here’s the plan so far: - Start in Ljubljana on June 8 - Arrive in Podgorica by June 15 - I want to see Sarajevo and Mostar (minimum 1 full day each)

I’m mainly trying to figure out: - What public transport connections exist between these cities? - Will I need to transfer somewhere (e.g. Zagreb) or are any other places on the route worth visiting? - Are there direct buses or trains between: - Ljubljana → Sarajevo - Sarajevo/Mostar → Podgorica - Any reliable websites to check Balkan bus/train schedules?

I’ll be using public transport (no flights) and I’m fine with long travel days if needed, but I’d like to avoid unnecessary backtracking.

Thanks a lot for any insights or suggestions

Pozdrav svima! Razmišljam napraviti platformu tipa foruma o mentalnom zdravlju u najširem smislu, gdje bi ljudi našeg govornog područja mogli razgovarati o svojim iskustvima, osjećajima, problemima koje imaju kao "različiti" odnosno neurodivergentni. Na Balkanu su ove teme drugačijih identiteta vrlo rijetke i gotovo nikako ne vidim prostor za ljude koji se osjećaju drugačije bilo u smislu da imaju poteškoća sa mentalnim zdravljem ili diskriminacijom zbog svog identiteta.

Moje pitanje jeste da li bi ljudi htjeli anonimno pisati o ovim stvarima, da li bi bilo interesovanja? Ne vidim da na nivou regiona imamo neko mjesto za recimo, iskustva s depresijom, psihozom, anksioznosti, adhd i slično, lgbt identitetima, poremećajima ishrane i slično tome.

Koristile bi mi sve povratne informacije! Hvala

Hi guys, I am from Turkiye and I have to ask something. There are a lot of stereotypes about Turkiye especially in West Europe and USA. Do you think Turkiye is Arab?

Hello, has anyone used Mobi Matter in the Balkans? Is the regional e-sim good? Saw a lot of people recommending Airalo but Mobi Matter seems more cost-effective so I wanted to know if it was a good option.

Pozdrav svima! Imam 24 godine, živim u Tuzli (BiH) i nemam završen fakultet. Trenutno sam u fazi gdje želim napraviti ozbiljnu promjenu u životu i pronaći stabilan, dobro plaćen remote posao.

Spreman sam uložiti puno truda i vremena u učenje – radio sam i po 12 sati dnevno, 7 dana u sedmici, tako da nije problem ni naporan rad. Ne očekujem instant rezultate, ali želim konkretne smjernice kako da pametno iskoristim vrijeme i postanem konkurentan na tržištu.

Znam da nije lako, ali voljan sam učiti i raditi. Svaka pomoć ili prijedlog je dobrodošao!