Top 10 Best Cities In the Balkans
Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, lies at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. The city has a rich history reflected in its architecture, including the Belgrade Fortress and St. Sava Temple. Belgrade's bustling nightlife and vibrant music scene contribute to its dynamic atmosphere. Kalemegdan... read more I've been to all the major cities in Europe, but none of them are like Belgrade, Serbia. That city is just an outstanding place to visit. Its architecture is a vibrant fusion of modern, historic, classic, and a bit of Oriental, all the way to the large buildings from the period of socialism.
I would highly recommend everyone visit any of Belgrade's cafes, bars, pubs, discotheques, and nightclubs. They're probably among the best in the world. If you're into ethnic cuisine, Serbian food is finger-licking good - tons of meat, cheese, awesome stews, etc. People are so friendly, and the youth speaks impeccable English, so I don't see any boundaries for any of my fellow Americans. Whoever comes to visit this city won't regret it!
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria, located in the western part of the country. Founded thousands of years ago, it is one of the oldest cities in Europe with a rich history reflected in its diverse architecture, including Roman, Ottoman, and Soviet influences. The city is known for its... read more Great for business opportunities, culture, history, and nightlife. Great hiking nearby! Pollution is pretty bad, though.
In Sofia, East meets West, which makes the city charming, romantic, cozy, and vital at the same time.
The most beautiful city. It is romantic, charming, sweet, and vintage. The people are friendly, and the nightlife is fantastic.
Athens is one of the big romantic cities. When you are in Athens, you can feel the ancient spirit with the greatest monuments of Western civilization. You can walk in Plaka, under the Acropolis, with the neo-classic buildings around. But more, you can do everything you want in a big modern city today.
Athens has one of the greatest nightlife scenes in Europe, which never stops. There are big clubs (for straight, gay, and S&M!), a lot of nice bars, coffee places, and incredible people. Trust me!
Actually, Istanbul is the largest city in the Balkans, but if you consider it a non-Balkan city (because the biggest part of the city is in Asia), then, indeed, Athens is the largest city in the Balkans. It also has a variety of public transport, like a subway, tram, and suburban railway. (I live in Athens)
Tirana is the capital and largest city of Albania, located in the central part of the country. Known for its colorful Ottoman-, Fascist-, and Soviet-era architecture, the city is a blend of different cultural influences. Tirana serves as the economic, political, and cultural heart of Albania, housing... read more Especially in the last two years, Tirana has shown its contemporary orientation in architecture and cultural art. It is alive, very clean, and it is becoming the greenest city in the Balkans.
Absolutely magical. It is a mix of modern and inspiring young people with tons of hope, combined with strange and interesting remains of absolute communism.
Friendly people, great buildings, modern buildings, great nightlife, a lot of parks. It's the best city in the region.
In 1963, a huge earthquake destroyed 90% of the small town of Skopje. After that, the Yugoslav Government, with big help from countries all over the world, built a new city for 300,000 people. Until 1990, it grew to a city with half a million people. Since becoming the capital of independent Macedonia in 1991, it has gained another 300,000 residents, bringing the total to 800,000, plus another 200,000 daily workers and visitors from Macedonia and Kosovo.
With its total of 1,000,000 people, it's a modern city with many new boulevards, administrative buildings, and shopping malls. You can still feel the old culture in the old part of the city. It's a city where Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and Muslims all live together under one roof. All in all, it's a nice city to live, work, study, and party in, and to visit as well.
Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated along the Miljacka River. The city is famous for its cultural diversity, often referred to as the "Jerusalem of Europe" due to its mix of Islamic, Orthodox, Catholic, and Jewish influences. It was the host city for the 1984 Winter Olympics... read more Represents the essence of the Balkans: East meets West. A rich mix of architecture and the place I want to be!
Wonderful people and unique cafes, relaxing and enjoyable. Suffered a lot but is re-building.
Definitely the best city combined with the most kind and welcoming people.
Istanbul, formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country's economic, cultural and historic center. The city straddles the Bosphorus strait, and lies in both Europe and Asia, with a population of over 15 million residents, comprising 19% of the population... read more Well, I think the best place to live should be chosen not only for its comforts. In the Balkans, there is still a strong racist behavior in most of the top list towns. I think the best place where every Balkan citizen could live is Istanbul.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't feel comfortable living in Athens or Belgrade, even if they are magnificent cities (I think so because I've visited them). And this is truly a shame for all the Balkan population.
Istanbul is the heart of the world. You can see the transition of culture from Islam and Oriental to modern, unlike any other city. Istanbul is the largest city in Europe. This also makes a strong impact on the economy. People in Istanbul are very friendly, and the whole city feels like a huge family. There is goodness and love between all people. This is ISTANBUL.
Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia, situated in the northwestern part of the country. The city is known for its historic architecture, particularly in the medieval old town, as well as modernist and socialist structures. It's a hub for Croatian culture, featuring numerous museums, galleries,... read more Here are some of my points about Zagreb:
- Cleaner and calmer
- Better opportunities for careers
- Closer to the coast and sea
- Closer to central Europe
- A lot of natural diversity nearby, like seaside, islands, mountains, caves, rivers, lakes
- In the European Union, making it easy to cross borders to other European countries
Clean, Mirogoj Arcades are great, and Zagreb Cathedral is so nice. Public transportation is great! I heard that they would build a metro in 2017. I was there, and I love that city. Greetings from Austria.
I live in Zagreb, and it's the best city in the Balkans to me. You can see a lot of things and a lot of history museums.
Very nice historical buildings.
Downtown looks really nice, with a lot of good-looking old architecture like churches and houses. There are a lot of interesting museums and a beautiful fortress right next to the blue Danube.
The Danube shoreline is also one of the most beautiful places to see, especially on a warm summer night, when you can see all the little restaurants and their lights.
A wonderful city with beautiful and positive people. The position of the city is perfect. It has the Danube, sand beaches, beautiful fields, hills, and forests around it. You can do almost anything in Novi Sad.
Thessaloniki is by far the most beautiful and lively city in the Balkans! It has the best nightlife (bouzoukia, clubs, bars), the biggest university in the Balkans with 70,000 students (110,000 in total, including the other two universities of the city). It has a renovated coastline where people can walk all day and night, the old city with its fortifications, many monuments from ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern Greek times, and plenty of museums.
Its cuisine is magnificent, with many restaurants, bars, and bistros offering Greek and international foods. People are very friendly and helpful to tourists. Also, Thessaloniki's girls are by far the most beautiful in Greece!
This place is so beautiful. The place looks very Italian. I don't like the name. The Italian name Ragusa is a lot better.
It's wonderful. Lots of fascinating excavation work in the middle of downtown, without any disruption of modern commerce (hotels, stores, restaurants, etc.). The excavations are not only from Roman times but also from Thracian times (contemporaneous with Ancient Greece) and earlier.
Plovdiv is much pleasanter than Sofia (which is not bad by any means but rather shabby around the edges). It's about the only place in Bulgaria I saw that was not in the economic doldrums. The people are friendly and the food is fantastic.
Ljubljana is the capital and largest city of Slovenia, nestled along the Ljubljanica River. The city features a blend of Baroque, Renaissance, and modern architectures, symbolized by landmarks such as the Triple Bridge and Ljubljana Castle. It's known for its environmental initiatives, including a focus... read more Most beautiful small city in the whole region. Even if it is a bit out of the Balkans, it is still by far the nicest, even among the Balkans.
It's not about how big you are. It's about how big your heart is. Ljubljana has a great heart.
Our beautiful Slovenia and capital Ljubljana!
It's quite a small town but is the oldest settlement in Kosovo. It has historical monuments, such as the Vojinovica Bridge, the Ottoman Hammam, and the Kalaja Castle.
Outside the town is the beautiful river of Sitnica along with scenic fields and countryside. Furthermore, it is an Islamic town, holding one of the largest mosques in the Balkans, the Central Mosque. It is known for having lots of nice cafes, along with small boutiques and souvenir shops. In my opinion, it is probably the best-looking town in Kosovo.
Best town actually, small, cozy, and fashionable. Lots of fiestas, nice food, plenty of museums, and nice people.
Beautiful parks and buildings. Traditional architecture.
Best city in the Balkans, best macchiato in the world according to Yahoo, great food, great nightlife, and the friendliest people in Europe.
Westernmost point of the Black Sea. Sea, lakes, small island. Good weather. Long beach. Charming sea garden. Adorable girls. Most romantic city. Artistic!
Never a state capital, this city on the Danube encompasses all the history of the region: the Roman times, the medieval heritage, the Turkish occupation, and the European modernization, and the Communist era.
As Nobel prize laureate Elias Canetti wrote: "Anything I subsequently experienced had already happened in Ruschuk."
Nice atmosphere throughout. Check out the cafes in the center, walk along the main streets with beautiful Secession architecture, and feel the borderline between the East and West. You won't regret it.
My Bitola is the most European city in Macedonia. Bitola has a population of 100,000, with a metro area of 125,000. It is the second-largest city in the Republic of Macedonia. Bitola has the best nightlife in Macedonia, and 90% of the electricity in Macedonia is generated in Bitola.
It used to be one of the biggest cities in the Balkans a hundred years ago and was the main Balkan center in the Ottoman Empire. It has a lot of Ottoman and antique architecture. On the other hand, it is a good place to visit in winter because of the nearby ski resort.
Kotor has great beaches, as it is in the Gulf of Kotor. It also consists of towering mountains that can be seen from anywhere in the quaint yet lively town. The area is very safe, and the locals are almost all welcoming. Not to mention, it's very close to Dubrovnik!