Backpacking the Balkans: Off the beaten track for Euro-summer

By Megan Boxwell

As reading week looms dangerously close, many St Andrews students will be coming to the realisation that they still haven’t made any travel plans, and that they still have no idea where they want to go. The obvious options are France, Spain or Italy, but are you sure you don’t want to go a bit further afield? At the very least, do you really want your Instagram feed to match at least three other girls in your Monday morning lecture on the first day back?

Let me recommend the Balkans; a slightly less travelled section of Europe whose popularity is beginning to grow, and it’s no wonder why. Having recently backpacked up the Adriatic coast, I can assure you that the Balkans offer idyllic photo opportunities, cosy food that feels like your grandma’s cooking and a wide range of activities to do. This guide will take you through four of the countries, at least one or two of which you can squeeze into your reading week. It is worth noting that I only spent 2-4 days in each of these countries, and left each one feeling satisfied, so a week is definitely enough time to create incredible memories.

Albania:

I stayed at the blue door hostel in Tirana, Albania, where you take your shoes off at the door, play card games on the balcony and enjoy cooked meals from the hostel’s “nana.” It truly felt like a home away from home for solo travellers, something refreshingly comforting as travelling can be so stressful! The city has plenty to see and do, the pyramid of Tirana, beautiful mosques and cathedrals, and a decent nightlife too (I recommend Komiteti bar for a cool rooftop terrace and some amazing raki cocktails). However, my favourite part of Albania was the beautiful turquoise jewel tucked away just an hour from the city; Lake Bovilla. Through various hostels or getyourguide, you can book a guided hike up one of the mountains surrounding the lake for stunning views like this:

Credit: Ozk Ozk/Getty images

Montenegro:

It is difficult to say exactly where you should go in Montenegro, because the more I learned about the country, the more I wanted to see. I stayed four nights here, two in Budva and two in Kotor, both coastal towns because I was craving some relaxation at the beach. Warning: most of the beaches are stone beaches, so bring swim shoes for getting in and out of the sea, I learned the hard way and my feet paid the price. Both towns are great if you’re looking for something with a slightly slower pace where you can enjoy the sea, the sun and some good food. However, I did some hiking in both places so there is something for everyone. I highly recommend hiking up to the fortress of Kotor but using the back route. Infamously known as the ladder of Kotor, the back route is the free way to hike the fortress, it consists of coming through a window from the mountain into the fortress path. This route doesn’t have quite the same views, but once you get through to the fortress you can hike up and down all the steps and see all the same views on the paid route, just don’t go right down to the bottom or you will be charged! You have to leave out the same window you came in. There is plenty of interesting things to see on that route too though, such as an old church and a mysterious man selling cheese… I’ll leave that one for you to figure out.

Croatia:

I did not explore the typical side of Croatia that most people go to. The reality is that I only had two days to spend in Croatia, and I needed to get from Croatia to Slovenia, so I abandoned my buses after a short trip from Kotor to Dubrovnik, and I caught a flight from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, a city which really took me by surprise. The architecture is beautiful, and there is so much to do. There are many museums in Zagreb, but I’m not talking about your typical history and art museums. My favourites were the museum of broken relationships and the museum of hangovers, which should be done in that order because trust me when I say you are going to need a pick-me-up after the museum of broken relationships, it will make you sob. Apart from that, Croatia is a great place to eat out and chat to the locals around you, in my experience, they’re usually very friendly. Don’t forget to try some Cevapi!

Slovenia:

While I could never choose between these countries, they all had their own unique things to offer, I do think that Slovenia is particularly good for those who are new to solo travel. I spent two days in Bled, which not only looks like somewhere from a fairytale, but is very safe and everything is within walking distance. There are plenty of things to do such as exploring the island, hiking, visiting the castle, riding the alpine coaster, and various lake activities such as paddle boarding, rowing, swimming and parasailing. When you go to Bled you have a visual itinerary right in front of you, no planning in advance required. My highlight of the trip was hiking to the Ojstrica viewpoint, I recommend this over the Mala Osojnica viewpoint, as the island is more centred and the hike is supposedly a bit easier, but you can combine the two into one hike if you’re feeling brave.

Credit: serts/Getty images

In short, the Balkans won’t stay a hidden gem of Europe for much longer, as they are finally getting the recognition that they deserve, so go visit them during your reading week before their unique charm falls victim to the guillotine of modern-day, TikTok inspired tourism.