What is it like?
I'll be visiting Bosnia and Serbia in November, but I may be able to include MonteBlack and Croatia in my trip
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 Tip Your Landlord Shirt $21.68 |
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What is it like?
What is it like?
I'll be visiting Bosnia and Serbia in November, but I may be able to include MonteBlack and Croatia in my trip
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Tip Your Landlord Shirt $21.68 |
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is albania boring?
Quite the opposite, it's pretty wilkp
Man I love the western Balkans, I've been to all of them except Bosnia now. MonteBlack might be worth including just for the coast. Kotor is a beautiful city, and since you'll be going in November it won't be crowded. I'm pretty sure the weather is still very mild in November on the Montenegrin coast (albeit quite rainy). Croatia is a bit too touristy for my taste nowadays, so go to MonteBlack instead (cheaper and more exotic). Make sure to post about Bosnia when you're back, I want to know what it's like!
>Croatia is a bit too touristy for my taste nowadays
Because most people visit during the height of the tourist seasons when everyone here just wants to take your money and be rid of you. Ironically, you should probably avoid the coastal areas out of season as they turns into a ghost town.
Its ok. All pretty globohomo'd now not very different from any western country tbh. But croatia and monteBlack has some nice landscapes.
Skip Serbia and go to Croatia and Kotor MonteBlack
skip Serbia, but all of Bosnia and MonteBlack is rly amazing. Sarajevo is insane just for the history and collective PTSD still in the city. Food is good, very beautiful
Kotor is wonderful and cheap, MonteBlack is stunning..take a car and go visit monastaries. They have the hand of st. Peter there (jewled encrusted gauntlet thing, apparently touched Jesus)
Northern Albania was cool, but I suggest avoiding the capital and south. I wish I had spent more time exploring Bosnia but I was afraid of mines
Same anon, we got into Bosnia during a really weird route (during covid, just vaccinated). Apparently we had the wrong covid test in Serbia and were going to have go back to the Serbian border with an armed escort to get the right test (~$300 and about 3 days). Plus the border is like 3 km long and a hellscape. We only got into Bosnia because we told the border guard we had a bus to visit Tusla which happened to be his home town. He got very excited, told us he could lose his job but let us go into Bosnia but said that we had to meet him in Tusla the next day.
We did, he was a bouncer at some brewery and gave us a tour and let us meet his family. Cool town, you can swim in the salt pools, and the oldest cevappi restaurant from Yugoslavia is there. Imagine a 1950s diner in the US but instead it's pure Yugoslavian culture. Very cool and good cevappi
Oh yeah cevappi, that's all you're going to eat. There is nothing to eat but cevappi, which is meatballs and raw white onion on some bread.
>Oh yeah cevappi, that's all you're going to eat. There is nothing to eat but cevappi, which is meatballs and raw white onion on some bread.
oh, how wrong you are
A) Roast lamb. On the road form Sarajevo to Mostar there are a couple famoously good places
B) Lots of other stuff such ispod sacha, burek expecially the potato one
C) grilled frsh seafood out of the Adriatic
D) crisp white wines
Unfortunately I've already booked flights, hotels, coaches, and trains and most of it isn't refundable
From speaking to someone I know who's toured the Balkans it does sound like I should have booked more nights in Bosnia and less in Serbia
Oh well, what's done is done and I"m sure I'll still enjoy it
What's wrong with Serbia?
>What's wrong with Serbia?
Has too many Serbs
>Serbia has to many Serbs
>omg I love Bosnia
What's wrong with them
>>skip serbia to see sarajevo
is this entire fricking site just autistic redditors now jfc embarassing. read a book
>read a book
which one? and how is it relevant to travel advice?
I don't get why people say skip serbia
Nobody is saying skip Serbia, but if you have to pick one or two for a first time visit to the western Balkans - I'd definitely check out Croatia, Bosnia or MonteBlack first. Croatia has a fantastic seaside; Bosnia is weird, full of history and distinct; MonteBlack is a mix between the two. Also, the later two are very cheap. Still, Serbia is definitely more appealing than Slovenia for a quick trip - it has major Austria light vibes or Macedonia ie. Bulgaria light.
there's like 3 posts saying to skip serbia.
Probably a conspiracy by the Croatian tourism board against their Serbian counterparts. Or maybe the Vatican doesn't want people to find out Jesus is alive and well in his hometown of Belgrade. Or maybe it's the Serbian government itself trying to discourage outlanders from finding visiting their country and finding out about the hyper-crystal reality anchors.
Out of the entire Balkan region, which country is the cheapest to visit for a week or 2. I like all countries there, but I want to maximize my Amerishekels. Is Bulgaria the most affordable or Albania?
Go to Dubrovnik
Serb here.
Include Croatia definitely. MonteBlack is meh, and has shitty roads. and basically a shittier Croatia. Considering you're going in November, the seaside won't be as crowded, but the dalmatian old towns will still be nice to see (probably less expensive to book apartments now, too).
As for what it's like, Bosnia has shitty roads but good food and beautiful nature. It's also cheaper than Serbia. Cities are relatively small and you can go through all the important parts in a day or two. Of note are Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar, Trebinje.
Serbia has bigger cities, better roads (at least between the big cities), decent food. If you want quality nature, it can be found in the east (Stara Planina, Kljuc, Stol, Donji Milanovac, Tekija). The other parts are either not that scenic, or overly urbanized to the point that it's Belgrade, but at a higher altitude, i.e. skip Zlatibor and Kopaonik.
Belgrade is big, but most of the interesting stuff is found in the center anyways, aside from a few outlying destinations like Avala. It is also fricking expensive for a balkan city. You'll notice the difference between Sarajevo and Belgrade prices easily. Novi Sad is better with expenses and has the austro-hungarian architecture people cream about. Nis is alright, cheap, has the skull tower. If you're going there, make sure to drop by Pirot or Svrljig for some good food.
I've never done Bosnia or Serbia. But Croatia is a fricking paradise. I would have moved there if I could. I've never liked a country more than Croatia. The people are friendly. The crime is essentially nonexistent on the coast. The coastline is perfect. The cities are beautiful. The only complaint I've ever heard is that the government is extremely corrupt and steals from the citizens.
10% of the population, the ones who actually work for a living, moved out since 2013 when we entered the EU, that's all you need to know about this country
I'm from the shittier side of Croatia and I'd say it's very nice. The nicer side of Croatia (the western part, everything excluding Slavonia) has very nice nature and I reccomend checking out the plitvice lakes which look great even in winter (though I prefer them).
I was too poor to ever travel through much of the rest of the Balkans so I don't really know everywhere that well but I'm sure you'll be greeted either by the best or the worst hospitality you've ever seen in your life
Sarajevo:
>The Natural History Museum is quite nice - the anthropology photo exhibit and dioramas tucked away in the back building so people often miss it. The Tunnel Museum is a must see, also the War Childhood Museum. The national gallery is okay. Svrzos house is currently closed and only for architecture nerds.
>The National Theater is playing Marlene and a few other decent ones like Hasanagince and Leptir. Što spavaš na podu is meh. SARTR has a pretty slim repertoire this November.
>Jazz fest is during the first week of November. It tends to draw some pretty high profile names and has a cozy atmosphere so if you're into jazz that's something to look out for. The current edition closes on Nov. 11.
>Definitely take the cable car up to Mt. Trebević. Bjelašnica, Igman and Jahornia all open for skiing in late November and have artificial snow cannons. Igman if you're interest in skiing, Bjelašnica for hiking, Jahorina for coke and prostitutes.
>Vidikovac Zmajevac has some of the best views of the city and okay food, pretty cool but overcrowded.
>Vrelo Bosne is overrated unless you've never seen some ponds with swans and ducks in them. But Ilidža and the path towards the spring are pretty nice places to spend a day walking around. The Sulphur springs make the whole place smell like eggs.
>If you want to shoot some guns go visit the shooting clubs that rent out guns. Don't go into the sticks with hillbillies promising you to let you shoot rpgs and throw grenades.
>Don't get into disputes in traffic, don't get into disputes period.
>Never go eat at Željo, it's either Zmaj or Dženita for decent barbecue. Kibe if you don't mind paying a bit more and making a reservation. Mrvica and Coffee Station (their salads suck, though) serve decent breakfasts - Mrvica (the one across the Swedish embassy) has a rotating international menu that is reliably good.
>The Brewery and Marquee for drinking, Hotel Europe and Daire for coffee and tea.
Travnik
>Plava Voda got ruined by rampant construction and tour buses full of arabs. The old town is still nice enough for a lunch or coffee break when passing through.
Mostar
>Definitely worth a visit, so is Stolac nearby - the restaurant across the Tekke serves decent locally caught fish. Kravice is pretty cool. Hutovo blato is a must see if you're into bird-watching. Only go south-west of Mostar if you want to reenact Sideways or are on your way to Croatia.
Zenica
>Avoid at all costs unless you want to scout locations for a sequel to Stalker.
Banja Luka
>Cheap and great nature. Food is great - but avoid Mujos like the plague, the quality nosedived to the point of inedibility.
Bihać
>Currently a war-zone due to gangs of "immigrants" roaming the town and nearby woods. Gorgeous nature, the town itself sucks ass. Too cold for rafting in November unless you're hardcore. If you want to go fishing, go to Kljuć or Sanski Most instead - less chance of cultural enrichment even if the Sana is less inviting than the Una.
Tuzla
>Cozy and friendly, great drinking culture. But polluted to shit.
If you plan on hiking this time of year, take a gps enabled phone and jot down the number of the local mountain rescue service (GSS.) Don't hike at night or more than 1h away from civilization unless you're a pro or have a guide, my taxpayer money will go to dragging your fricking corpse from that mountain.
I have some friends from Prijedor. I would like to visit. What can I expect?
>Prijedor
Alkies, war criminals, drug dealers. Every few months someone gets shot or stabbed for talking to some waitress. One of the worst towns in Bosnia in terms of inhabitants.
The Kozara national park is nice though. The Sana river is right there and the Vrbas and Sava are not far away. So if you're going to hang out with your friend and his people and go take in some nature you're probably gonna have fun. But if you you want to go out at night - make the 40min drive to Banja Luka instead, or at least the 20min drive to Sanski Most if you just want to get shitfaced.
Skip Serbia. Nothing to see and hostile people. They aren't ready for tourism and are outwardly anti Western ideals.
True, we don't want you here. Don't visit unless you're a thirdie and a communist!
>Skip Serbia. Nothing to see and hostile people. They aren't ready for tourism and are outwardly anti Western ideals
What is hostile about them
you get dirty looks if you wear your leather dog fetish gear in public
i've noticed serbs have this weird delusion that they're super conservative and wholesome when drug use, prostitution, abortions, trannies, mass murders, cases of cannibals and serial killers and all sorts of degeneracy are more common than in the rest of the region or europe.
that's just belgrade, it's a regional center
It's one of the few places left in europe where gays and muslims face open discrimination so there's that.
Please don't use the p word. It's not allowed to be discussed here. Thank you for your insightful post.
Are mass murders common there? Compared to the US "common"?
>Are mass murders common there?
The overall murder rate is about the same as the rest of the Balkans - which is about the same as Western Europe. The only places in Europe that have a murder rate comparable to the US are Russia and Ukraine.
What sets Serbia apart is that every now and then there will be a case of some guy stalking, raping and dismembering little girls; or a guy kidnapping men, torturing them and then putting them through a meat grinder and selling their meat to restaurants; or a kid introducing American customs to his school - all cases that happened within the last few years. Shit like that usually doesn't happen in the rest of the Balkans. The worst that usually happens in terms of multiple killings in the rest of the Balkans is some guy shooting his estranged wife and her lover or a bunch of narcos shooting 1-2 rivals.
The Balkans are crime ridden: but it is usually shit that doesn't affect tourists like corruption, drug trafficking, narco feuds or non-violent thefts and scams. Unless you're looking really hard for trouble - you're unlikely to find any. Just stay away from shady shit - and if you don't, don't throw a shit fit if you get scammed/robbed.
>everyone here just wants to take your money and be rid of you
That's been the general vibe for over a decade now. The prime years for visiting Croatia were between 2001-2007, plenty of shit was already rebuilt but you could still lodge with some old dalmatian fisherman and shoot the shit every evening over grilled fish and gemischt. Go visit the less touristy parts of Albania to get a feel for what it used to be like.
>That's been the general vibe for over a decade now. The prime years for visiting Croatia were between 2001-2007, plenty of shit was already rebuilt but you could still lodge with some old dalmatian fisherman and shoot the shit every evening over grilled fish and gemischt. Go visit the less touristy parts of Albania to get a feel for what it used to be like.
there are still places like this on the croatian coast but im not gonna tell you where they are
I have a rainbow patch on my backpack and I'm nonbinary. All the guys wanted to fight me.
there are tons of fem loking gays in serbia. wearing the rainbow patch is just moronic wherever you are
>Skip Serbia. Nothing to see and hostile people
true story:
>2005, driving to Novi Sad
>map says there's a bridge
>can't find it
>stop and ask the roadside trafiic cop
> he says "You Americans blew it up."
>mfw "Oh, yeah, sorry"
>he gives me directions to the next bridge... pleasantly
lived in ex-YU for a few years, traveled through all, never a problem with anybody
What is wrong with Serbia? There's nothing wrong with that country! They haven't done anything for a while now!
Kites
I was actually looking into a trip to Serbia and Republika Srpska, but I was kind of concerned about hostility towards Americans
I'm not gay or brown or Muslim, but I am a burger
they might frick with you at the border (they did me), but other than that it wasn't a problem. recommend.
Serbia's fine in an unremarkable way
no trouble with the people
RS is intersting only re politics, though the raod souht from Banja Luka is scenic
>Republika Srpska, but I was kind of concerned about hostility towards Americans
Went to Banja Luka as a burger, zero issues but nothing that interesting there. A waiter where I was eating had studied in the US and was happy to chat.
It's very fun. Had a trip there summer 22 and had a blast. 10/10 food, people, stuff to see and do.
If you can be more specific with your interests (what you'd like to do etc) I could elaborate
>gays
your prime minister is a dyke who adopted a kid. check your laws on gay adoption and trannies - perhaps you'd be surprised. belgrade is a haven for gay and troony chaser expats. belgrade has a larger number of gay bars and clubs than any other place in the region.
>muslims
serbia is one of the few countries in europe to openly invite migrants, it has mosques and islamic centers. you have a disproportionate amount of muslims among politicans, college professors, doctors, etc. turkey, of all places, is one of your main geo-political allies.
but even if your idea of "muh based serbia" was actually true: "we might be a nation of deviant druggies, but at least we hate other people" isn't exactly a great comeback.
That’s hilarious. They are so obnoxious on pol.
Is that a serbian
Serbia is pretty unremarkable. skip