Explore the Balkans on these four epic drives
5 min read • Feb 1, 2021
Explore the Balkan Peninsula and the turquoise waters of the Adriatic with these scenic drives in southeastern Europe – a perfect road trip experience.
Travel Stories
Albania
- Discover why the Accursed Mountains are Europe's most misunderstood region
10 min read • Nov 12, 2020
Oliver Smith travels to the remote borders of Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo to set foot in a once-forbidden mountain wilderness where, today, walkers are…
- Devilish beauty along the Peaks of the Balkans trail
11 min read • Feb 28, 2020
The borderlands where Montenegro, Albania and Kosovo meet are one of Europe's wildest corners, whose mountains once inspired fear and now draw hikers
- The best beaches of the Albanian Riviera
4 min read • Jun 24, 2019
Albania’s rugged coastline, with traditional villages nestled in isolated bays and golden beaches lapped by turquoise waters, was a revelation when…
- Albanian road trip: history behind the bunkers
5 min read • Jun 19, 2018
Having spent nearly half of the 20th century isolated from the rest of the world, Albania remains somewhat a land of mystery, only recently making its way…
- History and hedonism in Tirana
5 min read • Mar 29, 2018
As far as travel hubs go, Tirana has a perfect setting. Albania’s capital is squeezed between the Adriatic Coast beaches and the hiking trails of the so…
- A wine tour of the Balkans
5 min read • Nov 7, 2016
If wine needs a story, then the story of Balkan wine is a dog-eared, multi-volume series. The southeastern European peninsula may not immediately spring…
- Lezhë to Lundër: northern Albania for foodies
5 min read • Oct 4, 2016
With nearly 500km of coastline abutting expanses of rugged mountains, centuries of Ottoman rule and a brief but impactful Italian rule, Albania – and…
- Dubrovnik to Ohrid: cycling into the heart of the Western Balkans
5 min read • Aug 16, 2016
Our peloton of 12 cyclists snaked through a tangle of alleys past the walls of Dubrovnik. The city was full of morning innocence and rare silence. Buses,…
- The Via Dinarica hiking trail: a cultural corridor across the Balkans
5 min read • Jul 16, 2016
Waves of fog battled patches of blue sky as the Via Dinarica hiking trail inclined sharply to the junction between Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo. At the…
- From bunkers to Blloku: two days in Tirana
5 min read • Jul 15, 2016
Lively Tirana wears its history with pride. It would be easy to mistake Albania’s colourful capital for any modern city in Western Europe – with…
- Peaks of the Balkans: how to plan a cross-border trek
5 min read • Sep 4, 2015
Descending through the forest from the Albania–Montenegro border pass, an unassailable stillness pervades, punctuated only by the sound of cowbells rising…
- Hiking in Albania’s Accursed Mountains
6 min read • Mar 5, 2015
While Albania may have gone from a virtually unknown land to a well-established stop on the Balkan backpacker trail in barely a decade, its interior…
- Western Balkans: time-tripping in southeastern Europe
11 min read • Oct 24, 2014
The Balkans have attracted adventurers for centuries – literary bigwigs Lord Byron and Rebecca West penned romantic accounts of journeys through these,…
- Western Balkans: Europe’s new adventure playground
10 min read • Oct 24, 2014
Outdoors aficionados and adrenaline junkies, take note: there are still uncharted grounds to conquer only a few hours’ flight away from London, Paris or…