Last year I had the good fortune to visit the Balkans and fell in love. Lucky for me my trip was in late May which is not quite tourist season, so I never dealt with crowds or anything.

Now I was only able to spend 14 days in seven countries, but I was able to get a taste of what each country was like and really get a sense of if I wanted to go back. Here are 9 reasons you should visit the Balkans.

1. They are not part of the EU

Traveling in the Balkans can get confusing as there is a different currency in each country and you need to get your passport stamped in each country, however since the Balkans are not part of the EU, overall everything is a bargain, which is amazing for the budget conscious traveller.

2. Gelato

Now you may not be expecting this, since I  did not, but since the Balkan are directly across from Italy, they have gelato everywhere, and it’s crazy cheap! Often we would play a game of going from gelato stall to gelato stall trying to time it perfectly so we always had gelato. And at 25 cents… there’s not really any reason not to!

3. Crystal clear waters

Honestly this whole area has a lot of limestone, and this made the water in this area the brightest blue. Specifically in Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia, but it made even rivers look beautiful. I just wanted to snap photos everywhere.

4. These places have castles and walled cities everywhere

If your travelling here, do your homework on air bnb. You can stay in the dreamiest castle rooms for a very reasonable price. I wish that I had hit that up before I went to this part of the world. But I already have my castle room booked for my next adventure.

Also – check out all the shops and restaurants in the castles.

5. The Night life

   This part of the world works hard all day long, so at night all they want to do is relax over a beer or a glass of wine. Which means there are fun, cute bars every where you look!

6. Low Crime, Low Crowds

   Unlike a lot of European countries, the Balkans at this time are still off the beaten path. They are getting more popular, but overall, you are not going to be battling the tourists crowds that you would in  lets say Santorini Greece.

6. Boats

This region is known for its river and sea cruises. As the rivers were the original mode of transportation in this region, now boats are a way of celebrating and enjoying life. Definitely make sure that you can take a boat cruise or a ferry ride in this region of the world.

8. Easy to get lots of passport stamps

I was able to get 6 passport stamps for my trip to 7 countries, since most of them were not part of the EU.

This means that you have lots of treasures to show off in your passport! It also means that it is easy to jump from country to county. Most were s 4-5 hour drive.

9. Every country is different

   As we jumped from country to country, some times we felt like we were in Italy, or Greece, sometime we felt like we were in Turkey or Morocco. This area is so diverse that you constantly have different scenery to look at.

There you have it 9 reasons you need to go to the Balkans. Honestly it’s a great area of the world to visit that is often over looked. I hope you consider it and have a great time!