There are considered 11 countries of the Balkans located within southeastern Europe – Albania, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Slovenia. Falling within close proximity that at times have been considered within the Balkans are countries such as Turkey, Moldova and Greece.
My 10-year experience of travels and living in Eastern European countries
Living in Bulgaria and Montenegro I can say the lifestyle compared to most of Western Europe and Western countries in general is much more relaxed, by far much cheaper, in most cases poorer, yet tend to be friendlier and most welcoming.
The Balkans is a vast area to Explore!
There is so much natural beauty here, and a melting pot of so many cultures, languages and national cuisines. It would be impossible to run out of things to do here, with the benefit of nothing being too far to travel.
Tourism has not yet overwhelmed.
A walk through the most visited tourist spots is a much more pleasant experience. I’m glad not to be confronted with some of those crazy crowds as in similar iconic destinations such as Italy, France, Spain, UK etc.
Of course, there are exceptions, visiting Dubrovnik in Croatia can be well and truly overcrowded in Summer. This can be the same with some popular seaside resorts on the Black Sea and Adriatic, but overall everything generally moves at a slower more relaxed pace.
One thing for sure…
The lifestyle here was enough for me to pull up roots in Australia and move to this truly amazing part of the world!
Want to find out more about living in the Balkans?
I spend my time between Bulgaria and Montenegro, two small yet incredible countries. If you would like to find discover more about moving to either country or simply to visit, then please feel free to contact me. I have an enquiry form here.
Also I can provide a number of services that can assist you with visa’s residency, finding a property, finding tradespeople and much more.