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Probably no one on this forum has been to all of these. I'm going to Belgrade and Sarajevo later this month, though. Sarajevo looks beautiful and oh so interesting. Belgrade looks a bit ugly, but apparently is the place to be if you are looking to socialize.
Belgrade is very diverse, there is a huge difference between the "New" and "Old" Belgrade, two parts are separated by Sava river and while "Old" has historical buildings "New" was almost exclusively built by the Communists.
Any reason Ljubljana, Slovenia, was left off?
I have been to Zagreb and Ljublana.
I would highly recommend both cities for architectural beauty (in particular, art nouveau), vibe and atmosphere. Both have universities in the city center areas which add a lot of activity. Ljubljana people were out to 1am. Didn't have time to sample Zagreb late but it has a larger feel to it. From my small sample the atmosphere of Ljubljana seemed a bit more touristy and it has a fantastic park (Tivoli Park) that is beautiful to explore. The rain ride from Zagreb to Ljubljana is beautiful in its own right as you follow the river amidst small mountain outcroppings with picture postcard, calendar cover and puzzle image worthy villages dotting the landscape.
Both would make great launching points to the natural wonders nearby. Zagreb I took trip to Plitvice Lakes. Didn't have enough time in Ljubljana to get to Lake Bled. Croatian coast has many beautiful ancient cities such as Poo-la (phonetic spelling as apparently the correct spelling is automatically blocked?) and Split. Of course, Dubrovnik further south along Balkan coast as Ruth mentioned would be another.
Depending on your atmospheric mood the beach towns along the Adriatic like Izola, Piran and others may be of interest for atmosphere and beauty.
I guess it's because it really isn't in the Balkans, Slovenia's only link with that construct is Yugoslavia. Ljubljana is closer to Munich than to Belgrade (which while obviously in Serbia is way north of the actual Balkans), and is closer to Berlin than to Sofia.
I guess it's because it really isn't in the Balkans, Slovenia's only link with that construct is Yugoslavia. Ljubljana is closer to Munich than to Belgrade (which while obviously in Serbia is way north of the actual Balkans), and is closer to Berlin than to Sofia.
"Escaping Balkans" (notice the North-Western border)
"Escaping Balkans" (notice the North-Western border)
I don't know about the geological merit of that map -- it was always my understanding that the actual Balkans are only in Bulgaria and Eastern Serbia, but that they were previously thought to go all the way to the Adriatic, hence the name for the region. Not sure why Vojvodina would be out of the Balkans while Southern Slovenia would, but it doesn't really matter anyway. I was just offering up my conjecture as to why Ljubljana was off the list... you could just twitch the map a bit and fix the Sava as the northern border, then you'd have Ljubljana in there
I've heard that too...that Belgrade has some of the best nightlife of the region, by far.
But I also read on wikitravel, that the nightlife now closes at 1am. A relatively recent change, whereas previously it was all night, and from what I heard, every night of the week.
Belgrade has an awesome nightlife, especially in the summer. I remember paying 300 Dinar (about 3 euros at the time, less now) for entry into a club, with a free drink. Many boat clubs in the Sava River in the summer that definitely stay open until later than 1.. I watched the sunrise several times.
Sarajevo is absolutely beautiful and fascinating. The city is surrounded by hills, and has a very unique history. Lots of new construction, but still many reminders from the turmoil in the 1990's. The old town is very reminiscent of Turkey, having been occupied by the Ottomans for many centuries, but I found the combination of Cathedrals, Synagogues, and Mosques in such close proximity pretty curious.
I voted for Sarajevo, as it was the crossroads, a center of meeting of different cultures and it still shows it, and Belgrade, which, or so i've heard, has an amazing nightlife and is the place to be in the Balkans
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(notice the North-Western border)
