Balkan guides
Every Balkan article on the Balkan eSIM blog, newest first.
Ksamil vs Dhermi vs Jale: What Each Riviera Village Offers
Three different Albanian Riviera bases: Ksamil's islets, Dhermi's beach clubs, Jale's quiet cove. What separates them beyond the coastline they share.
The Blue Eye Spring: The Depth Myth vs Swimming Rules
Syri i Kaltër's blue pool draws a bottomless-spring legend divers have disproven. What's actually true, and what's currently allowed at the boardwalk.
Butrint: What's Left of the Ancient City, and Its Scale
A layered Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian site on a lagoon near Saranda. What's actually left to see, and how it compares to bigger-name classical ruins.
Cetinje: Montenegro's Old Royal Capital as a Day Trip
Museums, a royal palace and a monastery in a town small enough for an afternoon. What Cetinje offers that simply passing through Podgorica doesn't.
Djurdjevica Tara Bridge: The Viewpoint, the Zipline, the Time
A wartime bridge over Europe's deepest canyon, a working zipline, and a stop most road-trippers under-budget. What each part actually involves.
Do You Actually Need a Car on the Montenegro Coast
Buses and boats cover the main coastal corridor well. What genuinely requires a rental car, and how the coast road actually handles peak summer traffic.
Gjirokaster: Does It Fit a Balkan-Loop Itinerary as a Stop
Stone-roofed Ottoman houses, a hilltop castle, a working bazaar. What a Gjirokaster stop involves, and whether a half-day from Saranda is enough.
Komani Lake Ferry: Public Boat vs the Paid Tour Version
The same canyon crossing, sold two different ways. What separates the local public ferry from the tourist tour boat, and why one is harder to plan around.
Driving the Full Loop Around the Bay of Kotor
The road hugs the shoreline almost all the way around Montenegro's bay. What the full circuit involves, and where the ferry shortcut saves real time.
Lovcen's Mausoleum: The Switchback Road Up, and the Summit
The old Kotor serpentine climbs to Njegos's mausoleum above the bay. What the drive actually demands of a rental car, and what's waiting at the top.
Lukomir: Bosnia's Highest Village, and Why the Road Decides
Stone houses, shepherds and a road that closes itself. What actually makes Lukomir worth the detour above Sarajevo, and why no calendar date tells you when.
Is Podgorica Worth Basing Yourself In, or Just Transit
Montenegro's capital has no coastline and no dramatic skyline. Who actually benefits from staying here versus who should land, collect the car and move on.
Climbing Maglic in Sutjeska: What an Independent Hiker Needs
Bosnia's highest peak sits on the Montenegro border inside old-growth forest. What gear, guiding and border realities actually apply to the marked route.
Theth-Valbona: Day-Hike the Pass or Do the Full Crossing
One trail through the Albanian Alps, two ways to do it. Whether a single-day pass crossing fits your loop, or the full two-valley trip is worth the extra time.
Strbacki Buk in Una National Park: How Remote Is It
The falls look close on a map and far on the ground. What the approach from Sarajevo or the coast actually demands, and which viewpoint is worth the walk.
The Verige Ferry: How the Kotor Bay Shortcut Works
A short drive-on car ferry across the bay's narrowest point, cutting out the long inner loop. How the crossing actually runs, and when driving around beats it.
EE Roaming in Croatia, and Why It Stops at the Next Border
EE's Croatia roaming works because Croatia is in the EU. Cross into Bosnia or Serbia the same afternoon and the rule that made it work no longer applies.
How a Balkans Trip Affects Your Schengen 90/180-Day Count
Only some legs of a Balkans itinerary touch a British traveller's Schengen clock. Which countries count in 2026, which don't, and where to check it.
Staying Online on the Balkan Coast and Ferries
Coastal roads, island hops and overnight ferries each treat your phone differently. What honestly works at sea on the Adriatic and Ionian — and what does not.
Driving the Balkans: Internet Across Seven Borders
A Balkan road trip crosses more borders per week than almost any drive in Europe. Here is what each crossing does to your phone, and how to plan for it.
Offline Maps and eSIM: Data for Balkan Mountain Roads
Theth, Durmitor, Rila: the best Balkan drives go where towers are scarce. The strategy that works is offline maps for navigation, eSIM data for everything else.
One Balkan eSIM vs a SIM Card in Every Country
Buying a prepaid SIM in each Balkan country is the classic advice. The full accounting — time, paperwork, numbers and leftovers — against one regional eSIM.
Why EU Roaming Stops in the Western Balkans
Roam-like-at-home ends at the Serbian border. What stands in its place in 2026: a voluntary operator cap, talks that are not yet law, and what to do.