The region guide to the Balkans
The Regions, from the Table to the Wild
What the cities of a region share: the café and the market, the table and the glass, the wild places and the seasons. We begin with the Balkans.
Launch edition · Autumn 2026
What's onThis week in the Balkans
Sister guideULTIMATE Rail JourneysThe story of the train, the great journeys and where to book them
Sister guideULTIMATE CruisesLines, ships and itineraries, from river to expedition
Sister guideULTIMATE Ski ResortsSeason dates, hotels, après and ski schools, resort by resort
Sister guideULTIMATE PropertyPrime neighbourhoods, agents, new developments and how buying worksYour trusted guide to the regions
Each region of the ULTIMATE network gets an introduction, a long read on the life the region shares, and four themed guides to its food and drink, markets, wildlife and seasons. Every theme links straight into our city guides, where each place has been chosen and checked by our editors. We begin with the Balkans; more regions follow as their stories are written.
The Balkans
Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Skopje and Tirana: the café, the market, the table and the wild places they share.
The regionThe Balkans, with loveCafés, markets, the table and the welcomeThe regionThe Balkan SoulThe long read: the life the region shares
Food & DrinkFood & Drink in the BalkansThe shared table, guide by guideMarkets & ShoppingMarkets & Shopping in the BalkansGreen markets and old bazaarsWildlife & NatureWildlife & Nature in the BalkansEagles, pelicans and bears
Seasons & FestivalsSeasons & Festivals in the BalkansThe Balkan year and its festivalsOur advice
Make the market your first stop in a new city, not your last. Have a coffee nearby, watch the regulars, then buy lunch from the stalls.
The long readBalkan CinemaKusturica, the Black Wave, the stars and the films to seeOur advice
Come in the autumn
If you can choose, come in late September or October, when the heat has gone, the hills are turning and the festivals are on. Seasons & festivals
ULTIMATE City Guides: Europe & beyond
Planning a longer journey? Each city in the network has its own independent guide, written with the same care and checked place by place. Here are the guides that are live, with more on the way.
Europe
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SpainULTIMATE AndalusiaSeville, Granada and the Alhambra, Córdoba, Málaga, Cádiz and Jerez, Ronda and the white villages, Doñana and Cabo de Gata.Visit the guide 
GreeceULTIMATE AthensThe Acropolis and the Plaka, rooftop bars facing the Parthenon, the Athens Riviera and the Greek islands: our original guide, and our deepest.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE Balearic IslandsMallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera side by side, and how to hop between them by ferry.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE BarcelonaGaudí and the Sagrada Família, the Gothic Quarter, four Three-Star MICHELIN kitchens, the beaches and day trips to Montserrat and Girona.Visit the guide 
SerbiaULTIMATE BelgradeWhere the Sava meets the Danube: a buzzing capital of art, classical music and famous nightlife, with a new waterfront and the mountains of Zlatibor and Kopaonik.Visit the guide 
GermanyULTIMATE BerlinThe Brandenburg Gate and Museum Island, the Philharmonie and three opera houses, the story of the Wall, and day trips to Potsdam and Dresden.Visit the guide 
RomaniaULTIMATE BucharestBelle Époque palaces, concerts at the Athenaeum, a buzzing food and coffee scene, and the castles and mountains of the Carpathians.Visit the guide 
HungaryULTIMATE BudapestThermal baths, grand coffee houses, ruin bars and MICHELIN-starred dining on both banks of the Danube, with day trips to the Danube Bend and Lake Balaton.Visit the guide 
ships & regions)ULTIMATE Cruises (linesThe world’s cruise lines for every budget, from family resort ships to yachts, expedition ships and river boats, with the cruising regions port by port.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE FormenteraThe white sands of Ses Illetes, the lighthouses of La Mola and Barbaria, the craft markets and an island made for bikes.Visit the guide 
FranceULTIMATE French RivieraNice, Cannes, Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Èze, Menton, Saint-Tropez and Cassis: palace hotels, three-star tables, beach clubs, the Festival de Cannes and the painters’ coast.Visit the guide 
GreeceULTIMATE Greek IslandsIsland hopping made easy: Mykonos, Santorini, Paros, Naxos, Milos and the Cyclades, plus Crete, Rhodes and Corfu, with ferries, beaches, hotels and tavernas.Visit the guide 
FinlandULTIMATE HelsinkiSuomenlinna and the South Harbour, saunas by the sea, Aalto and the Design District, two-starred Palace and day trips to Porvoo and Tallinn.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE IbizaDalt Vila’s UNESCO walls, Es Vedrà, three MICHELIN-starred kitchens, the beach clubs and the quiet north, 30 minutes from Formentera.Visit the guide 
TurkeyULTIMATE IstanbulTwo continents, one city: Hagia Sophia and the bazaars, Bosphorus ferries, meyhanes and rooftop bars, Sinan’s hammams and the car-free Princes’ Islands.Visit the guide 
SloveniaULTIMATE LjubljanaSlovenia’s green, car-free capital of river cafés and Plečnik’s bridges, an hour from Lake Bled, the Julian Alps, the caves and the Adriatic.Visit the guide 
United KingdomULTIMATE LondonRoyal palaces and the Thames, great museums, West End theatre, grand hotels, and the restaurants and bars of Soho, Mayfair and the City.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE MadridThe Prado and El Retiro, the Royal Palace, DiverXO’s three stars and cocido since 1870, with day trips to Toledo and Segovia.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE MallorcaPalma’s cathedral and palace hotels, the UNESCO Tramuntana, Deià and Sóller, nine MICHELIN-starred kitchens, and Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.Visit the guide 
Gozo & CominoULTIMATE MaltaValletta’s knights’ city, temples older than the pyramids, Caravaggio, seven MICHELIN-starred kitchens and the Blue Lagoon.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE MarbellaWhitewashed lanes and orange trees in the Old Town, the yachts of Puerto Banús, beach clubs on the Golden Mile and day trips to Ronda and Gibraltar.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE MenorcaA UNESCO Biosphere Reserve: the coves of Macarella and Turqueta, World Heritage Talayotic sites, Ciutadella and Maó’s great harbour.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE MonacoThe Casino and Monte-Carlo’s palace hotels, the Prince’s Palace on the Rock, superyachts in Port Hercule, Larvotto’s beach clubs and the Grand Prix streets.Visit the guide 
MontenegroULTIMATE PodgoricaMontenegro’s relaxed capital of rivers and café terraces, and the gateway to the Bay of Kotor, Lake Skadar, Cetinje and the mountains.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE Property (prime markets worldwide)Prime neighbourhoods, estate agents, new developments and how buying works, market by market across the ULTIMATE network.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE Rail Journeys (great train journeys worldwide)The story of the train, the great rail journeys of the world and where to book them, from the Orient Express to the Glacier Express.Visit the guide 
Bosnia & HerzegovinaULTIMATE SarajevoWhere East meets West at a line in the pavement: an Ottoman bazaar, Habsburg boulevards, Bosnian coffee and the 1984 Olympic mountains, with Mostar two hours away.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE Ski Resorts (Europe & North America)Ski resorts in Europe and North America, country by country, for every budget: season dates, hotels, mountain restaurants, après, ski schools and getting there.Visit the guide 
North MacedoniaULTIMATE SkopjeA 15th-century stone bridge between a 21st-century square and an Ottoman bazaar, Kenzo Tange’s concrete city, Matka Canyon, and Lake Ohrid three hours away.Visit the guide 
BulgariaULTIMATE SofiaRoman streets beneath the city, golden domes, warm mineral springs and a mountain at the end of the main boulevard.Visit the guide 
AlbaniaULTIMATE TiranaAn Ottoman mosque painted with waterfalls, museums in bunkers, Blloku’s cafés and the Dajti cable car, with Berat, Gjirokastër, the Alps and the Riviera within reach.Visit the guide 
ItalyULTIMATE TuscanyFlorence, Chianti, Siena, the Val d’Orcia, Pisa and Lucca, Versilia, Bolgheri, the Maremma, Arezzo and Elba.Visit the guide 
SpainULTIMATE ValenciaCalatrava’s City of Arts and Sciences, the Gothic Lonja, paella by the sea, Las Fallas and the nine-kilometre Turia Garden.Visit the guide 
AustriaULTIMATE ViennaThe State Opera and the Musikverein, Schönbrunn and Klimt, the coffee houses and Heurigen, and Railjets to Budapest every hour.Visit the guide 
CroatiaULTIMATE ZagrebCroatia’s elegant capital of cafés, museums and markets, and the gateway to Plitvice Lakes, Istria, Dubrovnik and the islands of the Adriatic.Visit the guide North America
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USAULTIMATE CaliforniaSan Francisco, Napa and Sonoma, Big Sur and the Pacific Coast Highway, San Diego, Palm Springs, Lake Tahoe and the national parks.Visit the guide 
USAULTIMATE FloridaOrlando and the theme parks, Palm Beach, Tampa Bay, Sarasota, St. Augustine and Scenic Highway 30A.Visit the guide 
NevadaULTIMATE Las VegasThe Strip and its shows, MICHELIN dining, Sphere and Fremont Street’s neon, with Red Rock Canyon, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon beyond.Visit the guide 
CaliforniaULTIMATE Los AngelesHollywood and the Walk of Fame, Beverly Hills’ grand hotels, the Sunset Strip, the Getty and the beaches from Santa Monica to Malibu.Visit the guide 
FloridaULTIMATE MiamiSouth Beach and the Art Deco district, Wynwood’s murals, the Design District, Little Havana’s cafecito and the beaches of Key Biscayne.Visit the guide 
FloridaULTIMATE NaplesWhite-sand beaches and sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico, Fifth Avenue’s terraces, grand beach resorts and golf, with the Everglades and Marco Island close by.Visit the guide 
New YorkULTIMATE New YorkManhattan’s grand hotels and MICHELIN dining, Broadway and the Met, Fifth Avenue shopping, Central Park and the walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO.Visit the guide 
CaliforniaULTIMATE San FranciscoCable cars over Nob Hill, North Beach cafés, the murals of the Mission, three-star tables and the Golden Gate Bridge.Visit the guide Caribbean
See all Caribbean
Our sister guideULTIMATE The BahamasSeven hundred islands: Nassau and Paradise Island, the Exuma Cays and the swimming pigs, Harbour Island’s pink sand, marinas and island hopping.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE BarbadosThe Platinum West Coast and Sandy Lane, UNESCO-listed Bridgetown, rum where it was born, Friday nights in Oistins and the wild Atlantic east.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE St LuciaThe UNESCO Pitons and Soufrière’s drive-in volcano, Marigot Bay, Rodney Bay and the Gros Islet street party, reefs, rum and cocoa.Visit the guide Asia & Indian Ocean
See all Asia & Indian Ocean
ThailandULTIMATE BangkokThe Grand Palace and Wat Arun on the river, the grand hotels of Charoen Krung, MICHELIN stars from street food to tasting menus, rooftop bars and the Thai islands.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE Hong KongThe harbour from the Peak, the Star Ferry, Cantonese dining rooms with MICHELIN stars, dim sum in the lanes of Central and the museums of West Kowloon.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE MaldivesUndersea restaurants and overwater bars, Hanifaru Bay’s mantas, the whale sharks of South Ari, private islands and the little capital, Malé.Visit the guide 
IndiaULTIMATE MumbaiThe Taj and the Gateway of India, Marine Drive’s Queen’s Necklace, three UNESCO sites, modern Indian restaurants and day trips to Elephanta and the Ghats.Visit the guide 
ChinaULTIMATE ShanghaiThe grand hotels of the Bund facing the towers of Pudong, every MICHELIN star, Yu Garden, the two Shanghai Museums and day trips to Suzhou and Hangzhou.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE SingaporeMarina Bay and Raffles, three restaurants with three MICHELIN Stars, the hawker centres, and the Botanic Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE Sri LankaColombo, the ramparts of Galle Fort, the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, the tea country by train, Sigiriya and leopards in Yala.Visit the guide 
Our sister guideULTIMATE Thai IslandsWinter sun on two seas: Phuket, Krabi and Railay, Phi Phi and Koh Lanta on the Andaman, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao in the Gulf.Visit the guide Middle East
See all Middle East
Coming soon: Brighton, England