I’m not going to comment on the women part because that’s just a bit too creepy sex tourist for my tastes, but I will give another vote for Sarajevo. It is a great city to be in.

We’re finishing 1 month in #Belgrade and it’s great ! People are cool and speak english, cool cafés everywhere, great weather… We’re staying in Dorcol area and there are 4 or 5 nice cafés, a japanese bar and a nice restaurant within 2 blocks. For the party people it seems excellent too (floating bars and clubs, bars everywhere, many with gardens…)

Ljubljana is small but cute and a bit hype-ish I would try Kamnik next time…

Do you ever feel like a mute in any of these countries / cities in Eastern Europe not speaking the language?

@asin.sam - Ljubljana isn’t as “cosmopolitan” or “international” as cities such as Prague or Budapest (or even possibly Split even though I’ve never been there). I don’t mean that in any sort of negative sense, it is just that I am struggling to find a better word to describe it. So they are a lot less opportunities to interact with the opposite gender in a “dateable”(? - one again struggling for a better word) setting - a lot less trendy bars or coffee shops where the young crowd hangs out, a lot less social groups or activities or meetups that you can join in on weekends and meet people. You are more likely to find yourself at dinner at some family’s house on a Saturday evening rather than at a bar with friends.

As for the friendliness of Slovenes, I think you’ll find that most non touristy cities are generally friendly in general since they don’t suffer from “tourist fatigue” which is lots of tourists trying to chat them up in hopes of getting an “authentic local experience”. Slovenes just step it up a notch to be a friendliest of all them. Not sure why, guess it’s something in their culture that dictates they must be good hosts. :).

Btw guys please log this in your brains and set a reminder for next year: Edinburgh in August for the Fringe Festival is the best place on Earth, bar none. Actually it may be my favorite city year-round, but during the festival there’s no contest!

Hey @asin.sam

I’ve travelled to Prague. Budapest and Slovenia for a week each (Ljubljana for a day). While not ideal, I’ll throw in my experiences as they might be helpful.

Prague is a really touristy city - I’m sure Old Town is full of tourists even in winter! But the rest of the city feels nice - very youthful (I guess the older people stay outside the city and commute), very walkable with its subway system and people seemed friendly for a touristy city. A lot of expats seem to prefer Brno though, which is similar to Prague but minus the tourists.

Budapest also gets lots of tourists but it’s bigger and its attraction aren’t all at one place so it doesn’t feel that touristic. It’s a much more older crowd compared to Prague and I felt that people there were much more ruder to outsiders especially if you can’t speak the local language but it seems to have a thriving expat community (I guess because it is so cheap).

Ljubljana is actually a very small city and if you’re used to big cities and nightlife - it can feel like a small town to you. Probably much more harder to find your future bride in Ljubljana compared to Prague and Budapest. The main advantage of Ljubljana I would say are access to so many beautiful lakes and mountains within Slovenia as well as beaches in Italy and Croatia. And Slovenes are hands down the most friendliest people in Europe

Hey sorry I should have read your query more closely when I replied. For future brides, imo the girls in Split and Belgrade are knockouts. Less so in Bosnia, but that’s a matter of personal taste. Any of those three towns are very walkable. The nice thing about Bosnia and Serbia is a cab costs almost nothing. I really like cheap places - not because I’m frugal, but because I like to live like a sultan whenever I can lol. I was in Split for the high season and while Ultra was going on, so it was pretty wild, but I imagine the coast dies down in the off season. In Belgrade everybody lives with their parents, so young people get out as much as they can.

Hi asin.sam, I was recently in the Balkans for about a month. The Croatian coast is gorgeous but relatively pricey and touristy in high season. Split and Hvar are great, but for something a little cheaper and less touristy you might try Zadar. I’ve never been to Zagreb or Slovenia (the latter is in the schengen area and I’m rationing my remaining visa days until they reset). Sarajevo was a surprise! It’s incredibly cheap and drop dead gorgeous, nestled in beautiful green hills. It felt like Switzerland. It has a weird mix of Turkish and Austrian architecture, and for not much money you could live large downtown in a beautiful Austrian apartment with high ceilings. In general I think the food in the Balkans isn’t great, though they’re certainly proud of it. The people are warm and friendly. Memory of the war hangs in the air (and pock-marks the buildings), but everyone I spoke to was quick to say that they hold no grudges. Bosniac culture was explained to me with this joke: “You say to a Bosniac: want some alcohol? They say ‘sure.’ Want some pills? ‘Sure.’ Women? ‘Sure.’ Want some pork? ‘No thank you, I’m Muslim.’” If you want a night life, Sarajevo is decent for its size, but its highlights are really the low cost of living, incredible views, rich history, and hiking. If you are a party animal or want a bigger city with a view of the water, then Belgrade is your place - though it’s not as cheap as Sarajevo.

I’ve been to Split and Ljubljana for longish stretches and Zagreb for a day. Split feels very hip to me. I was there in the winter and it still felt very bustling (but in a good way, not an overcrowded way). The culture is very conservative and Catholic, but everyone’s very extremely friendly. Plenty of young people around and some good hip bars in the center to go to. I met a few great people on Couchsurfing.org, which seems to have a healthy community there. Very walkable/ferryable/busable. I loved the fresh markets and how cheap everything was. Loved the warmish weather even in Nov/Dec. Really liked the laid back vibe of the people.

Ljubljana feels less beachy and more put-together. It’s also a bit more cost-wise (though not expensive by any stretch of the imagination). Very touristy in the summertime and felt like a diverse mix of ages. There are some great burger joints along the river that seem to attract a young crowd. And everyone speaks English, which makes it way easy to get around if you don’t speak Slovenian (which most of us don’t, I assume). Food festivals in the summer are epic (burgers and beers = yes, please). Friendliness is over-the-top (sometimes too much, honestly, when you just want some introvert time). And the city is perfectly walkable due to both its layout and small size.

Zagreb also felt walkable, though I wasn’t there long. The main strip wasn’t as lively as I expected in the evening, but I could have been there on an off time.

I’m not going to comment on the women part because that’s just a bit too creepy sex tourist for my tastes, but I will give another vote for Sarajevo. It is a great city to be in.

We’re finishing 1 month in #Belgrade and it’s great ! People are cool and speak english, cool cafés everywhere, great weather… We’re staying in Dorcol area and there are 4 or 5 nice cafés, a japanese bar and a nice restaurant within 2 blocks. For the party people it seems excellent too (floating bars and clubs, bars everywhere, many with gardens…)

Ljubljana is small but cute and a bit hype-ish I would try Kamnik next time…

Do you ever feel like a mute in any of these countries / cities in Eastern Europe not speaking the language?

@asin.sam - Ljubljana isn’t as “cosmopolitan” or “international” as cities such as Prague or Budapest (or even possibly Split even though I’ve never been there). I don’t mean that in any sort of negative sense, it is just that I am struggling to find a better word to describe it. So they are a lot less opportunities to interact with the opposite gender in a “dateable”(? - one again struggling for a better word) setting - a lot less trendy bars or coffee shops where the young crowd hangs out, a lot less social groups or activities or meetups that you can join in on weekends and meet people. You are more likely to find yourself at dinner at some family’s house on a Saturday evening rather than at a bar with friends.

As for the friendliness of Slovenes, I think you’ll find that most non touristy cities are generally friendly in general since they don’t suffer from “tourist fatigue” which is lots of tourists trying to chat them up in hopes of getting an “authentic local experience”. Slovenes just step it up a notch to be a friendliest of all them. Not sure why, guess it’s something in their culture that dictates they must be good hosts. :).

Btw guys please log this in your brains and set a reminder for next year: Edinburgh in August for the Fringe Festival is the best place on Earth, bar none. Actually it may be my favorite city year-round, but during the festival there’s no contest!

Hey @asin.sam

I’ve travelled to Prague. Budapest and Slovenia for a week each (Ljubljana for a day). While not ideal, I’ll throw in my experiences as they might be helpful.

Prague is a really touristy city - I’m sure Old Town is full of tourists even in winter! But the rest of the city feels nice - very youthful (I guess the older people stay outside the city and commute), very walkable with its subway system and people seemed friendly for a touristy city. A lot of expats seem to prefer Brno though, which is similar to Prague but minus the tourists.

Budapest also gets lots of tourists but it’s bigger and its attraction aren’t all at one place so it doesn’t feel that touristic. It’s a much more older crowd compared to Prague and I felt that people there were much more ruder to outsiders especially if you can’t speak the local language but it seems to have a thriving expat community (I guess because it is so cheap).

Ljubljana is actually a very small city and if you’re used to big cities and nightlife - it can feel like a small town to you. Probably much more harder to find your future bride in Ljubljana compared to Prague and Budapest. The main advantage of Ljubljana I would say are access to so many beautiful lakes and mountains within Slovenia as well as beaches in Italy and Croatia. And Slovenes are hands down the most friendliest people in Europe

Hey sorry I should have read your query more closely when I replied. For future brides, imo the girls in Split and Belgrade are knockouts. Less so in Bosnia, but that’s a matter of personal taste. Any of those three towns are very walkable. The nice thing about Bosnia and Serbia is a cab costs almost nothing. I really like cheap places - not because I’m frugal, but because I like to live like a sultan whenever I can lol. I was in Split for the high season and while Ultra was going on, so it was pretty wild, but I imagine the coast dies down in the off season. In Belgrade everybody lives with their parents, so young people get out as much as they can.

Hi asin.sam, I was recently in the Balkans for about a month. The Croatian coast is gorgeous but relatively pricey and touristy in high season. Split and Hvar are great, but for something a little cheaper and less touristy you might try Zadar. I’ve never been to Zagreb or Slovenia (the latter is in the schengen area and I’m rationing my remaining visa days until they reset). Sarajevo was a surprise! It’s incredibly cheap and drop dead gorgeous, nestled in beautiful green hills. It felt like Switzerland. It has a weird mix of Turkish and Austrian architecture, and for not much money you could live large downtown in a beautiful Austrian apartment with high ceilings. In general I think the food in the Balkans isn’t great, though they’re certainly proud of it. The people are warm and friendly. Memory of the war hangs in the air (and pock-marks the buildings), but everyone I spoke to was quick to say that they hold no grudges. Bosniac culture was explained to me with this joke: “You say to a Bosniac: want some alcohol? They say ‘sure.’ Want some pills? ‘Sure.’ Women? ‘Sure.’ Want some pork? ‘No thank you, I’m Muslim.’” If you want a night life, Sarajevo is decent for its size, but its highlights are really the low cost of living, incredible views, rich history, and hiking. If you are a party animal or want a bigger city with a view of the water, then Belgrade is your place - though it’s not as cheap as Sarajevo.

I’ve been to Split and Ljubljana for longish stretches and Zagreb for a day. Split feels very hip to me. I was there in the winter and it still felt very bustling (but in a good way, not an overcrowded way). The culture is very conservative and Catholic, but everyone’s very extremely friendly. Plenty of young people around and some good hip bars in the center to go to. I met a few great people on Couchsurfing.org, which seems to have a healthy community there. Very walkable/ferryable/busable. I loved the fresh markets and how cheap everything was. Loved the warmish weather even in Nov/Dec. Really liked the laid back vibe of the people.

Ljubljana feels less beachy and more put-together. It’s also a bit more cost-wise (though not expensive by any stretch of the imagination). Very touristy in the summertime and felt like a diverse mix of ages. There are some great burger joints along the river that seem to attract a young crowd. And everyone speaks English, which makes it way easy to get around if you don’t speak Slovenian (which most of us don’t, I assume). Food festivals in the summer are epic (burgers and beers = yes, please). Friendliness is over-the-top (sometimes too much, honestly, when you just want some introvert time). And the city is perfectly walkable due to both its layout and small size.

Zagreb also felt walkable, though I wasn’t there long. The main strip wasn’t as lively as I expected in the evening, but I could have been there on an off time.

Nice! Sounds like a win. Hope you have a good couple months!

I don’t mind you asking! Airbnb is getting pretty expensive, especially compared to local rents, and especially as a Brit earning £ and spending mostly €!

But I got a gem. It’s a 1-bed flat in a tower block in Maribor, separate bedroom, lounge with huge desk & super-fast broadband, kitchen, bathroom & balcony. 11th floor with amazing views. And it’s 50% off if you stay a month so it worked out as c.£550 monthly, which I’m happy to pay. It’s a chilled city, just what I need after a busy month at a music festival and travel blogging conference. Space to work (and a free coworking spot nearby if I want a change of scene) and lots of green spaces to walk and chill out in. Pretty happy with my lot

Hey out of interest what kind of place did you find on Airbnb, and for what approx price range, if you don’t mind me asking? When I looked at Slovenia on there a while ago (around a year, which I guess is ages for something as quickly-growing as Airbnb), the coverage was pretty thin and the sticker prices pretty crazy.