Serbia is right in the heart of the Balkans, but sadly it is not on the radar for most climbers and tourists. For example, Spain receives around 120 times more tourists per year than Serbia. Those who make the effort to go will be rewarded with stunning mountains, rivers and serene forests that can be enjoyed in solitude. For climbers, there are already several great crags to choose from, but like most of the Balkans there is the potential for much more development in the future.
Although Slovakia borders some frequently visited countries like Austria, relatively few people visit for tourism. Anybody that does visit Slovakia will be pleasantly surprised as the country has lots of beautiful nature, impressive medieval castles and many interesting places to visit. For climbing, Slovakia has several well established and good quality venues and surely much more areas that haven’t been developed yet.
Slovenia is a relatively small country, but it packs in an incredible amount of beautiful natural spaces for its size. A climber will have a choice of long mountain routes, abundant sport climbs and bouldering. Slovenian climbers are known for being very good and have made an incredible mark on the competition scene. The routes are of a similarly high standard and there aren’t any soft grades here. The country has lots of outdoor activities other than climbing and Slovenian people have a great love of the outdoors.
Frankenjura is a well known climbing destination, although perhaps it is less popular now than areas like Kalymnos or El Chorro. The routes are old school, often being sportingly graded and sportingly bolted. Needless to say any route you climb near your limit, you will feel you’ve earned. Don’t be discouraged by this, endless amounts of quality rock make Frankenjura a really special place.
Bulgaria might not be the first place that springs to mind when you think of a climbing trip abroad. However, anyone that visits is bound to be impressed by the quality and quantity of climbing the country has to offer. Bulgaria has a great landscape for climbing and mountaineering, as well as a strong scene of dedicated local climbers. Aside from climbing, there are lots of interesting and beautiful places to visit and enjoy.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a beautiful country, with relatively few tourists compared to nearby Croatia. Sadly, when some people think about Bosnia and Herzegovina, the war is what comes to mind. What most people don’t think about is gorgeous mountains, crags and crystal clear rivers. So we don’t want to talk about the war, which so many already know of, we want to talk about all the great things on offer for climbers and tourists today.
POST UPDATED 2026
Albania is a beautiful country, often overlooked and underestimated. The landscape has everything from dramatic mountains to white sandy beaches. In recent years, Albania has seen more and more climbing development and many excellent new routes have gone up. The number of climbers visiting has been steadily increasing as word gets out about the quality of the climbing on offer. There are many stunning cliffs across the country, and as well as a lot of climbing to choose from currently, there is also the potential for a lot more. Albania also has a lot to offer aside from climbing, the country has a fascinating history and rich culture, there is a lot to love about Albania. We have now visited Albania a few times, this post is an amalgamation of our different trips, with some new crags and lots of updates from our most recent visit in 2026.
POST UPDATED 2026
Montenegro is a small country, the 38th smallest in Europe, in fact. However, despite its small size, it has a huge amount of natural beauty and variety. From the stunning coastline to the inspiring high peaks of Durmitor and many, many canyons filled with beautiful cliffs, perfect for sport climbing! The rock quality is generally really good, and in recent years there has been more and more development of climbing areas and the bolting of many new routes. We first visited Montenegro around 5 years ago, and had a great trip, and we really enjoyed the climbing. We have since returned again in 2026, and had an even better trip! The quality and quantity of new routes was amazing and clearly Montenegrin climbing is going from strength to strength. We thought the climbing was excellent and we were so glad we were able to return for another trip, and we would go back for a third time in a heartbeat!
If you haven’t read part one yet, which is all about the fantastic climbing on offer in Turkey, you can read it here.
This article is going to be about the culture, activities and traditions you can enjoy whilst you’re taking a rest from climbing. Much like the climbing on our trip, this will focus mainly on the Antalya area. However, there are places we visited further a field, all of which are worth the journey.
Climbing in Turkey revolves around Antalya. When climbers think of Antalya, one name springs to mind: Geyikbayiri. To most climbers this is what puts Turkey on the climbing map. This is the hub of climbing in the country, with the highest concentration of routes and easy access. However, not exploring Turkey’s other offerings would be a mistake. Çitdibi and Olympos are both fantastic places to climb, easily done in a day trip from Geyikbayiri. There are also other areas spread throughout the country, such as Datça, Izmir and Bafa Gölü. We spent three months climbing, mostly based in Geyikbayiri and this will be the main focus of this article. Part 1 will concentrate purely on the climbing and crags, while part 2 will focus on culture, history and rest day activities.
The Crag Journal 