It’s no secret that we love the Balkans. Ever since our first visits to this magnificent region back in 2014, we’ve been captivated – by the people, by the landscapes, by the food and, yes, by the spectacular buildings and architecture.
The Balkans are an absolute masterclass in architectural whiplash. One hour you’re following a Roman road through an Ottoman doorway, the next you’re staring up at a Brutalist dreamscape. It’s quite the combination.
Here’s our personal shortlist of the buildings in the Balkans that have caught our eyes over the years. Some of them are icons of the region, others might be a little more surprising. For each place, we’ve added why it stole our hearts – and how to see it for yourselves.
1) The National Library of Kosovo, Pristina (Biblioteka Kombëtare e Kosovës)
Part beehive, part spaceship, part chain-mail cathedral – the National Library of Kosovo is the country’s most gloriously eccentric building. A swarm of white domes (99 to be precise) rises from a cubic shell wrapped in a bizarre metal lattice. Step inside and the light streams through softly; it’s unexpectedly serene.
Why we love it
Because it’s bold – this isn’t a normal library. Architect Andrija Mutnjaković created a building that refuses tidy labels, and somehow it works. Inside feels completely different to the exterior shell, with sun-dappled reading rooms, quiet study corners, and even a grand piano in the middle of the bright, grand atrium. It’s a wonderful contrast to the eye-catching exterior.
How to visit it
The National Library of Kosovo is a simple 10-minute walk from Skanderbeg Square. Head towards the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa, and you can’t miss the library across the road (no, seriously, you can’t miss it).
For the best views and photo spots for the library, we recommend heading up the tower of the cathedral. If you’d like to head inside the library, it’s usually open to the public during standard working hours and is free to visit.
2) Prizren Fortress, Kosovo
Above the Ottoman rooftops and slender minarets of Prizren’s old town sits a hilltop fort that has watched empires come and go. The hike up is short but steep, and the payoff is huge. Expect fantastic views of the Bistrica River and Sinan Pasha Mosque below, and the Sharr Mountains stepping away to the south.
Why it’s one of our favourite buildings in the Balkans
We associate Prizren Fortress with some of our favourite trips. Having slogged up there on our first-ever trip to Kosovo on a boiling hot day, we stopped to chat to a kind man who offered us water to cool down. Nearly ten years later, we returned, admiring some of the renovation works that had taken place since our previous visit.
Aside from the sentimental value, the approach – cobblestones, fig trees, children racing each other to the top – reminds you that the journey to a great viewpoint is sometimes just as rewarding.
How to visit it
From Shadervan Square, follow signs uphill (15-30 minutes – allow the maximum time during the summer heat). Summer can indeed be furnace-like: we recommend going early or for sunset. Bring water, and wear shoes with grip. The fortress is quite exposed, so bring a wind or rain layer during the off-season.
3) The Patriarchate of Peć, Peja/Peć, Kosovo
In Peja, on the edge of Kosovo’s Rugova Mountains, stands the Patriarchate of Peć. Here, you step off a loud, dusty road and into a walled sanctuary of green: lawns, bees, and the dark red walls of a 13th-century Serbian Orthodox monastery complex nestled where the Rugova Gorge begins. Inside, the ornate frescoes are intimate and intriguing – saints painted in blues and gold leaf.
Why we love it
It’s a fascinating place – a working spiritual home first and a tourist attraction second. Expect to see the small community of nuns quietly going about their daily tasks. The quiet, the courtyard and the rhythm of daily monastic life all make for a peaceful retreat from the noise of the city.
How to visit it
The Patriarchate of Peć is a short taxi ride or a 25-minute walk from central Peja. Given the political sensitivities, you will need to show your passport to the police stationed at the entrance (previously, you would need to hand your passport over to the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping forces, but this is no longer the case).
Modest dress is essential.
4) Tirana Pyramid, Tirana, Albania
Once a monument to Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha, the Pyramid of Tirana spent years as a graffiti-splashed ruin before being reborn as a public cultural hub. Think terraces, learning labs, cafes and exterior steps you can climb for city views. Imagine a Cold War relic given a hopeful, future-thinking makeover.
Why it’s one of the best Balkans buildings
The Pyramid is a striking symbol of Albania’s rebirth and future ambitions. The city kept the shell, ditched the baggage and handed the space back to the people. There was a fantastic buzz around it when we were last in Tirana.
How to visit it
Walk for 10-15 minutes from Skanderbeg Square via the Lana river path. Climb the out steps (grippy shoes will help in poor weather), then linger at the ground-level cafes – we recommend Papa’s Caffe. Combine with a stroll to the Blloku neighbourhood for dinner.
5) “Dragon Tower”, Dubrovnik, Croatia (Minčeta Tower on the City Walls)
Game of Thrones fans will recognise Minčeta’s round keep from the fantasy series (the exterior stood in for the House of the Undying). When we visited in 2014 and 2015, GoT was at the peak of its popularity, and the locations were instantly recognisable. For those unfamiliar with the show, it’s simply the highest and mightiest point on Dubrovnik’s City Walls – limestone curves, arrow slits and stunning views across the Adriatic.
Why we love it
Dubrovnik’s City Walls are a 2km masterclass in fortification, and Minčeta is a highlight of any visit. The entry ticket may have ballooned in price in recent years, but it’s still worth it – the views of the Old Town simply cannot be beaten.
How to visit it
Buy your ticket, enter the walls near Pile Gate and walk anti-clockwise to save Minčeta for the finale. If you can, make sure to go early or late to avoid the cruise ship crowds and to get the best light for photos. If you’re visiting during summer, be sure to bring water – there’s little shade and a lot of steps.
6) Avaz Twist Tower, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
One of the less predictable buildings on our list, the Avaz Twist Tower is 176 meters of glassy optimism on Sarajevo’s skyline, featuring a vertigo-inducing cafe and a wraparound observation deck near the top.
Why it’s one of our favourite buildings in the Balkans
Firstly, the views. From the cafe and observation deck, Sarajevo unfolds beneath you – minarets, Austro-Hungarian buildings, socialist blocks and the many, many mountains that wrap around the city.
Secondly, it’s just a few minutes away from Sarajevo’s train and bus stations, which makes it a favourite comfort stop before or after an intercity journey – as we did on our recent trip to Banja Luka from Sarajevo.
How to visit it
From Sarajevo’s old town, the quickest way is to take a tram or taxi. However, if you’re not in a hurry and it’s a pleasant day, the walk is an interesting alternative – allow 45 minutes to an hour. Once at the Avaz Twist Tower, take the lift to the 35th floor and choose between a drink in the cafe or the stairs to the open observation deck.
7) The Makedonium (Ilinden Monument), Kruševo, North Macedonia
In a small town in the mountains of North Macedonia stands a white, bulbous spomenik (memorial) that looks beamed in from some benevolent galaxy. Built to commemorate the Ilinden Uprising and the short-lived Kruševo Republic, the Makedonium is both sculpture and space – striking from the outside and oddly soothing inside, where coloured glass portholes spray a kaleidoscope of light across the floor.
Why we love it
It’s one of the main reasons we made the detour to Kruševo on our last trip to North Macedonia, and it’s every bit as brilliant in reality as it is in pictures. We visited on consecutive days – once near sunset, and the second with a brilliant guide who spent the best part of an hour telling us the story behind the spomenik.
How to visit it
Kruševo is a winding mountain drive from the popular cities of Bitola or Skopje. We visited by bus from Bitola before journeying onwards to Prilep. The Makedonium itself sits in a part above the town – it’s free to wander outside, and entry hours to view the interior vary seasonally.
8) Skopje Central Post Office, Skopje, North Macedonia
Another less-traditional choice, Skopje’s Central Post Office is a Brutalist masterpiece rising from the Vardar riverbank. It’s utterly mesmerising, both from a distance – Skopje Fortress offers great views – and up close.
Why it’s one of our top Balkans buildings
Because it’s audacious and oddly beautiful – proof that concrete can curve and captivate. Wander around the outside and you’ll understand just why architects make pilgrimages here.
How to visit it
Cross the Stone Bridge from Skopje’s Old Bazaar and follow the river west. The Post Office complex is in use, so be sure to admire respectfully without getting in the way of a working day.
9) The Church of St John at Kaneo, Ohrid, North Macedonia
Almost the polar opposite of Skopje’s Post Office, St John at Kaneo is the poster child of North Macedonia’s tourism industry. Perched on a cliff over the glassy waters of Lake Ohrid, the site offers a compelling blend of Byzantine brickwork, cypress trees and epic views.
Why we love it
Because the setting is absurdly cinematic, and yet the scale of the church itself is relatively humble. It’s at its best around sunset, and is probably the best sunrise spot in Ohrid too – sit on the path overlooking the scene and soak it all in.
How to visit it
From Ohrid’s Old Town, follow the lakeside boardwalk to Kaneo (15-20 minutes) and then take the path up to the church, which you’ll see perched on the cliff above you.
10) Bled Island and the Church of the Assumption, Slovenia
A bell tower on an island, a picture-perfect lake encircled by forested mountains, and a castle on a cliff for good measure? This is like something out of a fairytale come to life.
Why it’s a favourite Balkans building
Not for its originality – Bled is perhaps the most famous and most photographed lake in the Balkans – but for the feel. The slow approach by the traditional pletna boat, the sound of bells echoing around the lake at dusk, the panoramas from the nearby Mala Osojnica viewpoint – a special place for us.
How to visit it
From Bled town, hire a pletna (traditional wooden boat) to visit the island itself. Go early to dodge the crowds. Alternatively, take your time exploring the paths around Lake Bled, from which you will quickly find your favourite angles of the island.
11) Stari Most (Old Bridge), Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
A single stone arc over the emerald waters of the Neretva, painstakingly rebuilt from original blocks after its infamous destruction during the conflict in the 1990s. Stari Most is a bridge, yes, but it’s also the ultimate symbol of defiance and healing – the jewel in the crown of the Herzegovina region.
Why we love it
Because few structures can explain a city so completely. Stari Most has everything – Ottoman craft, wartime loss, and a story of renewal. That’s not to mention the famous divers who brave the leap from the bridge into the freezing Neretva!
How to visit it
Mostar is increasingly popular with day trippers from Croatia and, as a result, can get very busy. Therefore, mornings and late evenings are quietest – the last time we visited, 9am was absolutely fine to enjoy the bridge without the crowds. For the classic view, head up the minaret of the Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque – but be warned, it’s not for those with a fear of heights!
In peak season, watch the bridge divers train and leap – needless to say, do not attempt it yourself.
A few practical thoughts on visiting our favourite Balkans buildings
Best season to visit: The best time to visit most, if not all, of these buildings is in spring or autumn, when temperatures are kinder and the low sun gives the best light for photos.
Footwear: Old towns mean cobbles, spomeniks mean steps and rural paths, and walls mean stone – bring shoes with grip.
Respect: Many sites are working religious spaces or memorials. For religious sites in particular, dress modestly and be respectful when taking pictures or videos.