Western Balkans, International Travel Maps

The region stretching from Trieste to Sophia that used to be known as Yugoslavia is now called the Western Balkans, consisting of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, and parts of Albania, Hungary, and Bulgaria. Slovenia and Croatia are now part of the EU, and the other countries are aspiring to join. As a result, the region is becoming a popular touristic destination, easy to reach from Italy or Austria. Side 1 fronts on to the Adriatic Sea, showing the many ferry routes to Italy, the coastal motorway to Greece, and cities such as Ljubljana, Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik. Side 2 concentrates on the mountainous interior, essentially from Lake Balaton south to the Greek border and Thessalonica. This is a developing part of Europe, with names like Belgrade, Sarajevo, Pristina, Podgorica, Tirane, and Skopje, that are exotic and different, and therefore exciting to visit. It also includes several new national parks as the region gears up for an influx of tourists.