Some Top 5s from the Balkans

I am on my way back to Kyiv, but I have had some time to reflect on the last two weeks' travels, and I have decided to summarize them into two top 5 lists. Of course, this isn't interesting at sifting through each place with its pros and cons, but this provides a neat package for anyone thinking of going to the Balkans anytime soon. Suffice it say, not everyone thinks traveling to former war-zones and areas of mass genocide is as interesting as I do. For those folks, the second list is what you are looking for.

Top 5 Places to See Before You Die*

1) Sarajevo, Bosnia/Hercegovina
2) Tirana, Albania
3) Pristina, Kosovo
4) Dubrovnik, Croatia
5) Coastal Montenegro


Top 5 Cities to Visit When You Are Craving the West and Stuck in Ukraine**

1) Ljubljana, Slovenia
2) Zagreb, Croatia,
3) Bucharest, Romania
4) Sofia, Bulgaria
5) Belgrade, Serbia


* these are primarily places that are culturally, architecturally/geographically interesting, but not necessarily full of Western conveniences
** these are primarily places that have Western conveniences (5 star hotels, shopping, cafes), but don't necessarily have a lot of culturally interesting attractions