British Airways flies from London to Albania

British Airways has begun flying three times a week from Gatwick to Tirana, until now one of the few European capitals with no direct link to London. A quick look at their website suggests that many flights in June are available for GBP100 one way including taxes - not exactly Ryanair pricing, but not outrageous for a niche destination. Flights currently operate on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Railway revival in Kosovo and Macedonia

After a six-year break, Skopje and Pristina are once again linked by a passenger rail service. According to a report in the Southeast European Times, there will be two daily services in each direction.

A new image for Bosnian Tourism

The Tourist Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina has recently overhauled its website. As well as a significant improvement in the information available, there is another sign of progress: for the first time information about destinations in Republika Srpska is included. The site has a good mix of attractive photos and practical information, and is well worth a look if you are thinking of visiting BiH.

Lonely Planet publishes Western Balkans Guide

The Western Balkans (the former Yugoslavia plus Albania) has received rather patchy coverage from guidebooks. The rapid assimiliation of Croatia and Slovenia into the tourist mainstream has been accompanied by the publication of a wide variety of guides, but the other states in the region have had to be content with brief chapters in larger guides, plus the pioneering but uneven Bradt Guides to individual countries.

Lonely Planet's new Western Balkans guide aims to fill in some of the gaps. It will be convenient for people visiting several countries in the region, but for several of those countries the material is not a huge improvement on the existing Eastern Europe guide. See the Books page for more.

An Introduction to the Balkanology Blog

It seems like everyone who has a web site these days feels the need to have a blog as well. I was always a sucker for peer pressure, so I am no exception. I will be using this blog to keep you informed of additions to Balkanology. I'll also mention items of travel news relevant to the Balkans as they come to my attention.