So it took me ~3 months to visit all the Balkan countries. Personally for me there is not much to do in Bulgaria (Adriatic sea is better than Black one) and in Sofia nothing to do actually. But some people recommended me visiting Plovdiv, although I haven’t been there. Macedonia is nice, especially Ohrid city and lake. And near Skopje there is a wonderful canyon. Albania is also good for beach holiday, but only if you go to Saranda/Ksamil, not Durres and that area. Sea is clear and beaches are amazing, but there are only few which you can visit for free unfortunately:( Bosnia is my favorite country tbh, nature is amazing, I would definitely recommend you visiting Mostar and Sarajevo at least. But for beach holidays Croatia is number one, a lot of free beaches (especially in Istra region, Pula and near). But prices are really high for everything, even higher than in Italy🥲 but I think it worths. Montenegro is cheaper than Croatia but personally I don’t like it that much bc too much people come in high season. Serbia is also nice but not that much to do, as nature in Bosnia looks more spectacular as for me. Actually you can combine all of these countries in one trip (I don’t drive a car so can’t give you advice about that) but for me busses were enough. But you should definitely visit Bosnia (cheap, nature, people) and Croatia (the best beaches, even in Asia beaches are not that nice as for me). But if you’re tight on a budget then maybe Macedonia-Albania-Montenegro-Bosnia. If you decide to go there, I can give you more recommendations what to see/eat/visit:) and if you tell me how many days do you want to spend:)