If you are reading this, I suppose by now you have decided to take the most awesome trip of your life. However, if you are still confused and looking for reasons to visit Balkans you can read this.
Best Time to visit Balkans :
Well, I believe the best season to visit any place is the shoulder season i.e., just before or after the peak season. Prices are more affordable and there are fewer crowds. Hence, the best months are April, May, and September. We visited in early April.
Is it safe to do a Road Trip?
I get asked this a lot and my answer is, of course, it is safe. Croatia, Slovenia, and Montenegro are more touristy countries but countries like Albania and Macedonia are also safe to travel except people might pass few stares or wonder where are you from as they might not receive many tourists from India but they are inquisitive and welcoming.
Number of countries to include & VISA :
It really depends on how much time and resources you have. You can literally spend 3-4 months without getting bored. We did around 6 countries (Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia) in a span of 3 weeks. You can include Slovenia and Serbia as well if you have time. For a non-EU passport, you can easily travel with a single Schengen visa rather than applying for separate visas, the condition being you enter a Schengen country first. Hence, we started our trip from Greece.
Car Rental & Border Crossing :
When hiring a car make sure to hire a car from a country that allows you to drive it in your destination countries. For example, you might not be allowed to enter Kosovo with a Serbian car. We hired a car from Albania for two reasons. Firstly, the rates were cheaper and secondly, we could enter every country in our itinerary without hassle.
Car rental: We got it from Surprise car rental & it costed around 150 Euros for 15 days.
Brief Itinerary:
Day 1: Fly from Delhi & Land in Athens. Sleep in Athens
Day 2: Early morning transfer to Mykonos via ferry
Day 3 - 4: Explore Mykonos
Day 5: Evening transfer to Athens via ferry. Sleep in Athens
Day 6: Explore Acropolis, Parthenon, Ancient Agora, Monastiraki Square and have dinner at the Plaka neighborhood.
Day 7: Hike to Lycabettus hills and spend the rest of the day leisurely shopping & binging on Greek food. Transfer by Bus to Tirana, Albania at night.
Day 8: Reach Tirana early morning & rent a car.
Day 9: Explore Tirana & Sleep in Tirana
Day 10: Drive to Shkoder. Visit Rozafa castle. Sleep in Shkoder.
Day 11: Drive to Budva. Sleep in Budva
Day 12: Enjoy Budva beaches & Sveti Stefan
Day 13: Drive to Kotor. Explore Kotor Bay & Kotor Old Town. Sleep in Kotor.
Day 14: Day trip to Mount Lovchen & Perast. Sleep in Kotor
Day 15: Drive to Dubrovnik, Croatia. Sleep in Dubrovnik.
Day 16: Take the cable car or hike up Mt. Srd for beautiful views of Dubrovnik. Explore Dubrovnik Old Town. You can also take Game of Thrones tour here. Sleep in Dubrovnik
Day 17: Drive to Split. Explore Old Town, Diocletian castle. Sleep in Split.
Day 18: Day tour to Hvar via ferry. Can also explore blue caves. Sleep in Split.
Day 19: Drive ṭo Rastoke waterfalls and Sleep in Rastoke.
Day 20: Early morning explore Plitvice National Park. Drive to Mostar. Sleep in Mostar.
Day 21: Explore Mostar Old Town & Mostar bridge. Sleep in Mostar.
Day 22: Explore Kravice waterfalls & Blagaj & Drive to Ohrid
Day 23: Explore Lake Ohrid, Museum & Churches. Sleep in Ohrid, Macedonia.
Day 24: Early morning leave for Tirana, Albania. Return Car and take a bus to Athens.
Day 25: Fly back to India
While there is so much to see in Balkans and you might be tempted every now and then to do just one more country, always remember to plan the idea is to soak in the beauty around rather than just rushing for the country count. You can plan for 4-5 countries in 3 weeks without rushing.
How to reach: You can either take a bus from Athens or hire a car. We took a bus till Tirana where we rented the car as it is cheaper this way. It takes approximately 12 hours to reach Tirana. Bus leaves at 8 p.m from Athens.
Day 1/2 - Irrespective of where you are flying from, you will be landing in Athens if you are covering Greece. You can either choose to explore Athens or leave for one of the Ionian islands directly. We chose to visit Mykonos as it is not yet crowded around this time.
How to reach: You can either fly with one of the local airlines like Aegean airlines or take a ferry from Piraeus port. We took a ferry for two reasons. Firstly it is cheap and secondly, also importantly there is no limit on the baggage. Most ferries leave early morning around 6:30 a.m or 7 a.m.
Preferred partners & cost: Blue Star Ferries (Round trip cost is approx Eur 70)
Day 2,3,4 -We spent most of our time lazing by the pool and at the beach. The best way to explore Mykonos is on a bike. You can wander through the streets of Mykonos town where all houses are painted in different shades of blue and white and gives you a perfect opportunity to click loads of pictures. If you are foodies like us, you will love hopping from one cute cafe to another binging on Greek salads and ice creams. Visit Little Venice, windmills, archaeological museum and few churches along the way. Greece has some of the most amazing sunsets where the sky turns magical with hues of pink and orange. You can grab a spot either in a bar or by the beach to enjoy this beauty. The best spot is in front of the Panagia Paraportiani church overlooking the Mediterranean.
Day 5 - Take theferry back to Athens in the evening which takes around 5 hours and you reach Athens by 8 p.m.
Day 6,7 - There is so much to see in Athens. This city is a perfect blend of ancient history and contemporary charm. Talking about ancient architectural marvels, Acropolis and Parthenon definitely tops the list. We recommend visiting early in the morning to escape crowds. If you love museums do visit the ancient archaeological museum. Depending upon how much time you have, you can visit the Temple of Olympian Zeus which is an astounding piece of architecture in the center of the city and Ancient Agora. One of our favorite places in Athens is the neighborhood of Plaka. It is a charming maze of cobblestoned streets lined with cute cafes and souvenir shops. Hike up to Lycabettus hill for enthralling views of the city.
How to reach: You can either take a bus from Athens or hire a car. We took a bus till Tirana where we rented the car as it is cheaper this way. It takes approximately 12 hours to reach Tirana. Bus leaves at 8 p.m from Athens.
Day 8,9 & 10 - Things to do in Albania really depends on how much time you are spending in the country. There are some epic hiking and nature escapes if you have time. But if you have limited time, we suggest you spend a day in Tirana exploring the cute cafes and museums. Some of the things that you can visit are Skanderbeg Square, Burkart 2 and National History Museum. A must-see in Shkoder is Rozafa castle. You can either drive up or rent a bicycle to reach here. Rozafa castle gives you phenomenal views of the city & the Shkoder lake. If you have more days in Albania we recommend you to do Valbona to Ṭheṭh hike and also Albanian riviera.
Montenegro: Recommended Days (3 Days) Places visited: Budva, Sveti Stefan, Kotor, and Perast
How to reach: We drove from Shkoder to Budva and it took us 2.5 hours.
Day 11, 12, 13 & 14 - Undoubtedly our favorite country in the entire Balkan region. We stayed in Kotor and Budva and did a day trip to Perast. Perast is a beautiful postcard-perfect small town. You can either do a boat trip to Perast, Our lady of the Rock and the blue cave from Kotor or take a stop at Perast while driving from Montenegro to Croatia. Here are some of the things you would not want to miss while in Kotor: getting lost in the old town, strolling by Kotor Bay, hiking/cycling up Mount Lovchen to see the floating clouds, enjoying a sunset at San Giovanni Fortress. On the way, you can make a stop to visit Sveti Stefan which is a famous vacationing spot for many Hollywood stars. We also spent a night in Budva to indulge in a little luxury and to enjoy some beach time.
Croatia: Recommended Days (4-5 Days) Places visited: Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar, Plitvice National Park & Rastoke
How to reach: We drove from Kotor to Dubrovnik and it took us 3 hours
Day 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20 - Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful & lively country in the Balkan strip. So much to see here from the land of Game of Thrones, to the stunning Adriatic coastline and deep blue waters, to the silvery Dalmatian mountain region, to the party town of Split, to one of the most surreal national parks and lakes in the world, to pretty market squares and towns. You would want to wander here forever.
Our first stop was, of course, Dubrovnik and no trip to Croatia can be complete without visiting the charming old town. Game of Thrones lovers embrace yourselves for this is the King's Landing. You can choose to do the wall tour which is a little expensive but totally worth it. Strolling on these walls feels like you have traveled back in time. You can also take the cable car or hike up Mount Srd for enthralling views of the old town.
Next day leave for Split. Built around a traditional old town, Split is full of beautiful bars, seaside restaurants, cafes, shops all within the old walls. It's dramatic coastal mountains and the blue Adriatic Sea is surely a romantic setting. Don't forget to check out Diocletian Palace, a magnificent roman marvel. Also, it's the place where Khaleesi kept her dragons.
The next morning we took a boat to Hvar, one of the most popular party islands in Croatia. You can do day tours to other islands as well including the tour to the blue cave. It costs around 80 Euros.
The next stop is Rastoke, a postcard village. It is straight out of fairy tale with hundreds of streams and waterfalls. All houses here are built in traditional Croatian style and you can even spend a night in one of the Airbnb here.
Well, the next place is one of my favorite places and also one of the most visited places in the world - Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. A series of cascading lakes and waterfalls, the color in all shades of blue & green. It makes you think if this is even real.
How to reach: We drove from Plitvice to Mostar and it took us 5 hours.
Day 20, 21 & 22 - Mostar is one of the prettiest towns we have ever been to and it feels like you have been transported to a completely different era. The soul of the city is a famous old bridge called Mostar bridge which is around 400 years old. You can see divers jumping from the 78 feet high bridge in the morning and if you are daring enough you can enroll yourself for a jump too. In the night you can take a stroll in the alleys of the delightful Turkish Bazaar which looks brightly illuminated by dazzling lamps, hooked, and souvenirs. Mostar portrays a beautiful amalgamation of different cultures and architectural styles.
Next morning you can leave early to visit the picturesque Blagaj Tekija - a Turkish monastery built on a cliff, on the banks of Buna river. The water in the river is so transparent and pure that it even looks better than the bottled water.
Post that, head to the village of Pocitelj - the Pearl of Herzegovina. A beautiful heritage village, it's known for it's Ottoman-Roman architecture, the towering fort, the Stark buildings that make you feel you are in a different world, and the views of the Nevreta river.
Last but not the least visit the amazing Kravice waterfalls. If you are visiting in the summer season you can make the most of the cool waters. The falls form a natural amphitheater around untouched nature. The turquoise color of the water, the mountain backdrop, the gushing falls make this place an absolute visual delight.
How to reach: We drove from Mostar to Ohrid and it took us 10 hours.
Day 22, 23 & 24 - Macedonia was the last country on our itinerary and quite a fascinating one. We spent time lazing around splendid lake Ohrid and visiting some of the most beautiful churches. Fun fact: there are 365 churches in Ohrid and you can spend an entire year visiting them. We would definitely recommend visiting the church of St. John at Kaneo. Set on a mountain by the vast lake Ohrid, it surely is marvelous.