I also have a specific guide to Split if you are interested about reading about things to do in Split in more depth. This is the same route the famous Belgrade to Bar train takes. Five days are enough to see it all. After Elafonisi you can stop for a swim at yet another beautiful beach called Dalassarna. 15 Spots on Balkans Road Trip 1) Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia. Great tips. The bridge was destroyed during the war in Jugoslavia and re-built in 2004. Another classic Balkan road trip, the Skopje loop route in North Macedonia covers all the country’s must-sees. It’s such an easy area to drive around! This border sometimes takes a little while, and you must make sure you have your car registration (and passports of course) ready to show at the border. Dedicate one of your last days to exploring historic Butrint, another UNESCO site. Airbnb: We stayed at Apartment Blue Sun Aurora – right in the middle of town. It’s inside the fortress walls of old town and is really incredible, decked out with amazing (loud) speakers, dancers, aerialists, and more. I also loved exploring the picturesque Tolmin Gorge with its beautiful aquamarine water. There are guest houses, hotels and even a few hostels in most beach towns. Read my guide to visiting Kravice waterfalls below for more info: After your swim, get changed and drive 10 minutes to the impressive hillside fortress of Počitelj. Perast is smaller and less touristy than Kotor, making it my favourite spot on the Bay. The first stop is Zadar, a historical ancient Roman town a few hours up the coast. Leave by 10ish, or earlier if you can. To learn about Motovun more in-depth, red my guide below: Today you will be exploring Motovun, a scenic medieval hilltop town known for its truffles, wine, and gastronomy. Things to Do in Dubrovnik: A Tour Guide's Guide to Dubrovnik Travel. Learn more about me. Made it all the way to the end?! There are a few options: Kavana No. You don’t need too long here unless you want to hike (for which you’d need extra days). or sit down to a romantic alleyway meal anywhere in old town. 17 Awesome Things to Do in Novi Sad, Serbia – European Capital of Culture 2021! It might be late when you get in today, so simply walk into the old walled town (are you tired of them yet?! You’ll want to shoot to be back at the car by about 4pm or earlier, to make the 3 hour drive to Istria. There is a large spomenik dedicated to those who died in Nis during World War II on Mount Burbanj. Before you leave: Enjoy a lazy morning in Motovun; I recommend having breakfast in your accommodation and getting ready to go to Slovenia at your earliest convenience – maybe 8 or 9. This former Monument House of the Bulgarian Communist Party sits atop a mountain and is only truly accessible by car. You’ll start off by driving to the far end of Lake Bohinj, which is about 1:15 hours away from the city. The region is much easier to travel through than it was just a few years ago, but it’s still off the … Unless they've improved the terrible road since was driving around the Balkans a few years ago, even driving from Berat to Tirana is plenty for one day's drive. Visiting Skofja Loka as a day trip from Ljubljana. by KimmConn | Jun 11, 2019 | Adventurous Itineraries, Blog, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Destination, Europe, Montenegro, Slovenia | 2 comments. Your route then passes through the Pluzine and Pliva Lake – one of the most beautiful places in the Balkans. Balkan Road Trip Planning Guide. Find the best 10 day tours to Balkans with TourRadar. The above framework takes you through seven countries and can be done comfortably in 10-12 days. However, a lot of smaller places (especially coastal towns in Croatia and Montenegro) are very seasonal and almost completely shut down in winter. Podgorica/Niksic – These are two main Montenegrin cities/capital that you can drive through on your way through the countryside. For the previous update on our Balkans road trip, see Part One here.. Wander the cobbled streets, eat at the local cafes, and be sure to visit some of the craftspeople in town. There are loads of spots to check out so make sure you give yourself time to do it all (aka get going in the morning)! Giving yourself between 7 and 10 days to complete a road trip between Chania and Rethymno should allow you enough time to get a taste of the towns and an insight into Cretan culture. If there’s a place to have a night out, this would be it (along with Dubrovnik). A&S is designed to inspire young-at-heart travelers to plan AND make the most of a dream trip. This site is full of comprehensive travel tips and ridiculous stories by a twenty-something tour guide with a bad case of fomo. From Veliko Tarnovo, the road trip continues to Kazanlak, crossing the Balkan Mountains and the Shipka Pass. I‘ll let you know where there are options to visit other places if you have more time. It will take you less than an hour to drive from Mostar to the region of two  more famous viewpoints of the region: Kravice Waterfalls and Počitelj Castle. After exploring Brda, we drove down to Predjama to experience the stunning castle built in the mouth of a cave. After Dinner: Grab your favorite bottle of wine, take it back to your accommodation, and relax! Base yourself in Stavna, a high alpine pasture dotted with traditional herdmen’s settlements (aka Katuns). After Prizren, it’s time to drive to Peja in the northern part of Kosovo. But today we have our first scheduled two-night stay so far… PHEW! Finally, after dinner, make the hour drive to Motovun. The next day, we enjoyed the beautiful Skocjanske caves, a less-crowded alternative to Postojna cave. The nature is a mix of Switzerland and Norway. Before You Leave Mostar: Have a leisurely morning – no need to leave before 10/11 today. Here’s how to travel between Rovinj and Pula by bus. We started and ended near the Italian border to take advantage of affordable flights into Venice. Dalmatino: Dalmatino is also right in the stone alleys of the town and is known for being one of the bet restaurants in town, with more traditional dishes and also different flavors of Croatian rakija to sample with your meal. We loved May (we were in Kosovo/Macedonia at that time) – beautiful and green but still not too busy. Rather than drive straight to Motovun, which is where you’ll be spending the night, I recommend driving the the capital of Istria, Pula, first. The true beauty of a Balkans road trip is its flexibility. © 2020 Adventures and Sunsets | Supported by, Tour Guide’s Super Guide to All of Croatia, Montenegro Travel Guide + Road Trip Itinerary, Slovenia Travel Guide: Ljubljana, Bled, and Bohinj, Travel Guide to Mostar, Bosnia + Herzegovina. Le road-trip en chiffres c’est : 2 sœurs, 15 jours, 6 pays, 26 villes, 4000km, 3 monnaies, et des milliers d’églises ! First and foremost, make sure that your car has the proper insurance so you are able to cross the border. In three weeks it would be pretty much impossible to include it all, so I had to prioritize due to the schedule I had and the needs of my group. We are also inspired by Souvenir Chronicles about driving around the Balkans by car and they were very nice to answer our initial questions about driving a rental car around this area. Head back to the car around 4-5pm for a slight road trip to Blagaj Springs 15 minutes away. Hostel: Old Town Hostel West Wing – one of my favorites. The ferry takes about an hour. This is another great way to see the beautiful Balkan countries, especially if you are a lover of camping, the outdoors, and of course, vintage VW’s! Recommended by Christine, Christine Abroad. If you want to do trekking (for example in Albania), the season doesn’t start until late May/June. Calculate at least three days. The contrast between western Croatia and eastern Bosnia is really palpable here. One side is all done up and preserved with glass, but the rest are more authentic ruins crumbling at the edges. Start from Sarajevo and take the M5 to Foca. Driving here should be no different than Croatia; just make sure you have your passports to cross the border and purchase the blue tourist tax emblem once you are in at the nearest service station. I recommend today that you check out a cocktail bar called, At some point, make sure to check out the hilariously interesting, Try some coffee at a local cafe – I recommend, Restaurants along the river – these have a great view, Ljubljana Castle – has a restaurant inside, Try a Horseburger – an original Slovenian creation, the ‘Horseburger’ is lean and healthy and can be obtained from the fast food restaurant. Shkoder itself has many charming pedestrian pathways where you can relax on a cafe terrace or go for drinks at a quirky pub. A few days in charming Krushevo, my favourite place in North Macedonia, will recharge your spirits. From Split, you can add on a few day  trips. The Balkans is a region in Europe including the countries Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece and a portion of Turkey. The last stop is Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital. After visiting the castle/caves, you should arrive in Ljubljana in less than an hour. Make sure to give yourself enough time to visit Shipka, which is about thirty minutes from Buzludzha. Prizren in southern Kosovo is a gem of a town and is a more cultural version of Kosovo’s capital, Pristina. From there, follow the highway south and turn off to the beach whenever you fancy! beautiful places to visit in Croatian Istria, My guide to the handsome walled city of Sighisoara. As your rental car company will have hopefully told you, you’ll need to purchase a tourist tax sticker at your earliest convenience once you enter the country. So naturally, all my guides include a good dose of all the above. The next stop is Blagaj, where a historical tekija (a Dervish monastery) is set in a cliff near a spring of the Buna river. Spend up to an entire week on you the Montenegro Road Trip. Including answers to all your Balkans road trip questions like how long do you need and how much does it cost to travel in the Balkans. You’ll want to have breakfast in the accommodation and head back to the car quite early – by 8 or 9am. You can also take busses, but some of the destinations on this Balkans road trip are a bit farther off the beaten track. This Montenegro road trip itinerary concentrates on the one and only Bay of Kotor, with a stopover at Skadar Lake plus a few nights on Montenegro’s southern coast. You’ll then visit some Croatian National parks, Istria (northern Croatia), Slovenia, Bosnia + Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Recommended by Maggie, The World Was Here First. If you have more time, you can follow my comprehensive Montenegro road trip route linked below (will take 2+ days). Currency Change: They use the euro in Slovenia. Some museums you can visit upon your return to old town are: A Tour Guide's Travel Guide to Korčula Island, Croatia, A Tour Guide's Guide to Hvar Travel - All You Need to Know, Things to Do in Split Croatia: A Tour Guide's Split Travel Guide, 12 Must-See Day Trips from Split, Croatia, Things to do in Motovun Croatia: A Truffle-tastic Medieval Hilltop Town, Slovenia Travel Guide: Make the Most of Ljubljana, Bled, and Bohinj, Things to Do in Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Mostar Travel Guide, Visiting Kravice Waterfalls, Bosnia and Herzegovina: All You Need to Know, The Best Things to Do in Montenegro in a Montenegro Road Trip Itinerary. Now you have a bit of time to explore old town! You can grab cocktails here if you have time before dinner (it’s the second best sunset view), or they have some amazing dishes (the beefsteak Tramonto is one of my favorites). Grab ferry tickets online or the day before you go while in port Gruz. Spend a few hours wandering around and go for a quick swim in the cold water before moving on to Pocitelj. You’ll pass by some rickety wooded docks shaded by palm trees along the road.