But hey, for that you may have to skip one or two countries in this suggested route. This helps for sure. We have been a few times…. Beach lovers should head to a lake side town called Ohrid, history lovers should head to Skopje and Nature lovers should go to Mavrono National Park, which is between Ohrid and Skopje. Do you have any experience with Enterprise and/or crossing into Albania? We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Beware of vignettes (taxes) on your Balkans road trip. Thanks in advance. If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones series, then most likely you know about Dubrovnik already. If you decide you want to take van for your Road Trip, you can rent one from Balkan Campers. Una National Park is just 30 KMs away from Plitvice Lakes and is a natural wonderland that includes Una River and its tributaries – Krka and Unac. From Albania, you need to go to Shkodra town to visit the lake. Ah okay, you should be fine to get into Albania, but you will likely be required to purchase insurance at the border in that case. There are ways to bypass roads, of course; this is just the main toll roads. Thank you for this interesting advice. We’ve now been invited back to road trip in a retro camper van with Balkan Campers in the Spring of 2019 !! This Balkans road trip itinerary is a combination of our three different trips. Jan and I like to visit places that we haven’t explored yet. Would definitely like to visit Croatia sometime. Another spectacular place that you should not miss here is the Tara river canyon. In the most expensive parts of the Balkans, particularly Croatia and Slovenia, you’re looking at double or even triple those prices. To avoid issues, it is then recommended after entering Kosovo via Serbia, that you leave Kosovo via Serbia again. Yes, Romania and Croatia are beautiful. 3) We crossed many traffic police checkpoints but most of them were in Bosnia and Herzegovina. You probably won’t find the snacks you’re used to at Balkan gas stations – maybe some Pringles or Doritos if you’re super lucky – so I recommend Pizza Bake Rolls and 7 Day Chocolate Croissants. For example, Slovenia charges vignettes of approximately 15 euros per week for a normal sized car, which is effectively a tax to use their roads. The best way to explore the Balkans is by car.Although self-driving is more stressful and challenging than public transportation, it also has its own advantages. 2 weeks in Slovenia in 2006, 2.5 weeks in Montenegro and Croatia in 2019. If you want to level up your Road Trip game, take one of their old school vans! Texte par. Nazaré, des vagues mais pas que … We’ve rented cars dozens of times in the Balkans. The Perfect One Day in Zagreb Itinerary to Maximize Your Trip, Your Ultimate 3 Days in Dubrovnik Itinerary. After planning at least 10 Balkan road trips over the past 3 years, Stephanie and I have compiled our top 15 most essential things to know about road trips in the Balkans. So the choice to explore Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro was quickly made. The road between Kragujevac, Serbia and Belogradchik, Bulgaria is also pretty bad. If you want to properly see the 12 countries of the Balkans relatively in-depth, you will need around 3-6 months. There is a chair lift too but is not usually open in summers, but only in winters during the skiing season. Its not that cheap, but its awesome. Good luck! Head to the Lover’s Bridge where there’s usually an exhibition going on. Ok, bus snacks are our big tip for riding buses in the Balkans, but it goes just as well for a Balkan road trip. En optant pour la location de van aménagé, tu peux par exemple choisir un van avec cuisine pour un road trip précis, puis choisir un van sans cuisine la fois d’après si l’envie te prend ou suivant ta configuration de voyage. The highest peak here is Maja Jezercë which has a few active glaciers. A video of a trip we took in June 2016. I’ve rented with them several times because I love that they pick up and deliver (not so relevant for you seeing as you’re flying into the aiport so picking up there isn’t a problem) but I find their rates very reasonable and them to be very honest. More than anything, driving and parking in big cities is going to be a big pain the bum! Emportez ces 25 articles pour votre prochain voyage en van aménagé et vous serez paré.e pour l’Aventure ! We didn’t include Slovenia in this itinerary because not all of Slovenia is a part of the Balkans peninsula, but we’d love to travel through the country properly. Meals in restaurants are delightfully affordable. Seven Rila Lakes National Park in Bulgaria – Travel to the Balkans – CC0 via Pixabay. Sofia in Bulgaria – Travel to the Balkans cc0 via Pixabay. This article has everything you need to know about planning your Balkans itinerary for an epic road trip. Enjoying an ice cream in Denovici, Kotor Bay in Montenegro. In early Greek documents, it was called “the city of light”. When in doubt, check! Admire the quieter islands of Croatia and Greece. ... We patterned our trip with Topdeck Travel's Balkan Itinerary but removed some places we did not want to see, and added a few more stops we are interested in. I was told that I can travel into Albania (I’m picking up car in Bosnia) but will be fully liable for any damages to the car. I was blown away by the beauty of the places I visited. For more information, you can read what other travelers have to stay about the Seven Rila National Park. That may sound like a lot of time, but look at this way: 3 months only gives you a little over a week in each of the 12 countries we count in the Balkans. Also I’m sure you’re aware that those borders are closed at the moment. Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. It means – we will earn a tiny commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Sofia Adventures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. Optional Stop: Una National Park, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 3) Kravice Waterfalls and Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 8) Mokra Gora and Tara National Park and Zlatibor, Serbia, 14) Mavrono National Park or Lake Ohrid or Skopje, Macadonia, 15) Valbonë Valley National Park, Albania, Optional Balkans Road Trip detours in Romania, Bulgaria and Albania, Few tips to keep in mind for driving in the Balkans, Ultimate Croatia Road Trip Itinerary: Top Places to…, Traveling Europe by Campervan: Our Tips for "Van…, 2 Days in Amsterdam Itinerary: Fall in LOVE With…, 30 Amazing Places to Visit in Delhi – the City of…. PS: hope you’re going to follow our new journey – leaving for Sri Lanka today. The best part is that these waterfalls form a big natural swimming pool. Mostar in Bosnia & Herzegovina – Travel to the Balkans – CC0 via Pixabay. I go thro, I’m no longer there but my heart is still in Goa, Even though we send out very few emails, they are sure to make, best time to visit the Balkans as per the Balkan Campers, 6) Žabljak and Durmitor National Park, Montenegro, visiting and avoiding crowds in Plitvice Lakes, Zabljak, which is inside Durmitor National Park, wooden village in Mokra Gora and is called Drvengrad, https://www.discovercarhire.com/?a_aid=DrifterPlanet. Un voyage de quinze jours qui arrive à point nommé pour diluer les larmes de ces derniers mois particulièrement éprouvants. This lake is really big and you can go for a boat ride on it. I wanted to let you know so that you don’t by mistake put that in your GPS navigator and end up at the wrong place. These are about 15 BGN (less than 8 euros) for one week. While this isn’t outrageous, keep in mind that a) oil prices are at the lowest they’ve ever been, so they’ll likely increase and b) many cars you’ll rent in the Balkans will not be extremely fuel efficient, so you will eat through that gas like its candy. The river Valbona forms many waterfalls and natural pools, so the resulting landscape is gorgeous. She loves befriending dogs, drinking coffee, geeking out about wine, and cooking food from around the world. Il est temps de remonter dans le van et de poursuivre votre road trip ! These are some of the unmissable sights you’ll encounter as you pass through the Balkans. Macedonia is a very small country and I will give three options of places that you can visit for different kind of travelers. So don’t forget to account for how much that’ll add to your trip. L’équipe de Blacksheep vous a concocté un TOP des 25 trucs / choses qu’il faut obligatoirement mettre dans son sac pour partir en road trip. 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. Although a Balkan road trip is always a good idea I would suggest you to avoid the peak season July and August. I will write a detailed post about this but just for now, here are some quick tips that you must keep in mind when you travel the Balkans by driving: Our Rented Car in Montenegro – Travel to the Balkans – Balkans Road Trip itinerary. I have mentioned this many times and here it goes again – San and I hate big cities. Pro Tip: Want to find the cheapest rental cars in the Balkans? It will take you 2 hours to drive here from Sofia. A Balkan road trip is a perfect thing to do year-round. These companies should permit you to take your car across the borders relatively painlessly, but always contact them as things are subject to change! I think you should be able to purchase insurance at the Albanian border – I know this is the case with Kosovo. Traffic in the big cities too can get chaotic, especially in Belgrade, where traffic was particularly hellacious at times. You can also go for rafting on Tara river or zip over the canyon to enjoy the view. Les vans aménagés roadsurfer intégrant une cuisine de série sont par exemple les modèles Surfer Suite de VW ou le Travel Home de Mercedes. After a long drive and a short overnight stay in Nurnberg in Germany we finally arrived in Bohinj. We are from South Africa and travelled extensively. pro Person bezahlt. If you look at a satellite image of this bay, it looks like a 3-pointed flower. I’m going to the Balkans next month with my husband and your posts are invaluable. Extra fee. Albania likely excluded, perhaps Kosovo as well. Claire Angot . Cheers. Sibiu is one of those destinations which will be liked by both history or nature lovers. This is where the scenes of King’s Landing and Qarth were filmed. We stayed in two places here – Apartment Matogi and Apartment Mateja. Stay in Bucharest’s old town area and see how it livens up as the sun starts to set. There is a wooden village in Mokra Gora and is called Drvengrad. Thank you so much for posting such thorough information and for getting us excited about our trip! Riding the Nostalgia Express train in Mokra Gora, Serbia. Your itinerary gives me tons of ideas. Entre routes pittoresques et paysages sauvages : voici 5 road trip à ne pas rater en Europe ! Pas besoin de partir à l’autre bout du monde pour faire d’inoubliables road-trips : l’Europe recèle d’innombrables itinéraires aux décors somptueux, aux routes mythiques et à la beauté sauvage. Even though we send out very few emails, they are sure to make you smile. Secondly, the old government buildings are super impressive, such as the house of the parliament, the Roman Athenaeum, etc. While your typical Euro trip may burn a deep hole in your pocket, you can actually travel the Balkans on a tight budget. Long road passing Lake Jablanica 1h15min (possible small detour via Lake Rama - is this worth doing? Mis à jour le : 6 juillet 2018 . The reason why some big cities like Belgrade are here on this list is because you will eventually have to pass through some of them for the ease of route. Albania is notorious for having bad roads, but in 5 weeks in the country I only encountered one, between Korca and Elbasan, and it was only because the main road was being fixed. So this Balkans road trip itinerary is one that I carefully planned out and actually did myself along with some close friends, so not only do I think is it reliable and doable - I KNOW! The craziest part is that the Albanian Alps are connected with the Himalayas through the Atlantic Ocean and they form the Alpine-Himalayan Orogenic belt. The true beauty of a Balkans road trip is its flexibility. This is so helpful one..i was following your journey and loved all your captures. I hope you and your husband have a fabulous time in the Balkans. Make sure your rented car has a USB charging spot for your phone. Uvac Canyon, Serbia. So this Balkans road trip itinerary is one that I carefully planned out and actually did myself along with some close friends, so not only do I think is it reliable and doable - I KNOW! >> Tous nos articles sur la Croatie, le Monténégro, la Bosnie, et la Slovénie What’s on your Europe bucket list? Parking can get expensive if not included in your hotel and sometimes the different parking payment systems are a huge pain in the ass, requiring you to pay via prepaid SMS (not easy to do when you’re just passing through!). Balkan drivers do tend to drive a little fast, but I wouldn’t say they’re particularly aggressive or dangerous. Like you mentioned, it is difficult to see as much as desired in one trip. Do your research, find the hidden gems in each country that are best accessed via car and plan your trip around that. The Beauty of Driving Around in the Balkans – around Zlatibor in Serbia. The countries that come under Balkans, such as Romania and Croatia are on my wishlist. (Du 30 avril au 8 mai 2017.) 2 friends, 12 countries, 29 days, 700 euros/each, 8500 kilometers... milions of memories! For travel insurance, I use World Nomads. Before reaching the center of Podgorica, head east towards Rijeka Crnojevica to see the amazing Horseshoe bend. Finally, make sure you always have a valid travel insurance policy. However, I and all other travelers I’ve spoken to have had no problem having a complete set of Kosovo entry/exit stamps and then entering Serbia at a later date. You can’t stay inside Plitvice Lakes National Park but will have to stay in one of the nearby villages. Whether 2, 3 or 4 weeks, there are many different routes to choose from. Explore Mostar 9th May. If you’re thinking that this route is going criss-cross – you’re wrong. Book your rental car in such a way so that you can pick and drop it in different locations. The accident was so bad that we had to actually drive in the reverse direction on the freeway for miles until we could exit and do a massive workaround. Lake Bled, Slovenia. This website contains affiliate links. Always ensure your rental car company provides you your Green Card if taking your car abroad and confirm which countries you are able to visit with it. Download a part of your trip on offline maps every few days. Like Bulgaria, you can also purchase this online. Check out the Horseshoe Bend of Lake Skadar from the Montenegro side, then its beauty on the other side from Rozafa Castle in Shkodra. You will be so happy that you have a car because if you start hiking here, it will take you many days to see some important places in the national park. Voyage en famille : notre road trip dans les Balkans. San and I found a small fishing village that is just at the start of the Kotor bay and is called Denovici. I have never seen a bay like this! We couldn’t find a good option for the Balkans but will check out Flexiroam the next time. Elle voyage aussi bien en mode sac à dos qu’en camping-car et partage ses escapades pour aider les … They are renting 13 legendary old school VW buses and 6 newer ones. From Serbia, you can then leave through a third country. In winter months you can also ski here. Suivez notre guide ! 8) Yes, you can rent your car from one place and return it at a different place – but it depends on the availability and car rental company. The Balkans are a vastly underrated road trip destination in Europe. Inside Carturesti Carusel, Bucharest- the most beautiful bookstore in the world. Be careful when passing trucks in the left lane, as if you don’t do it fast enough you will likely earn the ire of Balkan drivers in expensive cars who disdain your slow-accelerating car and want to show off their “manliness.”. I find that gas, on average, is about 1.20 euros per liter, which for my Americans out there adds up to $5.15 per gallon. You can also make a side trip to the lovely Krka National Park where the entry is 30 Euros per person. Even though we have our own camper van, we did most of our road trips in the Balkans with a rental car. 7) If you are tight on budget, you should consider skipping Croatia entirely and start your trip from Bosnia or Serbia. Extra fee. Having the freedom to check out the nature and small villages that would otherwise be a pain to visit with just public transportation? Road trip en Croatie : conseils & remarques. Another five countries are part of the EU, though only 2 of them are in Schengen (Greece and Slovenia). Often such places are underrated and you shown here so much insight Hi did you drive in winter? Stephanie recommends Gummy Bears if available and all the soda in the world. Unlike you, we like the cities though — we get lots of nature here at home (Canada)so we travel for the history, culture, and great food. Les meilleurs roadtrips en camper van et fourgon aménagé dans les Alpes, en Auvergne, en Aquitaine, dans les Pyrenées, en Bretagne, dans les Vosges, en Provence, sur la côte d'Azur et en Nouvelle Calédonie Love it! We had to buy a SIM card in every country that costed 5 euro and had at least 10 GBs of date. Food in the Balkans is generally rather affordable. We have done this trip on our camper van as well as a rented car. Also, always keep some spare euros on hand just in case some information has changed recently. Road vignettes and taxes are unavoidable when traveling through the Balkans, and each country has their own specific rules for these. Avec notre Mercedes Marco Polo, alias Travel Home, nous partons pour un road trip à travers les Balkans, nous traverserons trois pays et, à la fin, nous atteignons les 3 000 km. If you have a little more time on your hands, you can park your car in Split and take a boat to the nearby Hvar Island. You may hike for 40 minutes to a few hours or even days – depending on how many lakes you want to see. Even Google Maps gets it wrong on occasion, so be cautious and don’t just blindly follow their directions or you may get on the bad side of Serbian border control. If you like to hike, there are several amazing hiking trails in Durmitor National Park. by Drifter Planet | Jun 26, 2018 | Most Popular Blog Posts, Road Trips. A guide on a road trip around the Balkans. We shall make good use of it next year. 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! In additional to this, I have also traveled in the Balkans without San and without a car. I would imagine it wouldn’t be more than $15-25 for a week or so worth of coverage, but I can’t find any specific information online. In fact, there are a few rocky beaches here that will make you forget you’re next to a lake. Most people cross Serbia to Kosovo to a third country (Macedonia, Albania, or Montenegro) with no issues, but I have heard the occasional story of it being problematic in the future, so approach it with caution. Skopje is the capital city of Macedonia and you can see a lot of historical buildings and landmarks here. Avr 19, 2012 à 13 h 33 min #105284 Répondre. Apart from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia are the best countries to rent a car and start your trip. It is a very big city and with a lot of old buildings that have a story to tell. The Marriott being the grandest, then the Ramada Majestic in the city centre and also Pura Vida hostel in the old town. Bohinj – Slovenia. Kotor Bay viewpoint, Montenegro – Balkans Road Trip. If you’re entering from Montenegro, you will have to visit the lake from Skadar Lake National Park. So don’t forget to account for how much that’ll add to your trip. Hello! Split is Croatia’s famous beach destination where you can experience both history as well as modernity. Get a travel insurance quote for your trip here. Need a camper van to get around? Firstly, there are many old churches that are definitely interesting from the outside, but you’re in for a surprise when you step inside. You may want to do some research to avoid tolls (Google Maps is great for this). We stayed in Denmar Apartment in Denovici where we paid 25 euros for a double room. While you’re in Mokra Gora, ride the “Nostalgia Express”, which is one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. More than the seaside, San and I really enjoyed the viewpoints that we came across as we drove along the bay. A 3-Week Itinerary For A Circular Road Trip Through The Western Balkans. In general, the highways and main roads in the Balkans are excellent, on par with anything you’d see in Europe (and miles better than I’m used to from my years of biking in New York City). Es freut mich, dass Ihr bei der Recherche auf meinen Blog gestoßen seid.