In the summer of 2017, we went on a 5 – 6 week trip through some Balkan countries. Right after graduation and before starting the adult life with a full-time job, it was time to use our time off with a long holiday. After many considerations of where to go, we decided to stay in Europe and explore the Balkan countries. This led us through Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. It took a lot of work to plan this Balkan Itinerary | 5-6 weeks, as the time span was not that usual. Hopefully, this can help you out. Different parts of the itinerary can also be done separately.
Day 1 & 2: Amsterdam to Lake Bled & Vintgar George
Day 3, 4 & 5: Discover Ljubljana
Day 6, 7 & 8: Discover Sarajevo
Day 9 & 10: Mostar & Surroundings
Day 11, 12, 13 & 14: Dubrovnik and Lopud
Day 15 to 21: Kotor and other parts of Montenegro
Day 22 to 25: Shkoder, Lake Koman, Theth to Valbona
Day 26 & 27: Berat
Day 28 to 32: Saranda
Day 33 & 34: Ohrid
Day 35, 36, 37: Skopje
Day 38 to 40: Tirana
The next stop was Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. We went to the bus station from where we took a shared taxi to Ljubljana. I did love Ljubljana more than I expected. There are beautiful buildings, nice canals and great bars and restaurants to hang out. There is so much to do and discover in Lubjana, so this city guide might help you out!
We took a night bus to Sarajevo, as we decided to skip most of Croatia during this trip. This trip brought us to the first destination where we had to exchange our euros for a foreign currency: KM or BAM (Bosnia-Herzegovina Convertible Mark). Read everything about the quirky city Sarajevo in this city guide.
A scenic train ride, which we reserved 2 days before departure, brought us to the little city of Mostar, famous for its bridge and the impressive remainings of the Yugoslavian war. We also did a private tour – which we could reserve with the nephew of the complex we were staying in – to discover more of the south Mostar’s surroundings. Read more about what to do in and around Mostar in this complete guide.
At 8:00 AM we were able to catch a direct bus to Shkoder, to prepare for the part of our trip we were most looking forward to. We were planning on leaving part of our luggage in Shkoder and go to Valbona, from where we would do a day-hike to Theth to discover the beautiful scenery of Albania. Do you want to know more about this round? Read the full hike report here and I also have a full Lake Koman Ferry Ride Guide available.
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