My Balkans Blog!! Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece
First thing’s first…
⟡ TAKE THE STRESS OUT OF YOUR TRIP ⟡
This blog post contains my general recommendations but I know travelling this region can be overwhelming! If you would like me to take the hard work of researching and planning your trip and provide you personalised advice and insights not shared in this blog post, contact me about my Adventurelust Trip Planning & On-Call Travel Buddy service. All you have to do is tell me what you’re looking for out of your dream trip and I will take it from there :)
⟡ INSURE YO’SELF ⟡
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⟡ MY BALKANS BLOG ⟡
The Balkans have been on my bucket list for a few years; I’d heard they were super beautiful, more under the radar but just as beautiful as parts of Europe I love like Italy, super affordable, and not gonna lie, a good way to tick off a decent number of countries in a short time span ;)
I did reach my 50th country in Bosnia, and now am sitting at 53 (which means absolutely nothing but is kinda cool!). Arriving here felt like a part of the world I’d never been to before, with influences from Turkey and the Middle East, Islamic cultures and Eastern European vibes. It was so exciting to arrive somewhere new and unfamiliar!!!
The trip was an absolute whirlwind, and the real reason I went was to surprise my besties!! So I didn’t come in with much of a game plan as I just wanted to go with the flow and join along with my friends’ trip. But now having travelled this region, there are definitely some major tips that I would/would not recommend (including some insider opinions that I will only share with my Trip Planning & On-Call Travel Buddy clients 🙈).
My main tip for this trip is to rent a car, but if you can, rent and return it to the same place. Maybe rent from Tirana in Albania and do a loop (if you do this you need to make sure you have the cross-border insurance, which I believe is about 90 euros per border). It is CRAZY EXPENSIVE to rent cars to drop off at a different spot, however, since my trip was so unplanned and last-minute, that’s what I ended up doing. It was about 600 euros to drive from Sarajevo, Bosnia to drop off in Tirana, Albania. We also rented a car from Tirana to Saranda which are both in Albania and should have been cheaper but that was still 200 euros for a day, because you have to rent for 3 days minimum, and pay for the expense of the staff having to deliver the car back. It does help that the rest of the trip is CHEAP AF!!!! I’m talking oceanfront apartments for 33 euros a night, and meals and drinks were super cheap. And honestly, I think renting a car is the only way to do this region. I can’t imagine sitting on a bus and missing the beautiful views, not having the freedom to stop at the beautiful viewpoints and go where you want. So the car cost might just have to be something you just have to swallow to make the most out of your Balkans road trip!
Another tip is to make sure you take cash out because a lot of places don’t take card, but also don’t forget to exchange it before you leave (or use it up by stocking up at a grocery store) — take it from someone who now has about 40 euros of Albanian LEK carrying around with me fo life.
Here’s the route I did along with my recos for each place!!
BOSNIA
Sarajevo
I had zero expectations for this capital city, and it gave me kinda weird vibes arriving late at night (there are not a lot of other tourists around and it seemed very sleepy) but it actually was super beautiful!! And if you know where to go, the food is EPIC. Like some of the best cuisine I have had ever anywhere in the world.
Where to eat: Inat Kuća and Avlija were both incredible restaurants, the Bosnia pot or goulash dish are sooo delish, Bosnia serves up the ultimate hearty comfort meals.
What to do: Go up the cable car (20 euros roundtrip) for amazing views of the city, we explored the old bobsled track at the top. Stroll through old town, do some shopping, visit pigeon square, go up to the Yellow Fortress for beautiful panoramic sunset views.
Where to stay: I stayed at Hotel Opal Home, which was super clean and modern and right by the river, and just a hop skip and a jump from old town!
Mostar
THIS IS A CAN’T-MISS SPOT. A LITERAL FAIRYTALE. First of all, the drive from Sarajevo to here was STUNNING. Driving through tunnels and through hills past rivers as blue as Banff, lush green vegetation, and snow-capped mountains, cute little hillside villages. I was literally speechless. Here’s a video! Mostar is the cutest town set around the old bridge, on a river, it just looks like a fairytale.
What to do: Just stroll around the town!! You can go for coffee or chill by the river on some rocks down by KARMA cafe, have a bevvy at the restaurants admiring the view of the iconic old bridge, Stari Most. We went on a boat ride (10 euros for 10 minutes) but the current was super strong and it was actually kinda a joke. When at Mostar, make sure to stop at the Dervish House in Blagaj, which is set in the rock, it’s soo beautiful, you can skip the 5 euro entry and just go to viewing area across the river from the house if you like! So grateful I got to see this absolute gem!
Where to eat: Sadrvan or Hindin Han are yummy restaurants in the cute little town, also loved Labirint which I had a lovely lil aperol spritz looking out onto the old bridge!! There are a ton of cute places there :)
Where to stay: I stayed at Hotel Kapetanovina because it had a view of the famous old bridge!! I was in a corner suite surrounded by mountains which were soo peaceful.
MONTENEGRO
Perast
Okay I DEFS need to come back to Montenegro, specifically Perast, which is just a dreamland. I couldn’t believe it. It’s set in the most gorgeous Kotor Bay which is surrounded by mountains, saw the most magical sunset there, stayed in a dream apartment with a lil balcony overlooking the sea, and in the morning we went swimming and were the only humans around. I feel like I stumbled into a secret part of Greece or Italy like I’ve seen in the movies, but way cheaper and undiscovered. I absolutely need to come back here and can’t recommend this enough.
Perast is just outside of Kotor, which I didn’t get to spend time in (just popped in the old town for a sec) it also looked dreamy but was super overrun with cruise ship guests. Perast is where it’s at.
What to do: was not here for long enough and I was working for most of the day!!! But go for a dip in the sea, can take a boat over to the little island Our Lady of the Rocks, just soak in the stunning vibes.
Where to eat: No standout recos here, just go anywhere along the water, p sure you can’t go wrong.
Where to stay: Perast is such a small seaside town so anywhere on the main street would be amazing I think!! I stayed in Guesthouse Žmukić which I was OTT obsessed with, adorable little sea view apartment for ONLY 33 EUROS A NIGHT. Greece or Italy could NEVER.
Uljinc
Pronounced “Ulchin” — this stop was mostly so we could break up the drive and stay closer to the Albanian border. It actually was quite cool and unique, as the old town is set up on a hilltop!! It was verrrry empty and I’m not feeling a calling to go back (honestly after Perast nothing could compare) but I could see it being a vibe and am glad I got to see it!!!
What to do: No idea TBH. Literally just a stopover. Stroll through the old town, eat seafood, maybe go for a swim at the beach below the town? Sorry I’m failing you as a travel blogger with this one lol
Where to eat: From what I could see there are 2 main restaurants, Fisherman Hari and Antigona, on the sunset side of this island, but the restaurants/vibe on the other side of the island seemed a lot nicer? We had dinner at Dulcinea and our server was sooo nice and charismatic and food and view was amazing. It is worth noting most of the people I met on this entire trip were SO nice, I think they’re not used to having many tourists right now and were just all really welcoming and also had amazing English which I wasn’t expecting!
Where to stay: Same comment as where to eat — this is supposed to be the best sunset destination in Montenegro, but the other side seemed to be where the best vibes were! I stayed in Susanne’s Apartments, which was 35 euros and had a sea view, which was fine, but you know, no Perast.
Viewpoint of Sveti Stefan on the road trip
ALBANIA
Okay I didn’t do Albania justice because apparently where it’s at is the mountains. But I was on a super crunched-for-time road trip and had to work every day so unfortunately didn’t have time to do any hiking or go explore mountain towns like Theth, which I would have liked to! So my impression of Albania wasn’t THAT great because a lot of the drive was nothing to write home about — traffic was hectic, single-lane and lots of overtaking, the architecture didn’t seem that cute and there was lots of roadside litter etc. We had a stressful car-swap in Tirana, the capital, which actually had some cool spots and reminded me a bit of Mexico City but it just wasn’t the vibe I was feeling.
Gjirokaster
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Gjirokaster is quite beautiful with its hilltop castle, buildings stacked on the hillside, and adorable old town (cobblestone streets, string lights, the whole vibe). I wasn’t planning on staying in Gjirokaster, just stopping by for lunch, but after looking at a few hotels I found one that I absolutely loved and decided to stay the night!
What to do: Again, just a quick stopover so I don’t have a lot here — wander the old town, browse the shops, try some local food, admire the views — it’s soo affordable here so go wild!
Where to eat: I just ate at Fantasy Hotel because I loved the view, and got a late-night waffle from a shop in old town.
Where to stay: Hotel Fantasy (sounds cheesy I know) was new, modern, with a big clean king-sized bed, epic views, and breakfast included, for 50 euros! (Which was the same price as other hotels in the town which were much less my vibe (dingy, small, twin beds, low ceilings, v dated).
Ksamil
Before taking the ferry from Saranda, Albania to Corfu, Greece (which is 20 euros and 30 minutes on the fast boat!), I spent a night in Ksamil which is on the Albanian Riviera. The water was so stunningly blue and the beaches looked like Greece. The vibe is beach bars and 4 little islands (one of which you can swim to!) The town wasn’t my favesies but it was super cool to see and an awesome last stop in Albania!
What to do: Beaches/beach bars/relax/eat seafood. I didn’t have much time and had to work but I feel like there would be really cool areas to explore and find secret beach areas along the coast here.
Where to eat: LOVED a restaurant that I think is called Apollonia. It had a few tiered terraces and was such a gorgeous setting for sunset, great food, very romantic and beautiful views of the little islands.
Where to stay: I stayed at Ventus Hotel, it was super basic, no frills, but it was new and clean and had a view of the sea for only 25 euros/night so I’m not complainin’!!
GREECE
Corfu
Corfu was… a dream. I’ve been to Greece before (I’ve actually been to Corfu before but I don’t remember) and it just felt so amazing to be back, it really is such a vibe: the food is unreal (give me greek salad and tzatziki all day), the water is so blue and pristine, the old town is so so adorable, I just love the lifestyle and atmosphere around the beaches and swimming spots where people lounge on the concrete and just go for dips. I want to come live here for a month and just do that every day.
What to do: Get lost in the old town, go shopping, go swimming at Faliraki beach, stroll along and see the castle, take in the beautiful blue water, eat all the gyros, tzatziki, pita bread, greek salad, just eat all the things. Rent a scooter or car and explore the island, head over to Lamone town (which is so cool because the street lights stop for 7 minutes to allow one line of cars to pass through the cute town with a single-lane road) and all the way to Port Timone beach. It was a bit of a trek to get here — a 20-30 minute hike (depends if you’re in proper hiking shoes or in flip flops, which are v tricky) down to these PICTURE PERFECT beaches with pristine azure water for swimming. Definitely worth it!
Where to eat: There are a ton of adorable options! I loved the setting at Faliraki by the sea after going for a swim (the restaurant is called En Plo), and Thymari was a really cool set-up on the stairs in a narrow old town alley. Went to The 3 Brothers in Afionas town after Porto Timoni beach and Il Porro for a glass of Prosecco and a dreamy view. One of my FAVE spots was a new restaurant on the west coast (for sunset!), blue and white vibes and amazing food, Taverna PLORI. The restaurant next to it called “Restaurant Sunset” was a little less vibey but had my best meal of the trip, a gyro. Oh and for my fellow benny lovers, My Habit has got you covered! (The whole menu here looked amazing)
Where to stay: there are many cute little towns around the island if you want a quieter vibe and to get more affordable seaside accommodation. I stayed in S&G Old Town Apartments - The Volto Suite in the old town that I was OBSESSED WITH on every level: its colour scheme, exposed whitewashed stone feature wall, 4 windows looking out onto the adorable old town alleys, its location 1 block from Faliraki beach and just up the street from yummy restaurants like Thymari.
Okay that’s the gist of my whirlwind dreamy trip through the Balkans, don’t forget to contact me about my Adventurelust Trip Planning & On-Call Travel Buddy package to help make your trip as amazing and seamless as it deserves to be!!!