Today I want to bring you my Balkans travel guide. This region in southeast Europe is under-the-radar as far as tourism goes, but the Balkan Peninsula is worth a trip for its stunning coastline, beautiful cities, and rich cultural heritage.

Balkans Travel

Balkans Travel Guide

Most people thought I was crazy to travel to the Balkans by myself. I was lectured on safety, health, and everything else imaginable.

But I’d been curious about the region for years, not least because the only thing I really knew about it related to the conflicts in the 1990s. There was surely more to the Balkans than that, and I couldn’t wait to discover it.

Visiting 11 cities in 8 countries in 15 days was an adventure. The trip was a quick one, but I learned a lot about the region and gained some valuable insights into Balkans travel.

Church in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Balkans

Balkans Travel: Buses

First, I learned bus schedules change frequently in the Balkans. Several of my hotels had bus schedules that were presumably up to date.

But upon calling the bus station to confirm, I discovered the schedules had changed and the buses I was planning to take were no longer options.

From those experiences I learned to always call in advance and confirm departure times and prices.

Neretva River, Mostar, Bosnia, Balkans

When I boarded the buses, I learned a few more Balkans travel lessons. First, starting in Sarajevo, I learned that in all places except for Ohrid, people completely disregarded the seat assignments printed on their tickets.

Old town in Dubrovnik, Croatia

Second, I discovered that for the most part, everything I’d read about buses in the Balkans not having air conditioning was false.

Every bus I took had it except for the one from Skopje to Pristina and the one from Skopje to Sofia. It was great to have the cool air going while the temperatures outside were so hot.

View of Kotor Montenegro, Balkans

Balkans Travel: Street Signs and Maps

Once I got off the buses, I learned the difficult Balkans travel lesson that street signs are often few and far between.

I spent an entire hour lost in Mostar because not a single street—from major avenues to minor roads—was signed. My map was worthless in the face of such an absence.

And speaking of maps, I had issues there as well. I’d assumed every hotel and tourist information office in the Balkans would have city maps, as is the case in most other places I’ve traveled. Not so in the Balkans.

From Budva to Ohrid, the tourist offices were devoid of all maps whatsoever. My hotels in Skopje and Tirana were clean out of them as well.

My hotels in Sofia and Belgrade, however, had some high-quality maps.

Woman walking in Tirana, Albania

I had a few maps in my guidebook, but they were generally tiny and not very detailed. Even if they had been, it might not have mattered.

Half the streets had changed names between the time the guidebook was published and the present day, rendering the already unhelpful maps even more useless.

View of Ohrid, North Macedonia in the Balkans

Thankfully people on the street and in hotels and restaurants were helpful in giving me directions. Most of the cities I traveled to in the Balkans were small enough that I never got lost for long, either.

In places like Dubrovnik, Kotor, and Budva, getting lost in the maze of streets in the walled cities was half the fun anyway.

Fountain in Plostad Makedonija in Skopje, North Macedonia, Balkans

Is it Safe to Travel in the Balkans?

Above all, I learned that any concerns I had about travel safety in the Balkans were overblown. Not only did I feel completely safe as a solo female traveler, but I also also felt like most of the places I visited were safer than London.

Mosque in Pristina, Kosovo, Balkans

I felt this particularly strongly one night in Skopje when I walked past a city park in the dark. Despite the fact that it wasn’t lit, there was a mother walking around with her young son and several elderly couples sitting on benches.

Facade of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia, Bulgaria, Balkans

That said, things can change at any time. When planning a Balkans travel itinerary, it’s a good idea to do some research on the current state of affairs and make sure places are as safe as you’re comfortable with before you go.

Church steeples in Belgrade, Serbia, Balkans

Balkans Travel

Overall my trip to the Balkans was a great one. Despite a few informational gaps, I managed to make my way around the region safely and without a hitch.

The people I met—both locals and other travelers—were friendly and helpful. The landscapes were beautiful. The cities were rich in history and culture.

Shop selling wood carvings in Sarajevo, Bosnia, Balkans

Above all, the fact that most places I visited weren’t on the tourist trail made the trip an adventure. I’m sure it won’t take long for the region to be firmly on the map though.

If you want to do some Balkans travel before everyone else does, I recommend planning your trip now.

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Balkans Travel

24 Comments on Lady’s Balkans Travel Guide

  1. GREAT VIDEO! That was fantastic to watch! I especially liked being able to hear all the sounds like the music in Skopje.

  2. I love your post! My fiance and I did an Eastern European road trip to the same countries you visited this summer. I couldn’t believe how many street names were changed everywhere we went, just like you…especially Tirana!

  3. It was really fun reading about your adventures! I accidentally stumbled accross your twitter account while searching for #Skopje. I am from Skopje and I have to say, from my experience, you cannot really grasp the immense culture over here if you don’t visit more cities and meet some people, especially in Albania. And by the way, the concerns about safety seem exaggerated to me. 🙂

  4. I am googling for advice on bus from Tirana to Orhid and came across your post. I’m also a single (Asian) girl travelling by herself in the Balkans and am loving it too!! Your photos are great by the way. I’m looking forward to Orhid already! :))

  5. So glad I came across your blogs! going to the Balkans with a friend this summer and was in need of some great ideas like yours! everyone says we’re mad to go(as being 19, places such as magaloof are more appropriate apparently) but you’ve given me lots of inspiration.

  6. I’m traveling to the Balkans (solo woman) on Monday and am debating renting a car vs. taking a bus. Might you provide some advice on how easy it is? I’m short on time, but would like to do 3 countries in about 5/6 days, starting in Belgrade.

  7. Hi i was looking for a plan trip to the balkans ,my husband and my 3 kids and me,i found your page .can you please advice,on a trip plan .we want to do it in next too weeks.is it better to go by an agency ,is it ok will we see much,or better to go by our own ,like we prefere to,so we see more places and meet more people and see the real balkans.
    you are brave to go ahead i wish one day i can do that all over the world ,for now i am busy raising my kids 🙂 i will have to wait
    stillthis trip is big for me i want it to be perfect fun

  8. Hi I attended your workshop at The Guardian recently, which was very informative.
    I decided to check your blog out. I remember going to New York in the eighties and people warned me off!
    I spent a month there and it was the best time ever.
    Many years later I travelled to Albania a bit worried but kept an open mind. I stayed with a friend from Albania in Tirana. It was a bit short on culture and in a state of development. Sure it’s going to be in the EU eventually it will be just another European city with all the attractions. It’s fighting its way out of years of conflict/communisim. Interesting history.

  9. I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog, thanks for sharing your experience! I’ll be travelling/backpacking in the Balkans with two friends for two weeks this summer and we’re having some difficulties finding a proper itinerary. Could you tell me which was yours? We’d definitely like to go to Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro… But we don’t want to spend all the trip in the bus/trains and underestimate what we can actually do in a two weeks long trip! Did you book anything in advance ? Also, do you remember approximately how much the two weeks costed you (except planes of course)? Thank you so much!

    • That’s exciting! My itinerary is the one I laid out in the blog posts. I booked most of the hotels in advance. Prices will have changed since I went, so make sure to do some research if you’re on a budget.

  10. Hi! I’m considering doing a 14-day tour of the Balkans in April and I was wondering how you got around to each city. Did you always use the bus system or did you fly occasionally to cut down on time? Also, how did you fly straight from London to Sarajevo?

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