People often ask how we travel so often. This year, the 1 May holiday falling on a Tuesday, and turning it into a holiday by combining annual leave, gave us the chance of a 9-day spring route. The best time for trips! :)
What's more, it coincides with our first wedding anniversary and Berna's birthday! We don't need to list reasons to make the most of it anyway, but it was the occasion, the routes were planned: we're setting off on a Balkans Tour...
Setting off for the Balkans by car was a dream for both of us. We start our lovely trip, bittersweet but again full of lessons, with Bulgaria. To enter Bulgaria, a Schengen Visa is enough, but if you don't have a visa and you apply to Bulgaria, they don't give you a visa valid throughout Europe. That's why we got our visa from Greece.
Since it was the first time in Bulgaria for both of us, we were very excited. As we said, long car journeys always excite us. As you know, everyone goes through their hardest times with the people beside them on long trips and holidays.
You discover sides of each other you didn't know, and maybe many relationships with friends and family friends have ended for this reason. In our view, long car journeys are one of the things to experience in a relationship... Looking back: our naps in the car, our co-pilot moments, the snacks in the car, the road games, the chases for petrol stations!
Overview
We started the route from Istanbul, crossed from Bulgaria to Greece, finished by eating köfte in Alexandroupoli and returned to Istanbul.
Total distance about 3700 km
Total driving time about 60 hours
Our suggested length for the trip 9-10 days
Total spending on the trip about 2900₺ - 700$
Our Balkans Route
On our route, which we started by crossing at Bulgaria's Dereköy border gate, in order:
Bulgaria: Burgas, Nessebar, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Gabrovo, Etar, Kazanlak, Plovdiv - Filibe, Sofia
Macedonia: Skopje, Ohrid, Struga
Kosovo:Pristina, Peja - Peć, Prizren
Montenegro: Tivat, Kotor, Perast, Budva, Sveti Stefan, Virpazar, Bar, Ulcinj, Ada Bojana
Albania: Tirana
Greece: Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupoli
We were actually going to continue with Skopje, Pristina, Durmitor, but after an unlucky accident in Kosovo we took northern Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina off the route and carried on. With Peja added, the rest of our route took the shape above. It turned out to be a route of natural wonders where we loved every corner! We share the route in detail below.
A 9-Day Balkans Route - As a Suggestion
On our journey, which we set off on on Friday evening, getting from Istanbul to Burgas took 5 hours. Waving to Kırklareli, after the border, without resting at all, we were going to make our dream of sleeping outdoors come true in the first seaside town, Sinemorets. Choosing a safe seaside town matters for this, and so does the luck of having weather clear enough to see the stars! :)
After Bulgaria we'd planned a trip through Macedonia and Kosovo to Montenegro, and even as far as Dubrovnik. With the traffic accident we had in Kosovo, we had to make changes to what was planned for our tour. Yes, you heard right: sadly we had our first accident, our first accident abroad even. As we'll mention in our comments on the roads, driving is very hard, especially in Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo, partly because of the narrow single-lane roads. If you'd like to read about our accident experience before you go, we've left our post A Car Accident Abroad here.
Not to mention drivers' careless and wrong turns. We got through the accident that happened to us in the evening in one of the Kosovo villages on the Serbian border in the best way possible; we're healthy and well. The fact that the damage to our car's running gear could be repaired, and the helpfulness of the people we met, played a huge part in our feeling that we'd got through it with minimal damage. We decided not to abandon this road we'd set out on with such dreams, and to carry on!
What an incredible journey. And lovely lessons, thank goodness! In short, from the magnificent views in Montenegro to our history lesson in Bulgaria, this trip that moved us so much will surely be one of our favourite and most unforgettable trips of recent times...
Whether you rent a car or you're on the road in your own, offline navigation abroad is a must! You can download apps with these maps that work even when you're offline. Our choice is usually maps.me. There are detailed, up-to-date regional maps. You can also search by categories such as petrol stations, supermarkets and sights!
As for the state of the roads, in our view they're so bad they can't come close to Turkey's. The roads they call motorways are dual carriageways, and you need to be very careful not to drop the car into potholes.
In this post we'll share all the details of our tour, what happened to us and our spending. I hope we'll get you on the road too!
Day 1: Sinemorets, Burgas, Nessebar and Varna: 240 km
From Istanbul to Sinemorets we drove 330 km, 5 hours in total, and reached the stars at night. Not counting this as the first day, we start describing the details of day one.
Of course, the big, hard part of the journey was the mountain road crossed after Bulgaria to reach the coast. It had a gorgeous view through the trees, but suddenly the road got so bad! Bumping in and out of the potholes on the mountain roads, at minimum speed and a bit scared, we got through this road. The map must have put us on this road because we chose the shortest route, since before the border we'd come to Kırklareli on smooth roads!
We woke up in our car facing the sea on the Sinemorets beach and gave the whole first day to Burgas and the small seaside towns around it. In the evening we drove 100 km from Nessebar to reach Varna. During the day we covered another 240 km in total. We stayed at the Ventura Boutique Hotel in Varna. The hotel is a little outside the city centre, so its price is lower for its service. Again we woke up to a sea view, got up early in the morning and explored Varna from end to end.
You can read about the places to visit in and around Burgas in Places to Visit in Burgas..
Day 2: Varna, Tarnovo, Etar, Kazanlak and Plovdiv: 470 km
We explored Varna city centre in the early hours of the morning. There's a special joy in exploring a city on a Sunday morning. Not a soul around, the parks empty! As if we'd reserved the city; we loved it!
On the second day we had a very busy route. After exploring Varna, we drove 225 km to reach Veliko Tarnovo, the famous city of fortresses. After exploring the city and the fortress here, we went on to Bozhentsi, a village you must see in Gabrovo, then Gabrovo city centre, the Etar Architectural-Ethnographic Complex, the Shipka Monument and Kazanlak, arriving late in the evening in Filibe, also known as Plovdiv. On the second day, even though we were sightseeing along the way, we covered 470 km in total.
Day 3: Plovdiv (Filibe), Sofia and Skopje: 405 km
We got so tired on Sunday, the day before, that we couldn't get up early in the morning. We started our day a bit later. We'd set aside the third day for Plovdiv and Sofia anyway.
After a nice breakfast at the Plaza hotel, we head towards the city centre we'd been eagerly waiting for. Seeing the Maritsa, the Meriç river, on the map is exciting. We're thinking about borders again!
We really liked Plovdiv, chosen as the 2019 European Capital of Culture. Preparations for 2019 are in full swing in this city, which is also very rich in history and culture. We gave Plovdiv half a day and enjoyed it a lot.
We started exploring the old town with the Dzhumaya Mosque. We really enjoy exploring early in the morning, while the city is still waking up.
We got from Plovdiv to Sofia in a pleasant two hours. This time, luckily, most of the road was motorway. Coming into Sofia city centre we felt the Black Sea again, passing up-and-down forest roads. Then, driving 150 km towards Sofia, we arrived at the place in Bulgaria we were most curious about, greeted by a crowded city. We could say we didn't find what we hoped for in Sofia, which fell well below our expectations. After a little supermarket shopping in Sofia, we hit the road towards Skopje! Sofia - Skopje is 250 km, and we got there in about 3 hours.
Plovdiv, which we found very similar to Istanbul: Filibe / Plovdiv Travel Guide
Not our favourite, but just as much everyone is curious about it: Sofia Travel Guide — click the links!
Day 4: Skopje, Pristina, Peja: 190 km
We reached Skopje on 1 May and started exploring the city early. We happened upon the Labour Day celebrations; there was a sweet holiday crowd in the city centre. In the wooded areas near the city we also met the people of Skopje heading to picnic areas with their families. Both the Millennium Cross and Matka Canyon were overflowing! We wish you a quieter time to explore :)
Skopje — you can see the places to visit in our post.
From here we set off, heading for Durmitor National Park in Montenegro! Sadly, things don't always go well. The road we set off on after a lovely meal in Kosovo dealt us its first blow when we were turned back at the Mitrovica Serbian border gate. Because of the friction and political tension between Kosovo and Serbia, which flared up again especially in 2017, we weren't allowed through this gate. Because Serbia, which doesn't yet recognise Kosovo, said we couldn't enter, claiming we had Kosovo's customs entry stamp in our passports.
We had no choice but to cross into Montenegro via another border gate 250 km away, so we hit the road again. With the offline maps, the road suddenly turned from asphalt to dirt. We thought it was probably shorter and carried on. The already bad road suddenly got even worse! An old road, the subsidence more like trenches than potholes! A landslide area and lots of stone and rock-like damage on the road... And on top of that a pitch-black night is falling, and if something happened to us here no one would find us! The fear we felt!
Then we set off towards the city centre. But strangely, the day on which nothing had happened twice ended for us with a strange traffic accident. Yes, even though we were completely the victims in Kosovo, we had to wait with our hands tied.
The post where we describe the border crossing and the accident is here!
We had to stay in Kosovo that night and get the car repaired. Then, trimming the route a bit, we turned back in a short loop!
Day 5: Peja, Lake Shkodra, Tivat: 385 km
We could say Montenegro, with its breathtaking seas, mountains and enchanting old towns, forced us to make lists of places to visit. :) In recent years Montenegro has become the rising star of the Balkans. Although Croatia's famous beaches cover almost the whole Adriatic coastline, Montenegro's claim to fame is intact. This beautiful land is waiting for its tourists. With high demand, prices naturally rise a bit in the tourist season, so to visit while prices are low, choosing the spring like us is ideal!
Even though we knew it was a beautiful country with natural wonders, seeing it in person was something else! Let's leave you alone with the pictures.
Day 6: Tivat, Kotor, Perast, Budva and Virpazar: 105 km
Our aim of starting from the national park in northern Montenegro fell through with the accident we had. Without cancelling the route, we cut things out and started exploring southern Montenegro.
We'd stayed the night in an Airbnb flat in Tivat; we'd have liked to swim here too, but the weather didn't allow it. We had a lovely breakfast by the sea. Then we hit the road and followed the Kotor, Perast, Budva, Sveti Stefan and Virpazar route. It was a lot of fun...
Even though our favourite destination was Perast, each had its own special place! The links are below! ;)
Day 7: Virpazar, Bar, Ada Bojana, Tirana, Struga and Ohrid: 350 km
Now for the most spontaneous and sweetest part of our tour. We could say Virpazar promises you peace. It was the calmest and most peaceful spot on this route. In high season apparently there's no room to move, but while we were there, there was no one but the locals. We stayed in a lovely Airbnb flat.
The next morning, in Virpazar, we joined the route of the tour boats on the Montenegrin part of Lake Skadar, a nature reserve. This was the start of Berna's birthday surprises! At the same time it was turning into a wonderful ending for the tour, we could feel it :) We were almost alone; this private tour is also one of our recommendations! You can read in detail in the posts how we found it and what we did.
Day 8: Ohrid
Macedonia, also known as FYROM or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, is squeezed between Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Bulgaria and Greece. Like the rest of the Balkans, it offers great hospitality with incredible scenery, friendly people and affordable accommodation and food. Ah, if only our money hadn't lost value, right!
Now for Ohrid. Even though Skopje is a very interesting city, you can't skip Ohrid! In fact, forget Skopje: if you're only going to one, visit Ohrid! :) In our view Ohrid is one of the coolest places in the Balkans. Ohrid is one of the most interesting places in Macedonia, and the lake and the whole old town are under UNESCO protection. The guide with the must-see places to visit in Ohrid is here.
The lake, with its unique flora and fauna, is among the oldest in the world. It's also a very popular place in summer for its beaches. Apparently it's very hard to find room in the hotels. It's also the centre of Slavic literacy, and with around 365 churches it has spiritual importance for many people. We loved it.
Day 9: Ohrid, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Alexandroupoli, İpsala and Istanbul: 880 km
Let us repeat as we close: the Balkan region offers magnificent mountain ranges, wonderful beaches, cultural and historical clashes, countless historic towns, friendly places, delicious food and the chance to travel at affordable prices. Most places you'll visit are almost untouched by tourists, and with their beauty we really think they should be experienced!
Places to Visit in Thessaloniki
Places to Visit in Alexandroupoli
Our Balkans journey ends here, but there's so much to see! We hope it serves as a resource for you..
36 km
75 km
99 km