Balkans Itinerary (Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia)

After six trips to the Balkans and having visited (almost) every country, we have finally compiled a complete Balkans backpacking itinerary using only public transport.

• Backpacking the Balkans
• Balkans Backpacking Route (2 weeks + 1 and 2 months)
• Balkans Travel Itinerary
• Backpacking Balkans: Albania
• Backpacking Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Backpacking Balkans: Bulgaria
• Backpacking Balkans: Croatia
• Backpacking Balkans: Montenegro
• Backpacking Balkans: North Macedonia
• Backpacking Balkans: Romania
• Backpacking Balkans: Serbia
• Backpacking Balkans: Slovenia

Backpacking the Balkans

Travel Balkans Itinerary: Number of Countries

Visit 9 countries with our Balkans trip itinerary:

1. Albania
2. Bosnia and Herzegovina
3. Bulgaria
4. Croatia
5. Montenegro
6. North Macedonia
7. Romania
8. Serbia
9. Slovenia

How Much Does Balkans Travel Cost?

We paid between 30$ and 70$ per person and day. As our costs fluctuated a lot, we have provided our average spending per person and day for each country below.

Balkans Transport

Public transport in the Balkans is mostly decent but varies a lot by country. That’s why we have given a detailed breakdown of our public transport experiences while backpacking in the Balkans below.

In general, travelling in the Balkans by buses and trains is fun and easy enough so there is absolutely no need to hire a rental car – especially if you’re like us and you don’t feel confident driving (in foreign countries).

Balkans by Train

Usually, taking the bus is easier than taking the train. While every country in the Balkans has a train system, some do work better than others.

Balkans by Bus

As a generalisation, the bus network is more reliable and extensive than the train network. In the majority of countries, you can find more or less reliable timetables online and sometimes you can even book tickets on the internet.

Border Crossings

Most of the time, you have to take the bus from one capital city to another to cross the border so keep that in mind.

We have constructed our 2 weeks backpacking Balkans itinerary as well as our 1 and 2 months backpacking Balkans itineraries in a way to minimise circling back on yourself.

How Long Do You Need Travelling the Balkans?

If we assume a medium speed and assume you

Move roughly every 2 nights, you can

→ Visit 3 places per country

→ Visit 1 country per week

→ Need 9 weeks to visit 9 countries

→ Need 2 months travelling the Balkans.

Don’t worry, we’ll also give you shorter options for your Balkans trip.

Balkans Backpacking Route (2 weeks + 1 and 2 months)

Our suggested Balkans backpacking route for 2 weeks as well as 1 and 2 months.

2 Months Balkans Itinerary

For our 2 months Balkans itinerary, we tried to avoid backtracking as much as possible.

Assume you start in the west: From Ljubljana, go to Lakes Bled and Bohinj before circling back to the Slovenian capital.

Make your way from Ljubljana to Zagreb. Next, make your way down the Croatian coast.

The way through Bosnia and Herzegovina is pretty straightforward.

In Serbia, you have to circle back from Novi Sad (which we 100% recommend to visit) to Belgrade.

The train from Belgrade to Podgorica is supposed to be beautiful. Montenegro is a small country so it’s easy to visit Kotor and Durmitor National Park before circling back to Podgorica.

Make your way to Shkoder, Albania. If you want to visit the stunning beaches of the Albanian Riviera (you should), you have to circle back to the capital Tirana.

Take a bus to Lake Ohrid and loop through North Macedonia until you reach the capital Skopje.

Hop on a bus to Sofia and travel further east in Bulgaria.

There are direct buses from Varna to Tulcea, Romania. Stop in Bucharest before you end your trip in Transylvania.

Voila: You have visited the best of the Balkans in 2 months by public transport.

1 Month Balkans Itinerary

If you only have time for a 1 month Balkans itinerary, we have to cut some stops short.

Start in Split, Croatia, with some island time before you make your way to Dubrovnik.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, you shouldn’t miss Mostar and Sarajevo.

In Serbia, you shouldn’t miss Belgrade and Novi Sad.

Limit your time in Montenegro to Kotor before you make your way to the Albanian Alps and the Albanian Riviera. Don’t worry, there’s a direct bus from Kotor to Shkoder.

You have to do a quick pit stop in Tirana to catch a bus to Ohrid.

Travel to Sofia via Skopje and make your way east to the Black Sea coast.

In Varna, catch a direct bus to Bucharest and end your trip in Transylvania.

2 Weeks Balkans Itinerary

A 2 weeks Balkans itinerary to see the best of the Balkans is where things get challenging. We tried to include a taste of everything in our Balkans itinerary 2 weeks: from the Mediterranean beaches over the Balkans mountains to the castles of Transylvania.

Start in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and make your way to Kotor, Montenegro.

In Albania, stop in Shkoder and Tirana, if you have some extra time definitely try to squeeze a beach in!

Travel via Lake Ohrid and Skopje to Sofia, Bulgaria.

From here, take the direct bus to Bucharest and end your trip in Transylvania.

Balkans Travel Itinerary

Countries in alphabetical order.

Backpacking Balkans: Albania

Albania Overview

Albania Public Transport

Albania might just be the most complicated country in the Balkans to backpack with public transport.

That’s what Wikipedia says about Albanian trains: “The small system, now mostly dysfunctional, was considered by many travel guides as a tourist attraction.”

It’s almost impossible to find reliable bus schedules online. We found this blogpost helpful.

In between smaller towns e.g. along the Albanian Riviera, you can take a privately owned minibus also known as a Furgon. If you cannot be bothered to work out that system and don’t mind paying a bit more, you can also book a shuttle online.

Albania Average Cost

We paid 30$ per person per day on average.

Albania Highlights

The highlights of your time in Albania will be:

• The amazing beaches of the Albanian Riviera.
• Hiking the Albanian Alps.
• Small villages with beautiful old towns like Gjirokastra.

Albania Backpacking Itinerary

More Albania resources:

Itinerary

Wild Camping in Albania - 14 days Albania Itinerary (+ Map)

Two week Albania itinerary with map for your holidays in Albania! It's written with Albania camping in mind but of course, you can also use it for your Albania road trip! You wonder where to go in Albania? We show you Albania’s hikes, castles, and beaches, as well as the best campsites Albania has to offer.

Carina

15.10.2021 · 17 min read

Open blogpost

Backpacking Balkans: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina Overview

Bosnia and Herzegovina Public Transport

Although there are more train routes in Bosnia and Herzegovina, most backpackers will only take the scenic train between Mostar and Sarajevo.

Buses are a great alternative to go to places like Jajce. We found the bus times online to be very reliable.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Average Cost

We paid 50$ per person per day on average. Note that we went on two day trips.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Highlights

The highlights of your time in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be:

• The Ottoman Bridge in Mostar.
• The fairy tale Jajce Waterfall.
• Sarajevo, the meeting point of East and West.

More Bosnia and Herzegovina resources:

Itinerary

1 Week Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary With Public Transport + Map

Backpack one week in Bosnia and Herzegovina and visit Mostar, Jajce, and Sarajevo without a car!

Carina

22.11.2023 · 9 min read

Open blogpost

Travel Guides

Bus Sarajevo to Belgrade – Quick Travel Guide

Quick Sarajevo Beograd bus travel guide.

Carina

04.12.2023 · 3 min read

Open blogpost

Backpacking Balkans: Bulgaria

Bulgaria Overview

Bulgaria Public Transport

Although buses seem to be more popular with locals, we took the train (e.g. from Oreshec to Sofia). a couple of times and cannot complain. Also don’t forget about the narrow gauge railway from Dobrinishte to Septemvri!

We found that there are significantly more buses than you can find online.

Bulgaria Average Cost

We paid 30$ per person per day on average.

Bulgaria Highlights

The highlights of your time in Bulgaria will be:

• Plovdiv.
• Beaches of the Black Sea.
• Hiking, e.g. 7 Rila Lakes.

Bulgaria Backpacking Itinerary

Backpacking Balkans: Croatia

Croatia Overview

Croatia Public Transport

Although there are some train lines in Croatia, most routes are not really convenient for backpackers.

Most cities and other tourist destinations like the Plitvice Lakes are well connected by buses and you can check timetables and buy tickets online.

Croatia Average Cost

We paid 70$ per person per day on average.

Croatia Highlights

The highlights of your time in Croatia will be:

• Beaches with crystal clear water.
• Dubrovnik.
• Plitvice Lakes National Park.

Croatia Backpacking Itinerary

Backpacking Balkans: Montenegro

Montenegro Overview

Montenegro Public Transport

The only train line in Montenegro is the Bar - Belgrade train. We took it and can confirm that the timetables you can find online are more of a suggestion…

We really liked the bus service. The schedules online are reliable. You can also buy tickets online but make sure to print them! Believe us, we tried to board a bus with a ticket on our phone.

Montenegro Average Cost

We paid 50$ per person per day on average. A lot of home cooking was involved to keep the cost down.

Montenegro Highlights

The highlights of your time in Montenegro will be:

• Bay of Kotor.
• Durmitor National Park.

Montenegro Backpacking Itinerary

More Montenegro resources:

Itinerary

4 Day Montenegro Itinerary With Public Transport

How long to spend in Montenegro? We have written a no fluff Montenegro 4 day itinerary for backpacking Montenegro with public transport to cover all of the countries highlights efficiently.

Carina

15.11.2023 · 7 min read

Open blogpost

Backpacking Balkans: North Macedonia

North Macedonia Overview

North Macedonia Public Transport

While there are some train connections in North Macedonia (e.g. in between Ohrid, Bitola, and Prilep) we have not taken one as all the locals told us buses are quicker and more comfortable. Bus timetables online are pretty reliable.

North Macedonia Average Cost

We paid 35$ per person per day on average.

North Macedonia Highlights

The highlights of your time in North Macedonia will be:

• Lake Ohrid.
• Skopje.

North Macedonia Backpacking Itinerary

More North Macedonia resources:

Itinerary

1 Week North Macedonia Itinerary + Map

Backpacking Macedonia by public transport: Skopje, Prilep, Bitola, and Lake Ohrid.

Carina

30.10.2021 · 11 min read

Open blogpost

Backpacking Balkans: Romania

Romania Overview

Romania Public Transport

Personally, we have not taken a train in Romania because we had read that taking a Romanian train is a slow process and a couple hundred miles often takes several hours. Additionally, there seem to be gaps which means that there is a transfer involved. “Just because two cities appear on a map as though they should have a direct rail link does not mean they do”.

Buses have a wider network but they are also more expensive. Expect to encounter delays from the schedule you can find online due to frequent stops and traffic jams.

Romania Average Cost

We paid 35$ per person per day on average.

Romania Highlights

The highlights of your time in Romania will be:

• The castles in Transylvania.
• The Danube Delta.

Romania Backpacking Itinerary

More Romania resources:

Itinerary

Efficient Romania Road Trip Itinerary – 7 Days With Map

This is the perfect road trip Romania itinerary if you only have 7 days but still want to explore the best of Romania: Travel beyond Transylvania and visit the Danube Delta, the Black Sea beaches, as well as the capital Bucharest.

Carina

05.06.2021 · 6 min read

Open blogpost

Backpacking Balkans: Serbia

Serbia Overview

Serbia Public Transport

We have taken both buses and trains in Serbia. We took the train from Belgrade to Novi Sad but probably wouldn’t do it again as the new Belgrade Central Station is inconveniently far away from the centre.

We found the bus schedules online very reliable. You can book tickets online or at the station.

Serbia Average Cost

We paid 35$ per person per day on average.

Serbia Highlights

The highlights of your time in Serbia will be:

• Belgrade.
• Novi Sad.
• Subotica and Palic.

Serbia Backpacking Itinerary

More Serbia resources:

Itinerary

Backpacking Serbia Itinerary With Public Transport (+ Map)

Our backpacking Serbia itinerary explains the best way to spend 5 days in Serbia without a car.

Carina

13.12.2023 · 7 min read

Open blogpost

Backpacking Balkans: Slovenia

Slovenia Overview

Slovenia Public Transport

Most backpackers use the modern Alpetour buses.

Slovenia Average Cost

We paid 65$ per person per day on average.

Slovenia Highlights

The highlights of your time in Slovenia will be:

• Lake Bled.
• Postojna Cave.
• Amazing hikes.

Slovenia Backpacking Itinerary

More Slovenia resources:

Itinerary

Road trip Slovenia – 7 day Slovenia itinerary

Slovenia in 7 days: Lake Bled and the Vrsic Pass, Bovec and the Soca Valley, Piran and Strunjan, the Postojna Caves, as well as Maribor. Spend one week in Slovenia hitting the best beaches and doing the best hikes.

Carina

25.09.2021 · 10 min read

Open blogpost

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