Do you want to travel to the Balkans but you are more lost than the Northern Lights in the Congo? No drama: in this article we are going to recommend what we consider to be the best 2-3 week Balkan travel itinerary . At the end of the post you will also find an alternative route.
⭐ First of all, take a look at this article full of tips for traveling through the Balkans.
Balkans travel itinerary (2-3 weeks)
Anyone who knows us knows that the Balkans are one of our favourite areas of the world and we will never tire of recommending a trip there. The only problem is that it is a very large territory, made up of a good handful of countries that you will want to visit and full of attractions . In itself this should not be a problem, but it becomes one when the time available for the trip is limited .
In this case you have two options: limit yourself to visiting a few countries at a time ( Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia ), ( Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro ), ( Serbia, Macedonia and Albania ) or try to make a nice mix of " a bit of everything ".
This last case is what we have taken into account when planning an optimized 2-3 week Balkan travel itinerary to see many of the most incredible sites in this region.
For internal transport we recommend the Flixbus website or the search engines Balkanviator , GetByBus or Vollo (to view timetables and routes, and sometimes book tickets online).
Go for it!
Sofia: days 1-2
Flights to the Bulgarian capital are very cheap, so we think it's a good starting point for exploring the heart of the Balkans. But logistics aren't the only reason. In Sofia you'll be immersed in the atmosphere of Eastern Europe , and from the moment you step out onto the streets you'll be surrounded by shops with signs in Cyrillic, Orthodox cathedrals (like the majestic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral) , neighbourhoods full of street art and typical Soviet-era architecture. As you can see, this is a great start to your trip!
⭐ Free tour in Sofia
→ Here we tell you about our time in Sofia and the best things to see and do
Belgrade: days 3-4
Next up is Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, inevitably intertwined with one of the bloodiest chapters in European history: the Balkan War . But it's not all about war or memories of it, Belgrade is also one of the liveliest cities in Europe , with a fun night out, perfect for getting to know another part of the Balkans.
There are buses that travel from Sofia to Belgrade in 5 hours, so if you leave early, you will have a day and a half to explore the city. It is not much, but it is enough to visit a good number of interesting places such as the Kalemegdan fortress , Knez Mihailova street , Republic Square or the Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sabiha.
⭐ Free tour in Belgrade
→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Belgrade
Sarajevo: day 5-6
Sarajevo is like a coin: one side shows a beautiful city, but the other hides a terrible past. Visiting it is painful, but very necessary. It went down in history because of the bombs, hunger and the horrors of an absurd war. But today it is a city with scars almost healed, looking for its second chance in the world. It is one of our favorite places in the Balkans and, of course, we include it in the itinerary.
To make the most of your time, we recommend taking a night bus (7-8 hours) from Belgrade to arrive in Sarajevo in the morning of the next day. This way you will save on accommodation and not lose valuable time.
⭐ Free tour in Sarajevo
⭐ Bosnian War Tour
→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Sarajevo
Mostar: day 7
Take a train or a bus (2 hours) and travel to Mostar , that remote place in Bosnia that made headlines all over the world after the bombing of its bridge . This event became one of the symbols of the terrible Bosnian War , and its bridge an icon.
Today it has been reinvented and the bridge is the perfect frame for Instagram photos, but what the heck, it's time for it to have a treat! Walking through its historic centre is a real pleasure and, with a bit of luck, you'll be able to see the famous divers who jump from the top of the bridge into the cold waters of the Neretva River .
⭐ Balkan War Tour
→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Mostar
Split and Plitvice Lakes: days 8-9-10
Most people travel from Mostar to Dubrovnik, but we recommend heading to Split. The reason is that from this beautiful city, which is home to the incredible Diocletian's Palace , it will be easier to visit one of the most beautiful corners of Croatia: the Plitvice Lakes.
⭐ Free tour in Split
→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Split
→ Here we tell you how to visit the Plitvice Lakes
Croatian Islands: Days 11-12
From Split you can take a ferry to several of the Croatian islands , among which are some of the most beautiful in the entire Mediterranean. Our advice is to go to Hvar . It only takes an hour to get there and you can enjoy a couple of days of relaxation… which will surely do you good!
An alternative could be the beautiful island of Brač or the islands of Solta, Dvrenik and Ciovo .
⭐ Hvar tour from Split
→ These are the best islands in Croatia
Dubrovnik and Kotor: days 13-14-15
From Hvar there are ferries that will take you to the most famous city in Croatia in 3 hours: Dubrovnik , which many define as the Pearl of the Adriatic . Its historic centre is a labyrinth of streets that has inspired more than one film director (does King's Landing ring a bell ?), the walls that surround it are an architectural marvel and the beaches in the vicinity will be the icing on the cake of this trip.
If you have a little time and energy left, the best idea is to reserve a day for an excursion to the city of Kotor and its bay : the coast of Montenegro is truly amazing and although, obviously, it would deserve more time... in one day you can see the center and part of the coast ( Perast is not to be missed !).
⭐ Free tour of Dubrovnik
→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Dubrovnik
→ Here is our trip through Kotor and its bay
2-week Balkans travel itinerary map
The bad thing about this itinerary is that we completely left out 3 very interesting countries: Macedonia (with the unmissable Skopje and Ohrid ), Albania (with Tirana , Berat and the beautiful Albanian coast) and Slovenia (with Ljubljana , Lake Bled , the Postonja Caves and Predjama Castle ). The good thing is that you will make the most of the two weeks of time and you will visit some of the most beautiful places in the area.
We leave you the map with the two-week itinerary through the Balkans that we propose, so you can visualize it better 😉
Alternative 2-week Balkans travel itinerary
An easy alternative that comes to mind is, instead of going to Sofia, going to Ljubljana (via Venice or Trieste) and spending the first two days there (devoting one day to the best of Slovenia tour). From there you can go to Belgrade by bus (8 hours, so we recommend a night bus to save time), and connect with the itinerary suggested above.
3-week Balkan travel itinerary
If you are one of the lucky ones who have more time, we recommend following the alternative 2-week itinerary and adding the following route:
- From Dubrovnik go to Kotor (2 days)
- From there, head towards Albania and see the essentials (3 days, with a visit to Berat and Tirana)
- The next step is to cross the border with Macedonia and stay at Lake Ohrid (2 days). We weren't crazy about the capital Skopje, but it is certainly a curious place to spend a day before finishing the trip.
- It ends in Sofia (2 days) and from there you fly back to Spain. A trip to remember!
Did you like our Balkan travel itinerary ? We almost chose the alternative one and the extra week… let’s say it’s a great trip, right?
