Question 1

When to Visit the Balkans?

Accepted Answer

Since we will be traveling through 9 countries across the peninsula, we will be experiencing a variety of climates and environments throughout our trip so it is essential that we pick the best time to begin our journey that aligns best with the season.

So the best time to begin this itinerary is in mid-May when the weather is not excessively hot and the crowds are not overwhelmingly large. As Croatia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area, beginning the itinerary in May will provide us with the opportunity to appreciate the country without the hustle and bustle of the summer crowd, while also having reasonably priced accommodations to choose from.

As we make our way across the peninsula, we will be visiting countries that are not as touristy as Croatia so we should be fine with the tourist crowds as we approach the summer months.

By the time we arrive in Romania, our last destination for this itinerary, in mid-July the European peak season should be in full swing and you will be able to enjoy all the cool summer events and concerts that you might stumble upon as you make your way across the peninsula.

I believe this is the best time to do this itinerary but of course, you can also begin this journey in June, July, or even as late as September and October if you do not mind the occasionally cold weather towards the end of the trip. As long as you do not travel during the winter months, you should be able to follow this itinerary to the T.

Question 2

How to Get to the Balkans?

Accepted Answer

For this itinerary, we begin our journey in Zadar, Croatia so you can either fly directly to Zadar or you can fly to Zagreb, the capital city of Croatia and take another domestic flight to Zadar to begin our journey.

From the US, you can fly to Zadar via Austrian Airlines which often leaves from big cities like New York or LA, and it should take about 14 hours including transit time in Vienna.

From Europe, you can find plenty of direct flights flying from major European hubs to Zadar International Airport (ZAD) via low-cost airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet that will take you to Zadar in no more than 3 hours.

From Asia, you can fly to Zadar with Austrian Airlines from any big cities in the region as well and it should take you about 19 hours including transit time in Vienna before you arrive in Croatia.

To find a cheap flight to Croatia, I would recommend you use Skyscanner or Expedia to look for the cheapest route and schedule so you can compare and pick the best one.

Question 3

How to Get Around the Balkans?

Accepted Answer

By Buses: For this trip, we are going to be relying on buses for the most part to get around the Balkans affordably. The one thing to keep in mind is that not all countries have online bookings so you might have to go to the bus station and buy the ticket yourself but most should have a bus schedule online you can consult. Here are all the bus schedules and websites you can rely on for each country:

By Trains: We will also be using a little bit of trains in Bulgaria and Romania to go on day trips and navigate a more remote region like Transylvania in Romania. They are affordable and easily accessible although they aren't known for being punctual, but since we won't be taking any multi-leg train trips, it should be fine. Here are the websites for train schedules and online booking:

Bulgaria: Bulgaria's Official Train Website
Romania: Romania's Official Train Website

By Tours: We will also be relying on organized tours to get to the more remote places in the Balkans. There are 2 portals you can browse through for tours and day trips. I found GetYourGuide to best in Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bulgaria whereas Viator works best in Bosnia, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Romania, so be sure to check them out if you are looking for day trips.

By Rental Cars: I wouldn't recommend renting a car since you will have to drive back to where you got the car from to return it which is not ideal for this itinerary. Plus, I have provided all the information you need to get around the Balkans with public transportation so you should be able to do it without your own vehicles. If you insist on renting one, you can hit the link below:

Rent a Car in the Balkans

Question 4

Visa for the Balkans?

Accepted Answer

If you are like me who holds a pretty terrible passport (Thai Passport), you are going to have to get a Schengen Visa for your trip to Croatia since Croatia is now part of the Schengen Zone and you are going to have to apply for it in your home country at Croatia Embassy way in advance before your trip.

Schengen Visa comes with 2 durations, the duration you can stay within the Schengen Zone, which in this case includes your time in Croatia only, and the validity of the visa which we are going to have to rely on for all the other countries outside the Schengen Zone.

You see, all the countries we will be visiting except Croatia are not part of the Schengen Zone so only apply for our journey in Croatia but do not apply to the other 8 countries we are visiting, but since they all are part of the EU, we can utilize the Schengen Visa we have to get into these countries without affecting the duration you can stay in the Schengen Zone AS LONG AS the visa is still valid.

This means that if you get the Schengen Visa that comes with 90 days duration and an expiry date of 180 days from the issue date, you will be able to spend 90 days inside the Schengen countries while you can spend the rest of your time in these EU countries outside the Schengen Zone until your visa expires even if you have already utilized the 90 days duration.

For this itinerary, you are going to spend 2 weeks in Croatia and 1.5 months in EU countries outside of the Schengen Zone, so as long as you have a visa with more than 15 days of duration and a visa expiring date of more than 60 days from the issue date, you should be able to travel around the Balkans just fine. Also, make sure you get the multi-entry Schengen Visa since this is required for the visa to be valid for EU countries outside the Schengen Zone.

The trick to getting a multi-entry visa with a 2 - 3 months expiry date is to provide the embassy with this exact itinerary. Tell them, you are planning to start your trip in Croatia and travel around the Balkans for 2 months and if all the documents like flights and bookings all checked out, they should issue you with a multi-entry Schengen Visa that comes with at least 20 days of duration and a 2+ months validity, exactly what you need to pull this trip off.

Question 5

How Much Money Do I Need for 2 months in the Balkans?

Accepted Answer

From this 2 months itinerary, we can calculate approximately how much money you will be spending here as follows:

Accommodation: For 61 nights in the Balkans, you can expect to pay around 915 EUR for accommodation considering you are staying in budget guesthouses or hostels.

Food: For 60 days, 3 meals a day in the Balkans, you can expect to pay around 1080 EUR for food considering you eat out every day. It will be significantly cheaper if you buy your own groceries and cook yourself instead.

Transportation: For this itinerary, you can expect to pay around 500 EUR for buses and trains we are going to use to get around the Balkans.

Activities: Depending on how much you want to do in the Balkans, you can expect to pay approximately 661 EUR for all the day trips and entrance fees to tourist attractions we are going to have to pay as we explore the Balkans.

Total Budget for 2 months in the Balkans: 3,146 EUR

Question 6

Is it Safe in the Balkans?

Accepted Answer

I found the Balkans to be extremely safe for solo travelers despite what people may have told you about the region. I spent over 2 months traveling all over the Balkans independently and I found the people here to be extremely friendly and I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary. In fact, I feel safer here than in many crowded in Germany!

That said, it is always a good idea to exercise precautions by not leaving your belongings unattended, especially when in crowded places like bus or train stations, and ALWAYS keep an eye out for your belongings at all times.

Keep your hands in your pockets when entering or exiting crowded places to secure your phone and wallet. Other than that, you should be perfectly fine traveling around the Balkans independently.

Question 7

Which tourist SIM card is best for The Balkans?

Accepted Answer

Since we will be visiting 9 countries, it can be difficult to stay connected while you travel and the best way to do that for me was to use esims that I buy prior to arriving in each country.

If you have a smartphone that supports esims, I highly recommend you take a look at this regional Eurolink esim. They have a variety of data packages, price points, and durations for you to choose from.

The setup is fast and instant and you can buy it prior to your trip so you don't have to scramble your way to get one at the airport after a long flight. The data speed is also equivalent to what you get with a local sim card with 4G speed across the entire country.

I used the regional Eurolink esim for most of my trip in the Balkans and I found them to work very well in Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania.

The regional esim doesn't work in Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia, and Kosovo since these countries are not included within the plan so you are going to have to buy them separately. Make sure you buy them prior to your arrival to that country so you can have a consistent connection as you travel across borders.

For more information on esims in the Balkans, click here: Check Balkans's Available eSim.

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