THE BEST TRAVEL ITINERARY FOR THE BALKANS (2-3 WEEKS)

Who knows us knows: the Balkans They are one of our weaknesses and we will never tire of recommending a trip through this area of ​​Eastern Europe. The only problem is that it is a very large territory, composed 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 you have for the trip is reduced. This is probably your case, so this article is intended for you, where we are going to recommend the one that, for us, is the best travel itinerary in the Balkans (two weeks).

Days 1 and 2- Sofia -

Flights to the capital of Bulgaria are very cheap, so it seems like a good starting point to explore the heart of the Balkans. But logistics is not the only reason, in Sofia you will get fully into the atmosphere of Eastern Europe, and since you go out for the first time to walk its streets you will be surrounded by shops with Cyrillic posters, orthodox cathedrals ( like the majestic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral), with neighborhoods full of street art and architecture typical of the Soviet era. From what you see, it is to begin the journey in style!

→ Here we tell you our time in Sofia

Days 3 and 4- Belgrade -

The next destination is Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, inevitably intertwined with one of the bloodiest chapters in the history of Europe: the Balkan War. But not everything is war or memories of it, Belgrade is also one of the most lively cities in Europe, with a fun night, perfect 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 get to know the city. It is not much, but enough to visit a good handful of interesting places.

→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Belgrade

Days 5 and 6- Sarajevo -

Sarajevo is like a coin: one face shows a beautiful city, but the other side hides a terrible past. Your visit hurts, but it is very necessary. He went down in history for the bombs, for the hunger and for the horrors of an absurd war. But today it is a city with almost closed scars, 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 the time, we recommend you take 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 you will not waste valuable time.

→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Sarajevo

Day 7- Show -

Take a train or a bus (2 hours) and travel to Mostar, that remote place in Bosnia that occupied the front pages of newspapers around the world after the bombing of its bridge. This fact 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 hell, it is time for a joy! Strolling through its historic center is a real joy and, with any luck, you can see the famous jumpers that are launched from the top of the bridge to the cold water of the Neretva River.

Here we tell you everything to see and do in Mostar

Days 8, 9 and 10- Split and Plitvice Lakes -

Most people usually travel from Mostar to Dubrovnik, but we recommend heading towards Split. The reason is that from this beautiful city, which houses the incredible Diocletian's Palace, it will be easier to visit one of the most beautiful corners of Croatia: the Plitvice lakes.

→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Split
→ Here we tell you how to visit the Plitvice Lakes

Days 11 and 12- Islands of Croatia -

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 that you go to Hvar. It only takes one hour to arrive and you can enjoy a couple of relaxing days ... that will surely be good for you!

Days 12, 13 and 14- Dubrovnik and Kotor -

From Hvar there are ferries that, in 3 hours, will take you to the best known city in Croatia: Dubrovnik, which many define as the Pearl of the Adriatic. Its historic center is a labyrinth of streets that has inspired more than one film director (does it sound like King's Landing?), The walls that enclose it are an architectural marvel and the beaches found nearby will be the icing on This trip.

If you have a little time and energy left, the best idea is to book a day to make an excursion to the city of Kotor and its bay: the coast of Montenegro is a real past and although, obviously, it would deserve more time ... in one day you can see the center and part of the coast (Perast is a must!).

→ Here we tell you everything to see and do in Dubrovnik
→ Here goes our passage through Kotor and its bay

We leave you the map with the itinerary for the two-week Balkans that we propose, so you visualize it better 😉

The bad thing about this itinerary is that we completely leave out 3 very interesting countries: Macedonia (with the must-see Skopje and Ohrid), Albania (with Tirana, Berat and the beautiful Albanian coast) and Slovenia (with Ljubljana, Lake Bled, Postonja Caves and Predjama Castle).

The good thing is that you will take advantage of the two weeks of time very well and you will go through some of the most beautiful places in the Balkans.

An easy alternative that comes to mind is, instead of arriving in Sofia, doing it to Ljubljana (via Venice or Trieste) and spending the first two days there (spending a day on the best excursion in Slovenia). From there you can go to Belgrade by bus (8 hours, so we recommend a night bus to save time), and join the proposed route above.

If you are one of the lucky ones who have more time, we recommend you follow the alternative itinerary of the 2 weeks and add the following route:

• From Dubrovnik passes to Kotor (2 days)
• From there, head towards Albania and know the essentials (3 days, with visit to Berat and Tirana)
• The next step is to go cross the border with Macedonia, and stay at Lake Ohrid (2 days). The capital Skopje did not drive us crazy, but it is certainly a curious place to spend 1 day before finishing the trip.
• It ends in Sofia (2 days) and from there flight back to Spain. I travel for the memory!

Did you like our travel itinerary through the Balkans? We almost stayed with the alternative and the extra week ... since it is a trip in style, right?

* Photocredit: Shutterstock