I’ve held off for two months on starting a new trip report, but it’s time for a new report. Sort of.
Read more of my classic trip report through the Balkans
Introduction: Road Trip Through The Balkans
Review: US Airways A330-300 Business Class Philadelphia To Munich
Balkans Day 1: Sick In Belgrade
Balkans Day 2: Belgrade – Sarajevo
Balkans Day 3: Sarajevo – Dubrovnik
Balkans Day 4: Beauitful Dubrovnik
Balkans Day 5: Accused Of Espionage In Montenegro
Balkans Day 6: The Diverse Architecture Of Tirana, Albania
Balkans Day 7: Refreshment In Kosovo
Balkans Day 8: Racism In Skopje + A Pirated Hollywood Premiere
My brother and I took a summer road trip together through the Balkans in 2012. That’s ancient history by now, but I never wrote about it beyond a few contemporaneous observations:
The trip included stops in:
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Sarajaveo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Podgorica, Montenegro
- Pristhina, Kosovo
- Tirana, Albania
- Skopje, Macedonia
- Thessalonki, Greece
Very little was planned. In fact, the only thing we planned in advance was staying at the Imperial Hilton in Dubrovnik and the Hyatt Regencies in Belgrade and Thessaloniki.
In short, we had a wonderful trip…it was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.
Each day we found our way from city to city, country to country via bus. We ate local food, saw interesting sites, and took it easy…we enjoyed an actual vacation.
This trip report will be diary style, one day at a time plus the flights, which included business class on US Airways for the transatlantic portions.
Once the economy re-opens, I will resume current trip reports, of which two are in a holding pattern. In the meantime, stay tuned for this blast from the past. And if you don’t want to read an “old” report, even though it has never been published, you have been warned.
Omg, this is great. Fiancé and I have flights booked in August to spend 5-6 weeks driving around the Balkans.
She’ll love this, thanks for the tips.
Can’t wait!
I hope you will enjoy this trip with your fiancée!
I’ve heard that Montenegro is a good place to visit too!
The Balkans are fantastic. This is a great collection of cities but too bad you couldn’t visit any Adriatic islands. Sailing and island hopping in the Adriatic is the best vacation imaginable – warm sapphire water, incredible food and wine, and gorgeous vistas in every direction. My own trip back to Croatia is pending for early fall – fingers crossed it can still happen.
Keen! Looking forward to the read!
Wow, I intend on doing a very similar trip later in the year. Looking forward to this particular blast from the past.
That photo sure looks like Sveti Stefan in Montenegro, outside the Bay of Kotor. But I don’t see Montenegro on your list. Please tell me you didn’t miss that beautiful coast.
That was an omission on my part. We were in Montenegro as well!
Looks great, Matthew. The history of this area (modern) is fascinating and a trip through there via bus must have been amazing. Can’t wait to read more.
Will Podgorica be included as well? It was on your map but not in the list of cities…
It will be. Thanks! I added it to the list.
My family and I did a road-trip loop through the Balkans last summer and had an amazing time. Looking forward to comparing experiences!
Aren’t we supposed to be calling it “North Macedonia” these days? 😉