RoutesEurope
Five Weeks Overland Through the Balkans
Alpine lakes to the Aegean by bus and train across seven countries.
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Dotted path is schematic (great-circle-ish arcs between stops), not a transport route.
Stop by stop
Click a stop (or its pin on the map) for costs, country facts and what to do there.
1Ljubljana SIWalk the Ljubljanica riverbanks and ride the funicular up to the castle.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Ljubljana or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 320 km).
bus · about 1.5 hours
2Lake Bled SICircle the lake on foot and take a pletna boat to the island church.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Lake Bled or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 370 km).
bus to Ljubljana, then train · about 3.5 hours
3Zagreb CroatiaExplore the Upper Town and the Dolac market.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Zagreb yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 260 km).
Croatia: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (since 2023) (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Croatian; English very widely spoken on the coast
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 2.5 hours
4Plitvice Lakes CroatiaWalk the lake boardwalks early, before the day-trip coaches arrive.1 night
We do not hold a full destination profile for Plitvice Lakes yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 170 km).
Croatia: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (since 2023) (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Croatian; English very widely spoken on the coast
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 4.5 hours
5Split CroatiaBase in Diocletian's Palace with an island day trip by ferry.4 nights
$672 mid
Photo: Silverije · CC BY-SA 3.0A Roman palace turned living city, with the islands of the Adriatic at the end of the pier.
Split grew inside the retirement palace of the emperor Diocletian, and 1,700 years later the palace is still the centre: cafes in the peristyle, apartments in the walls, the cathedral in his mausoleum. Around it is a confident Dalmatian port city of beaches, the Marjan hill forest, a ferry harbour that serves Hvar…
- Daily budget
- $70–$332 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $672 4 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- May, Jun, Sep
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Diocletian's Palace The cellars, the cathedral bell tower, the peristyle at night.
- Marjan hill Pine forest, viewpoints and swimming coves on the city's own peninsula.
- Hvar, Brac and Vis Day trips are possible; stay a night and the islands change.
- Krka national park Waterfalls an hour away; Plitvice is 3 hours.
Croatia: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (since 2023) (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Croatian; English very widely spoken on the coast
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
coastal bus · about 4.5 hours
6Dubrovnik CroatiaWalk the city walls and take the cable car up Mount Srd.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Dubrovnik yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 160 km).
Croatia: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (since 2023) (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Croatian; English very widely spoken on the coast
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
bus · about 3.5 hours
7Mostar BASee the Old Bridge and the Ottoman-era bazaar quarter.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Mostar or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 110 km).
train · about 2.5 hours
8Sarajevo BAWander Bascarsija and visit the War Childhood Museum.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Sarajevo or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Split (about 160 km).
bus · about 7.0 hours
9Kotor MEClimb the fortress steps above the old town for views over the bay.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Kotor or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Tirana (about 150 km).
bus · about 6.0 hours
10Tirana AlbaniaVisit Bunk'Art and the Blloku cafe district.2 nights
$190 mid
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0The Balkans' most colourful capital, a year-long welcome for Americans, and a coast and mountains no one has priced in yet.
Tirana was a closed, grey capital until 1991 and has spent three decades painting itself: pastel apartment blocks, a cafe culture that rivals Italy's, a boulevard of new architecture, a cable car to a mountain, and the Blloku district where the Communist elite once lived now full of bars and coworking spaces. It is…
- Daily budget
- $41–$189 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $190 2 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 80 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- Bunk'Art 1 and 2 Communist-era bunkers turned into museums of the dictatorship.
- Skanderbeg Square and the National History Museum The mosaic facade and the centre's new face.
- Blloku Hoxha's villa, the cafes, the bars.
- Dajti Express cable car Up the mountain for views and hiking.
Albania: practical facts
- Currency
- Albanian lek (ALL) · 80.66 ALL/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Albanian; Italian and English widely understood
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Generally treated in Tirana; most visitors drink bottled
- Emergency
- 112 (129 police, 127 ambulance)
- U.S. advisory
- Level 2
bus · about 4.0 hours
11Ohrid MKWalk the lakeshore to the Church of St John at Kaneo.3 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Ohrid or its country yet, so there are no cost, climate or visa figures for this stop; the route notes describe what it involves. Nearest profiled destination: Tirana (about 90 km).
bus via Skopje · about 8.0 hours
12Thessaloniki GreeceStroll the waterfront to the White Tower and eat in the Ladadika district.2 nights
We do not hold a full destination profile for Thessaloniki yet, so there are no stop-level cost or climate figures here; the facts below are country-level. Nearest profiled destination: Tirana (about 270 km).
Greece: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Greek; English widely spoken
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Athens and most of the mainland; bottled on many islands
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
train or bus · about 5.0 hours
13Athens GreeceEnd at the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.3 nights
$438 mid
Photo: A.Savin · CC BY-SA 3.0The Acropolis above, a city of neighbourhood tavernas and rooftops below, and the islands beyond.
Athens was a city people flew through on the way to the islands; now it is a city people stay in. The reasons: low rents by European capital standards, a cafe and nightlife culture that spills onto the street, Koukaki and Pangrati's neighbourhood life a walk from the Acropolis, the Riviera beaches on the tram line…
- Daily budget
- $64–$292 per person, backpacker to comfortable, editorial estimate, Oct 2026
- This stop
- $438 3 nights at the mid-range daily estimate
- Best months
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct
- Internet
- 100 Mbps typical fixed line, editorial
Things to do
- The Acropolis and its museum Timed tickets; 8 a.m. or the last two hours; the museum at dusk.
- Ancient Agora and Kerameikos Quieter ruins where the city actually lived.
- Lycabettus and Filopappou hills Sunset over the whole basin.
- Koukaki and Pangrati Cafes, bakeries and the city's best neighbourhood tavernas.
Greece: practical facts
- Currency
- Euro (EUR) · 0.89 EUR/USD (Financial Modeling Prep (indicative mid), Nov 05, 2026)
- Language
- Greek; English widely spoken
- Plugs and voltage
- C, F (230 V)
- Tap water
- Safe in Athens and most of the mainland; bottled on many islands
- Emergency
- 112
- U.S. advisory
- Level 1
The Alps to the Adriatic
The route opens in Ljubljana, a compact riverside capital, with a short hop to Lake Bled and its island church. Zagreb follows by train, then Plitvice Lakes National Park, where boardwalks run over a chain of terraced lakes and waterfalls. From there buses descend to Split, built around the Roman palace of Diocletian, and continue down the coast to the walled city of Dubrovnik. This first stretch is the busiest and most expensive part of the trip, especially in high summer.
Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania
Inland, Mostar is known for the rebuilt Stari Most bridge over the Neretva, and the train north to Sarajevo is one of the region's most scenic short rail journeys. Sarajevo mixes Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav layers, and its museums cover the 1990s siege in detail. A long bus ride through the mountains reaches the Bay of Kotor, a fjord-like inlet with a fortified old town. Tirana, the Albanian capital, has grown into a lively, low-cost city with a strong cafe culture and museums in former Cold War bunkers.
Lake Ohrid to Athens
Ohrid sits on one of Europe's oldest lakes, with Byzantine churches above the shoreline and a UNESCO listing shared between North Macedonia and Albania. Crossing into Greece, Thessaloniki offers a waterfront promenade, Roman and Byzantine monuments and a well-regarded food scene. The final leg runs south to Athens and the Acropolis. Border crossings are routine but add time, so the plan keeps two buffer days and avoids tight connections on international legs.
Practical notes
Visas: Slovenia, Croatia and Greece are in the Schengen Area, while Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia are not and apply their own entry rules. Most Western passports currently enter all seven without a pre-arranged visa for short stays, but the EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers at Schengen external borders, and the ETIAS pre-travel authorisation is scheduled to follow; check the official EU and national sources before travel. Transport: buses do most of the work; regional trains run Ljubljana to Zagreb and Mostar to Sarajevo. Some cross-border buses run only once or twice a day, so timetables are worth confirming locally. Weather: late spring and early autumn are warm without the July and August crowds on the Croatian coast; inland Sarajevo and Ohrid are cooler. Budget: the mid figure assumes private rooms or guesthouses, local transport, park entry fees and a few paid tours, with Croatia costing noticeably more per day than Albania or North Macedonia. Safety: the region is generally considered safe for travellers; in rural Bosnia and Herzegovina, marked paths are the norm because of residual landmine risk. Check current official travel advisories.