The Balkans
Essential Balkans
Photo credit: Croatian National Tourist Board
Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Overview
Explore seven Balkan countries on this compact overland tour through history, taking in the capitals, countryside, and competing cultures of the Balkan Peninsula. This nearly-circular driving itinerary begins on the Dalmatian Coast in Split and ends in the walled town of Dubrovnik. Along the way, survey the capitals and classic sites of the meeting point of ancient Greece and Rome, Christianity and Islam.
Travels to: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia
Map
Itinerary
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Days 1-12: Around the Balkans; start in Split/end in Dubrovnik
This circular driving itinerary begins in Split, Croatia, heads over to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, down to North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, up to Montenegro, and circles back to the Adriatic Sea and Dubrovnik, Croatia on the sun-washed Dalmatian Coast.
During your tour of the Balkans, witness this region’s diverse landscape varies from towering white limestone cliffs bordering the blue Adriatic Sea to the wild and rugged mountains of the Dinaric Alps – once instrumental in dividing ethnic groups that flourished in their own individual valleys. Get a feel for the historical forces that jostled the Balkan countries, sometimes sending them on colliding paths. A meeting point of ancient Greece and Rome and of Christianity and Islam, the Balkans are a crucible of cultures and religions.
Along this winding route, admire five UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the walled, red-roofed Old Town of Dubrovnik; the medieval Adriatic seaport of Kotor; Romanesque-Gothic island town of Trogir; North Macedonia’s Ohrid region; and the historic Ottoman Old Bridge area in Mostar.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Split, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Dalmatian Coast and home to Emperor Diocletian’s 3rd-century palace
- UNESCO-listed island town of Trogir; Cathedral of St. Lawrence
- Mostar’s UNESCO-listed Old Bridge and surrounding area
- Sarajevo, capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina; location of 1984 Winter Olympics
- Princip Bridge, the Sarajevo assassination site of Archduke Ferdinand
- Serbia’s capital, Belgrade, an ancient settlement swiftly becoming one of the hippest places in Europe
- Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade’s ancient citadel that includes remnants of early Roman and Byzantine towns
- Skadarlija, Belgrade’s artists’ quarter filled with shops, coffee houses, and restaurants
- North Macedonia’s capital and largest city, Skopje, where Saint (Mother) Teresa was born and raised
- UNESCO-listed Ohrid, with its antiquities, red-roofed old houses, lakeside setting, and outstanding collection of medieval icons
- Pristina, capital of Kosovo, the Balkans territory that declared independence from Serbia in February of 2008
- Kotor’s fortress from Illyrian and Roman times, a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Dalmatian Coast
- Dubrovnik, UNESCO-listed Old Town set atop a walled peninsula jutting into the Adriatic Sea
Dates & Prices
Please note:
- Private trip prices vary by season and are subject to hotel availability for your travel dates.
- Listed prices below are based on double occupancy and a 2 traveler minimum.
- Hotel upgrades, additional nights, and solo traveler prices are available on request.
Land tour price, per person, starting from:
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2024 Dates
Available: April - OctoberTour, double occupancy$8,495Single supplement$1,195
What's Included
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Tour Includes
- Shared accommodations in well-located superior tourist class hotels throughout the itinerary. All room types, even in upgraded properties, are standard entry-level doubles or twins; please call for room category upgrade pricing and information.
- Meals, as noted in the itinerary: breakfast daily. Lunches and dinners are left independent to allow exploration.
- Services of experienced, English-speaking local guides in each city.
- One arrival and one departure airport transfer. (Additional arrival and departure transfers are available at additional cost.) MIR arranges for travelers to be met on arrival and seen off on departure whether we make your airfare arrangements or not.
- Ground transportation throughout itinerary by private van or car (type of vehicle depends on the size of your party). Note, one vehicle and driver will be used throughout the itinerary.
- Guided sightseeing tours and entrance fees as outlined in the itinerary.
- Complete pre-departure electronic document that includes detailed packing suggestions, reading list links, country-specific information, maps, travel tips and more.
- Assistance booking your custom flight arrangements (on request; please note that international airfare is not included in the land tour cost).
- Electronic final update bulletin, with any late news, updates and important information.
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Not Included
- International airfare or taxes/fuel surcharges.
- Meals not specified as included on the itinerary.
- Single supplement charge, if requested or required.
- Items of a personal nature (phone calls, email, laundry, alcohol, excess baggage, etc).
- Baggage handling.
- Gratuities to local guides, drivers, porters and other service personnel.
- Visa/passport fees if required (U.S. passport holders do not require any visas for this program).
- Expenses incurred as a result of delay, modification or extension of a tour due to causes beyond MIR’s control.
- Travel and trip cancellation insurance.
Activity Level
Level 2: Moderate, but Customizable
This ‘Essential’ itinerary, which is designed for private travel, features long days walking and standing, and some possibly long days in the touring vehicle. Only those fit to travel and who accept the local conditions should consider joining this program.
There is a significant amount of touring on foot, and those travelers planning to take the program as written should be able to walk one to two miles a day comfortably. Footing can be an issue and travelers should be able to negotiate cobblestones, uneven surfaces (possibly steep and/or wet), and deal with situations without handrails or ramps. In the hotels, you may find that showers/baths have steep steps up or ledges, which can become slippery and require extra caution. Some attractions are only accessible via steep staircases. Museums rarely have elevators, and hotels may not have elevators as well.
Past travelers have also encountered challenges with plumbing, bureaucratic service, variety of locally available foods, and availability and quality of public restrooms.
Accommodations in the basic program are generally three to four-star hotels, some quite small with basic amenities and services. Upgrades may be available, please call for details.
Gallery
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1/10 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cynthia Hummel -
2/10 Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Martin Klimenta
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3/10 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cynthia Hummel
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4/10 Bay of Kotor in Montenegro. Cynthia Hummel
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5/10 Folk Dance in Albania. Lisa Peterson
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6/10 Kruja, Albania. Martin Klimenta
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7/10 Cathedral of St. Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. Lisa Peterson
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8/10 Dubrovnik, Croatia. Peter Guttman
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9/10 Old City in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Martin Klimenta
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10/10 Pristina, Kosovo. Martin Klimenta
