Have any of you /trv/ellers done the Big Balkan Roadtrip? I'm planning to do it this year and I wanted to know your opinion.
- How was it? Did you like it?
- What about the trip was the best, and the worst? Did any kind of inconveniences happen along the trip?
- Which advice would you give about things to harness the most during the trip? What about things to avoid doing?
- Are the Balkans affordable? How much did you end up spending overall?
- What are good souvenirs to purchase? Did you end up spending money on other stuff you needed along the trip?
- Which meals were supplied by the hostals, and which are not? (I have yet to find this information)
- What other advice about comfort aspects would you give?
- And finally: was it worth it? Would you do it again?
You don't need to answer all the questions at once. Thanks in advance.
bumping for interest
I'm from the Balkans. I can't answer your questions right now as I am not home but I'll get to you when I can.
This time last year I took a trip starting in Central Europe and travelling through the Balkans as far as Montenegro. It wasn't a road trip as such because I didn't have a car, but I did travel by bus so maybe there are some similar aspects. It'll be easier for me to answer specific questions based on that, but I'll try to give some answers to the general questions you listed.
My favourite places were Plitvice Lakes in Croatia and Lake Bled and the Vintgar Gorge in Slovenia. Both really beautiful, if a little bit touristy. I regret not going a bit further into the Julian Alps and exploring Bohinj National Park, as it looked just as beautiful but way less busy. Had no major inconveniences at all, everything ran very smoothly. Making sure you have a general plan in advance (leaving room for flexibility, depending on the people you meet) is a good idea in my opinoin. Do a little bit of research to plan for some places to visit, and also go with the flow and allow other people to show you places.
>>1109585
(cont.)
Most of the places are affordable, but the more touristy it gets, the more expensive it gets. Dubrovnik for example was as expensive as London (i.e. very expensive). So it's about budgeting carefully and finding a good balance. My trip lasted 4 weeks, and including literally everything, cost me about £900. I like to keep things cheap though, so it can vary depending on how often you want to eat out, go out to bars for drinks, buy souvenirs and so on. No specific ideas for souvenirs - just buy something to help you remember the place. Not a souvenir as such, but one thing I like to do is make sure I try at least one bit of local cuisine and one local (alcoholic) drink. A bit difficult in the Balkans because I'm vegetarian, but still interesting.
I don't think hostels I stayed at supplied any meals - sometimes they have breakfast, but usually no more than that. If you want to keep things cheap, just go to the local supermarkets. Comfort depends on your budget, but the good thing about this part of the world is some relatively comfy hostels (i.e. modern, well-equipped, ~6 people to a room) can be found for only £10 per night or less. I would definitely do it again - I'd like to explore even more of the Balkans and also go island-hopping in Croatia, which I hear is very fun. That said, it's not my number 1 travel priority at the moment, this summer I'll probably try to go somewhere new.
Happy to answer any specific questions if you have them too.
>>1109589
>in the Balkans because I'm vegetarian
holy fuck you really don't know what you missed out on
>>1109636
Yeah I know, but c'est la vie. It did make it difficult to try local cuisine in places like Slovakia, where everything was meat. The friend I travelled with ate meat though, so I just let him do the food while I sampled lots of lovely local beers/wines/spirits. Cherry rakija in Croatia was my favourite, I could drink that all day.
>>1109585
>>1109589
Thank you very much for all your input Anon! From what you said regarding the touristic interest and the beauty of the landscapes, which I greatly value, I think it won't be a bad decision trying. I'll try to taste the local specialties as a "personal" souvenir too if I can't find one worth of.
I'm surprised that you spent around £900 during a 4-week stay, which makes me think the Balkans are pretty affordable. I will be travelling for just 1 week though, as the event is organized and the schedule is prepared beforehand, however some information is missing from the Big Balkan Roadtrip webpage (p. e.: meals) and that's what I wanted to know, along with other advices such as yours.
Alas, I should have provided more information before about the BBR and what the destinations are (http://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-big-balkan-roadtrip-summer-2016-27th-may-sold-out-tickets-18668211122). Nonetheless, I greatly appreciate your advice and your effort in commenting!
>>1109584
No problem, there is no haste as this event is repeated weekly and there's still plenty of time left. Thanks!
>>1109767
>surprised that you spent around £900 during a 4-week stay
If you want a more detailed breakdown, it was something like £150 on flights, £300 on accommodation, £150 on buses and trains, and then about £300 on food and spending money. So that's where the biggest saving came from - I made sure that I did all the free things first before spending money on a particular attraction, I ate out only once every few days, and I mostly drank at the hostel rather than at bars. So it's all about the choices you make, and the things that will make you happy.
I didn't realise you were talking about a pre paid for trip with a proper itinerary - looks good but waaaaaay too rushed in my opinion. How can you party in the ruin bars of Budapest if you have to catch a bus to Sarajevo at 11:30pm? But hey, you'll get to see lots of places for a good price. If you enjoy it and have the opportunity to return in the future I'd recommend it - spending a morning/afternoon in a city isn't enough to properly experience it, in my opinion.
By the way, I think that the only meals that will be provided in your package is breakfast, and you won't even get that all the time. From the website you linked to, under the what's included in the price section: 'In some of the hostels breakfast is included'.
>>1110026
I like planning to save up all the money I can too, with that said, I still think the Balkans are quite cheap from your experience.
Regarding the trip, yeah I know it's sad to be rushing through many (potential) beautiful places with no more time given than to take a couple of pics and leave. But it was the trip's cheap price what called my attention, and if I had the opportunity to return in the future I'd definitely do it.
Oh and thanks for the heads up about the meals, I hadn't relapsed on that point. Makes sense now that if they didn't tell about this in each day's description, it's because only the breakfast is included (and just sometimes).
Lastly, did you need to acquire local currency or to process visas to get to the Blakan countries? And thanks again!
In a couple days im heading to prague and I still have not decided whether I'll be spending the middle-end portion of my trip
I would love to see Predjama Castle and Postojna cave in Slovenia but I'm unsure if I could do that and still get to zagreb or budpest in 4 days? is this possible?
Should I forget Slovenia for now and instead do 2 days in zagreb and one day in sarajevo before budapest?
>>1109074
>>1109584
Not gonna lie OP, I kinda forgot about this thread. My opinions are going to be those of a local so have that in mind, I am bound to be kinda biased on some questions.
>How was it? Did you like it?
Every road trip I've been on was great, except one, which I'll talk about further below.
>What about the trip was the best, and the worst? Did any kind of inconveniences happen along the trip?
There are all kinds of tourism you can do here, we have mountains, we have beaches, we have cheap booze and we have more historic places than we can dig up. Bad thing is that in small towns and resorts people rarely speak good English.
We had one bad road trip as I said earlier, through Romania. We were in a small village, my brother had to be hospitalized due to his own stupidity and none of the doctors spoke English. Good thing on of us spoke fluent Russian and was able to talk to the older doctors, otherwise it would have been a very shitty situation to be in.
>Are the Balkans affordable? How much did you end up spending overall?
Affordable is our middle name. Basically, if you are not from a third world country it's gonna feel pretty cheap.
>What are good souvenirs to purchase? Did you end up spending money on other stuff you needed along the trip?
I'm not a souvenirs guy but there are souvenir shops in every resort you find yourself in. I would recommend looking for something local, and not whatever cheap shit was brought from China. We didn't really need to spend money on anything, except maybe for a set of beach tennis racquets and balls.
cont.
>>1109074 (OP)
>>1109584
>>1110395
>Which meals were supplied by the hostals, and which are not? (I have yet to find this information)
I have only stayed once at a hostel, and I don't think it provided any meals. This might not be the case for other hostels though. Do consider staying at a tourist villa, they are pretty popular around here and can be as cheap as hostels. It's true that the cheap ones can be pretty shitty, it's still not shared space and you have your own bathroom and kitchen, which I definitely value a lot.
> What other advice about comfort aspects would you give?
Not sure what you mean here.
>And finally: was it worth it? Would you do it again?
Sure. It is to be noted that it is not much of an investment on my behalf, since I am already here, but hey. Not everyone likes their neighbours.
A few final notes, do not stay for long in Bosnia or Albania. Nobody likes Albanians and Bosnia still hasn't recovered from the conflict 20 years ago. I do have to say though, their roads were pretty nice and empty, just don't stray from them 'cause mines are still a thing. I have never been to Slovenia or Slovakia, so I can't say anything about that, but from my experience Croatia is more expensive than Montenegro, Montenegro is more expensive than Bulgaria, Romania or Macedonia, those are a bit more expensive than Serbia and Bosnia, no idea about Albania and Greece can be both cheap and expensive, depends on what you do and where you go(prepare to pay highway toll taxes in Greece). Oh, also watch your drinking, I am tired of news about Germans/Brits/Russians who drowned/fell from a terrace/got stabbed in a nightclub cause they got piss drunk.
All in all OP, I think you'll enjoy yourself on a Balkans trip, just do some research first, don't be an obnoxious asshole and you will be perfectly fine.
>>1110225
If you are doing this with a car, you can see Postojna cave and Predjama castle in one day easy.
Go see Skocjan caves, Postojna cave has become too touristy..
