When folks consider Europe, the primary locations that usually come to thoughts are France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and possibly Switzerland. Nonetheless, Europe is dwelling to dozens of nations, and some of the underrated areas for vacationers is the Balkans. Whereas there’s no common settlement on which international locations belong to the Balkans, the area typically consists of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, with Romania and Slovenia typically thought-about a part of it as properly.
Regardless of being ignored by many vacationers, the Balkans provide beautiful landscapes, wealthy historical past, and vibrant cultures — all at a fraction of the fee in comparison with Western Europe. Whereas some locations should still be dear by Filipino requirements, they’re typically extra budget-friendly than their Western European counterparts. If visiting the Balkans is in your journey bucket record, hold studying as we share how we deliberate our unforgettable Balkan journey on this article!
1. Safe the correct visas.
As talked about earlier, the Balkan area typically consists of 11 international locations. Nonetheless, not all of them are a part of the Schengen Space.
Schengen Balkan Nations
Solely 5 international locations within the Balkan area are included within the Schengen Space. These are the next:
- Greece
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Bulgaria
- Romania
Observe: Bulgaria and Romania at present solely settle for Schengen visas at their sea and air borders.
Among the many Schengen international locations within the Balkans, Greece is probably the most sensible alternative for Filipino vacationers. Listed below are the explanations:
- Greece has its personal embassy within the Philippines, making visa processing extra simple.
- Athens Airport is well-connected, with reasonably priced flights obtainable from many locations.
- Greece is a shocking journey vacation spot, so it’s properly value including to your itinerary!
Alternatively, you can too apply for a Schengen visa by Slovenia, which is processed by the Belgian Embassy within the Philippines.
TIP! Design an itinerary that requires a number of Schengen entries, making your multiple-entry visa utility extra justifiable. See pattern itinerary within the subsequent part.
Non-Schengen Balkan Nations
Listed below are the Balkan international locations exterior of the Schengen Space:
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Kosovo
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Serbia
If you happen to’re touring to any of those international locations, you’ll want a separate visa particular to that nation. As an example, should you’re solely visiting Albania, you’ll want to use for an Albanian visa. Happily, there’s a workaround: when you have a multiple-entry Schengen visa, you received’t want a separate visa for a lot of Balkan states.
To reap the benefits of this, you may apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa by Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, or Romania — so long as your itinerary justifies a number of entries. Moreover, many non-Schengen Balkan international locations settle for a used multiple-entry Schengen visa, which means it’s essential to enter a Schengen nation not less than as soon as earlier than utilizing it to go to different Balkan states.
2. Plan your route correctly.
Cautious route planning is crucial — not solely to save lots of time, cash, and vitality but additionally to justify the necessity for a multiple-entry Schengen visa.
Creating Your Itinerary
As talked about earlier, solely 5 Balkan international locations are a part of the Schengen Space, whereas the remaining require separate visas. Nonetheless, with a multiple-entry Schengen visa, you may enter many non-Schengen Balkan international locations without having further visas.
Because of this the itinerary you undergo the embassy is essential. Beneath is a simplified model of our Balkan journey route. It was extra difficult in actuality, however this provides you an instance of how one can plan your itinerary.
- Greece
- Romania
- Bulgaria
- North Macedonia
- Kosovo
- Albania
- Montenegro
- Croatia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatia
- Spain
This itinerary required us to enter the Schengen Space thrice, which strengthened our justification for a multiple-entry visa.
- First Entry: Arriving in Greece (Schengen).
- Second Entry: Exiting the Schengen Space from Bulgaria to North Macedonia, then re-entering when arriving in Croatia.
- Third Entry: Taking a aspect journey to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, then re-entering Croatia.
With three Schengen entries, a multiple-entry visa was justified, permitting us to journey by the non-Schengen Balkan international locations without having separate visas.
Selecting the Greatest Mode of Transportation
Past visas, planning your route correctly additionally means contemplating transportation availability. Google Maps is a good instrument to test probably the most logical route between the international locations you need to go to. Researching bus routes can assist you keep away from pointless flights, making your journey extra budget-friendly and environment friendly.
Throughout our Balkan backpacking journey, we primarily traveled by bus. Not solely was it probably the most reasonably priced possibility, but it surely additionally made for a extra immersive and adventurous expertise.
Checking the Political Panorama
One other essential issue when planning your itinerary is the political panorama of the Balkan area, as some international locations have border restrictions on account of diplomatic conflicts. For instance, Serbia apparently doesn’t permit entry from Kosovo on account of conflicts. Whereas this coverage could change over time, we took further precautions when planning our route. As a substitute of touring from Kosovo to Serbia, we entered Serbia from Bulgaria first, then later traveled to Kosovo from North Macedonia to keep away from potential points.
By being strategic along with your route, you may make your Balkan journey smoother, cheaper, and visa-efficient — all whereas having fun with the unbelievable variety of this fascinating area!
3. Seek for reasonably priced flights.
When planning our Balkans journey, we selected Greece as our entry level as a result of it supplied the most cost effective flights. If you happen to’re reserving properly prematurely or throughout seat gross sales, some of the budget-friendly choices from Manila to Athens is SCOOT, which operates flights with a stopover in Singapore. In actual fact, we’ve flown to Greece with Scoot on earlier journeys.
Nonetheless, don’t restrict your search to only price range airways. It’s all the time value checking full-service carriers too. Typically, you’ll discover flights which can be both cheaper or solely barely dearer than low-cost airways however include added advantages. For instance, after we booked our flight for our Balkans journey, we selected Etihad with a cease in Abu Dhabi. On the time, it was solely about ₱5,000 dearer than Scoot, however that worth already included add-ons.
If you happen to seen in our pattern itinerary, our ultimate cease earlier than returning to the Philippines was Spain, though it’s not a part of the Balkan area. The rationale? Flight costs. On the time, the most cost effective flight again to Manila was from Barcelona. Even after factoring in the price of a connecting flight from Croatia to Barcelona, the whole expense was nonetheless decrease than flying straight from the Balkans. That’s why we determined to incorporate Spain in our route!
It’s necessary to notice that when making use of for a Schengen visa, you don’t must ebook your flights but. As a substitute, you’ll want a flight reservation, which serves as a short lived reserving with out requiring full cost. Some folks consult with it as a “dummy ticket”, it sounds phony so we keep away from utilizing that time period. However no matter you name it, what’s necessary is that embassies acknowledge flight reservations.
For our visa functions, we get our flight reservations from Gazelle Journey and Excursions. If you happen to want one, you may go to this web page, fill out the order type, and test the pricing and turnaround time. As soon as your visa is accepted, you may proceed with finalizing your precise flight reserving.
4. Take into account the season and the climate.
Timing performs an important position when planning a visit to Europe, together with the Balkan area. We’ve traveled to the Balkans throughout late spring to early summer time and once more from late summer time to autumn, and we are able to confidently say — the distinction in worth is big.
The summer time months (June to September) are thought-about peak season, which means increased costs for flights, lodging, and excursions. For instance, after we visited Croatia, we seen that as quickly as October arrived, tour costs dropped considerably. This pattern applies to inns and flights as properly.
Out of all of the seasons we’ve skilled, autumn was probably the most breathtaking. The climate was comfortably cool — neither too scorching nor too chilly — and the landscapes have been painted in beautiful fall colours, making it an unforgettable sight.
Past pricing and surroundings, seasonal climate additionally determines what it is advisable to pack. The Balkans have numerous climates, so temperatures can differ tremendously relying on the place you go. For instance, the climate in Romania is totally different from Croatia’s Dalmatia Area.
In the meantime, coastal cities alongside the Adriatic and Aegean Seas — like Break up and Dubrovnik in Croatia — have a Mediterranean local weather. Inland areas, corresponding to Sofia in Bulgaria and Brașov in Romania, expertise a moist continental local weather, which means colder winters and extra vital seasonal adjustments.
If you happen to’re backpacking by a number of international locations, count on the climate to shift from place to position. You’ll want to analysis every vacation spot’s local weather prematurely and pack accordingly to remain comfy all through your journey.
5. Don’t assume all the pieces’s the identical.
The Balkan area is extremely numerous, not simply when it comes to local weather but additionally in tradition, language, historical past, and governance. Whereas there are similarities between international locations, every nation has its personal distinct id. The alphabet, faith, political techniques, and even cuisines can differ dramatically as you cross borders.
Historical past
This variety can also be mirrored within the area’s advanced historical past. Many neighboring international locations have long-standing political tensions, which typically grow to be evident when talking with locals. Even historic excursions can current conflicting narratives, relying on the place you’re. For instance, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, Serbia and Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo, and even Bosnia and Herzegovina all have totally different views on historic occasions — and also you’ll seemingly sense this when visiting heritage websites or partaking in conversations.
Delicacies
Every nation within the Balkans presents a novel delicacies as properly. For instance, in Dubrovnik and Montenegro, seafood dominates the delicacies, whereas Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia favor meat-heavy dishes.
Faith
In terms of faith, international locations like Kosovo and Albania are predominantly Muslim, whereas Croatia is essentially Catholic. In the meantime, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, and Romania observe Jap Orthodox Christianity, every with their very own branches — Greek Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, and Serbian Orthodox.
Language
The linguistic variety can also be fascinating. For instance, Romanian is a Latin-based language that makes use of the Latin alphabet, whereas Bulgarian is a Slavic language that makes use of the Cyrillic script. Greek, in fact, has its personal distinct Greek alphabet.
Vibe and Character
Each vacation spot has its personal character. Past cultural variations, every metropolis or city exudes its personal distinctive allure. Brașov (Romania) seems like a quaint, fairy-tale city. Sofia (Bulgaria) and Tirana (Albania) have the bustling vitality of massive cities. In the meantime, Break up and Dubrovnik (Croatia) are straight out of Sport of Thrones, serving severe King’s Touchdown vibes. And Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Prizren (Kosovo) appear to be large, open-air museums with their well-preserved historic websites.
Affordability
Costs additionally differ between locations. Whereas a lot of the Balkans is understood for being budget-friendly, there are notable exceptions. Dubrovnik and Break up are among the many most costly cities within the area. After we first visited these elements of Croatia a couple of years in the past, they have been already dear, however throughout our most up-to-date journey, we seen costs had skyrocketed, seemingly as a result of inflow of vacationers. If you happen to plan to go to, be ready to spend extra in comparison with different Balkan locations.
The extra locations you discover, the extra you’ll respect the area’s unbelievable variety. Each cease reveals one thing new, making the Balkans a really fascinating place to go to.
6. Examine your lodging on-line.
The most effective issues about touring within the Balkans is the abundance of budget-friendly lodging. Nonetheless, worth isn’t the one issue to think about when selecting the place to remain. We all the time use two key standards when reserving: central location and accessibility.
We want lodging close to the Previous City or metropolis middle, inside strolling distance of key sights and beginning factors for strolling excursions. It’s additionally necessary that our lodging is near main transportation hubs, corresponding to prepare stations or bus terminals, for simpler transfers between locations.
Discovering lodging that match these standards was pretty simple, besides in Dubrovnik, the place we confronted a novel problem: most budget-friendly rooms solely accommodated two folks — we have been a gaggle of three. Because of this, we ended up reserving flats for many of our keep.
By the way in which, these are all of the promo codes that you should use. We’ve got reductions for inns, excursions, and eSIM for web connection. We even have particular charges for journey insurance coverage, unique for TPT subscribers.
Past location and affordability, it’s additionally essential to test the constructing’s services, particularly should you’re staying in an residence inside the Previous City. Some buildings are older and lack elevators, which is usually a downside should you’re carrying heavy baggage or have mobility issues.
For instance, in Brașov, Romania, we stayed at Zinne Flats, a captivating place simply two blocks from the principle sq.. Nonetheless, it was on the second ground, which is third ground for us Pinoys, and because it was in an older constructing, there was no elevator. Equally, in Skopje, North Macedonia, we booked Condominium Emilija, which had an incredible location — we may see the principle sq. proper from our window. The unit itself was spacious and cozy, but it surely was on the fourth ground, which is fifth ground by our requirements, with no elevator.
Earlier than finalizing your lodging, all the time test which ground your unit is on and whether or not the constructing has an elevator. This small element could make a giant distinction in your consolation, particularly after an extended day of exploring. And, once more:
- If Klook is your go-to reserving web site, please use our promo code THEPOORTRAVELERKLOOK for as much as P300 OFF or TPTKLOOK5 for as much as P500 OFF. These codes may change sooner or later so finest to only go to thepoortraveler.internet/klook to redeem up to date low cost codes!
- If you happen to want to ebook by way of AGODA, use our promo code AGODATPT for 10% low cost.
7. Watch out for scams.
Like many main cities in Europe, scams exist within the Balkans. Though they aren’t as rampant as in Paris, Barcelona, or Berlin, scams nonetheless exist right here. The commonest sort of rip-off vacationers encounter right here normally entails taxis.
We personally skilled a taxi rip-off in North Macedonia. We normally want public transportation, however typically, particularly when arriving late at night time, taking a taxi is the one possibility. Since there have been three of us, we figured splitting the fare wouldn’t be too unhealthy.
Earlier than getting within the taxi, we agreed on a worth with the driving force. Nonetheless, after we arrived at our vacation spot, he immediately demanded more cash. After we refused, different taxi drivers surrounded us, making an attempt to intimidate us.
Sadly, taxi scams occur in different cities too. If you happen to suspect a driver is overcharging, stroll away and discover one other taxi. To keep away from this, you may ask your lodging host for an estimate of the same old fare from the station to your keep. Many hosts even suggest a trusted switch service to make sure you’re not overcharged. For instance, our host in Skopje went the additional mile to personally take us to the bus station so we wouldn’t should cope with taxi scams.
In our six weeks of touring within the Balkans, we solely encountered two scams and fell for one. Nonetheless, there are different scams that vacationers have reported, corresponding to because the cash collector rip-off and overpriced menu rip-off. Fortunately, we didn’t encounter these, however researching widespread scams earlier than your journey can assist you acknowledge and keep away from them.
8. Safe obligatory journey insurance coverage.
Since we’re speaking about security, do not forget that when making use of for a Schengen visa, having journey insurance coverage is obligatory. Not simply any insurance coverage — it have to be Schengen-accredited. For dependable protection, you may ebook TravelJoy Plus by PGA Sompo. This ensures you’re protected all through your journey.
Updates Log
2025 7 21 – First uploaded
