When folks consider Europe, the primary locations that always come to thoughts are France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and perhaps 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 nations 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 of a part of it as properly.
Regardless of being missed by many vacationers, the Balkans supply gorgeous landscapes, wealthy historical past, and vibrant cultures — all at a fraction of the fee in comparison with Western Europe. Whereas some locations should 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 listing, 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 nations. Nonetheless, not all of them are a part of the Schengen Space.
Schengen Balkan International locations
Solely 5 nations within the Balkan area are included within the Schengen Space. These are the next:
- Greece
- Croatia
- Slovenia
- Bulgaria
- Romania
Notice: Bulgaria and Romania at the moment solely settle for Schengen visas at their sea and air borders.
Among the many Schengen nations within the Balkans, Greece is essentially the most sensible selection for Filipino vacationers. Listed below are the explanations:
- Greece has its personal embassy within the Philippines, making visa processing extra easy.
- Athens Airport is well-connected, with inexpensive flights out there from many locations.
- Greece is a surprising journey vacation spot, so it’s properly price including to your itinerary!
Alternatively, you may as well apply for a Schengen visa via 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 software extra justifiable. See pattern itinerary within the subsequent part.
Non-Schengen Balkan International locations
Listed below are the Balkan nations outdoors of the Schengen Space:
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Kosovo
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Serbia
In case you’re touring to any of those nations, you’ll want a separate visa particular to that nation. For example, should you’re solely visiting Albania, you’ll want to use for an Albanian visa. Thankfully, there’s a workaround: you probably have a multiple-entry Schengen visa, you received’t want a separate visa for a lot of Balkan states.
To benefit from this, you’ll be able to apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa via Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, or Romania — so long as your itinerary justifies a number of entries. Moreover, many non-Schengen Balkan nations settle for a used multiple-entry Schengen visa, that means you could enter a Schengen nation a minimum of as soon as earlier than utilizing it to go to different Balkan states.
2. Plan your route properly.
Cautious route planning is crucial — not solely to avoid wasting time, cash, and vitality but in addition to justify the necessity for a multiple-entry Schengen visa.
Creating Your Itinerary
As talked about earlier, solely 5 Balkan nations are a part of the Schengen Space, whereas the remaining require separate visas. Nonetheless, with a multiple-entry Schengen visa, you’ll be able to enter many non-Schengen Balkan nations without having extra 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 sophisticated 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 via the non-Schengen Balkan nations without having separate visas.
Selecting the Finest Mode of Transportation
Past visas, planning your route properly additionally means contemplating transportation availability. Google Maps is a good device to verify essentially the most logical route between the nations you wish to go to. Researching bus routes may also help 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 essentially the most inexpensive choice, nevertheless it 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 nations have border restrictions as a result of diplomatic conflicts. For instance, Serbia apparently doesn’t enable entry from Kosovo as a result of conflicts. Whereas this coverage could change over time, we took further precautions when planning our route. As an alternative 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 can also make your Balkan journey smoother, cheaper, and visa-efficient — all whereas having fun with the unbelievable variety of this fascinating area!
3. Seek for inexpensive flights.
When planning our Balkans journey, we selected Greece as our entry level as a result of it provided the most affordable flights. In case you’re reserving properly upfront 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. Actually, we’ve flown to Greece with Scoot on earlier journeys.
Nonetheless, don’t restrict your search to only finances airways. It’s all the time price checking full-service carriers too. Typically, you’ll discover flights which might be both cheaper or solely barely costlier than low-cost airways however include added advantages. For instance, once 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 costlier than Scoot, however that value already included add-ons.
In case you observed in our pattern itinerary, our last cease earlier than returning to the Philippines was Spain, regardless that it’s not a part of the Balkan area. The rationale? Flight costs. On the time, the most affordable flight again to Manila was from Barcelona. Even after factoring in the price of a connecting flight from Croatia to Barcelona, the entire expense was nonetheless decrease than flying immediately from the Balkans. That’s why we determined to incorporate Spain in our route!
It’s vital to notice that when making use of for a Schengen visa, you don’t must e-book your flights but. As an alternative, you’ll want a flight reservation, which serves as a short lived reserving with out requiring full fee. 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 vital is that embassies acknowledge flight reservations.
For our visa functions, we get our flight reservations from Gazelle Journey and Excursions. In case you want one, you’ll be able to go to this web page, fill out the order kind, and verify the pricing and turnaround time. As soon as your visa is permitted, you’ll be able to proceed with finalizing your precise flight reserving.
4. Think about the season and the climate.
Timing performs a vital 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 value is big.
The summer time months (June to September) are thought of peak season, that means greater costs for flights, lodging, and excursions. For instance, once we visited Croatia, we observed 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 essentially the most breathtaking. The climate was comfortably cool — neither too sizzling nor too chilly — and the landscapes had been painted in gorgeous fall colours, making it an unforgettable sight.
Past pricing and surroundings, seasonal climate additionally determines what it’s good to pack. The Balkans have numerous climates, so temperatures can range drastically 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, equivalent to Sofia in Bulgaria and Brașov in Romania, expertise a damp continental local weather, that means colder winters and extra important seasonal adjustments.
In case you’re backpacking via a number of nations, anticipate the climate to shift from place to put. Make sure to analysis every vacation spot’s local weather upfront and pack accordingly to remain snug all through your journey.
5. Don’t assume the whole lot’s the identical.
The Balkan area is extremely numerous, not simply when it comes to local weather but in addition in tradition, language, historical past, and governance. Whereas there are similarities between nations, every nation has its personal distinct identification. The alphabet, faith, political programs, and even cuisines can range dramatically as you cross borders.
Historical past
This variety can also be mirrored within the area’s advanced historical past. Many neighboring nations have long-standing political tensions, which typically turn out 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 provides 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 the case of faith, nations 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, after all, has its personal distinct Greek alphabet.
Vibe and Persona
Each vacation spot has its personal character. Past cultural variations, every metropolis or city exudes its personal distinctive allure. Brașov (Romania) looks like a quaint, fairy-tale city. Sofia (Bulgaria) and Tirana (Albania) have the bustling vitality of huge 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 like large, open-air museums with their well-preserved historic websites.
Affordability
Costs additionally range between locations. Whereas a lot of the Balkans is thought for being budget-friendly, there are notable exceptions. Dubrovnik and Break up are among the many most costly cities within the area. Once we first visited these components of Croatia just a few years in the past, they had been already dear, however throughout our most up-to-date journey, we observed costs had skyrocketed, seemingly because of the inflow of vacationers. In case you plan to go to, be ready to spend extra in comparison with different Balkan locations.
The extra locations you discover, the extra you’ll admire the area’s unbelievable variety. Each cease reveals one thing new, making the Balkans a very fascinating place to go to.
6. Examine your lodging on-line.
Probably the greatest issues about touring within the Balkans is the abundance of budget-friendly lodging. Nonetheless, value isn’t the one issue to contemplate when selecting the place to remain. We all the time use two key standards when reserving: central location and accessibility.
We choose lodging close to the Outdated City or metropolis middle, inside strolling distance of key sights and beginning factors for strolling excursions. It’s additionally vital that our lodging is near main transportation hubs, equivalent to practice 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 had been a bunch of three. Because of this, we ended up reserving flats for many of our keep.
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Past location and affordability, it’s additionally essential to verify the constructing’s amenities, particularly should you’re staying in an condo throughout the Outdated City. Some buildings are older and lack elevators, which generally is a drawback should you’re carrying heavy baggage or have mobility issues.
For instance, in Brașov, Romania, we stayed at Zinne Flats, an enthralling place simply two blocks from the principle sq.. Nonetheless, it was on the second flooring, which is third flooring 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 might see the principle sq. proper from our window. The unit itself was spacious and cozy, nevertheless it was on the fourth flooring, which is fifth flooring by our requirements, with no elevator.
Earlier than finalizing your lodging, all the time verify which flooring your unit is on and whether or not the constructing has an elevator. This small element could make an enormous distinction in your consolation, particularly after a protracted day of exploring. And, once more:
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7. Watch out for scams and safe obligatory journey insurance coverage.
Like many main cities in Europe, scams exist within the Balkans. Though they don’t seem to be as rampant as in Paris, Barcelona, or Berlin, scams nonetheless exist right here. The commonest kind of rip-off vacationers encounter right here often includes taxis.
We personally skilled a taxi rip-off in North Macedonia. We often choose public transportation, however typically, particularly when arriving late at evening, taking a taxi is the one choice. Since there have been three of us, we figured splitting the fare wouldn’t be too dangerous.
Earlier than getting within the taxi, we agreed on a value with the driving force. Nonetheless, once we arrived at our vacation spot, he out of the blue demanded extra money. Once we refused, different taxi drivers surrounded us, attempting to intimidate us.
Sadly, taxi scams occur in different cities too. In case you suspect a driver is overcharging, stroll away and discover one other taxi. To keep away from this, you’ll be able to ask your lodging host for an estimate of the same old fare from the station to your keep. Many hosts even advocate 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 must take care of 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, equivalent 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 may also help you acknowledge and keep away from them.
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’ll be able to e-book TravelJoy Plus via PGA Sompo. This ensures you’re protected all through your journey.
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2025 7 21 – First uploaded