Destinations
The Balkans
Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Albania. One rental car, four new countries, a lot of +40°C — here’s everything we learned on our 2026 Balkan road trip.
From the road
Four countries. One loop. Honest notes.
We flew in from the north (a day late — our flight was cancelled), picked up a rental car in Croatia and drove a loop through Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro into Albania and back. These pages are our honest record of it: the ferry across Komani Lake, the cave that beat everything, the beach with impossibly clear water — and the traffic jams, the scratched bumper and the heat that rewrote our plans. No brochure gloss; just what we’d tell friends.
Choose a country
Four countries. One unforgettable loop.
Spring
Apr – Jun
Warm sea by June, walkable cities, open mountain trails. The smart window.
Summer
Jul – Aug
+35 to +42°C when we went. Beach-first travel; mornings and evenings for everything else.
Autumn
Sep – Oct
Our pick for next time: warm water, calm roads, human temperatures.
Winter
Nov – Mar
Quiet coasts, snow in the Albanian Alps and Durmitor. Low season, low prices.
Before you go
Balkan travel, the practical bits
Getting around
Rent a car — the region opens up with wheels. Borders were straightforward with the right rental paperwork; ask your agency for cross-border permission in writing. One rule above all, learned the hard way in Montenegro: in high season, ignore your navigation app’s mountain shortcuts and take the bigger road.
What to pack
Summer means heat gear: breathable clothes, a real hat, serious sunscreen and water shoes for the rock beaches. An eSIM sorted before you land — and note that EU roaming does not cover Bosnia, so plan data for that leg separately.
Budget reality
Cheaper than the Nordics, pricier than the myth. Bosnia was the budget champion of our loop, Albania close behind, Montenegro mid-field and Croatia clearly the priciest. Two mid-range adults should plan roughly €100–340 a day depending on the country — see each country page for honest line-by-line numbers.
“Take the bigger road. Even when the app disagrees.”
— Joona & Alla, somewhere above the Adriatic
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