Balkans
The Balkan Loop
Europe at half price, with mountains and coastline
21 days
Duration
$32
Daily budget
Easy
Difficulty
May – Jun, Sep
Best months
Adriatic swims, Ottoman old towns and alpine hiking, all for less than a single night in Paris. Buses connect everything and hostels are small and social.
The route, stop by stop
🇸🇮 Ljubljana · Slovenia
Fairy-tale riverfront and Lake Bled day trip.
2 nights$38/day
🇭🇷 Split · Croatia
A Roman palace you can actually sleep inside.
3 nights$42/day
🌉 Mostar · Bosnia
Watch the bridge divers, then jump yourself.
2 nights$24/day
🇧🇦 Sarajevo · Bosnia
Heavy history, unbelievable cevapi, warm people.
3 nights$23/day
🇲🇪 Kotor · Montenegro
Fjord-like bay with a fortress climb at sunrise.
3 nights$35/day
🇦🇱 Tirana · Albania
The cheapest capital in Europe, and it's fun.
3 nights$22/day
🏊 Ohrid · N. Macedonia
Lake swims and 365 churches.
3 nights$21/day
7 stops · 19 nights
≈ $553 total
Totals are estimates built from the per-night budgets above — your real spend will vary.
Getting around
- →FlixBus + local coaches
- →Ferries between Croatian islands
- →Cheap rental cars in Montenegro
Don't forget
- ✓Hiking shoes
- ✓Swimwear
- ✓Cash — cards are patchy inland
- ✓Layers for mountain nights
Ready to walk it?
Save the stops as a trip, track your budget and find hostels along the way.
Start planning freeMore Europe trails
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