Balkans Road Trip: 4 Countries in 3 Days
I have compiled an overview of all the stops I have made chronically on my Balkans road trip. I decided to do a quick overview of Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo, and North Macedonia to see which country I would return to. It was a great teaser and I know exactly where I would return. Please note that I traveled during off-season which meant fewer congestion and manageable weather. This is a wild itinerary and I do not advise doing it in 3 days. This itinerary can be stretched out anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. I will include recommendations on how many days one should spend in each city and how one can get from point A to point B. Without further ado, here is the itinerary of my trip.
Table of Contents
Day 1: March 16, 2024
Morning: Budva
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Tirana, Albania to Budva, Montenegro: Driving time 3.5 hours |
Budva is a Montenegrin town on the Adriatic Sea. Here, I walked along the coastline. From the marina, I walked to its medieval old town. Outside the old town is the large Budva bell. From there, I visited the Church of Sveti Ivan, the Holy Trinity Church, and the Budva Citadel. After enjoying my sightseeing, we branched away from the old town to grab lunch.
Lunch in Budva: Restaurant Adriatic
→ 45 Mediteranska, Budva, Montenegro
Before heading over to Kotor, we decided to grab some lunch at Restaurant Adriatic. They serve cheap food just a few blocks away from the water. For lunch I had the rolled chicken (9,50E) and a coke (2,50E). Food was just okay for me. Their food options were pretty heavy for lunch.
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Budva I would spend two to three days in Budva and enjoy the beaches. This includes Mogren Beach, Hawaii Beach, and Slovenska Plaza. I would also spend another day or two at Sveti Stefan which is about a 15 minute drive from Budva. I would also check out these churches: Budva Citadel, Holy Trinity Church in Budva, Church of Virgin Mary in Budva. Notable landmarks that I would visit include: Ruins of Roman-era Necropolis, Fort Mogren, Budva dancing girl |
Afternoon: Kotor
| Budva, Montenegro to Kotor, Montenegro: 30-minute drive |
Kotor is also situated by the Adriatic Sea. For a picturesque view of the city, visit the Kotor City Wall. The wall is steep with 1350 steps and can take about 2 hours round trip to complete. The entree fee is 8E. At the base of the city wall lies the old city. The city has lots of shops and restaurants in between. I visited the Kampana Tower, St. Luke’s Church, St. Tryphon’s Cathedral, and the cat park.
Snack in Kotor: Funky Chunky
As we were strolling through Kotor Old Town on a beautiful day, we stumbled upon a geleteria. I ordered a small scoop of ice cream for 2.50E. By no means is the ice cream “authentic” but it did the job.
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Kotor I could honestly spend about 4 to 5 days here. There is so much to do. The old town area reminds me of Dubrovnik in the sense that there are so many alleyways to explore. If I had more time in Kotor, I would explore the following: I would do the Kotor City Wall, explore the Bay of Kotor and possibly take a boat to see Our Lady of the Rocks. I would relax at the Kotor beach, and visit Perast. I would also do a few hikes like those at the Lovcen National Park and the Ladder of Kotor hike. |
Evening: Shiroka
| Kotor, Montenegro to Shiroka, Albania: 2 hours 20 minutes |
I took a short stroll in a small town called Shiroka before heading to Shkoder for the night.
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Shiroka Shiroka is a cute village. I would probably spend half a day here jogging around this beautiful Shkodra Lake and visiting the nearby shops. |
Stay in Shkoder: Hotel Tradita
| Shiroka, Albania to Shkoder, Albania: 25 minutes |
→ Rruga Edith Durham 13, Shkodër 4001, Albania
I have to admit that Hotel Tradita was my favorite hotel during my entire trip. The hotel had an authentic Albanian feel. The room was spacious. Our balcony overlooked the terrace. A night stay here is $97 but it was included in our tour.
Night: Shkoder
Shkoder is a charming, affordable, and lively city. The city center is a strip filled with restaurants. It kind of reminds me of the inside of a Las Vegas hotel with its outside seating and street lamps. I was here late at night and was surprised to see how many people were gathered around at the cafe. My tour guide told us that in Albania, it is normal to work 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday. I was shocked that even on a weekday, people are still out and about.
Day 2: March 17, 2024
Morning: Shkoder
We spent the morning in Shkoder to see the Mesi Bridge and the Rozafa Castle.
Mesi Bridge
The Mesi Bridge is the largest bridge in Albania from the Ottoman period. The bridge has not been maintained and is not considered a major attraction at the moment. The bridge is free to walk across and visit but my tour guide thinks that will change in the future. I enjoyed the authenticity of the bridge and glad that I got to see it when it was organically “maintained”.
Rozafa Castle
The Rozafa Castle is a beautiful castle that sits on a hill overlooking Shkoder city. I highly suggest coming here when it opens at 9am to avoid any crowd and to find parking. There is limited parking at the base of the castle and many people park in the neighborhoods. The farther you park, the farther you have to walk uphill to the castle. It costs 400ALL to enter the castle.
The legend of how the castle was built is a sad one.
The story: Three brothers were building the castle to protect the town but the castle kept falling apart. One day, a wise man told them that in order to prevent the castle from collapsing, one of the brothers must sacrifice their wife. The first wife to bring the husband lunch the next day must be buried within the castle’s walls. The two older brothers told their wife the story so they did not bring their husband’s lunch. Rozafa, the wife of the youngest brother brought him lunch. Her husband told her that she was to be sacrificed in order to complete the castle. Rozafa accepted her fate under one condition: the brothers were to leave a hole for her right breast so her newborn son could feed, another hole for her right hand to caress him, and a third hole for her right foot to cradle him. The castle never collapsed.
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Shkoder The view of Shkoder was breathtaking. I know that I could spend another 3 days here. I would like to spend more time at the Rozafa Castle and roam around the Shkodra Lake. I would most love to visit the Albanian Alps. |
Afternoon: Prizren
| Shkoder, Albania to Prizren, Kosovo: 2 hours 40 minutes |
Prizren is such a wonderful place with great scenery and heritage. We visited the Sinan Pasha Mosque which is located in the historic centre. This mosque is massive but unfortunately, there has been some loss and damage in the interior due to holes in the roof. Visiting this mosque is free and only outside of prayer hours. We visited the Albanian League of Prizren Museum. The museum contains photographs and artifacts from the late 1870s to 1880. The museum is 1.50E. There is minimal explanation in the museum and glad that we had a tour guide to explain a few of the artifacts to us. Due to the lack of explanation, the museum is a little underwhelming. In addition to the museum, we also wandered around the Emin Pasa Camii Mosque and the Arasta Mosque Minaret.
Lunch in Prizren: Restaurant Beska
→Sheshi Shadervanit nr.54, Prizren 20000
For lunch, we went to Restaurant Beska. They serve inexpensive but delicious food. I ordered the chicken kabab (3E) and a coca cola (1,50E). The chicken was so juicy and tender. They even provide complimentary homemade bread.
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Prizren: I wished I got to see more of Prizren. I felt like there is more to see and do here. I would spend about another 3 or 4 days here due to its ruins and national parks. I would visit the Prizren Fortress, the Monastery of Holy Archangels, and the Sharr Mountain National Park. |
Afternoon: Pristina
| Prizren, Kosovo to Pristina, Kosovo: 1 hour 15 minutes |
Pristina is home to many mosques, churches, and landmarks.
By the time we arrived in Pristina, the weather started to turn for the worse. We decided that it was best to spend our time indoors. We saw the Cathedral of Saint Mother Teresa which was created and dedicated to the Albanian-Indian nun, Mother Teresa. We also visited the Memorial Heroines which is dedicated to the 20,000 women who were raped during the Kosovo war. We also visited the Mother Teresa monument, Skanderbeg Square, Ibrahim Rugova Statue, and Jashar Pasha Mosque to name a few.
For all of my US Americans, there are a few familiar faces in Pristina. There are streets named after Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. In addition to having his own street name, Bill Clinton also has his own statue. Clinton persuaded NATO to bomb Serbia to stop Serbian forces. This led to the end of the Kosovo War. Later, George W. Bush supported Kosovo when it declared its independence from Serbia. These leaders became popular in Kosovo.
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Pristina If it was not for the rain, I think we would have spent more time here. Of course I would visit the Bill Clinton Bulvari. In addition tot hat, I would visit the Gadima Cave, Devil’s Town, and the Badovac Lake. I would extend my trip here for another 2 days. |
Stay in Skopje: Hotel Premier
| Pristina, Kosovo to Skopje, North Macedonia: 1 hour 30 minutes |
→ Josif Josifovski – Sveshtarot 1000, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
I stayed in a spacious hotel called Hotel Premier. The hotel is just a few blocks from the city center. The room included a small living room area with two lounge sofas. It was 90E for the hotel but it was included with tour.
Night: Skopje
Skopje is the capital of North Macedonia and is known for its over-the-top statues. In 2008, Skopje kicked off a project to boost tourism by transforming its city. This project sparked debates as the 80E to 500E million budget was allocated to building random landmarks instead of helping its people and the country’s infrastructure.
The largest statue is of Alexander the Great. This king was born in Macedon in Greece. Greece disputed the country’s name between 1991 to 2019. Many Greece citizens identified themselves as Macedonians. Eventually, the Republic of North Macedonia became an acceptable name.
I arrived in Skopje at night and explored the main square.
Dinner in Skopje: Pelister
→ Boulevard Macedonia, Skopje 1000, North Macedonia
For dinner, we went to Pelister, a high-end restaurant located in Macedonia Square. I ordered a Bolognese (277) and a Skopsko draft beer (123). The food was just mediocre for me.
Day 3: March 18, 2024
Morning: Skopje
We woke up early to see Skopje in the daytime. We re-visited the main square and roamed around aimlessly.
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Skopje I’ve only seen the main square in Skopje but there is so much to see here. I would spend another 4 days here. I would visit the Mother Teresa Memorial House. Mother Teresa was born in Skopje and there is a house in honor of her. I would also visit the Skopje Fortress, the Scupi Archelogical Site, and some monastery sites. Additionally, there is so much nature to visit: Vrelo Cave, Matka Lake, Treska Lake, and Lake Matka. |
Afternoon: Ohrid
| Skopje, North Macedonia to Ohrid, North Macedonia: 2 hours and 40 minutes |
Ohrid is such a beautiful and charming city. Lake Ohrid gives this city a romantic and picturesque feel.
While in Ohrid, we parked at the base of the Tsar Samuel’s Fortress. Our driver said if we parked at the top, it is more challenging to hike up. We did have to hike up, but he is right. By parking at the base, we hiked up a paved road. If we had parked at the top, we would have to climb up slippery grass.
Our first stop was the Ancient Theatre of Ohrid. During the Roman times, this amphitheater was used for gladiator fights. Now, the stage has been used for concerts like the Ohrid Summer Festival. Next, we went to the Tsar Samuel’s Fortress. It was Monday so the fortress was closed. My guide said there is not much to see inside. The attraction is its surrounding area. We walked through trees on an unmarked road to get to the Church of Saint John at Kaneo. The interior of the church is small but its main attraction is the incredible view of Lake Ohrid. The church is situated on a cliff. From the church, we visited the Church of Saint Sophia. After enjoying our time around the lake, we hopped back into the car to head to the Old Bazaar Street.
The Old Bazaar street had homemade crafts and delicious restaurants. We had lunch here. After lunch, we did some shopping. Ohrid is known for its pearls and is sought around the world. The Ohrid pearls are made from shells by two families, Talevs and Filevs. We went shopping in the Bazaar and found them sold for cheap, like €25.
Lunch in Ohrid: Kebab House Adana
→ 4Q8X+MMW, Ohrid, Macedonia
Kebab House Adana is known for its juice kababs. The food was so cheap! I ordered chicken skewers for only 3,00. I thought it was a mistake, but it was not.
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Ohrid I absolutely love Ohrid so I could spend more days here, maybe 3 or 4 days here. I would visit the Ohrid Boardwalk, the beaches, and the wineries. |
Evening: Elbasan Castle
| Ohrid, North Macedonia to Elbasan, Albania: 1 hour 45 minutes |
I visited Elbasan Castle on the way back to Tirana. In its glory days, Elbasan Castle had over 900 shops and more than 2,000 houses. The castle still contains many residents and a few shops. I only visited the castle briefly and saw a small portion including a mosque and a few shops. This portion was free to visit.
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Elbasan Elbasan was just a stopover to stretch our legs. I wish I could spend more time here as it had more of an authentic feel. I would like to see more of the Elbasan Castle for starters. There are also other castles to visit like the Berat and the Kruja. Shebenik National Park and Kanioni Holtes are also where I would love to visit. |
I ended my tour at my hotel in Tirana. It took about 45 minutes from Elbasan to Tirana. I saw quite a bit of cities during this short 3-day tour. There are also so many cities in between that we skipped but love to see. Maybe on my next visit, I will dedicate a full month here. But for now, I am glad that I experienced a glimpse of the Balkans.