When individuals consider Europe, the primary locations that always come to thoughts are France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and possibly Switzerland. Nonetheless, Europe is house to dozens of nations, and one 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 of a part of it as effectively.
Regardless of being missed 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, maintain 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
Notice: Bulgaria and Romania presently solely settle for Schengen visas at their sea and air borders.
Among the many Schengen international locations within the Balkans, Greece is essentially the most sensible alternative for Filipino vacationers. Listed here are the explanations:
- Greece has its personal embassy within the Philippines, making visa processing extra easy.
- Athens Airport is well-connected, with reasonably priced flights out there from many locations.
- Greece is a shocking journey vacation spot, so it’s effectively value including to your itinerary!
Alternatively, it’s also possible to 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 Nations
Listed here are the Balkan international locations outdoors of the Schengen Space:
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Kosovo
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
- Serbia
In the event you’re touring to any of those international locations, you’ll want a separate visa particular to that nation. For example, in the event you’re solely visiting Albania, you’ll want to use for an Albanian visa. Happily, there’s a workaround: if in case you have a multiple-entry Schengen visa, you received’t want a separate visa for a lot of Balkan states.
To benefit from this, you possibly can 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 international locations settle for a used multiple-entry Schengen visa, that means you need to enter a Schengen nation no less than as soon as earlier than utilizing it to go to different Balkan states.
2. Plan your route correctly.
Cautious route planning is important — not solely to avoid wasting time, cash, and power but in addition 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 remainder require separate visas. Nonetheless, with a multiple-entry Schengen visa, you possibly can enter many non-Schengen Balkan international locations while not having further visas.
Because of this the itinerary you undergo the embassy is essential. Under 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 3 times, 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 facet 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 international locations while not having separate visas.
Selecting the Finest Mode of Transportation
Past visas, planning your route correctly additionally means contemplating transportation availability. Google Maps is a good device to verify essentially the most logical route between the international locations you wish to go to. Researching bus routes might 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 reasonably priced possibility, however it additionally made for a extra immersive and adventurous expertise.
Checking the Political Panorama
One other important issue when planning your itinerary is the political panorama of the Balkan area, as some international locations have border restrictions resulting from diplomatic conflicts. For instance, Serbia apparently doesn’t permit entry from Kosovo resulting from conflicts. Whereas this coverage might 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, less expensive, 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 provided the most affordable flights. In the event you’re reserving effectively prematurely or throughout seat gross sales, one 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 simply finances airways. It’s at all times value checking full-service carriers too. Generally, you’ll discover flights which are both cheaper or solely barely dearer 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 dearer than Scoot, however that worth already included add-ons.
In the event you seen in our pattern itinerary, our remaining cease earlier than returning to the Philippines was Spain, although 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 overall expense was nonetheless decrease than flying straight from the Balkans. That’s why we determined to incorporate Spain in our route!
It’s essential to notice that when making use of for a Schengen visa, you don’t have to guide your flights but. As a substitute, you’ll want a flight reservation, which serves as a brief reserving with out requiring full fee. Some individuals 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 essential is that embassies acknowledge flight reservations.
For our visa functions, we get our flight reservations from Gazelle Journey and Excursions. In the event you want one, you possibly can 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 possibly can 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 season and once more from late summer season to autumn, and we will confidently say — the distinction in worth is large.
The summer season months (June to September) are thought of peak season, that means increased costs for flights, lodging, and excursions. For instance, once we visited Croatia, we seen that as quickly as October arrived, tour costs dropped considerably. This development applies to lodges and flights as effectively.
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 have been painted in beautiful fall colours, making it an unforgettable sight.
Past pricing and surroundings, seasonal climate additionally determines what that you must pack. The Balkans have numerous climates, so temperatures can range drastically relying on the place you go. For instance, the climate in Romania is completely 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, similar to Sofia in Bulgaria and Brașov in Romania, expertise a damp continental local weather, that means colder winters and extra vital seasonal adjustments.
In the event you’re backpacking via a number of international locations, count on the climate to shift from place to put. Make sure 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 things’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 international locations, every nation has its personal distinct id. The alphabet, faith, political methods, and even cuisines can range dramatically as you cross borders.
Historical past
This variety can be mirrored within the area’s complicated historical past. Many neighboring international locations have long-standing political tensions, which typically develop into 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 completely different views on historic occasions — and also you’ll possible sense this when visiting heritage websites or partaking in conversations.
Delicacies
Every nation within the Balkans affords a novel delicacies as effectively. For instance, in Dubrovnik and Montenegro, seafood dominates the delicacies, whereas Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia favor meat-heavy dishes.
Faith
On the subject of faith, international locations like Kosovo and Albania are predominantly Muslim, whereas Croatia is basically 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 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 Character
Each vacation spot has its personal character. Past cultural variations, every metropolis or city exudes its personal distinctive allure. Brașov (Romania) appears like a quaint, fairy-tale city. Sofia (Bulgaria) and Tirana (Albania) have the bustling power of massive cities. In the meantime, Break up and Dubrovnik (Croatia) are straight out of Recreation of Thrones, serving severe King’s Touchdown vibes. And Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Prizren (Kosovo) seem like big, open-air museums with their well-preserved historic websites.
Affordability
Costs additionally range 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 costliest cities within the area. After we first visited these components 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, possible because of the inflow of vacationers. In the event 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 respect 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.
Top-of-the-line issues about touring within the Balkans is the abundance of budget-friendly lodging. Nonetheless, worth isn’t the one issue to contemplate when selecting the place to remain. We at all times use two key standards when reserving: central location and accessibility.
We favor lodging close to the Previous City or metropolis heart, inside strolling distance of key sights and beginning factors for strolling excursions. It’s additionally essential that our lodging is near main transportation hubs, similar 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 individuals — we have been a gaggle 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 in the event you’re staying in an condominium inside the Previous City. Some buildings are older and lack elevators, which is usually a downside in the event you’re carrying heavy baggage or have mobility issues.
For instance, in Brașov, Romania, we stayed at Zinne Residences, a captivating 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 Condo Emilija, which had a tremendous location — we might see the principle sq. proper from our window. The unit itself was spacious and cozy, however it was on the fourth flooring, which is fifth flooring by our requirements, with no elevator.
Earlier than finalizing your lodging, at all times 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 aren’t as rampant as in Paris, Barcelona, or Berlin, scams nonetheless exist right here. The most typical kind of rip-off vacationers encounter right here often entails taxis.
We personally skilled a taxi rip-off in North Macedonia. We often favor public transportation, however typically, particularly when arriving late at evening, taking a taxi is the one possibility. 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 worth with the motive force. Nonetheless, once we arrived at our vacation spot, he immediately demanded extra money. After we refused, different taxi drivers surrounded us, attempting to intimidate us.
Sadly, taxi scams occur in different cities too. In the event you suspect a driver is overcharging, stroll away and discover one other taxi. To keep away from this, you possibly can 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 need to 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, similar 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 might 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 should be Schengen-accredited. For dependable protection, you possibly can guide TravelJoy Plus via PGA Sompo. This ensures you’re protected all through your journey.
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2025 7 21 – First uploaded