Driving in the Balkans: it's both an exhilarating and nerve-wracking experience. After exploring the region for 6 months, we're ready to share our tips to make sure that you enjoy your driving safely and happily. In this blog we’ll take you through some of the benefits, the "challenges", and then list our Top Tips to make sure that you're fully prepared.
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Benefits Of Driving In The Balkans
Scenic Diversity:
One of the most captivating aspects of driving in the Balkans is the ever-changing scenery that unfolds before your eyes. From the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea to the towering peaks of the Dinaric Alps, each stretch of road offers a new panorama to behold. Whether you're winding through lush green valleys or navigating hairpin turns along coastal cliffs, the diverse landscapes of the Balkans never fail to impress.
There is one proviso though: to get the full view you may need to avoid the toll roads, and this brings it’s own challenges (as you’ll read on below…).
Flexibility and Freedom:
Unlike organised tours or public transportation, driving gives you the freedom to set your own pace and itinerary. Want to spend an extra day exploring a picturesque village or stumble upon a hidden beach? With a car at your disposal, you have the flexibility to veer off course and follow your wanderlust wherever it may lead. This sense of autonomy allows for spontaneous adventures and serendipitous discoveries that can't be replicated by any other means of travel.
Along the coastline there are plenty of places for you to stop and view, take your photos, which are all Instagram-worthy pics. Driving through the mainland you’ve got lakes, rivers, castles, monasteries, and tons of tiny little villages that give you all the culture of each of the Balkan states. Which leads us to our next benefit…
Accessibility to Remote Destinations:
Some of the most enchanting destinations in the Balkans are tucked away in remote corners that are inaccessible by public transport. However, with a car, you can venture off the beaten path and uncover hidden gems that few tourists ever have the chance to experience.
We have to admit, this benefit does come with some challenges too, as ‘off the beaten path’ is literal - you’ll encounter poor road surfaces, dead ends and possibly a herd of cows or sheep. We followed a sign for a winery one day and ended up going through very small roads, meeting chickens and farmers and all sorts of entertaining things. But the “winery” turned out to be a closed private home with a withering grapevine. It all adds to the fun! And even though a few of those enticing road-side signs pointing out tempting attractions have led us to abandoned buildings or empty lots, we still recommend looking out for opportunities to explore.
Cultural Immersion:
Driving through the Balkans offers more than just a scenic journey; it's an opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of cultures that call this region home. As you meander through charming villages and bustling towns, you'll have the chance to interact with locals, sample traditional cuisine, and learn about age-old customs and traditions. Whether you're sipping rakija with friendly villagers in Serbia or bargaining for freshly caught fish at a roadside market in Montenegro, these authentic encounters will leave a lasting impression on your journey.
Cost-Effective Travel:
Contrary to popular belief, driving in the Balkans can be an economical way to travel, especially for small groups or families. One of the greatest benefits is that petrol prices are amazing which means you can plan a road trips without too much impact on your budget. Renting a car is relatively cheap too, although don’t forget you’ll need a credit card for the insurance deposit.
If you’re bringing your own car, you might need to think about repairs or maintenance. Again, such things are actually quite cheap in the Balkans too, as we found out when we needed to replace our tires. Make sure you get a recommendation from a local, and be sure to agree on a price in advance. All-in-all, the general cost of driving is much cheaper in the Balkans than anywhere else in Europe that we've travelled so far, so we certainly count that as one of the major benefits.
Along with those great benefits there are a few challenges and its important to know these in advance.
The Challenges of Driving in Balkan Countries
Road Quality
Top of my list for me (Justine) are the roads themself. I find them very awkward to drive on and in fact I avoid the back roads with all my might. The backstreets are narrow, windy and often full of potholes, so I don't like driving on the smaller roads of Montenegro, Slovenia or Albania. Darryl is more confident and calls it “ a test of your nerves”.
It’s not just the poor road quality that makes me uncomfortable, it's the narrowness of the roads. A lot of the back streets don't have foot paths and in the summer when there's a lot of tourists in the Balkans, there are dozens of people walking along the roadsides at a leisurely holiday pace. They don't seem to mind the traffic around them, they just keep going. leaving only enough room for one car at a time. The locals will simply overtake you if you slow down, which can make things quite nerve-wracking at times.
Aggressive driving
The locals have a lot of confidence, they know the roads, so they tend to go a lot faster than even the suggested speed limit and they tend to overtake on places that maybe I wouldn't choose to overtake on. So that can make me feel a little bit nervous. The speed limit seems to be regarded as a mere suggestion. There is governance, and we often saw police patrols on the road, this doesn't seem to deter the locals too much. Interestingly, in Montenegro, one of the first words a traveller learns is “polako”. This basically means slowly, take it easy, chill, “in your time” - but this does not seem to apply on the roads!
One thing that you will hear a lot is the horns. They use their car horns to communicate on the road, yet this doesn't seem to be aggressive. A toot is more likely to mean, ‘okay, you go first’ or ‘thank you for pulling over’. You will hear the horn used a lot and it's nothing to be worried about.
Similarly they use their lights quite a bit. Lights need to be on at all times, regardless of the time of day, but they'll also use them to flash to say ‘thank you’ or to ‘come on through’ or ‘there's a policeman ahead’ so that's handy to know too.
Dodgy Google Map Links
Another thing we found a bit of a challenge here is that Google is not always your friend. Google Maps will take you to some very interesting places however they might not be the ones that you expected to go to. The Balkan countries are developing quickly so streets, buildings and addresses are constantly changing. You can easily be led into roads that maybe aren't quite suited to your car, suddenly turn narrow or just abruptly finish.
There is a reasonable amount of signage on the main road, which will give you the names of major locations, but you don't always see it when you need it. There were times when we weren't 100% sure whether or not we were driving in the right direction. So it does pay to research ahead of time to get a fair idea of which towns you should expect to go through on your planned journey.
Toll Roads
Last on our list of challenges are the toll roads. While they will give you the best roading surface, they can be expensive and you're not necessarily going to see everything that you'd want to see. We were especially disappointed in our most recent journey through Croatia. We had quite a shock at how expensive that was - €31 on one road - and we didn’t see anything of interest throughout the entire trip.
After that we chose to take the non-toll roads. That is without a doubt something that we have now recognised by driving in the Balkans: that if you want to get somewhere fast you take the toll roads, but you pay the price. If you have more time on your hands you can make use of that by just taking it easy and taking the non- toll roads on which you get to see so much more.
Six Top Tips and Tricks for Balkan Road Trips
Let’s go through some of the things that we've learned as this is going to help you prepare for your drive through the Balkans
Tip #1: Choose Your Car Carefully
The most important thing that will impact on the success of your Balkan road trip is your choice of car. With the unpredictable road quality and everything else you might encounter along the way, it’s important that you choose something high, narrow, maneovourable and robust.
We have a little Suzuki Ignis (named Betty). For us she’s been perfect. She’s igot a short nose and a short back, which makes it easy to get around the tight corners in the narrow roads with oncoming traffic. She’s also a little bit higher than many cars, meaning she copes with the potholes and the flooding more easily.
If you really want to go off the beaten track you definitely need to take into consideration that some of these roads are not sealed. In this case you might want to consider a 4x4.
Tip #2: Check Your Insurance
As with any country, it's really important that you have car insurance, but one thing you particularly need to take into consideration when driving in the Balkans is that some of these
countries are EU and some are not. It's important to double check your insurance policy to make sure you're covered in every country that you drive into.
For EU countries you may need to get yourself what used to be the ‘green paper’, but which is now a ‘white paper’. That will help you get through most of the Balkan countries but always have to have it at hand. If at anytime you're unsure then, conveniently, at most border crossings there is a place where you can get temporary insurance if needed.
You’ll also need to check the rules around your driver's licence because it might be slightly different within each Balkan country, and for each licence origin. On a New Zealand licence I need an international driver's permit to drive in here and it lasts for a limited time, but, fortunately, as I’m now using my German driver's licence that doesn’t apply.
Tip #3: Learn A Bit of the Language
With any country you travel to, we think it's important to make the effort to learn at least a little bit of the language. Just about everyone you'll meet in a service industry in the Balkans will speak a little bit of either English, Russian or German, but in your smaller towns this is
not so likely. Just a simple ‘thank you’, ‘hello’ and ‘Sorry, I can't speak your language’ in the local language is going to be really helpful and will help you build a bit of a relationship with your hosts.
One of the most enjoyable things we’ve discovered about the Balkans is the people we’ve met here. Their hospitality is amazing. We've had a lot of support with the level of English that we’ve encountered and the efforts that people go to to help us understand.
Failing all else there is always Google translate, or the translate functions on social media apps such as Viber. Which leads to a bonus tip: make sure you always have data with you.
Even if you feel like you won't need it for your Maps, you are going to need it for translation, especially if you ever get stuck, or in an emergency, or need help with directions. Again - check your data plan as it may not apply in the non-EU countries.
Check out our Review of Language Learning Apps
Tip #4: Prepare for the Border Controls
With at least 10 countries included in the shifting definition of “The Balkans”, you are of course going to encounter numerous border controls. Some are simple drive-throughs, others require waiting in lengthy queues and shuffling through paperwork. Here's some tips to make your border crossing as stress free as possible.
To help drivers find the best time to go through the border stations, many of the borders crossings have a live camera streaming the traffic coming in each side. If you Google the name of the border station, you can check when the queues are at their worst and then you can plan the best times for you to go through. In general, we recommend avoiding Friday afternoons andMonday mornings, because many Balkan countries have workers coming in and out which adds to the queues and slows down your trip. Another tip: don’t join a queue behind a truck. Most crossings have separate lanes for trucks, operating at quite a slow pace, so you may inadvertently find yourself stuck in a line that is taking your nowhere.
You also need to make sure that you have all your paperwork handy. That includes passports, car registration and proof of insurance So if you rent a car make sure that they show you where those papers are in case you need to hand them over at a border. In this case you will need to let your rental car company know in advance that you are planning to drive through different countries so that they can give you the right insurance and charge you the correct fee.
On the whole we have found border crossings to be pretty easy. In fact we've found that they've gotten even easier the longer we've been here as more Balkan countries begin to meet the criteria for entry into the EU. On our most recent trip out of the Balkans, into Italy, we went through Montenegro into Croatia and then Slovenia. Each crossing got easier and easier, and as we left Slovenia they just waved us on through without us even stopping.
Tip #5: Ask for Map Pins or Detailed Address Information
As mentioned above, Google Maps is not always your friend in these smaller countries, but the locals understand this and will gladly help you out. If you need to get to a particular Airbnb, or a specific location, just ask them in advance to send you a map pin or some very
specific instructions on how to get there. You might need to know what building is on the corner or how far it is from the railway crossing.
Tip #6: Keep a Close Eye on the Weather
Lastly we strongly recommend you check the weather information daily while you are travelling. In the winter time you may need chains or winter tires in some of the regions that you're going to, so you need to check that in advance. Also because the roads,are not all that well built they flood quickly and substantially. There can be a lot of surface flooding in the heavy rains which does happen occasionally in the winter. Meanwhile, in the summertime you've got the traffic jams! As most coastal towns only have one main road in and out, once tourist season begins the traffic is immense. If you haven't got air conditioning you are likely to end up cooking.
We hope that you’ve found this blog informative, and that it helps you prepare for your Balkan road trip. We've had a great time driving through these countries so we really want to help others experience it too. The affordability of travel costs mean we've been able to stretch our budget to enjoy not just the roadside views, but also stop at the huge range of restaurants and attractions that are unique to each country. We have such wonderful memories of everything we’ve seen and done along the way. We’re glad we were able to share these tips with you to make your trip just as safe and enjoyable.
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