I spent several months exploring most of the Balkan states of Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia. Learn about this fascinating and complicated region as well as my favorite tips for independent travel wherever you are heading below and on the podcast.
My Favorite Travel Tips for Independent Travel
Lodging:Â
- Search: Best neighborhood to stay insert city to see the safest and coolest neighborhoods near the attractions you most want to see
- See how close you can get to the bus or train station, as needed and read lodging reviews
- Know where you are going to sleep by noon each day.
- Plan to arrive by 4 pm so you are there before dark. This allows for delays.
- When you arrive, PIN your location on your map app on your phone so you can always find your way back (even off line) no matter how lost you get
- Check with locals regarding safety after dark in your neighborhood and LISTEN to them!
Getting Around: Check out the Omio or Rome2Rio apps (both free) BUT always double check on the ground. I try to buy my ticket at least a day in advance in case of schedule changes. 95% of the time, the apps are correct, but it’s a pain when you get the 5% error!
Communicating: I have been using an unlimited international data plan, but you can also buy a cheap SIM card and put it in an unlocked phone (save an old phone or buy a cheap used one if you want to keep your number overseas). Bring a paper clip to open the side panel to insert the card.
McDonalds seems to have reliable wifi, even if you stand outside their building. Even when I didn’t have a data plan, I was able to get around using wifi for searches, texts and calling, BUT be sure you keep your phone in AIRPLANE MODE so you don’t run up a ridiculous bill. AND make sure you have WiFi Assist turned OFF! This nasty little ‘feature’ boosts your wifi signal and can be ruinous to your finances. Settings>Cellular>[scroll WAY down] WiFi Assist.Toggle OFF
Use WhatsApp to call, text, video chat and share pics, as most foreigners do, to communicate when you have WiFi. The free app encrypts your data for privacy, and as long as you are using free wifi, then everything is free!
Safety
- Check with the US State Dept for current scams and other advisories for each country you plan to visit.
- Register your travel with the government in case of natural or man-made disaster, they will know you are there to try to help you. US citizens enroll here for the STEP Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
- Don’t wear flashy jewelry, watches or cameras
- In cities, keep your money and cards in three places:
- Pickpocket money:Â Minor cash that is readily accessible; say less than $20
- More hidden: Cash you may need for larger purchases. This you give is the robber wants to know where your REAL money is. Separate debit and credit cards into this group and the next one.
- Most hidden, say a money belt, or I sew a pocket on my cami. If a robber gets this, with my heavy cash, if I have to have some large bills, myu backup creidt and debit card and possibly my passport, I have bigger problems.Â
- Put a copy of your passport and embassy contact info in your suitcase and email a copy to yourself.
- Be careful of overly helpful strangers. YOU choose who to ask for help (and try to pick a mother).
Montenegro
As Croatia gets more crowded and expensive, many consider Montenegro the next hot spot. Located just south of Croatia, it shares a similar beautiful coastline with crystal clear waters, imposing fortresses and castles, cafe lined cobblestone streets and moderate climate. It is a candidate to enter the EU. Many Russians keep a summer home here, so it is not uncommon to hear Russian along withÂ
It is a lovely country in which I felt very safe traveling solo. The most popular towns to visit are Budva, Kotor (my favorite!) and Podgorica. It is easily traveled via public bus. They use both the latin and cyrillic alphabet, but I had no difficulty getting around.
The Old Bridge of Mostar at night
Sculpture of Pope John Paul II
Bosnia Herzegovina
I loved Bosnia, but be prepared to confront evidence of the Bosnian War in the 1990’s. It is very safe to travel there now, but the locals still understandably have PTSD and leave many reminders standing in hopes that the nation will never forget or repeat such ugliness.
You will see mortar cratered stone buildings, some scars decorated red, especially the Sarajevo ‘roses’ as a memorial for where at least three people were killed. Where roofs have collapsed, trees sprout forth and through glassless windows. Graveyards are heatbreakingly filled with thousands of crosses indicating death years of 1992-1995. You need to stay on public paths as not all the mines have been removed from the countryside.
That said, you will also see the beauty and resilience of the people. The beautiful high arch Old Bridge in Mostar was painstakingly rebuilt by hand using the traditional method. It was destroyed during the war to ruin the morale of the Bosniaks. My tour guide, Irfan, owner of the Old Bridge Gallery, was eleven during the war, and shot footage of the destruction of the bridge. Stop by his gallery on the Muslim side of the Old Bridge to check it out along with his extensive collection of history books.
Also, plan to take a Herzegovina day trip with Miran, owner of iHouse Travel. It was a great introduction to the religious culture of the area. I especially loved learning about the whirling dervishes at Blagaj tekke, a Muslim monestery built onto the side of a mountain with a river emerging from its base. You can watch a super quick video HERE.
Sarajevo, the capital, is also worth a visit, as is Jajce, with a massive waterfall in the center of town!
Ancient cemetery
War damaged building allowed to remain as a remembrance.
Traditional Bosnian Coffee Break
Be sure to try the strong, traditional coffee while in Bosnia. It is served on a platter with a cup with a couple of sugar cubes in it. You can dilute it with the provided water. Be sure to leave a little bit of coffee in the brass carafe so you don’t swallow the grinds. Somehow the Bosnians can sleep despite drinking coffee all day!
Other Links Mentioned on this Show :
Serbia
Serbia will fill you with joy AND tears. It is a country which has faced many tragedies and triumphs. While I visited Nis, Prizren, Novi Sad and Belgrade (the capital), my main interest was in seeing the overwintering long eared owls that hang out in the trees of a church yard in Kikinda.
The most owls are there in the middle of December, so I was early in November, but I did get to see dozens of them perched in the trees. Some years there are 800 -1500 owls – wow!
Kikinda also had a beautiful fountain and some street art, but was otherwise just a nice but regular small village. I happened upon a wedding, so got to see the bride and groom exit the church to the music of a brass band and set off in a horse drawn carriage. That was cool.
Two haunting places I visited were in Nis: Skull Tower, where actual Serbian soldier skulls were used to build the tower (their scalps were sent to the Turkish Sultan to prove the victory). So much blood has been shed in this town.
Up on the hill at the Bubanj Memorial Park is another somber place. During WWII, in one of the worst mass executions of the war, more than 10,000 Serbians were executed here. You take about a half mile memorial walk and then come to five massive concrete inscripted monoliths showing the sequence of events from the German invasion, to the execution squads and finally, gratefully the eventual victory. Behind the slabs are three massive abstract defiant fists representing the men, women and children of the war. It’s very heavy, but we must not forget.
Serbia and Kosovo
Know Before You GO!
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia does not recognize this. So if you wish to visit both countries, you need to visit Serbia first, because if you have a Kosovo stamp in your passport, you will be denyed entry.
The National and University Library
A memorial to the 20,000+ women raped during the war – made from more than 20,000 medals
NEW BORN to commemorate independence from Serbia
North Macedonia
The sadly funniest place of my Balkan adventure, here’s why: Â
North Macedonia (they generally refer to themselves as simply “Macedonia”, but Greece doesn’t want them to be confused with Greece Macedonia) wanted to attract tourists, but their capital, Skopje, had an ugly communist drab downtown (they peacefully switched from socialist to a parlimentary democracy in 1990).
So they decided to decorate their public buildings with columns and other fun architectural details. These are made of styrofoam that looks like marble. Sometimes the glue fails and the pieces fall off, and may or may not be re-attached. I thought the normal city grime and soot had been pressure washed, as the rain keeps them clean:)
Then to further add gravitas, they added statues. BUT, the buyers soon realized that it is difficult to appraise art, and that they could get a kickback from the sculptors. Greed took over and statues popped up like mushrooms after a rain. There are statues EVERYWHERE: on top of buildings, lining the many bridges that cross the downtown river Vardar. In the squares, statues are not only plentiful but oversized. It’s funny, but also sad, and the locals hate it and hate that their children’s children’s chikdren will be paying off the debt of decoration and greed.
Albania
Mother Teresa is of Albanian descent, so the Albanians claim her, as do the Macedonians as she was born in over-decorated Skopje, North Macedonia.
Albania has only been opened to US tourists since 1990. Of all the Balkan countries I visited, this is the only one where you can’t safely drink the tap water, so I used my filtering water bottle.
I spent the most time in the capital Tirana. I was surprised to find that it looked like any regular European city, as I was thinking it would be less developed. Â
Be sure to take a walking city tour in each capital you visit so that you can hear each country’s perspective on the war and regional history. It is very complicated and sad, but all countries I visited are taking great pains to remember the past and are trying to impress on new generations the evil of war.
On the Tirana city tour, we were shown taken down statues of Stalin (Albania was the only Russian satellite country in the Balkans) as well as other pro-communist statues.
Rather than tearing them down, and risk future generations forgetting, they have been moved out of sight to non-descript locations, almost like trash or an afterthought, such as behind a parking lot. This way they can tell the stories without having the statues traumatize surviving locals as they go about their daily lives.
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