u/sendhelpandthensome

Has anyone tried traveling to the non-EU Balkan countries using a valid and used US Visa? Based on my research, they all have the visa substitution regime, but some writeups were vague so I’ve reached out to the individual embassies/consulates, but wanted to hear from people who actually tried it.

* Serbia - confirmed by consul
* Bosnia & Herzegovina - confirmed by embassy
* Montenegro - no confirmation but online, it says it’s possible
* Albania - vaguely confirmed by consul
* North Macedonia - no confirmation but online, it says it’s possible

For those who have tried it, how was the process? Did you travel by land or air?

Thanks!

Hello everyone!

I am planning a 9-day trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina in late August within a 1-month trip in the West Balkans (Serbia > BiH > Montenegro > Albania > North Macedonia), and I would like to get your feedback on my itinerary options. Currently, I have two versions, but I am open to hearing other recommendations!

What I'm looking for: I know the region is beautiful, but I'm trying to avoid a trip where everything starts to blur together, especially coz this is a long one. I'd like to prioritize places and experiences that feel genuinely different in mood, setting, history, or cultural context, especially things that feel unique to BiH compared with the other countries I’m visiting. I'm less interested in adding stops just because they offer a slightly different architectural style or another pretty historic townscape that I might not fully appreciate as a non-expert. I'm more interested in places where the difference is something I can really feel as a traveler: learning about Yugoslav era and Bosnian War history, rural villages and nature, arts/café culture, etc. I’m into culture, art, history, easy to intermediate hikes, and cool/creative neighborhoods or spaces. Since this is part of a longer trip, I also want my city days to be slow, like exploring museums and sitting around in cafes kinda days. Sarajevo has also been on my bucket list, so I do want to give ample time for the city.

Other notes: I tried to reduce the number of times I switch hotels, which is why I focused more on day trips where I can. I'm used to 2hr travel times per way even on a regular day so a long journey isn't too much of an issue. I am also unable to drive in these countries.

So here's my draft itinerary:

• D1: Arrival in Sarajevo from Belgrade (with stopovers to Visegrad, Andricgrad, and Drvengrad)
• D2: Sarajevo
• D3: Lukomir Village Hike
• D4: Sarajevo
• D5: Sutjeska National Park Hike
• D6: Sarajevo

For D7-D9, I have 2 options:

• OPTION A:
  • D7: Travnik and Jajce Day Trip
  • D8: Sarajevo
  • D9: Scenic Transfer from Sarjevo to Kotor with Herzegovina Tour (with stops to Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar, Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice Falls)
• OPTION B:
  • D7: Sarajevo
  • D8: Train to Mostar (Mostar overnight)
  • D9: Scenic Transfer from Moster to Kotor with Herzegovina Tour (Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice Falls, Radimlja, Stećci Necropolis, Stolac, Vjetrenica Cave, Tvrdoš Monastery, Trebinje)

I guess the question really is where it's worth the hassle to move hotels for 1 night in Mostar (though I heard the train ride is beautiful), and whether I should prioritize Travnik and Jajce or more time in the Herzegovina region. It is also possible to do Travnik and Jajce instead of another Sarajevo Day in Option B, but I think reducing my Sarajevo days to 3 instead of 4 will make me want to rush through sites (especially museums!) instead of having slow days.

I also have some other questions:

• For my city days, I'm thinking of taking classes or workshops. Aside from cooking classes, are there any more cultural ones you'd recommend? Or perhaps any events I should look into?
• Any suggestions of cafes, cute shops, restaurants?
• Is there on-demand taxis like Ubers? Or are trams/buses reliable for within the city?
• Regarding the day trips, I plan on booking for the Lukomir Hike and Sutjeska Hike, but is it easy to DIY Travnik and Jajce?

Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from locals and seasoned travelers in the area!

Hello everyone!

I am planning a 9-day trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina in late August within a 1-month trip in the West Balkans (Serbia > BiH > Montenegro > Albania > North Macedonia), and I would like to get your feedback on my itinerary options. Currently, I have two versions, but I am open to hearing other recommendations!

What I'm looking for: I know the region is beautiful, but I'm trying to avoid a trip where everything starts to blur together, especially coz this is a long one. I'd like to prioritize places and experiences that feel genuinely different in mood, setting, history, or cultural context, especially things that feel unique to BiH compared with the other countries I’m visiting. I'm less interested in adding stops just because they offer a slightly different architectural style or another pretty historic town that I might not fully appreciate as a non-expert. I'm more interested in places where the difference is something I can really feel as a traveler: learning about Yugoslav era and Bosnian War history, rural villages and nature, arts/café culture, etc. I’m into culture, art, history, easy to intermediate hikes, and cool/creative neighborhoods or spaces. Since this is part of a longer trip, I also want my city days to be slow, like exploring museums and sitting around in cafes kinda days. Sarajevo has also been on my bucket list, so I do want to give ample time for the city.

Other notes: I tried to reduce the number of times I switch hotels, which is why I focused more on day trips where I can. I'm used to 2hr travel times per way even on a regular day so a long journey isn't too much of an issue. I am also unable to drive in these countries.

So here's my draft itinerary:

• D1: Arrival in Sarajevo from Belgrade (with stopovers in Visegrad, Andricgrad, and Drvengrad)
• D2: Sarajevo
• D3: Lukomir Village Hike
• D4: Sarajevo
• D5: Sutjeska National Park Hike
• D6: Sarajevo

For D7-D9, I have 2 options:

• OPTION A:
  • D7: Travnik and Jajce Day Trip
  • D8: Sarajevo
  • D9: Scenic Transfer from Sarjevo to Kotor with Herzegovina Tour (with stops to Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar, Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice Falls)
• OPTION B:
  • D7: Sarajevo
  • D8: Train to Mostar (Mostar overnight)
  • D9: Scenic Transfer from Moster to Kotor with Herzegovina Tour (Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice Falls, Radimlja, Stećci Necropolis, Stolac, Vjetrenica Cave, Tvrdoš Monastery, Trebinje)

I guess the question really is where it's worth the hassle to move hotels for 1 night in Mostar (though I heard the train ride is beautiful), and whether I should prioritize Travnik and Jajce or more time in the Herzegovina region. It is also possible to do Travnik and Jajce instead of another Sarajevo Day in Option B, but I think reducing my Sarajevo days to 3 instead of 4 will make me want to rush through sites (especially museums!) instead of having slow days.

I also have some other questions:

• For my city days, I'm thinking of taking classes or workshops. Aside from cooking classes, are there any more cultural ones you'd recommend? Or perhaps any events I should look into?
• Any suggestions of cafes, cute shops, restaurants?
• Is there on-demand taxis like Ubers? Or are trams/buses reliable for within the city?
• Regarding the day trips, I plan on booking for the Lukomir Hike and Sutjeska Hike, but is it easy to DIY Travnik and Jajce?

Thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from locals and seasoned travelers in the area!

Hello everyone!

I’m a solo 30sF traveler planning a 32-day trip in the West Balkans from Mid-August (arriving midday in Belgrade) to Mid-September (departing midday from Tirana) looking for feedback. I’ll be covering Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Albania (all non-Schengen / visa-free for me). Of these, Albania and Bosnia & Herzegovina are my priorities.

What I'm looking for: I know the region is beautiful, but I'm trying to avoid the trip where everything just blurs together (which has happened to me before in similarly long trips to beautiful countries). I want to do easy to intermediate hikes (more a mountains than a beach person) as an amateur hiker, but I'm also very interested in culture, art, architecture and history, with a particular interest in Yugoslav and Soviet era; as well as just overall cool and artsy/hipster places. Since it's a long trip, I also wanted my city days to be slow, exploring museums and sitting around in cafes kinda days.

Budget: Given that I'm going at the tail end of summer, I'm thinking of around EUR 4,000 excluding international flights for mid-range comfort. I'm targeting to spend about EUR 50-80/night for hotels on average, so that leaves me about EUR 1,500 - 2,000 for everything else. Is that realistic for a month in the region? If not, where do costs usually creep up? Or am I overestimating?

Other notes: I tried to reduce the number of times I switch hotels unless it's a unique stay (Theth, Ohrid) or logistically needed, which is why I focused more on day trips where I can. I'm used to 2hr travel times per way even on a regular day so a long journey isn't too much of an issue. I am also unable to drive in these countries.

Itinerary: I have not booked any hotels yet, so happy to hear any recommendations to add, skip, or reallocate days.

Serbia:

• D1: Fly into Belgrade by mid-day
• D2: Belgrade
• D3: Novi Sad + Sremski Kalovci day trip
• D4: Belgrade
• D5: Scenic Transfer to Sarajevo (Visegrad, Andricgrad, and Drvengrad)

Bosnia & Herzegovina:

• D6: Sarajevo
• D7: Lukomir Village Hike
• D8: Sarajevo (recovery day)
• D9: Sarajevo (recovery day)
• D10: Sutjeska Hike
• D11: Sarajevo (recovery day)
• D12: Travnik and Jajce day trip
• D13: Sarajevo
• D14: Scenic Transfer to Kotor with Herzegovina Tour (Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar, Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice Falls)

Montenegro (mid-trip beach downtime. Meeting with a friend. ):

• D15: Kotor / Perast / Budva
• D16: Kotor / Perast / Budva
• D17: Kotor / Perast / Budva
• D18: Transfer from Kotor to Theth

Albania (with North Macedonia side trip):

• D19: Theth
• D20: Theth with late transfer to Shkoder
• D21: Komani Lake and Shala River day tour
• D22: Shkoder City with evening transfer to Tirana
• D23: Transfer to Ohrid in the morning
• D24: Ohrid
• D25: Ohrid, with evening transfer to Tirana
• D26: Tirana
• D27: Berat Day Trip
• D28: Tirana
• D29: Kruje Day Trip
• D30: Bovilla Lake/Dajti or Cape of Rodon
• D31: Tirana
• D32: Departure from Tirana mid-afternoon

Some questions:

• For my city days (Sarajevo, Belgrade, Tirana), I'm thinking of taking classes or workshops. Aside from cooking classes, are there any more cultural ones you'd recommend? Or perhaps any events I should look into?
• Regarding inter-city/country transfers, these are my plans but happy to hear any advice or suggested providers/companies:
  • For the scenic transfers, (Belgrade to Sarajevo via Meet Bosnia, Sarajevo to Kotor via Funky Tours), I plan on booking arranged tours and they come up to about EUR 120-130 each. Considering it's both a guided tour and an intercountry transfer, it seems like a fair price?
  • For Kotor to Theth, I saw a shuttle (EUR 60) via Montenegro Hostels. If this does not pan out, is it worth the cost to get private transfers (EUR 240) or should I just take the public bus (via Jadran Ekspres Kotor) to Shkoder, do a stopover overnight and take the shuttle (via Info Point) the next day?
  • For Shkoder to Tirana, is Berisha reliable?
  • For Tirana to Ohrid, are Nela Travel and Euro Bus reliable?
  • For any of these transfers, is it worth splurging for private transfers instead?
  • Any potential issues with border crossing given my plans?
  • Someone also mentioned not to use airport taxis so I plan on prebooking transfers for my Belgrade arrival.
• I saw that there are usually luggage fees in buses. How much do these usually cost and do you pay in advance or right there in cash? As it's a long trip, I plan on traveling with 1 medium check-in and 1 hand-carry luggage (I know I need to lug this around), but will this be a problem in buses? Additionally, thinking of just storing my big luggage in Tirana when I do the Ohrid side trip. The one I found online is Skanderbeg Square, but is there any near the bus terminal perhaps?
• Regarding the day trips, I plan on booking for the Lukomir Hike and Sutjeska Hike in B&H as well as the Komani Lake and Shala River Day Tour in Albania. The rest, I plan on DIYing. Happy to hear advice here on whether the abovementioned 3 are easy to DIY, or if the ones I plan on DIY-ing are better off via tour operator.

Sorry this post got so long, but thanks so much and looking forward to hearing from locals and seasoned travelers in the area!