2-Week Balkans Backpacking Route

The Route at a Glance

This route runs overland from the Croatian coast to the Albanian Riviera through four countries in 14 days, using public buses and trains only. Every leg can be done in daylight.

Dubrovnik → Mostar → Sarajevo → Kotor → Tirana → Berat → Himara → Ksamil

In total: 14 nights, about 8 bus or train legs, and around €45–65 per day on a backpacker budget (excluding flights).

Days 1–2: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Start in the walled city you've seen in a thousand photos. Walk the city walls first thing in the morning, before the cruise crowds arrive. Then wander the marble streets of the Old Town and take the 15-minute ferry to Lokrum to swim off the rocks. In the evening, take the Srđ cable car, or hike up, for the classic view over the Old Town.

Budget tip: Dubrovnik is the most expensive stop on the route. Stay in Lapad or Gruž rather than inside the walls, and limit it to two nights.

Read more: Croatia Travel Guide

Day 3: Dubrovnik → Mostar, Bosnia

Take a morning bus inland through the Neretva Valley. In Mostar, watch the divers leap from Stari Most, the rebuilt 16th-century bridge. Walk the Kujundžiluk bazaar and climb the minaret of the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque for the best view of the bridge.

If you have an extra day: a trip to Kravice Falls and the Blagaj Tekke, a dervish house built into a cliff at the source of the Buna River, is one of the best-value day trips in the Balkans.

Days 4–5: Sarajevo, Bosnia

Take the train rather than the bus. The line follows the Neretva canyon and is one of the most scenic rail journeys in Europe.

Sarajevo is the highlight of the trip for many travellers. Spend your first day in Baščaršija, the Ottoman old town, eating ćevapi and drinking Bosnian coffee, then walk west to the corner where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in 1914. On day two, learn about the city's recent history at the Tunnel of Hope and Gallery 11/07/95, and look out for the Sarajevo Roses: shell craters in the pavement filled with red resin. In the evening, ride the cable car up Mount Trebević to the abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track.

Read more: Bosnia & Herzegovina Travel Guide

Days 6–7: Sarajevo → Kotor, Montenegro

This is the longest travel day of the route, but the road through the Bosnian highlands and down to the Bay of Kotor is beautiful. Book this bus a day or two ahead in summer, because there's usually only one direct departure.

In Kotor, climb the 1,350 steps to the San Giovanni fortress at sunrise or in the late afternoon. On day seven, take the local bus around the bay to Perast, then a small boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, a church on an artificial island.

Read more: Montenegro Travel Guide · Bay of Kotor Day Trip

Day 8: Kotor → Tirana, Albania

Head down the coast past Budva and Ulcinj and cross into Albania. Tirana is chaotic, colourful and full of cafés. Visit Bunk'Art, a Cold War nuclear bunker turned museum, walk Skanderbeg Square, and spend the evening in Blloku. This was once the closed district of the Communist Party elite and is now the city's nightlife hub.

Day 9: Tirana → Berat

Berat, the City of a Thousand Windows, is a UNESCO-listed Ottoman town of white houses stacked up a hillside. Climb to the castle quarter, where people still live inside the walls, and visit the Onufri Museum. Guesthouses in restored Ottoman houses cost €25–45 a night, often with breakfast.

Days 10–11: Berat → Himara

There's usually no direct bus, so change in Vlorë and continue south over the Llogara Pass (1,027 m), one of the most dramatic coastal roads in Europe.

Himara is a quieter, cheaper base than Ksamil. Hike or take a boat to Gjipe Beach, a wild cove between 70-metre canyon walls. Visit the castle at Porto Palermo, and spend an afternoon on the 7 km sweep of Borsh Beach.

Days 12–14: Ksamil and Saranda

End the trip with three slow days on the Riviera. Swim out to the Ksamil islands and explore Butrint, a UNESCO site with Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Venetian ruins built on top of each other. Take a half-day trip to the Blue Eye spring (entry 100 lek, about €1).

Leaving: take the ferry from Saranda to Corfu (30–40 minutes, €10–15) and fly home from there, or take the bus back to Tirana for your flight.

Read more: Albanian Riviera: The Complete 2026 Guide · Albania Travel Guide

What Does It Cost?

Dubrovnik and Kotor take the biggest share of the budget. Albania and Bosnia are where your money goes furthest: a full meal in Sarajevo or Berat costs a fraction of the same meal in Dubrovnik. For a detailed breakdown of the Albania leg, see How Much Does Albania Really Cost?.

When to Go

June and September are the best months for this route. The sea is warm enough to swim all the way from Dubrovnik to Ksamil, buses run on full summer timetables, and you miss the August crowds and peak prices. May and October also work if you care more about cities and hiking than beaches. Many Riviera businesses close from November to March.

Practical Tips

Book the Key Buses Ahead

You can buy tickets for most legs on the day. Book Sarajevo → Kotor, and any bus into Albania in July and August, a day or two ahead on FlixBus, Busbud or GetByBus. Some bus stations charge a small luggage fee, usually €1–2 per bag.

Carry a Little of Each Currency

The route uses three currencies: the euro in Croatia and Montenegro, the convertible mark (BAM) in Bosnia, and the lek (ALL) in Albania, where €1 is about 100 lek. Every town on the route has ATMs. Cash is still essential for buses, furgons (shared minibuses) and small guesthouses.

Use One eSIM for the Whole Route

You'll cross in and out of the EU and through four countries. A regional eSIM keeps you connected across every border without swapping SIMs. Our Best eSIMs for Balkans Travel comparison covers the options.

Get Travel Insurance

Long bus rides, mountain hikes, canyon trips and cliff jumping all add risk. Choose a policy that covers adventure activities; see Best Travel Insurance for the Balkans.

Got More Time?

3 weeks: add Ohrid in North Macedonia (a bus from Tirana) and Gjirokastër between Berat and the coast. See our North Macedonia Travel Guide.

10 days: skip Tirana and Berat and go straight from Kotor to the Riviera, or cut Dubrovnik to one night.

---

In two weeks you'll see Croatian old towns, Bosnian bazaars and mountains, the Bay of Kotor and the Albanian Riviera, and every stop feels different from the last. Pack light, leave some slack in the schedule, and accept the rakija when it's offered.

Planning the Albania leg? Read How Much Does Albania Really Cost? and How to Get from Tirana to the Albanian Riviera, and check Is Albania Safe? before you go.