We patterned our trip with Topdeck Travel's Balkan Itinerary but removed some places we did not want to see, and added a few more stops we are interested in. We are also inspired by Souvenir Chronicles about driving around the Balkans by car and they were very nice to answer our initial questions about driving a rental car around this area. 

When I started searching about this trip like - how the roads are, especially driving thru Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, appropriate visas, border crossings and checkpoints or other important parts of the road trip we wanted to know, there's only a few blogs that discusses it in detail how is it really like driving this region. Below is our Balkan road trip map, I deleted some of the stops we did, but only pinned the major cities of the countries we've had the pleasure of driving. We did the Balkans for at least 18 days and added Budapest and Krakow at the beginning and end of the trip (total of 25 days). 

Our Balkan Itinerary

Everywhere and anywhere we go, John Steinback's quote resonates with us. When we travel, we always have a presumption  of what the place is all about, or what will happen to any trip, but every time, no matter what it usually never happens and end up always blown away by something even better. This is what Ljubljana is for us. 

Ljubljana is often dubbed as the next "IT" city in Europe but its taking a long time for it to be popular. Truth be told, I do not want it to be the next tourist destination in Europe. I want Ljubljana to preserve its "off-the-beaten path" feel and not to be swarmed with tourists. This is the main reason why we loved our stay and appreciate this little city, we can walk around and appreciate everything without battling the crowds and mind you, this was even during summertime and not a lot of people visiting.

Once you get to the Old Town, it is pretty easy to navigate. Just by walking around, you surely wouldn't miss the most iconic attraction here - The Triple Bridge. Don't be afraid to meander and get lost with the little nooks and crannies of the Old Town - you might discover something exciting. Since we had a car, we opted to stay at a hotel a little bit from the Old Town so we can have a feel of the city itself outside the usual Old Town. 

Without any doubt, Ljubjlana can really be the next emerging city in Europe for it has everything to offer - rich history, charming cafes, cultural exhibits, and a castle that overlooks the city. One word to describe Ljubljana - beautiful. It is one hour drive away from the mountains and the sea when you get tired of the city escape. One day this city was the smallest city in Yugoslavia and today, it is the largest in Slovenia. It may sound overrated but truly, Ljubljana is a hidden gem. Go now before it gets spoiled. 

Categories: Europe, Slovenia, Balkan Road Trip

Croatia? Italy? Think again! Just by looking at the picture on top, this place could be mistaken for a coastal town in Croatia or perhaps Italy. We originally did not plan to go here but since we had bad weather conditions in Plitvice, we had another full day in Slovenia. We decided to skip the popular Postojna Cave or Skocjan Cave for another off the beaten path destination in Slovenia. We have seen caves in different places and we are visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland (the largest salt mine / cave in Europe) so we decided to see the coast of Slovenia instead.

You often don't hear people brag about how beautiful this country is, since it is mostly undiscovered by tourists. I read somewhere that Slovenia is the next "IT" country in Europe to visit. Go now before it gets spoiled by more and more tourists. Our drive to get to Piran was about 2 hours from Ljubljana. This picturesque town of Piran is definitely Slovenia's hidden gem. 

The town sits on top of a narrow peninsula. The roads are narrow and winding, to get to the town itself we climbed our way up. it was a memorable hike since it was a very steep hill. Sometimes, you have to work hard to see the most beautiful of places.  Piran is one of the best preserved old town along the Adriatic coast. As you can tell, the architectural style reflects that of Venice. 

Make sure you walk around the Main Square and see some of the sights. If you are going here during summertime, Piran has rocky beaches, you can swim and bask the sun for all its worth. We spent a good 4 hours in Piran and after our hike, of course, we got hungry so we decided to have "lunch in Italy". Yes, you read it right - lunch in Italy. More of this story on my next post about our experience in Trieste. 

Categories: Europe, Slovenia, Balkan Road Trip