Hi,

I haven't been active on this forum for a long time but since this is one the few international forums I'm a member of, I'll ask this here.

I'm going on a road trip with some friends to the Balkans, mainly Albania but also Croatia, Montenegro and maybe other countries. So if someone local has any tips on must-see-places, I'd appreciate it. We're mainly interested in cheapish () party-areas, beaches, cool towns and some (not too extreme) action stuff like rafting and hiking in the mountains. Pretty much anything cool to see on vacation.

Thanks!

In Croatia you should definitely go to plitvice lakes, what a wonderful place. The downside is that you can't go for a swim there. A solution for that would be Krka lakes where you can actually go for a swim in the lakes and waterfalls The walls of Dubrovnik are also quite nice.

When (or if) you get to split, you can take a ferry to the island "Hvar" (to Stari Grad) and then go across the island. It has quite a view and the roads are fun to drive. Then you take another ferry from Sucuraj to Drvenik and continue to Dubrovnik.

In Montenegro we lived in Herceg Novi. You can rent a boat in Herceg Novi and go to the blue cave . On the way back you can go to Mamula fort. Then you could go around the Kotor Bay to Kotor. There's an old castle. It is one heck of a climb but the view is breathtaking. We also bought a tour to Tara canyon. It included sightseeing and rafting. Absolutely recommended. I can give you the contacts of that travel agency.

In Albania we lived in Sarande. Open up google maps and you can see Vlore. We used that road which goes nearby the sea to get to Sarande. The road is awesome and the view is outstanding. You could go to Butrint national park to see the ruins of Butrint. Also you can go to Gjirokastra Castle. If you like army stuff you should definitely go there. It has a museum of many artillery guns, a tank.

I can also give you photos of the places I described. Or you can use the internet

Don't forget to check out the roses. !

"A land of simple happiness where we can sample true colour and contentment"
"Hard to believe that these simple, happy folk are dedicated to the destruction of Western Civilisation as we know it."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFWo1oqZTe4
7.20

"Bulgaria...peace and tranquillity, my arse. Take one look at the wrong building here, and they're taping electrodes to your reproductive organs."

Hitchhiked through Balkans few years ago. Most favorite places were Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Boka Kotor - the whole area (Montenegro). Prepare for "amazing" driving experience in Albania.

Quote from majod :

Prepare for "amazing" driving experience in Albania.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyH-351Z_-0


Don't underestimate sharp turns on seaside in Croatia. I always see a broken fence and there is a long way down

About places, well depends on your taste. Anything will do if you have a good company. Perhaps something like Split, but IMO its often too crowded. Dubrovnik is nice, and I recommend it because of very nice memories from there
Zrće is like number one party location in Croatia I guess. There is a lot of really nice places to check, honestly I'm not really a fan of walking around all kind of historical architures. Seaside is primarily for swiming and other fun you can have in the sea.