je pars cet été fin juillet en Grèce puis jusqu'à Istanbul. cette année nous souhaitons passer par l'Italie /Trieste, puis la Slovenie, traverser la Croatie, puis le Monténégro.
au Monténégro, passer la frontière à ulcinj et non passer par podgorica ce qui évite un petit détour semble t'il...puis de là arrivé vers lezhe en albanie...est ce que ce projet semble raisonnable pour ceux qui ont pratiqué cette route?
traverser le nord de l'Albanie, à Durrës prendre Tirana. puis descendre sur elbasan.
ensuite on se pose la question de savoir si on passe par la macédoine, c'est a dire Ohrid, Bitola puis la frontière grecque, Fiorina et direction Thessalonique.
ou alors, en Albanie, de Elbasan, descendre sur Korçé puis la frontière grecque et Kastoria et Thessalonique...
qu'en pensez vous?
j'entends dire que le sud de la Macédoine est magnifique, le lac d'Ohrid etc...
j'ai lu sur ce forum et ailleurs que les gens qui avaient traversé ces pays comme le Monténégro, l'Albanie, la Macédoine s'étaient sentis en sécurité...mais certain site sont plus réservés...qu'en pensez vous ?
nous avons un "espace" aménager, nous pouvons dormir dans la voiture et nous aimons faire du camping sauvage, rouler et s'arrêter suivant nos envies et la fatigue...nous aimons aussi rouler la nuit jusqu'à 2 ou 3 h du matin. il semblerait que cela est déconseillé en Albanie surtout. en ce qui concerne le camping sauvage est ce dangereux...?
ou est ce que vous conseillez les campings?
y en a t'il bcp sur le trajet?
est ce que les stations essences sont ouvertes la nuit comme en Turquie, car parfois nous dormons la nuit sur une station.on s'y sent tranquille en cas de doute.
peut on acheter des victuailles partout en Albanie et des bouteilles d'eau il semble que l'été ce soit déconseillé de boire de l'eau du robinet, hépatite, gastro etc...je suis passée par la Roumanie, il y a plus de 10 ans et c'était très difficile de trouver a manger sur les routes.
est ce que toutes ces frontières sont assez facile a passé, temps d'attente, douanier scrupuleux ...et la police, demande t'elle bcp de bakchichs...certains turcs rentrant au pays, qui sont passé récemment par les routes de l'ancienne Yougoslavie parlent bcp d'intimidation de la police a certains endroits, et de bakchichs ahurissants
je vais me renseigner sérieusement semaine prochaine aux ambassades concernées mais faut t'il un passeport pour le monténegro et la macédoine...ou si la carte d'identité francaise suffit...arfff mon passeport est périmé😕
dernière question je crois, suivant le trajet que nous allons suivre pouvez vous me conseiller sur les endroits "a voir", les coins merveilleux...enfin vous voyez quoi...des trucs a ne pas rater.😉
merci bcp🙂
Et l'aube chassant la nuit, Shâhrâzad dut interrompre son récit...
étant italien, je peux te dire que pour le Monténégro il suffit la carte d'identité, mais renseigne-toi auprès de l'ambassade.
Si tu descends la cote de Dalmatie, n'oublie pas que tu dois passer à travers la Bosnie-Hézégovine aussi (juste une dizaine de kms) et il y a une douane (ville de Neum), on m'a dit qu'il y a pas mal de controle entre la Croatie et la Bosnie.
c'est marrant que tu me le dise car je viens en effet de m'en rendre compte sur une carte plus détaillée...juste quelques km en effet...
ça fait un paquet de frontière a traverser tout ça. donc ci certain on fait ce voyage, est ce que ces frontières se traversent facilement ou je dirais plutôt rapidement?
j'ai un souvenir il y a plus d'une dizaine d'années des frontières roumaine où l'attente était de 15 heures...si si j'vous jure...😕 depuis il parait que ça a bien changé... enfin avec le recul on a bien rit tout de même avec nos voisins de galère..
merci encore🙂
madj'
Et l'aube chassant la nuit, Shâhrâzad dut interrompre son récit...
Pour la frontière entre l'Italie et la Slovénie et entre la Slovénie et la Croatie, je pense qu'il n'y aura pas de problèmes... s'il y a des queues, c'est à cause des nombreux touristes, mais il n'ya pas vraiment de controles.
Pour ce qui concerne la frontière entre Croatie et Bosnie, j'ai vu il y a une semaine un reportage à la télé italienne et on a dit qu'ils ont subi bcp de controles. En tout cas, par ex. pour les italiens, il est suffisant d'avoir une carte d'identité (selon le site du ministère des affaires étrangères italien) et pour le Monténégro et l'Albanie aussi. Par contre, pour la Macédoine il faut avoir un passeport.
Renseigne-toi surtout sur l'albanie parce que les rapports diplomatiques entre l'italie et l'albanie sont très développés donc l'entrée des citoyens français pourrait etre différente
tu as raison il faut un passeport pour la macedoine...donc je m'y colle😉
je crois que nous avons les même accords que l'italie en france.
pour le retour par contre on prendra le ferry igouménitza-ancona debut septembre.
nouveau petit soucis mon assurance ne couvre pas l'albanie....arrfff ça m'inquiète, bien que j'ai entendu parlé d'une assurance qu'on puisse prendre à la frontière...est ce que certain de vous ont déjà eu cette expérience...?
je dois appeler l'ambassade demain matin pour voir ça.
à bientôt
madj'
Et l'aube chassant la nuit, Shâhrâzad dut interrompre son récit...
je vais faire à peu prés le meme parcours avec une amie croatie montenegro mais comme nous n'avons pas beaucoup de temps je pense que nous allons aller directement en grèce. sauriez vous si il y a des bateaux ou des trains qui partent du sud du montenegro (d'Ulcinj par exemple) vers la grece (ou des bus au pire mais je pense que cela doit etretérs long)?
enfin je me demandai si il y avait des bateaux qui partaient des iles grecques types cyclades ou plus au nord samos lesbos vers istanbul?
merci d'avance
ps: je ne connais pas ce site peut etre aurais je du créér une nouvelle page pour ces nouvelles questions, si c'est le cas j'en suis désolée.
Je serai en vacances tout le mois de juillet l'été prochain, soit 4 semaines, peut-être 6. Depuis longtemps je rêve de faire le tour de l'Europe et cet été…
Je pars 1 mois en Europe. Les premiers 8 jours seront en Grèce, et par la suite j'irai en Italie. Je prévois passer environ une semaine en Italie. Quel…
Nous commençons à planifier notre voyage de noces! Bien que nous hésitons toujours sur la destination, ce qui nous tente le plus pour le moment est l'Italie et…
Mes amies et moi nous préparons à faire un voyage en sac-à-dos en Italie et en Grèce en juin et juillet prochains. Nos billets pour les ferries en Grèce sont…
Voyager à petits prix › Grèce / Italie · 3 replies
Je suis québécoise et je voudrais visiter ces deux pays en mai-juin prochain et je me posais plusieurs questions. Mon itinéraire serait d'arriver à Athenes et…
Hello,
I’m looking for a snowy destination in Europe that’s accessible by car from Lille, not too expensive, and family-friendly. We have two kids aged 4 and almost 9. We don’t ski—we just want to soak up the Christmas vibe, go on short walks, and sled right outside our rental.
We’d considered Slovakia (the Tatras—but that’s 15 hours by car) or the Czech Republic (closer—Jizera Mountains, Korenov). We’re also hoping for some sightseeing (castles, monuments) and that festive Christmas atmosphere.
Do you think the Czech Republic would work for us for a week?
Thanks,
Hi there,
We're heading to Crete at the end of September, staying in a hotel near Agios Nikolaos—Zeus Premium Mirabello Bay.
Has anyone stayed there before, or at least in that area?
What are the possible outings?
Are there buses to get around easily?
Is the weather still pleasant then?
Thanks for your feedback!
Hi there, the island of Limnos (or Lemnos) looks like a great spot for a September trip: not too many tourists at that time, plenty of hiking opportunities, beaches, villages, etc. That said, guidebooks mention an airbase on the island, with some sources saying there are more or less frequent aircraft flyovers. For those who’ve been there—how’s the situation with this? Lots of air traffic or noise issues?
Thanks in advance
I'm currently planning a trip to Cyprus for late October. I have a few questions:
- I plan to visit Nicosia, Paphos, and Ayia Napa. What do you recommend in Ayia Napa?
- Is it easy to get around by bus from one city to another? Or do you have any private drivers to recommend?
- Do you have any hotels to recommend?
Any tips or advice is welcome!
Thanks in advance
Hi! I'm torn between these two destinations. If we go to Crete, we'll probably head to the Chania region and the south, which seems wilder. With 10 days and a car, it should work out. If we choose Sardinia, we haven't figured out the exact area yet. We love hiking, swimming, and eating well. We have 10 days at the end of September and prefer to avoid crowds this year. In May, we went to Menorca and really enjoyed it—great hikes, beautiful beaches, good food, and not too many cars.
Hi,
I'm looking for a private transfer from Istanbul Airport to the historic center of Sirkeci. Does anyone know a company? I've found a few:
GetYourGuide,
Istanbultour24.fr (more interesting because they offer round-trip transfers at a lower price).
If you've used any of these services, I'd love to hear your feedback.
Thanks in advance!
Hi,
I'm looking for info on the Pristina–Skopje bus route.
Can you leave from the main bus station in Pristina?
I’ve also heard about a bus station near the theater...
If anyone has details, I’d love to hear them—thanks!!!!
We want to book our tickets to visit the Acropolis site and the associated museum. For these reservations, we need to specify entry time slots.
For the Acropolis alone: the first slot is at 8:30 AM.
For the museum: 10 AM? 11 AM?
We like to wander around, so here’s our question: if we haven’t finished exploring the site after 1.5 hours, is it possible to go back in after leaving the museum?
We’ll be buying tickets from the official websites—audio guides are mentioned. Any feedback on those? On sites like Get Your Guide, the prices are much higher with the audio guide included, but does that mean better quality?
Hello,
We're heading to Istanbul from October 7th to 12th. I’d love to do a dinner cruise on the Bosphorus on a more intimate boat (no show) with a private table and alcohol (wine, since it’s a birthday dinner). Could anyone recommend a reliable company (I’m not looking for a private yacht either) that organizes this kind of evening?
Thanks in advance,
Hi, I’d like to buy a ticket to go to Terezín from Prague using the Pid Litacka app, but I don’t know which zone to get the ticket for. Thanks for your help! 😊
Hi there,
After booking an Airbnb last January for this summer’s vacation in Sarajevo... My "host" canceled our reservation without any reason—this has never happened to me before.
Of course, now it’s impossible to find a place to stay at a "normal" price in Sarajevo with parking...
So we’re falling back on the capital of the Republika Srpska, Banja Luka, which had already crossed my mind before I booked Sarajevo.
I already have quite a few ideas in mind, without having dug too deep into the region yet.
But if anyone has already been there and has suggestions? Even for restaurants—I’m all ears!
And even if it’s not right next door, I’m planning to spend a day in Sarajevo!
Hi, I’m going to Turkey for 3 weeks. I’ve heard that you can’t book through Booking.com once you’re there and that everything has to be reserved in advance. Is it true that Booking.com doesn’t work in Turkey? Thanks to anyone who’s already been or is there—if it’s true, how do you handle bookings?
I’d love to get your opinions and advice on a destination.
It’s actually for my 19-year-old son who wants to go to Greece with his cousin, who’s the same age.
They’re looking at leaving on October 24th for 7 to 10 days.
For their trip, they want gorgeous beaches where they can swim, beautiful typical villages and historic cities, stunning landscapes, but also lively spots for their nights out. In short, they’re not just going there to laze around—they want to make the most of it...
But here’s the thing: will the weather be too iffy at that time, especially for swimming?
Also, would Crete be the best choice for what they’re looking for?
Then, a travel agent suggested Tenerife instead because of the weather at that time of year—he said the climate there is the same all year round. But will they find landscapes and beaches as beautiful as in Crete?
Hi there,
Our first trip to Greece as a couple. We're planning to spend 7 days in Greece from August 30th to September 5th. We'll reserve 2 days for Athens at the end of the trip. For the remaining 5 days, we want to visit an island—any recommendations? Thanks for your tips and details, we really appreciate it.
Hi,
What tips can you give me for dealing with a car rental scam attempt in Lithuania?
In our case, it’s the Avis-Budget agency in Vilnius trying to scam us.
We rented a car at Vilnius Airport for 2 weeks on July 28, 2019, to return it in Tallinn on August 11.
We brought it back on August 11 at the airport, in perfect condition, and with a full tank at the gas station right by Tallinn Airport.
On the parking lot, the receptionist’s booth was closed. So we had to leave the car in the lot and go to the counter inside the airport. The person at the counter told us their colleague had gone for lunch!
But they refused to come out and do the inspection with us because they were alone at the counter.
They told us we could leave and that everything was fine!!!!
Two days later, we got an email from Avis-Budget with two invoices saying the car was damaged—scratched on both sides—and charging us for a full tank of gas. That’s two bills totaling 800 €!!!! Coincidentally, the deposit was 900 €!
It’s clear this isn’t over!!
Have any of you been through the same nightmare? How did you handle it?
Thanks in advance!
I’m spending 2 weeks in Crete in September and will need a rental car.
I usually go with Europcar, but comparing their offer to what Aegean Rentals has, I see Europcar is charging no less than 400 € more for the same car and similar insurance!
I’d love to hear if others have experience with Aegean Rentals, and if so, whether it was a good one?
Hi,
We’re heading to Greece in early October and will be staying in Kineta, north of the Saronic Gulf, and renting a car.
Is it feasible to visit Acrocorinth, Mycenae, Nafplio, and Epidaurus in a single day?
Thanks for your recommendations!
Hi there!
I’m sharing our itinerary for May/June 2027—23 days. This is our first time in Greece, so we’re starting with the must-see spots. We’re planning another trip later to explore the north, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, and some islands.
- Athens, 4 nights
- Corinth area, 2 nights (Heraion of Perachora, Canal, Acrocorinth)
- Nafplio, 3 nights (Mycenae, Epidaurus, Methana peninsula)
- Gefira, 2 nights (Monemvasia)
- Areopoli, 2 nights (Mani). Maybe add an extra night and stay on the peninsula??? Based on my calculations, the Mani loop is about 100 km—doable in a day, but it’d be a quick trip.
- Sparta or Pikoulianika, 2 nights (Mystras)
- Dimitsana, 2 nights (Lousios Gorge, monasteries)
- Olympia, 2 nights (via Lagkadia?)
- Delphi or Arachova, 3 nights (via the west coast, Galaxidi bridge) (Delphi, Hosios Loukas Monastery)
- And back to Athens.
This is just a rough draft for now. We’re planning to stay in hotels or book through Booking.com. What do you think? Thanks for your feedback and suggestions!
Over the past twenty-five years, I’ve traveled the roads between France and Moldova a good ten times, sometimes via Central Europe, other times via the Balkans.
It was while traveling like this—what I call "hitting the road the slow way"—that I realized something simple: our neighbors' neighbors are very clearly our neighbors too. And that’s not insignificant.
After a break of a few years, I’m planning to hit the road again in September, this time heading to Kosovo, crossing through Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Having gotten a bit older, I’ve no intention of rushing—no need to speed ahead of the music! 😄
I’d rather take my time.
I’m not looking to see everything, but to soak in the atmosphere of the places, always leaving room for the unexpected and for encounters.
I’m especially drawn to culturally immersive, authentic, and welcoming regions: lively villages, backroads, preserved landscapes, markets, local festivals, traditions that are still very much alive... and, why not, a few offbeat, forgotten, or slightly secret spots.
If any of you know Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, or Kosovo a little, I’d love to hear your suggestions for itineraries, stops, backroads, homestays, village festivals, or local contacts, for example.
Planning to return to Belarus in mid-August, I just realized that since last September, Poland has reopened several border crossing points, and for buses, this means connections like Białystok-Grodno.
Several bus company routes, like on infobus.eu, take between 3 and 4 hours.
Trains from Warsaw to Białystok take about 1.5 to 2 hours.
This has the advantage of allowing comfortable train journeys with minimal time spent on a bus.
Also, the Terespol-Brest border might have shorter queues if you still prefer a Warsaw-Brest bus.
Note that another route to Minsk, if you have a paper Russian or Belarusian visa, is the Kaliningrad-Minsk train. It’s long—around ten or eleven hours—but you can lie down and sleep. An option if you fly into Gdańsk and then take a short bus to Kaliningrad.
There are also Belavia flights from Minsk to Kaliningrad, but they’re expensive. The route is scenic:
In any case, this adds a few more options compared to what’s been available over the last four years.
Hi there.
I’d like to know what the daily budget is for Greece in December. I’ll be landing in Athens and staying there for a week, then heading to some other islands—I don’t have a set itinerary yet. Also, I’ve heard that in December, or early January, the temperature is around 11–16°C. Is that accurate?
Finally, does anyone have a good recommendation for a cheap but clean hotel near the tourist sites? I don’t need a TV or any other extras. Also, is Greece gay-friendly?
I’d like to know the opening hours of physical stores between Germany and Austria, and between Austria and Slovenia, that sell the PAPER STICKER toll vignettes that still exist for 2026—non-digital ones. I don’t think they’re open 24/7, and I can’t find the info anywhere.
Thanks
Hi there,
We’re planning a 3-week trip in late September with our camper van to explore Bulgaria and Romania.
What routes would you recommend, starting from the South?
Is there an option to take a ferry in Italy, and is it worth it?
Thanks for all your tips!😊
Hi there, we’re a young couple and we’d love to go to the Blue Eye (Syri i Kalter) between today (26/06/26) and tomorrow (27/06/26).
Is anyone heading there and could give us a ride? We’re super friendly!
Thanks so much!
We're back. It's still a bit tough to get precise info, so here's a quick trip report!
A good starting point is Shkoder, a really pleasant city. You can easily explore Shkoder itself in a day or two.
Two accessible spots: Valbona and Theth.
In both cases, local travel agencies in Shkoder or online offer round-trip or one-way access packages. Super handy, especially for Valbona.
Valbona and Theth are both very steep! There aren’t many easy hikes for less sporty folks (like me!).
Valbona: The highlight is the amazing 2.5-hour boat ride across Lake Koman. There are day trips from Shkoder, but you’ll only get a short tour of the lake. The best option is to do the full crossing—so spend a night in Valbona (or two if you want to hike in the valley) and return.
Theth is deeply nestled in the mountains. The village at the end of the valley, which is a dead end, has lots of hotels, but they’re pricey. Other hostels are scattered along the mountainside road, but it’s a steep climb down to the village or to the start of the two easy hikes (waterfalls and the Blue Eye). For us, it was a one-hour descent (and ascent!). It’s fine if you have a car; otherwise, keep an eye out for a taxi (cheap) or try hitchhiking—it works really well.
Access from Shkoder to Theth is through an agency. The road is in great condition, and you can also rent a car for 2-3 days in Shkoder. If we did it again, that’s the option we’d choose.
We didn’t do the trek and returned to Shkoder each time. I can’t speak to its difficulty, but we were there in late May, and even experienced hikers had given up because of heavy rain and snow.
Hope this helps! It’s a stunning region you shouldn’t miss.
We’re a Canadian couple, both 77, and we’re already planning our vacation for fall 2027.
Timeframe: mid-September to mid-October... dates are flexible, and we might stay even longer.
Initially, I had planned this itinerary:
Athens (3), Naxos (4), Paros (4), Santorini (4), then a flight to Istanbul (7–10 days!!). This would let us maximize our flights and experience another culture.
That’s a lot of ferries, though... I’ve already cut out Milos.
Our second option would be to stay 2 x 15 days on two different islands, but I’d still keep Istanbul as our next destination... or maybe 30 days on one island that offers the chance to take day trips to other islands where the ferry ride is no more than 2 to 2.5 hours. For example, Naxos to Paros only takes 30 minutes. We could return the same evening or stay overnight.
Naxos seems like the best option!!!
For Istanbul, of course we want to do a day cruise on the Bosphorus and see Hagia Sophia. If we stay 6–7 days, what would be the other main attractions? Are there any points of interest we can reach by local bus?
Hi there!
We bought our tickets to Greece at the end of November 2025, and let’s just say the geopolitical climate has really taken a turn since then with the war started by the United States against Iran. Not to mention all the other conflicts happening around the world 😕... Anyway!
Our flight from Montreal is on May 1st, and I was wondering how things are currently being experienced in Greece.
We were planning to rent a car and had already booked accommodations on three Cyclades islands!!
The oil shortage is also worrying us...
If you could share some insights on this, that would be great!
