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!
Hey, why book an Airbnb? There are definitely plenty of cheap little hotels there.
As for Banja Luka, I’ve never been, but Sarajevo is still worth the detour.
To state the obvious, it’s where the West meets the East.
There are a few mosques.
In Sarajevo, hotels were definitely more expensive. Especially in the city center with private parking.
Edit: and I wanted to be close to the center to have a quiet drink/coffee with the family in the evening.
I'm open to suggestions from those who've already been to Banja Luka. Even though my itinerary is pretty much set, I can still make changes if there's a great tip! :)
Good evening! The city of Sarajevo isn’t very big—I remember pleasant pedestrian streets with small shops.
And then the surrounding scenery is magnificent. I remember a cable car ride up through a beautiful forest.
Life is full of twists and turns, and so is this trip.
We were supposed to spend 12 days in Sarajevo...
But in the end, we settled for 8 days in Banja Luka.
Unless something unexpected happens, we’ll now be spending 8 full days in Banja Luka and 3 full days in Sarajevo!
So exciting!
It’s all booked, so unless a hotel scams us or the car breaks down, we’re in for a great vacation!
The itinerary for Banja Luka is set.
Now, just the 3 days in Sarajevo to plan—I’ll look into it tomorrow, but the old town, a soccer match in Sarajevo that lines up perfectly with my dates, and a cable car ride up to Trebević are already on the agenda!
Especially since I’d bought an old guidebook for lack of a better option a few months back... And what do I see at Cultura just two days ago?
The *Petit Futé* 2026/2027 Bosnia guide!!!
I’ve picked out a few ideas, but I’ve planned one day against their advice. And there’s a city not even mentioned in their guide that looks absolutely stunning!!!
Got back today—how lucky I was that my Sarajevo Airbnb got canceled!
Banja Luka was amazingly cool!
I also had a blast during my 4 days in Sarajevo (just like in Mostar a few years ago).
But out of the three, Banja Luka clearly takes the prize!
What a gorgeous city, and so clean!
The Orthodox cathedrals are incredible—one huge one is nearly finished, just as majestic as the Church of Christ the Saviour...
I’ve never seen a city this clean! Even in Switzerland.
Girls in mini skirts walk around without getting weird looks! The guys are super well-built.
Not everyone smiles, but as soon as you’re struggling with info or a misunderstanding about an order at a bar, for example, you get a smile and help right away!
Not to mention that Banja Luka is way cheaper than Sarajevo for accommodation, but especially for food and drinks!
I’ll talk in €:
0.25 € per kilo of watermelon
0.90 € for a large iced coffee at a bar
1 € for a beer (Nectar) at a bar
0.90 € for a fruit juice at a bar
5 € for a local-style kebab + drink
At a bakery, you can get a meal + drink for 3 €
And if you’re in a wheelchair, go for it! The sidewalks and pedestrian crossings are ALL designed for you!
What about driving? No speeding, and pedestrian crossings are always respected!
The architecture is stunning!
Since I love football, I had a great time going into the housing projects to photograph graffiti celebrating BORAC, the city’s football club (and Bosnia’s champions, by the way).
It adds color to the blocks and is beautifully done.
No issues with the locals.
The riverbanks for walking are great.
Watch out for vipers, though! They’re everywhere in the water—stick to swimming at the "beach" or it’s risky since you see so many!
I loved Sarajevo too!
But no one lets you cross at pedestrian crossings—they honk and speed.
In both cities, though, no one wears helmets on motorcycles.
Sarajevo is really dirty—trash everywhere, beggars everywhere.
Roma, amputees, old women lying down with their hands out...
Same with people in wheelchairs begging, their legs in visibly bad shape... But I think it’s a scam... The cops were constantly chasing them away?!
But the city has its charm! And a powerful history!
I visited a museum about their war.
In Banja Luka, they were commemorating (mourning) a 1995 pogrom against Serbs. I saw speeches in front of the large Orthodox cathedral—all the TV stations were there, and there were patriotic songs.
I also watched an open-air cinema screening a 1.5-hour film about the anti-Serb pogrom carried out by Croats that evening.
The next day, I attended a small military gathering of the Republika Srpska.
I went to Travnik (great), Bosanska Krupa (great), and Prijedor (nice, contrary to what the latest *Futé* guide says).
On the way there, it took 15 minutes to cross the Croatia/Bosnia border.
On the way back, 2.5 hours without AC in 42°C heat... haha
The Slovenia/Croatia border hasn’t existed (no checks) for a month now, apparently—great!
The roads in Bosnia are better than Croatia’s highways, which are full of potholes! Unbelievable!
The only downside in Republika Srpska?
Trucks on small roads overtaking even when you’re already going 80...
Cars behave well, though!
I’ll add that Sarajevo is more expensive than Banja Luka, but the city had to develop—many locals drive the same cars as we do.
I was hoping, like in Mostar a few years ago, to see Yugos and especially tons of Golf 1s...
I’ll have to go back.
I missed a Borac match (they played on Thursday when we left for Sarajevo), but I did get to go into their empty stadium...
And I missed the FK Sarajevo match, which was relocated 48 hours before the game because their stadium was too run-down...
If anyone is planning to travel by train in Bosnia.
From what I understood, there are the Bosnian railway company and the Republika Srpska railway company...
The latter has gone bankrupt.
There’s no longer a station in Banja Luka—it’s completely empty.
I walked all the way there hoping to photograph old trains on the platforms!
A man was really curious about what I was doing there, and since I didn’t have a phone, he went to get his so we could use Google Translate...
That’s when he explained the company had gone bankrupt and no trains were running.
I checked out the station in Prijedor because there’s an old locomotive from the 1940s on display nearby...
I went inside the station!
Wow!!! 😮 It’s like something out of an urbex photo!
Amazing, but it feels like time stopped 30 years ago! Not a soul in sight, yet so beautiful at the same time!
I’ll add that in Bosnia, you won’t find any McDonald’s because there simply aren’t any left. Good for them!
Anyway, I don’t see how it could compete taste-wise or price-wise with the other delicious street food!
On the other hand, in the Republika Srpska, you’ll find T-shirts glorifying Putin and Ratko pretty much everywhere...
But you won’t see any Bosnian flags—only the Republika Srpska flag is everywhere.
The police are also completely different from the rest of Bosnia (uniforms and vehicles).
Surprisingly, you’ll find national team jerseys, tracksuits, and all that. I thought about buying a tracksuit in Sarajevo...
Mistake—there, you’ll find tons of jerseys but never any tracksuits... bummer! 😕
As for stray dogs, there were a few in Banja Luka.
But in Sarajevo, in the early morning, the parks are packed with them—I have no idea where they go during the day...
But never any aggressive dogs.
Diesel is at 1.60 € (better than back home, but it must’ve gone up anyway).
By the way, on the highway in Italy, it was 2.67 €! (I put in 10 liters to get to Slovenia)
A pack of Winstons at the tobacco shop is 3.10 €. I’m not a smoker, but I can see how that might make some people jealous!
Speaking of smoking, in both cities, young people—some still minors—smoke.
But in the two big cities I visited, I never smelled cannabis!!! Unlike back home, where even in small villages, you can tell it’s around...
I visited Travnik, as I mentioned earlier—the town is nice.
But it’s super touristy; the number of tourists is mind-blowing (mostly from the Gulf and South Asia, I’d say).
Same with Jajce.
Bosanska Krupa wasn’t in my 2027 guidebook...
I found this little town by scrolling on Street View one evening...
It’s worth a look!
I combined Prijedor with a visit to Kozara Park.
Prijedor is great for football lovers—its stadium is a gem!
Old-school, run-down, covered in local ultras’ graffiti, and the stadium was open, so I took advantage.
The town itself is also nice and peaceful. Personally, I really liked it! It’s very photogenic too!
In Sarajevo, we stayed right next to FK Sarajevo’s stadium (so up high), but it’s a quick 25-minute walk down...
Nearby, there’s also the "Vidovdan Heroes" chapel—it’s named that way...
Its crypt holds the remains of the twelve members of Young Bosnia who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28 (Vidovdan, a Serbian holiday) in 1914, including Gavrilo Princip, who fired the shots.
(All their names are engraved on marble.)
The old town is great, and in the morning, you’ll have it all to yourself...
The river is sad to see, but the riverside walk is nice... We walked all the way to Željezničar Sarajevo’s stadium—it was open, and the surrounding neighborhoods are... literally marked by the last war (1992–1995)...
The facades are incredible to see!
We went up the Avaz Tower for the view.
Meh... but the glass elevator is worth it.
We found out the next day that the best view is actually from the Yellow Bastion!
You can go even higher to the Vratnik Fortress (which we did), but the trees block the view. Plus, it’s usually paid! Glad we didn’t have to pay—yes, the guard was on the phone arguing with his boss about making it free that morning! Win!
If you go up there, 50 meters away, there’s the restaurant "Bijela Tabija"... We had a drink, and the terrace overlooks the other side of the city! It’s amazing—almost nothing there, just complete calm...
Oh, and parking was free the whole trip—just park 1 or 2 km away from the tourist hotspots...
and take the chance to walk a bit and see the authentic side!
Mostar left a great impression on me...
But this time, I think I’ve fallen in love with these two cities like never before. Shoutout to Banja Luka!
I already know I’ll be back!
Edit: And for Sarajevo, I know I only scratched the surface in 3 full days...
I chose to focus *only* on Sarajevo and left the car at the hotel...
But there were so many other places to see near the capital—I know it...
@Mathews
I didn’t reply because I thought it was irony. 😏😮
I went there in 2018 to Mostar—he was already there. According to the web, it was rebuilt in 2004.
Here are a few photos of Banja Luka...
I wrote "banja" on the photos—I’m a little paranoid and worried someone might use them for a fake website... Even though I imagine that with AI, removing the text isn’t hard...
The kiosks selling cold drinks are the best. And they cost next to nothing.
Placed on every street corner, they save you from lugging around a bottle and a backpack!
In Sarajevo, there are fewer kiosks, but there are mosques everywhere, and where there’s a mosque, there’s a fresh-water fountain out front... 😎
Here are a few of the hundred photos I took of graffiti glorifying BORAC Banja Luka.
As soon as you leave the touristy hyper-center, there isn’t a single building that doesn’t have graffiti celebrating Borac (or Ratko...) in its colors.
Edit: I can send photos of Sarajevo (though I think the web is already full of them) or of the less touristy Prijedor... or Bosanska Krupa if you’d like. 😉
Fun fact (!): I almost forgot—Sarajevo has a danger that always comes from the sky...
Never happened to me before, not even once... second day... My wife, our daughter, and I walk out of a bakery...
Bag in hand... we stand in the shade...
WHAM, a huge bird dropping lands on the bag! 😮
We end up eating in the sun... mid-afternoon... WHAM! A second dropping hits my arm!!! 😮😕
And of course, an hour later—never two without three—a heavy one lands right on my head in a crowded area. I touch it with my hand, thinking, "No way!" But yep! 😄
Luckily, mosques often have soap in addition to fountains...
Que voir en Bosnie-Herzégovine? Pour préparer votre futur voyage, un aperçu des principaux sites et lieux à visiter dans ce pays pas très connu au niveau…
Je pars en Bosnie d'ici 15 jours, on a prévu d'aller à Sarajevo et à Mostar... que faut-il voir absoluement dans ces deux villes et en-dehors?! Merci d'avance…
Je pars après-demain à Sarajevo, pouvez-vous me renseigner sur les lieux où nous pourrons nous restaurer "local", des choses à voir/faire absolument? Merci…
Bonjour j'hésite entre ces deux destinations si on va en Crète on ira plutôt dans la région de La Canée et dans le sud qui a l'air plus sauvage sur 10 jours en voiture ça devrait se faire, si nous allons à Sardaigne on n'a pas trouvé le coin encore où on pourrait aller nous aimons bien marcher nous baigner bien manger nous avons 10 jours pour fin septembre et nous préférons qu'il n'y ait pas trop de foule cette année en mai nous sommes allés à Minorque et on a beaucoup aimé marche très belle plage nourriture sympa pas trop de voitures
Bonjour,
Je cherche un transfert privatif pour relier l’aéroport d’Istanbul au centre historique Serkeci, quelqu’un connaît t’il une compagnie, j’en ai trouvé plusieurs :
Getyourguide,
Istanbultour24.fr (plus interessant car ils proposent des transferts A/R moins chers
Si vous avez utilisé un de ces services, j’aimerais avoir votre avis
Merci d’avance
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?
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
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, 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?
Hello!
I’m planning a trip to Greece in May or June 2027. We’re independent travelers.
We’ll rent a car after our stay in Athens and book accommodations through Booking or similar sites.
What do you think of this itinerary? We’re taking our time (beach and swimming if the weather allows in May—is the water too cold?)
Athens, 3 days
Nafplio, 3 days (Mycenae, Epidaurus, Archaia)
Mystras, 2 days or Monemvasia, 2 days (Laconia peninsula)?? Dilemma between the two
Return trip from the Peloponnese via the Rio-Antirrio bridge
Nafpaktos, 1 night
Arachova, 2 days (Delphi, Osios Loukas Monastery)
Return to Athens and departure
Is it crowded in May or June for visits to archaeological sites?
Thanks for your suggestions or corrections!
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!
A little trip report from an 11-day journey to Albania at the end of April 2026, with two friends in their early sixties and beyond...
Our route: Berat, Gjirokastër, Himarë, Tirana
Here are some opinions, tips, and great deals to share:
Flight Round-trip Beauvais-Tirana: Ryanair, 260 € with checked baggage (20 kg) and seat selection. Flight was fine and on time. 2h 30min flight.
Exchange: 1 € was worth 95 lek in April 2026. We were advised to exchange in the airport hall at the Illiria counter (98 lek outside the security zone), saying we wouldn’t find a better rate. However, the exchange rate was 93 lek for 1 euro, while in the city it was 95...
Car rental at Tirana airport for 9 days via Booking.com: 144 € (56 € for the car rental and 88 € for optional full insurance deductible waiver).
Wheego agency: the car was fine, but be careful when signing the contract—they tried to convince us that the insurance taken through Booking didn’t cover everything and insisted we take their own insurance for 250 €... We refused.
After reading about driving in Tirana, instead of starting our trip by visiting the capital, we decided to head straight to Berat upon arrival and return the car at the end of the trip to explore the city on foot. This turned out to be a great choice!
Accommodations: All our stays were booked via Booking.com. Everyone prefers to be paid in euros and in cash—they mention this when booking.
Berat: 2-hour drive from the airport.
Accommodation: Vila Arben Elezi: 135 € for 3 nights with breakfast and private parking. The room was decent and clean but a bit dark, located slightly below ground level near the parking. However, the breakfast on the rooftop was excellent, especially with the stunning view of the "city of a thousand windows." Great location.
Berat was our favorite—there are lovely walks through the different neighborhoods on both sides of the river, each with a very different vibe. The citadel visit is also fascinating, as it’s like a small town within the fortress.
The walk along the river is pleasant, with plenty of restaurant choices. Other restaurants in the old town are also very nice. The White House Restaurant, on the first floor along the road, is good and offers a great view of the Gorica district.
Gjirokastër:
Accommodation: Te Ajdini Guest House: 120 € for 3 nights with breakfast. A private home stay. There’s free parking just before entering the city, a 5-minute walk from the accommodation, which is very convenient since the cobblestone streets are narrow and parking is tricky. Yes, it’s a climb to get to the place, but everything in this city is uphill... The room was bright and clean. Breakfast was very good, hearty, and served in the courtyard with a view of the castle. The guesthouse is a 5-minute walk from the city center (the bazaar) but in a quiet area.
Restaurants: Rrapi and Kujtimi—good and affordable with their little pergolas.
The old town of Gjirokastër is charming but very touristy, with streets packed with souvenir shops and restaurant tables and chairs. Lots of people.
-The bunker visit (near the tourist office) is very interesting: Cold War Tunnel.
The castle offers a beautiful view of the city.
-Visit to the Ottoman house Skenduli: very well done. Don’t forget to climb the ladder facing a trapdoor in the ceiling to see the roof’s framework—it’s like a forest of beams: impressive!
-The bridge Ura e Ali Pasha: A steep 45-minute climb from the city to the site is worth it, but once you reach the viewpoint (which is stunning), you have to go back down a path to reach the bridge. You can drive to the viewpoint, but parking is very tricky.
Around Gjirokastër:
-Just outside the city: Lake Liqeni i Viroit: a nice, ordinary-looking lake, but at the end, there’s a natural spring making the water crystal clear and a brilliant blue—really spectacular, like photos of Blue Eye near Sarandë.
-Drive to Përmet along the gorges: beautiful viewpoints along the way and lovely countryside.
Himarë:
Accommodation: Vila Kosteli: 120 € for 2 nights with breakfast—slightly overpriced for this type of place but very close to a small beach and not far from the promenade with all the restaurants. Private parking, but very tight (4 cars on a tiny lot along the road). The "sea view" room is a bit obstructed by the building across the street. However, the rooftop breakfast view is beautiful. Friendly staff.
Himarë is a pleasant seaside resort, quite calm (but it was April...). There’s a cute promenade with restaurants along the beach. The castle on the heights of Himarë is worth a visit.
Around Himarë:
-Qeparo is worth a quick stop, but Qeparo village is really worth the detour: a village lost in the heights after a scenic drive up from the coastal road—narrow but well-maintained. Beautiful view from the top and a charming village.
-The Big Bunker and Llogora Panorama: take a right turn several kilometers after Dhermi—a road that climbs steeply from the start... A breathtaking winding road that reaches 900 meters in altitude. The view is stunning.
-Several small villages between Dhermi and Himarë are worth a quick stop.
-Porto Palermo Castle is somewhat disappointing.
Tirana:
Taxi from Tirana airport to the city center: 15 € with electric taxis (Green Taxi, Bee Taxi, Do Taxi).
Accommodation: Hotel Nevi Apartment: 63 € for 2 nights. A private apartment in an older building but very clean and well-equipped, with a kitchen and small enclosed balcony.
Great welcome and contact—the owner even booked a taxi for our departure. Very well located, close to the main square, shops, and restaurants. A small supermarket nearby is perfect for stocking up on breakfast supplies.
The city is lively and dynamic, with plenty of green spaces and promenades. Buildings are popping up everywhere, often with surprising architecture—like a building shaped like a face, a huge golden cube, and many others under construction.
-Sky Tower: at the top, a rotating bar offers a 360° view of the city and its buildings. Drinks are a bit pricier than usual, but it’s totally worth it (6 € for a beer or a glass of white wine, 3 € for coffee). We were there for sunset, and it was amazing! A must-do. Arrive early, as it fills up quickly.
-The House of Leaves: a house used for secret surveillance and interrogations during the dictatorship... A great way to learn about the surveillance systems of that era.
-Bunk’Art 2: a bunker in the heart of the city—very interesting, covering the dictatorship period and its system...
-The Pazari i Ri Bazaar: the new bazaar district. The large hall is worth a visit, but souvenir prices are often higher than elsewhere... The area is nice.
Restaurant: Kastrati Restaurant—a bit like a canteen with lots of traditional dishes. It’s on the first floor of a building. Excellent value for money, and the waitress explains the dishes in French.
That’s a little overview of our trip and my personal impressions!
Albania is a beautiful and pleasant country to visit.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Hi everyone,
We’re thinking of spending 3 weeks in Crete between mid-August and early September, renting a car, quickly exploring a few spots in the east, and focusing on the west, southwest, and south.
I’m worried about the heavy tourist crowds. Is it really more noticeable than elsewhere in Greece? Is there a way to avoid the crowds without missing out on the iconic places, which I imagine are stunning in Crete? Thanks for your thoughts and experiences!
