Reviewing Best of the Balkans with Travel Talk Tours

I decided to celebrate the 2025 New Year with Best of the Balkans with Travel Talk Tours. So keep reading to get a full view of the tour and highlights. Best of the Balkans is great for anyone looking for a taster of the Balkans covering 11 cities in 9 days. Booking this tour you’re in for a fast-paced trip however don’t think you’ll get robbed in the experience. On the contrary you get to see and experience the absolute Best the Balkans with Travel Talk Tours has to offer in those 9 days!

Who is Travel Talk Tours?

Founded in 2000 and headquartered in London, Travel Talk specializes in group, adventure and youth travel. Travel Talk’s ethos is ethical and sustainable travel, their core belief is that travel can be used as a force for good.

Travel Talk does their best to work with local companies and support local economies and strive to lessen their carbon footprint.

Frankly speaking, they must be doing something right, in 2023 they nailed a 98.5% in customer satisfaction. Not to mention several awards in 2022 and 2023. Most importantly they currently have over 100 tours around the world so you can find anything that can fit your budget.

Best of the Balkans Overview:

Accommodations: Let’s start with the accommodations, Travel Talk set all nine days with 4-star hotels. I must say that the hotel in Bulgaria where we stayed was a 1^st rate hotel! Place was absolutely fantastic with a great sky bar where you can enjoy your morning breakfast.

Generally speaking, the accommodations will vary from destination to destination. That being said Travel Talk is very upfront on their site with a section about the accommodations and what they look like.

Hot Tip: If you want you can have your own room, that’s is a supplemental (extra) when you book the tour through the site.

Food: Breakfast was included on this tour and from my understanding it’s provided on all their tours. Lunch and dinner will be entirely on you. I have to say the breakfast in every hotel was FANTASTIC! I saved money by getting seconds at the breakfast buffet so lunch wasn’t an issue.

To be honest I grabbed a banana on the way out for the day tour. If I got hungry, I generally ate street food that was delicious and reasonably priced.

Group Size: Clearly the group size will depend on the trip and season you choose. The Best of the Balkans said the size of the group will be 12 to 42. My December trip we only had 11 people (20 years old to 60 years old) total which frankly was just fine. We had a better time being a smaller group allowing our tour guide to really focus on us.

Guides: Like with all tour companies you meet your guide along with the group in the evening in the hotel lobby. There you spend about 30 minutes for introductions some minor paperwork and then usually as a group you head off to an evening meal. We got lucky to get Bojan as our guide he was very knowledgeable about the whole region and to boot he a good sense of humor.

We also lucked out that our driver aka “Barry White” was super cool and also took part in answering any questions we may have had. This was the first tour I ever took where our driver actually interacted with us.

Transportation: All the transport was done by bus. I was a little worried in the beginning because on the 1^st and 2^nd day, we were on the bus for 5 hours (each day). However, for the rest of the tour, the bus rides were much shorter, and with the breaks we took to stretch our legs and get some coffee and snacks it didn’t become a problem.

Optional Add-Ons: These are activities that Travel Talk will set up that do cost extra. Since they’re optional you can for example skip a group dinner and explore the city nightlife on your own. The itinerary will always list them and the cost so you know ahead of time.

Travel Talk – Best of the Balkans Itinerary & Review:

I chose a 9-day trip with Travel Talk to explore the Best of the Balkans. This tour took us to 7 different countries covering 11 different cities. Yep, I did all this in 9 days and as you can imagine, we covered a lot of history and walking with this tour.

• Bulgaria (Sofia)
• Serbia (Belgrade)
• Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sarajevo, Mostar, and Trebinje)
• Montenegro (Kotor)
• Croatia (Dubrovnik)
• Albania (Shkoder, Tiranë)
• North Macedonia (Ohrid, Skopje)

Keep in mind that the Balkans is far more than the terrible war they all suffered in the early to mid 90’s Their history is incredibly rich with many cultures and empires throughout history calling this area home….all leaving their mark along the way.

Day 1 The tour started in Sofia (Bulgaria) and when I arrived on December 24^th, I was greeted with snow leaving the airport. Depending on the time you arrive in Bulgaria you’ll have some free time to catch public transportation and do some exploring on your own. I arrived at 6 pm so that gave me enough time to go my room set my backpack and jacket down and go back downstairs to meet the group. I got to know our tour guide, my fellow travelers and had dinner.  Many in the group got in early and took advantage of walking around Sofia solo.

Hot Tip: Travel Talk offered free airport pickup to the hotel….very nice touch!

Day 2 On this white Christmas we set off to the capital city of Serbia, Belgrade. The bus ride from Sofia to Belgrade took nearly 6 hours (with 2 breaks at road stops) we arrived at around 2 pm and we first visited the Church St. Sava a Serbian Orthodox church. This site was not supposed to be a part of the itinerary however our guide gave us 30 minutes to visit this beautiful church. The best part, it was free! We didn’t go as a group but as visitors so we didn’t stand out as much.

The next stop was the Belgrade Fortress with the Sahat Tower inside this 18th-century compound. As we walked through the fortress we walked through The Military Museum with an open-air exhibit of soviet era tanks, artillery, and missiles.

We finished the day with a city tour walking through the Kalemegdan City Park leading out to the Knez Mihailova street, which is the major vibrant pedestrian zone in the heart of Belgrade.

Days 3 Our next stop was Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Just when I thought I was overloaded with the history from Belgrade, Sarajevo truly left me in awe and this is the city where east meets west. Within minutes you’ll see the convergence of cultures of the east and west, and as you look in both directions, you’ll notice the stark contrast in the architecture.

Upon arrive we were greeted by Sarajevo’s City Hall Building and right in front we crossed Seher-Cehaja Bridge entering Old Town Sarajevo.

Baščaršija or Old Town Sarajevo is the historical and cultural center of the city. This old bazaar is from the 15^th century with cobblestone streets all lined up with small shops and restaurants. I was looking at so many shops getting a feel for what they offered and everything was very affordable.

The absolute best part of walking around and seeing all the sites in Sarajevo is it’s 100% free. There is no entrance fee for anything. Some of the sobering reminders of the dark history were the many Sarajevo Rose memorials we saw walking around. They mark the spot where a shell landed killing many civilians during the Balkan Wars. We also visited the site of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand triggering the start of WWI

We ended the tour passing by the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and visiting the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The distance between the two is a mere 4-minute walk!

In my humble opinion, Sarajevo is one of the most underrated cities in Europe.

Day 4 Before saying goodbye to Bosnia we visited the Tunnel of Hope in the morning. This war museum was constructed in 1993 during the Siege of Sarajevo allowing supplies to Bosnian units and protecting civilians. Absolutely worth the visit!

Afterwards we headed back on the bus to the next Bosnian city of Mostar. Probably the #1 thing to do is visit the iconic Stari Most Bridge. This spot is among popular tourists during summer to jump off the bridge into the water.

The next thing to do is to visit the Old Bazaar, loaded with shops and restaurants to indulge yourself in souvenir shopping and great food. Another must is to visit and climb the Minaret from Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. The view of Mostar is amazing and for a mere 15 KM or $8 USD it’s worth it.

We were supposed to visit the Kravice Waterfall, however it was closed to visitors in late December. That sucked however it gave us more time to walk around Mostar’s Old Town do some souvenir shopping and visit the Museum Of War And Genocide Victims.

The very last stop was Trebinje for our overnight stay. That night we hit up a local bar specializing in shots….I absolutely indulged in the cheap booze they were serving!

Day 5 This day was phenomenal, we spent the full day in the Old City of Dubrovnik otherwise known as ‘Pearl of the Adriatic’. There is so much to see in the old city you can take your time as you’ll need a full day to explore it. To start you can take a stroll down the main avenue and check out the endless shops, restaurants, and cafes to indulge in whatever you like.

The one activity I did pay for was to “walk the walls” which are defensive walls built around the 13th – 17th centuries. Since it was winter (off-season) the tickets were only 15 euros. This was the perfect time to visit because the crowds were at an absolute minimum compared to summer. Since there were almost no visitors that day I took my time walking around and admiring the views overlooking the Adriatic Sea. In all, I spent about three hours walking the walls just awestruck with the views.

One huge difference I noticed was the temperature change in Croatia, it was much warmer at around 55 degrees fahrenheit. In my opinion was glad I did this tour in winter, the guides told us that during summer it’s much hotter and much more crowded.

Day 6 Leaving Trebinje we set off to Kotor, in Montenegro, it has the feel of Dubrovnik but a less-crowded version. Our day tour started with entering the main gate of the city and being greeted by the clock tower. Next up was the St. Tryphon Cathedral and the Church of St. Nicolas (Serbian Orthodox) both were just magnificent. Another church not to be ignored is Saint Luke’s Church.

One thing I noticed was the Italian influence in Kotor, there were numerous pizzerias, Italian restaurants and cafes all around us. I must recommend pizza PRONTO, as a native New Yorker I will testify under oath this pizza was the best I had in years!

After eating to my heart’s content at pizza PRONTO I decided to hike up St. John’s Fortress or Kotor Fortress. I highly recommend this activity but be warned you will be climbing 1,350 steps so wear some comfortable footwear! Don’t worry you can stop in several spots along the way to take some picturesque photos. If you’re in moderate shape then this hike won’t be too hard on you.

Normally the entrance fee is about 15 euros however we didn’t have to pay anything since it was off-season….nice! After spending the day in Kotor back onto the bus heading to Shkoder, Albania. The evening, we had to ourselves so I chose to head out and walk around Shkoder, it was Dec. 29^th so the atmosphere was especially festive, packed with people, loud music with a carnival atmosphere. Honestly, Shkoder was really fun.

Day 7 Today’s agenda was busy, after breakfast we said goodbye to Shkoder and explored Tiranë, the capital of Albania. We met in front of the Pyramid of Tirana which opened in 1988 honoring the late Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha. Over the years it served many purposes, when we visited half the building was under renovation with one half operating as a technical school.

There’s nothing worth looking at inside but I recommend climbing the stairs to the top for some awesome views of the city.

We walked to the main square and I absolutely loved Skanderbeg Square. Especially with the new year just around the corner, it was full of souvenir stands, food stands and carnival rides for family & kids. I walked around and supported some small shops and of course, I had to indulge in some of the food.

I had no idea what to expect from Albania but the city tour was fantastic, this is the kind of place I see myself going back to.

We left for Tiranë heading to Ohrid in North Macedonia, we arrived in the evening so we decided to eat out at Dolna Porta Restaurant….just delicious!

Day 8 We began the day in Ohrid with a tour of the St. Naum Monastery built in the year 905 along Lake Ohrid. The only word I can use is stunning. The frescoes inside and the iconography was awe-inspiring and at least for me deeply moving. Visiting the area was as interesting as the number of peacocks walking around…lol they were just walking around looking at us it seemed. The tour was only 20 Euros and worth every penny.

Exiting the monastery we walked toward the gardens with several restaurants and souvenir shops around. A group of us stopped by one of the restaurants and noticed canoes that would take us for 30 minutes (round trip) around the area…from what I remember it was about 4 euros per person.

We then embarked on a city tour of Ohrid and it was beautiful. We learned about Saint Clement (or Kliment) and his prominence in Ohrid. There were several churches in the area but the one that stood out was the Church of St. John at Kaneo overlooking Lake Ohrid. It was an easy short walk to the church and not difficult to access. As a group, we walked around the old city and made a quick pit stop at the Paper Museum. We got to see how they literally make paper using the old Chinese method from the 2^nd century and it also acted as a gift shop allowing you to purchase prints…definitely recommend checking it out!

I must recommend supporting Restaurant Kajche, we had lunch with an awesome view of Lake Ohrid. We left for Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia to celebrate the new year!!

Day 9 We spent New Year’s Day in Skopje…absolutely one of the highlights of the trip! I went in blind with North Macedonia not knowing what to expect. The city is home to countless landmarks and we mainly walked around with a local guide taking us through this European hidden Gem.

Our tour started with the Museum of the City of Skopje and we walked down a couple of blocks visiting the Memorial House to Mother Theresa and next door was Church St. Constantine and Helena…just beautiful.

After a very short walk we entered Macedonia Square, I had to take a step back and appreciate the awesomeness of the square. Since it was Jan,1^st (about 10 am) there were very few visitors I felt we were getting a private tour to an empty city…we even had stray dogs walking around with us!

It’s ridiculous how awesome Skopje is. I would absolutely go back again!

A short walk we walked under the Macedonia Gate and onto Woman-Warrior Park. This park is a tribute to the strength and resilience of women throughout history however I noticed there were more statues of men than there were of women…please don’t ask me why.

We strolled a little bit through Skopje City Mall taking us to The Bridge of Art where we see directly in front Archaeological Museum of the Republic of Macedonia.

Before heading back to the bus I quickly went to the Old Bazaar to grab a bite to eat only to discover what seemed like dozens of restaurants, souvenir shops, and small stores. Everything here was is, I picked up a souvenir t-shirt for about 8 euros! I bought restaurant takeout for two that cost me about 10 euros. Not bad at all!!

It was time to say goodbye to Skopje and drive back to Sofia. This is where I should have planned for an extra day in Sofia. It was still New Year’s Day so everything in Sofia was practically closed…there was nowhere to go and my flight home was 6 am the following morning. I have to recommend giving yourself at least a FULL day in Sofia to properly explore it.

My only regret is that I didn’t spend enough time in Skopje nor Sofia, I felt there was so much more to see in these two cities.

Final Thoughts on Best of the Balkans with Travel Talk Tours:

Going in, I knew this tour was going to be fast-paced covering 11 cities in 9 days was impressive. To best describe Best of the Balkans with Travel Talk, it’s a taster (so to speak) of the Balkans. You get to see and explore the very BEST each city offers. Frankly, in my opinion, Travel Talk delivered the goods.

It’s a fast-paced tour so if you prefer to spend 2-3 days in one spot and move on then this tour may be too much for you. If you want to book Best of the Balkans and explore these underrated cities then this tour is for you.

Frankly speaking, the tour was so well organized I was happy I did this one. I set my expectations knowing this was a taster and now I want to go back! I would definitely book another tour with Travel Talk!

Should you book a tour with Travel Talk?

Yes, if…

• You want to immerse yourself in the culture
• You want everything organized for you
• You want to see multiple countries
• You’re cool with a fast-paced tour
• You want great value from your trip

Most Popular Travel Talk Tours:

Click here to explore all tours operated by Travel Talk, with 124 active tours I’m sure you’ll find one you’ll love.

Here are some tours that take you into a deep dive into the Balkans: Best of the Balkans, Balkan Discovery and Ultimate Balkans and Transylvania

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