Balkans Rail Adventure

Full on 2 weeks. A lot of highlights. Guided tours were excellent. Not enough time in some cities to properly explore what wasn't covered on the tour. Particularly hard to explore where it was not possible to get a map. Scenery was wonderful; trains and buses were all very comfortable. Everywhere felt safe and water was safe to drink in all places.

The tour was put together perfectly. Communication and itinerary was first class. Filip ( our guide ) was fantastic. Informative with a genuine passion for what he does.

I enjoyed the tour , it is an all encompassing ride through the former Yugoslavia , My tour highlights - I had an extra day prior to the tour staying in Ljublijana , I'm glad I did. If you go to the castle get there for 9am , before the crowds arrive. Walking around Lake Bled , visiting Plitvice National Park walking on well established trails not difficult to do Sarajevo - The Tunnel Of Hope and going up on the Trebevic cable car, the views are fantastic Mostar Novi Sad - compared to Belgrade this city is very relaxed situated by the Danube Skopje - Amazing public statues Lake Ohrid Pristina - not the most attractive city but interesting to walk around , I stayed an extra night and went to the Bear Sanctuary , which looks after rescued and traumatised brown bears , well worth supporting. I thought all of the hotels were of a good standard , only one did not have a lift. I enjoyed the local food and beer. I used a debit card extensively, didn't use much cash. Food and drink were reasonably inexpensive, Dubrovnik was expensive , 40 euros to walk the city walls. I was impressed with the rail service , fully electrified , comfortable . The train from Belgrade to Nis was interesting , 7 hours and 43 stops going through the heartland of rural Serbia , this train had Wi-Fi ( it worked ). The sleeper train was interesting , good fun. There are lots of stairs at rail stations and some trains have high steps , if you cannot lift your bag you need to repack. This tour would not have been as enjoyable and interesting if it had not been for the hard work of our tour guide - Ana Medesi. Ana went out of her way to make sure everyone had a good time , always well organised and good humoured.

This is a full on trip with some early starts and long travel days. But we thoroughly enjoyed travelling through all 7 countries of the former Yugoslavia. The hotels are all reasonable (all had fridges, a couple had kettles in the rooms) but there usually was no elevator so pack light as you need to carry your luggage upstairs. The guides we had (Filip and Ana) were excellent and managed all the logistics brilliantly.