The Balkans reward the greedy traveller. Borders here are close together, the history is layered thicker than a burek, and in a fortnight you can have coffee in an Ottoman bazaar in Sarajevo, swim in the Bay of Kotor, eat trout by Lake Ohrid and argue about who invented ajvar with three different nations, each of them certain. The catch is that no single tour covers everywhere, and the names don’t always tell you which countries you’ll actually set foot in.
So this guide does exactly that. Below you’ll find which multi-country tour covers which countries, how each one travels (train, coach, minibus, on foot or with a cabin crew of fellow solo travellers), and the honest drawback of each. If you are mainly interested in Albania, our Albania tours guide goes deeper; for the Dalmatian coast, see our Croatia tours guide.
The quick answer
- For the most countries of the former Yugoslavia, pick Balkans by Rail (seven) or Treasures of the Balkans (eight).
- For the coast plus Albania and Ohrid, pick Dubrovnik to Athens.
- For the least-visited corners, pick the Albania, Kosovo & North Macedonia Explorer.
- For mountains on foot, pick Walking the Balkans.
- If you are travelling alone, pick the Solo Balkan Explorer, with flights and your own room.
Which tour covers which countries?
Every Balkans tour compared
| Tour | Days | Price from | Physical rating | Group size | Flights included | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The grand sweeps | ||||||
| Balkans by Rail: Ljubljana to Pristina, 7 Countries – 16 Days | 16 | £3,295 pp | Medium | Max 18 | No | Seven countries by train |
| Treasures of the Balkans: Bucharest to Belgrade – 16 Days | 16 | £4,028 pp | Low | Not stated | No | Eight countries by coach |
| Budapest to Venice: Balkans & Adriatic Coast – 19 Days | 19 | £2,485 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Overland, Budapest to Venice |
| Budapest to Rome Overland: Balkans, Adriatic & Italy – 26 Days | 26 | £3,740 pp | Not stated | Max 16 | No | Overland, Budapest to Rome |
| The southern Balkans | ||||||
| Dubrovnik to Athens: Balkans Overland via Albania & Ohrid – 15 Days | 15 | £2,775 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Dubrovnik to Athens |
| Dubrovnik to Santorini: Albania, Olympus & the Greek Islands – 22 Days | 22 | £4,570 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | On to the Greek islands |
| Southern Balkans for 18–35s: Dubrovnik to Corfu – 9 Days | 9 | £995 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | 18 to 35s, Dubrovnik to Corfu |
| Albania & Montenegro in Style: Dubrovnik to Tirana – 10 Days | 10 | £4,195 pp | Low | Max 12 | No | Comfort, Croatia to Albania |
| Off the beaten track | ||||||
| Albania, Kosovo & North Macedonia Explorer – 15 Days | 15 | £1,995 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia |
| Walking the Balkans: Bosnia, Serbia & Montenegro – 9 Days | 9 | £1,495 pp | Medium | Max 16 | No | Mountain walking |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sarajevo, Mostar & Mountain Villages – 7 Days | 7 | £1,255 pp | Medium | Max 12 | No | Bosnia and Herzegovina in depth |
| The eastern Balkans | ||||||
| Solo Balkan Explorer with Flights: Four Countries – 13 Days | 13 | £2,889 pp incl. flights | Low | Max 27 | Yes | Solo travellers, with flights |
| Ancient Macedonia: Bulgaria, North Macedonia & Greece – 15 Days | 15 | £2,559 pp | Low | Max 18 | No | History, Sofia to Thessaloniki |
| Grand Tour of Romania, Serbia & Bulgaria – 16 Days | 16 | £2,595 pp | Low | Max 16 | No | Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria |
Prices are per person, twin share, live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). The lowest price can apply to a later departure, so check the dates you want on each tour page.
Ask us which Balkans tour fits →
The grand sweeps
Balkans by Rail: seven countries by train
Balkans by Rail: Ljubljana to Pristina, 7 Countries – 16 Days
- 16 days
- From £3,295 per person
- Max 18 people
- Ljubljana, Slovenia to Pristina, Kosovo
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in May, June, August, September
Sixteen days from Ljubljana to Pristina, largely by train, with a tour leader, local guides and four to 18 travellers. Lake Bled, Zagreb and a full day at Plitvice Lakes, then Sarajevo, Mostar and Kotor, the overnight sleeper from Bar on the Montenegrin coast to Belgrade, Niš, Skopje with the monastery of Saint Jovan Bigorski, a boat on Lake Ohrid and finally Kosovo’s young capital. You stay in comfortable city hotels, with breakfast daily and three dinners.
Suits: rail fans and history lovers who want the former Yugoslavia joined up. The honest drawback: train timetables mean early starts and long days, sleeper compartments are shared, and there’s little beach time.
Treasures of the Balkans: eight countries by coach
Treasures of the Balkans: Bucharest to Belgrade – 16 Days
- 16 days
- From £4,028 per person
- Bucharest, Romania to Belgrade, Serbia
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in April, May, June, July, August, September
Sixteen days by comfortable coach with a tour director, from Bucharest to Belgrade, in central hotels with 15 breakfasts and nine dinners. Highlights include a private dinner at Queen Marie’s Tea House followed by Bran Castle after hours, Peleș Castle, the Tsarevets fortress at Veliko Tarnovo, Sofia, Skopje and Tirana, then the Montenegrin coast at Budva, Dubrovnik, Mostar’s Old Bridge, Sarajevo with a home-hosted dinner, and Belgrade.
Suits: coach-touring fans who want the widest sweep with everything arranged. The honest drawback: coach groups can be large, some days are long drives, and it’s one night in several places.
Two budget overland trips link Central Europe to the Adriatic. Budapest to Venice (19 days) and Budapest to Rome (26 days) both travel by local train and bus via Novi Sad, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Tito’s Cold War bunker near Konjic, Mostar, Kotor, three nights in Dubrovnik with an island day trip, Split, Plitvice, Zagreb and Ljubljana, with the Rome trip carrying on through Italy. Expect hostels and pensions, mostly breakfasts and lots of freedom.
The southern Balkans: the coast, Albania and Ohrid
Dubrovnik to Athens: overland via Albania and Ohrid
Dubrovnik to Athens: Balkans Overland via Albania & Ohrid – 15 Days
- 15 days
- From £2,775 per person
- Max 12 people
- Dubrovnik, Croatia to Athens, Greece
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Fifteen days through five countries with a leader and up to 12, by private transfer, public bus and train. Dubrovnik’s walls, Kotor’s fjord-like bay, Tirana with a trip to Kruja, Berat’s “thousand windows”, two nights on Lake Ohrid, Skopje and Matka Canyon, a beekeeper’s lunch in Dihovo, then Greece: Kastoria, two nights below Mount Olympus and Athens.
Suits: curious, budget-minded travellers who like local transport. The honest drawback: you carry your own bags on buses, rooms are simple, and only breakfasts and one lunch are included.
Dubrovnik to Santorini (22 days) is the same journey with Shkodër and a hike to the Orlias waterfall, then a final week island-hopping to Santorini. Southern Balkans for 18–35s (9 days) runs from Dubrovnik via Kotor and the Albanian Riviera to Corfu, in hostels and guesthouses. Albania & Montenegro in Style (10 days) is the comfortable option, with private transport and stylish hotels from Dubrovnik to Tirana.
Off the beaten track
Albania, Kosovo & North Macedonia Explorer
Albania, Kosovo & North Macedonia Explorer – 15 Days
- 15 days
- From £1,995 per person
- Max 12 people
- Starts and ends in Tirana, Albania
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Fifteen days in three of Europe’s least-visited countries, with a local leader and up to 12. The boat along emerald Lake Koman, two nights in a guesthouse in the Valbona Valley with home-cooked dinners, Dečani Monastery and a hike in the Rugova Valley, three nights in Ottoman Prizren with a day trip to Pristina, Skopje and two nights on Lake Ohrid. Breakfast is included daily.
Suits: active travellers who want somewhere genuinely new. The honest drawback: winding mountain roads, simple guesthouses, and few meals included.
Walking the Balkans: Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro
Walking the Balkans: Bosnia, Serbia & Montenegro – 9 Days
- 9 days
- From £1,495 per person
- Max 16 people
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Dubrovnik Airport, Croatia
- Physical rating: medium
- Flights not included
- Departures in May, June, September, October
Nine days of hiking with a tour leader and up to 16: from Lukomir, one of Bosnia’s highest and most isolated villages, to the summit of Obalj, Mount Trebević above Sarajevo, the forests of Serbia’s Tara National Park, the meanders of the Uvac river, the glacial lakes of Durmitor, and a climb to Ostrog Monastery, built into a cliff face. It ends with a transfer to Dubrovnik airport.
Suits: regular walkers who want mountains with almost nobody on them. The honest drawback: it’s hiking most days, some nights are in simple guesthouses, and departures are few.
For a single country in depth, Bosnia & Herzegovina (7 days) loops from Sarajevo to Jajce’s waterfall, Mostar, Blagaj Tekke, the Kravica waterfall and a hike to Lukomir, with a burek-making welcome dinner.
The eastern Balkans
Solo Balkan Explorer with flights
Solo Balkan Explorer with Flights: Four Countries – 13 Days
- 13 days
- From £2,889 per person incl. flights
- Max 27 people
- Starts and ends in Bucharest, Romania
- Physical rating: low
- Flights included
- Departures in April, May, September, October
Thirteen days for people travelling on their own, with return flights from London, a tour director and your own room in four-star hotels at no extra cost. Veliko Tarnovo and Sofia with a folklore dinner show and Rila Monastery, Skopje, Belgrade and Novi Sad, then Romania: Timișoara, Corvin Castle, Sibiu, a bear sanctuary, Bran Castle and Peleș Castle.
Suits: solo travellers who want a wide sweep with everything arranged. The honest drawback: groups can reach 27, the pace is brisk, and departures are few.
Ancient Macedonia: Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Greece
Ancient Macedonia: Bulgaria, North Macedonia & Greece – 15 Days
- 15 days
- From £2,559 per person
- Max 18 people
- Starts and ends in Sofia, Bulgaria
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in May, June, August, September
Fifteen days in the footsteps of Philip II and Alexander the Great, with a tour leader and four to 18. A night in the St Joakim Osogovski Monastery, Kratovo, Skopje and Matka, three nights on Lake Ohrid with a rowboat to Saint Naum, the royal tombs of Vergina and Pella, Thessaloniki, a coastal cruise past Mount Athos, Thassos, Philippi and the painted Rila Monastery.
Suits: history and archaeology lovers. The honest drawback: few meals are included, and it’s a sightseeing trip rather than an active one.
Grand Tour of Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria
Grand Tour of Romania, Serbia & Bulgaria – 16 Days
- 16 days
- From £2,595 per person
- Max 16 people
- Starts and ends in Bucharest, Romania
- Physical rating: low
- Flights not included
- Departures in April, May, June, July, August, September
Sixteen days in a group of up to 16: Bucharest, Peleș and Bran castles with a night in a mountain guesthouse, Brașov, Sibiu and Corvin Castle, the rock face of King Decebalus on the Danube, Roman Viminacium, Belgrade and Novi Sad, Devil’s Town and Niš, then Rila Monastery, Plovdiv, Veliko Tarnovo and two nights in villas in the grounds of Balchik Palace on the Black Sea.
Suits: culture lovers and repeat visitors to Europe. The honest drawback: only breakfasts and one dinner are included, and it moves on most days.
How to choose
By countries. For the most of the former Yugoslavia, Balkans by Rail or the Budapest overlands. For Albania and Ohrid, the southern routes. For Kosovo, Balkans by Rail or the Explorer. For Bulgaria and Romania, the eastern tours.
By time. Nine or ten days: Walking the Balkans, the 18–35s trip, Albania & Montenegro in Style. Around two weeks: Balkans by Rail, Treasures, the Explorer, Dubrovnik to Athens, Ancient Macedonia, the Grand Tour and the Solo Balkan Explorer. Three weeks or more: Dubrovnik to Santorini and the Budapest overlands.
By budget. The 18–35s trip, Walking the Balkans, the Explorer and Budapest to Venice are the cheapest. Treasures, Balkans by Rail, Albania in Style and Dubrovnik to Santorini cost the most. Live prices are in the table above.
By travel style. Coach with a tour director on Treasures and the Solo Balkan Explorer; trains on Balkans by Rail; local buses and minibuses on most of the small-group trips; boots on Walking the Balkans.
When to go
Late spring and early autumn are ideal: warm, green and quieter on the coast. High summer is hot inland and busy in Dubrovnik and Kotor, while the mountains are at their best for walking from June to September. The months for each tour are in its fact panel above.
Entry rules differ by country, so check the FCDO travel advice for every country on your route, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania.
Frequently asked questions
Which Balkans tour covers the most countries?
Treasures of the Balkans covers eight countries by coach, and Balkans by Rail covers seven by train.
Can I visit Kosovo on a tour?
Yes, Balkans by Rail ends in Pristina, and the Albania, Kosovo & North Macedonia Explorer spends several nights there, including Prizren.
Is there a Balkans tour by train?
Yes, Balkans by Rail travels from Ljubljana to Pristina largely by train, including an overnight sleeper from Bar to Belgrade.
Is there a Balkans tour for solo travellers?
Yes, the Solo Balkan Explorer includes flights and your own room at no extra cost.
Can I hike in the Balkans?
Yes, Walking the Balkans hikes in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro, including Durmitor and Ostrog Monastery.
Are flights included?
Flights are included on the Solo Balkan Explorer. The other tours are land-only, and we can arrange flights.
Ready for the Balkans?
Tell us which countries you want to tick off and how you like to travel, and a Travelisto specialist will compare the Balkans tours with you.
Keep planning
- Escorted tours in Albania
- Escorted tours in Montenegro
- Escorted tours in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Escorted tours in Serbia
- Albania tours compared
- Croatia tours compared
- Albania holidays
- Croatia holidays
- Montenegro holidays
- Bulgaria holidays
Prices are live from our tour pages (updated October 2026). Tour details and dates can change; your specialist will confirm everything before you book.
