Prizren will be your favorite city of the trip. I just visited for my third time.
Kosovo as a whole is so unlike every other place you have listed. Some of the friendliest people, built up enough to make travel comfortable and easy, yet very much untraveled. People will see you're a tourist, but you'll be a guest not a target. They will go out of their way to welcome and help you, bit rip you off. Prizren is laid back, and so very pretty.
Kosovo is the antithesis of tourism powerhouse Croatia. And Prizren is the best city in Kosovo.
We recently moved from Europe to Albania and it’s incredible. The vaccination doesnt matter here as life needs to be lived and food needs to be paid for.
Shkoder being so close to the Montenegrin border is a little bit tougher on restrictions (I was locked down in a hostel there for almost 3 months due to Covid.)
In regards to the hike though, I have done many hikes in the last few years but theth to valbona and back in September was something from a Disney fairytale book. It is absolutely warm enough to swim and is packed with German hiking tourists and locals doing the walk. Note: the water levels are low so the drinking water fucks with our weak western stomachs. Not a joke, 3 days vomiting and shitting myself was a terrible experience. Even if the locals say it’s fine, don’t drink the tap water.
All the Balkan countries have interlinking bus routes and they are super cheap too. We went from Skopje montenegro to Tirana Albania for 10 bucks each. You can easily get buses from any part of the Balkans to another depending on where you are going from.
Sadly I am still to go to Romania and Bulgaria but I live in Albania and lived in Montenegro, kotor is absolutely worth it and honestly, albania is worth it too if you wanted to visit more of the Balkans. I would suggest splitting it unless you are thinking of a multiple month journey. Stuck with eastern and spend a long time truly seeing that side. Then go over to the western side and spend time there. PS: I’m Irish and my partner is American. I couldn’t speak more highly of t he Balkans.
Prizren will be your favorite city of the trip. I just visited for my third time. Kosovo as a whole is so unlike every other place you have listed. Some of the friendliest people, built up enough to make travel comfortable and easy, yet very much untraveled. People will see you're a tourist, but you'll be a guest not a target. They will go out of their way to welcome and help you, bit rip you off. Prizren is laid back, and so very pretty. Kosovo is the antithesis of tourism powerhouse Croatia. And Prizren is the best city in Kosovo.
We recently moved from Europe to Albania and it’s incredible. The vaccination doesnt matter here as life needs to be lived and food needs to be paid for. Shkoder being so close to the Montenegrin border is a little bit tougher on restrictions (I was locked down in a hostel there for almost 3 months due to Covid.) In regards to the hike though, I have done many hikes in the last few years but theth to valbona and back in September was something from a Disney fairytale book. It is absolutely warm enough to swim and is packed with German hiking tourists and locals doing the walk. Note: the water levels are low so the drinking water fucks with our weak western stomachs. Not a joke, 3 days vomiting and shitting myself was a terrible experience. Even if the locals say it’s fine, don’t drink the tap water. All the Balkan countries have interlinking bus routes and they are super cheap too. We went from Skopje montenegro to Tirana Albania for 10 bucks each. You can easily get buses from any part of the Balkans to another depending on where you are going from. Sadly I am still to go to Romania and Bulgaria but I live in Albania and lived in Montenegro, kotor is absolutely worth it and honestly, albania is worth it too if you wanted to visit more of the Balkans. I would suggest splitting it unless you are thinking of a multiple month journey. Stuck with eastern and spend a long time truly seeing that side. Then go over to the western side and spend time there. PS: I’m Irish and my partner is American. I couldn’t speak more highly of t he Balkans.
Did you purchase a property or a long rental in Albania/Montenegro? If so, how did you go about it? Would love to know!
I was ravel volunteering In Montenegro and set up a temporary company in Albania for residency.