Balkan advice wanted

[throttlemeister]

I am planning a trip through the Balkan - Going from Holland through Germany to Czechia, Slowakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Italy, Austria and Switserland back to Germany and Holland.


Planned itinerary

Does the collective have hints/suggestions/must sees for this area for me to include?

[Orson]

I've only been on the Adriatic Coast road as far as Dubrovnik.

It was June and the beaches were empty. Most of the people involved in tourism spoke English. If I had a chance to do it again, I would try to take the time to stop in a small seaside village for a few days of relaxing The Isle of Brac was my favorite island. Lots of ferries offering frequent service to the islands. There is a small sliver of Bosnia-Herzegovina that you have to cross to get to Dubrovnik. I had no trouble crossing during daylight hours, but another rider posted here that he crossed at night, and was stopped by the local police trying to get a bribe. I wished I had continued on to Montenegro, as I hear it's very beautiful.

I went to Romania and also enjoyed it, but the roads were rough...very rough. I was afraid of damaging my front rim on some of those roads. And the Romanian drivers make Italian drivers seem sane   Once they get their roads up to western standards, Romania will be a great destination. One thing that was a bit disconcerting, was the hard stares I got, equal parts suspicion and curiosity. It was a bit of a relief to get back to Germany, where I was just another motorcyclist again. That said, I had no troubles from the authorities or anyone else., other than one stop for speeding   Take care, as the police seem stricter than theyare in Italy.

I really enjoyed Slovakia. The terrain reminded me a bit of Northern California, and the people were friendly.

[dtor]

I had a good time and met travelers from all over at this place in Budapest:

http://www.bikercamp.hu/

This place in Trogir, Croatia is very nice, and not too expensive.

http://www.concordia-hotel.net/?l0=1

[FJR-UK]

Well, I wrote a 12-page, considered reply to your question, then closed without saving. D'oh!

So, this is all you're getting now:
http://www.restaurant-orhan.com/index.php?dubrovnik=restaurants_in_dubrovnik&lan=en

The Orhan in Dubrovnik is a great place to stay. Relatively cheap, on the sea with a view of the old town walls. Very nice food. We spent three nights there and would stay there again. They have a new website since 2006, so maybe the prices have gone up...

[Orson]

I like this picture from Romania:



You can see the road was made by pouring concrete slabs every 10 feet. You can only imagine what that feels like on a motorcycle  

[yotes65]

I like this picture from Romania:



You can see the road was made by pouring concrete slabs every 10 feet. You can only imagine what that feels like on a motorcycle  

Another Great Picture... makes me so damn jealous. One of these day's I'm gonna grab a few cold ones & sit down to read all of the ride reports you have on WorldPress.Com...

[throttlemeister]

I like this picture from Romania:



You can see the road was made by pouring concrete slabs every 10 feet. You can only imagine what that feels like on a motorcycle  

One word: ESA

[Papa Lazarou]

My best advice when visiting the Balkans would be:

Avoid shooting any members of the Austrian Imperial family whilst there. Stuff happens when people do that.

[Ralf]

In the 90s I was in Southeast Europe by motorcycle quite frequently: former-Yugoslavia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria. I found the mixture of old Habsburg relics, recent communist past, and new (post-communist) spirit to be truly intriguing. Romania was more like a third world country at the time, but I never had any bad experiences and memories of trips to these places are my fondest.

Things have surely changed over the past 15 years, but the sites and scenes are surely worth the trip. The only thing I would maybe consider is, after Albania, veering more towards the mountain range (and thereby avoid the main tourist transit routes) as well as visiting Mostar (apparently the hottest city in the summer in former ex-Yugoslavia). Speaking of heat, I would probably try avoid riding in July and August as it will be VERY hot. Finally, I would probably feel most comfortable riding an enduro.

Looking forward to the ride report!