Bulgaria, Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia

[Cactus Jack]

Anyone been to any of these countries?

Am thinking of heading there later in the year but would like some impressions.

I have heard it is relatively inexpensive and worth seeing but if you have been there please share your experiences!

[Prawn_86]

Hi CJ,

Welcome to ATF :)

Personally i have never been to these countries, but there is some general info to get you started in our other threads.

Croatia here -
http://www.aussietravellersforum.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=51

Bosnia here -
http://www.aussietravellersforum.com.au/forums/showthread.php?t=113

If anyone has some specific info about these countries we would love to hear it

[buddinghealth]

Croatia is really turning in to a popular beach and city tourist destination - the rise is popularity has caused some problems but you can still find unspoilt places where you can chat to locals and enjoy 'real' local food

[PrivateDayTrips]

Hi Jack,

I was born in Belgrade, Serbia andI know area of ex Yugoslavia countries. Tell me your itinerary and i can give you few tips.

Cheers

Tara

[Cactus Jack]

Hi Jack,

I was born in Belgrade, Serbia andI know area of ex Yugoslavia countries. Tell me your itinerary and i can give you few tips.

Cheers

Tara

Hi Tara,

I don't usually do itineraries as I find them too restrictive. I just show up and wander from place to place.

Any places in particular that you think I should visit?

[PrivateDayTrips]

hi jack,

sorry for late reply. go ftom sofia to serbia then bosnia and at th eend to croatia. you can use trains but the cheapest option is bus. Takes longer but very nice countryside. and you can travel on the smaller scale withiun countries. Belgrade - Kragujevac - Nis - Banja luka - sarajevo - Dubrovnik- Split - Zadar - Plitvice Lake - Zagreb
check our blog for more info http://readyclickandgo.blogspot.com

[Miruna]

Hello,
I am from Serbia. If you travel to thes countries, you shoud know that trains are very slowly, they ussualy late 1-3 hours and you never can be sure that train will go. If you travel on short distance, you should use only buses.

If you travel from Serbia to Montenegro, I suggest train.

[Komodo]

I used to live in Croatia. It has beautiful places but overall Croatia is expensive. I would suggest going to Islands because, in my opinion it is cleaner. Croatian coast is clean in general, but islands are the cleanest. Blue flag on beaches means those beaches are clean. It's a kind a reward and recognition.

Usually you don't need to fear of being scammed. If you want to see monuments go to Pula and Dubrovnik. Split is also nice. Rijeka is pretty much an industrial city, no beaches.
If you intend to party, Novalja in Pag island is a center of wild parties. I worked in Novalja but I never bothered to go to the famous beach Zrče (plaža Zrče - plaza Zrce).

I visit Croatia every once in a while and I take international airfares with Student Flights.

If you wish to visit places far from the coast, I would recommend the capital, Zagreb. Other than that there are no many places worth visiting. Off course, National Park Plitvice is worth visiting, and I know of a little place, Severin na Kupi that's worth passing by. Sljeme is a skiing center.
If you are into hiking and climbing, go to Velebit mountain. Fužine (Fuzine) is a nice place too.

Danube is becoming a cruising attraction. Every now and then cruises stop in Vukovar for a day. They are taking travellers from Hungary and Germany. They probably cruise the Danube river from Germany to Belgrade (or even Farther).

Bosnia is nice too. I didn't travel much in Bosnia, but people say that Sarajevo is nice. Definitely worth seeing. Baščaršija (Bascarsija) is a famous street in Sarajevo. There are few eco villages in Bosnia (Eko selo). I didn't visit any but people report they are nice. Type "Eko selo bosna" in search engine and you will get several of them to explore.

Monte Negro... I've been there in 1993, a long time ago to say something relevant. I went to Bar and visited Budva and Ulcinj. I liked Ulcinj. A Pirate harbor. People report it is not very clean, but I can't confirm.

If you visit this part of the world, I would advise to go ti Slovenia. It's not named here but it is definitely worth exploring especially if you are into rafting.
Soča (soca) is a good rafting place. I went there once. The river is cold and not so wild, but it's nice to spend time with friends.

Serbia is a country I didn't spend much time in. I lived on the boarder with Serbia but didn't bother much to visit. Zlatibor is a mountain I never visited but my sister was there and she liked it. Good for skiing.
If you like canyons go to Kladovo, on the boarder with Romania.
Capital, Belgrade is cool, but honestly, I like Zagreb more. Novi Sad is another center if you like big cities, but don't expect a New York-like experience. People say that a Lake Palić (Palic) is nice.

I've never been to Lake Ohrid, but people say it is very nice. It is on Macedonian-Albanian boarder if I recall right.

[buddinghealth]

I would love to visit Bulgaria & Croatia - the beaches in Croatia as supposed to beautiful and the climate is good. I don't know much about Bosnia or Serbia but I would have thought they are really interesting places to visit.

If you do go make sure you post some pictures from your trip - these are the kind of places where tourism is just starting to pick-up

[meas]

I became admirer of Croatia specially i love Dubrovnik.
With its sublime stretch of Adriatic coast, Croatia has long been regarded as one of the most beautiful parts of Europe.
I’ve been in Dubrovnik on honeymoon a few years ago and now coming every year at least once.
Dubrovnik's best bit is the old town of Stari Grad, with its marble-paved squares, steep cobbled streets, tall houses, convents, churches, palaces, fountains and museums, all cut from the same light-colored stone. Visit the Franciscan Monastery, St. Laurence Fortress, the Sponza and Rectors Palaces and other points of interest in this beautifully preserved European walled city. In the evening, relax on the terrace of the many bars.You can stay a few days there and enjoy the beaches.
Banje beach is well located and the most famous Dubrovnik pebble beach with a beautiful view to the Old town. It is a place to see and to be seen, where the rich and beautiful come to get some tan and the rest of the world comes to watch. Another nice spot is the Island of Lokrum, situated in front of the Old city, ten minutes pleasant sail by taxi boat from Dubrovnik. From the Old city port regular taxi boats run during Spring and Automn every hour and during the summer time every half and hour to the island.As well it's easy to book private accommodation (i prefer because it's much cheaper than staying in hotels).I always book same apartman and i recommend to you as well. Great place for rent,there is many reasons i will mentioned some of them:
-i contacted by email owner and ask for discount for 6 nights staying and they approved
-he arranged pick up on the airport for us
-when we arrived in dubrovnik we came in 60 m2 big comfortable,clean,fully equipped(self cattering,SAT,TV,WI-FI,A/C....) apartment with most beautiful view i've seen in my life
-for me one of most important things is that host is young,kind, honest man who is always on disposal for anything you need,and he is fluent english speaker
-close is old town ,market,beaches,promenade,most beautiful touristic resorts in town, ......

[adie2356]

Hi

I was in Bulgaria and to be more exact in its sea capital Varna. The place is quite interesting, cheap and surprisingly for me can offer you a lot of thigs to do. Also in case you need an information or advise from local try to ask the younger people as most of the older don't speak english and you will definitely waist your time.

[Nothing But Adventure]

In my opinion Croatia is the most beautiful countries in the world. I highly recommend a sail cruise around the Islands of croatia if you can. And yes compared to western Europe these places are certainly much cheaper - both in currency and cost of living.