Overview

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Itinerary #1 - Highlights of the Eastern Balkans

Introduction

This route is an introduction to the eastern half of the Balkan peninsula. It is suitable for first-time travellers to the region, taking in some of the most popular and easily accessible destinations in Romania, Bulgaria, and mainland Greece - a mixture of historic towns, monasteries, and mountain scenery.

Transport is by train for the longer trips, with buses used for some short daytrips. This route sticks fairly close to the beaten path so travel should be straightforward. The basic itinerary takes 21 days, not counting time spent in Budapest and Athens at the start and end of the journey; a number of variations are suggested for travellers with more time.

Like all the suggested itineraries, this one should not be taken too literally. It is meant as a starting point to help you devise a route that suits your interests, not as a definitive list of everything worth seeing in the countries covered.


Piaţa Unirii, Timişoara

Sibiu

Black Church, Braşov

Peleş Palace, Sinaia

Veliko Târnovo

Old town, Plovdiv

Train at Bansko

Near Melnik

Thessaloniki

Meteora

More photos:
Romania
Bulgaria
Greece

Itinerary

Day 1 - Budapest to Timişoara

Leave Budapest in the morning on the Intercity "Traianus", which takes less than 5 hours to reach Timişoara. The typically Central European streetscapes of Romania's westernmost large city make it a gentle introduction to the country. Spend the afternoon and evening enjoying its gracious Baroque boulevards and squares, particularly lovely Piaţa Unirii which features 18th-century Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals.

Days 2 to 4 - Sibiu

There are just a couple of useful trains from Timişoara to Sibiu daily - an accelerat service in the morning and a more comfortable rapid in the afternoon. Journey time is 5-6 hours. Spend the next three nights in Sibiu.

Sibiu is quite different in appearance from Timişoara, dominated by Gothic churches typical of "Saxon" Transylvania. As well as exploring the squares and alleyways of the centre, head to the ASTRA open-air museum on the outskirts of town to get an overview of Romanian rural architecture. You should also have time for an excursion by local bus to one or more nearby towns and villages, many of which feature the Transylvanian speciality of fortified churches. There is a particularly good example in Cisnădie, which can be combined with nearby Cisnădioara and Răşinari for a taste of rural Romania. See "Three Transylvanian Towns" for more about Sibiu.

Days 5 to 7 - Braşov

Catch one of the faster trains from Sibiu to Braşov, which take about 2.5 hours (the painfully slow personal train takes nearly 4 hours. Spend the next three nights in Braşov.

In addition to its attractive old town, centred around the forbidding Black Church and colourful Council Square, Braşov is an excellent base for exploring this corner of Transylvania. A daytrip by train to Sighişoara (1.5 to 2 hours each way) is highly recommended. Most people feel compelled to head to Bran castle, less than an hour away by bus - an enjoyable visit if you can overlook the tourist kitsch. Bran can be combined with Raşnov fortress, or with walks between the hamlets at the foot of the Piatra Craiului mountains. See "Braşov and Surroundings" for more suggestions.

Day 10 - Sinaia

Take one of the frequent trains through the Prahova Valley from Braşov to Sinaia, crossing from Transylvania to Wallachia at the Predeal Pass. You could either stay overnight in Sinaia or return to your accommodation in Braşov if you don't mind repeating this part of the journey the following day. In Sinaia have a quick look at the monastery before proceeding to the wildly over-the-top Peleş Palace. You may also have time for a cable-car ride to the Bucegi plateau.

Days 11 to 13 - Veliko Târnovo

Leave Sinaia early enough to arrive in Bucharest in time for the train to Veliko Târnovo, which leaves around noon. Sinaia-Bucharest takes 2 hours (again assuming you avoid the slowest trains), while the trip to Veliko Târnovo takes a tediously slow 6 hours (you may be able to find bus connections that do this more quickly). In crossing the Danube you'll enter Bulgaria - now is the time to brush up on the Cyrillic alphabet. Spend the next three nights in Veliko Târnovo.

Veliko Târnovo is appealing not so much because of any specific sites as for its dramatic location in a loop of the Yantra River - the Tsaravets Citadel is more impressive from a distance than close up. There are a number of interesting excursions in the vicinity. Tryavna, a quiet town an hour away by train, is a good example of traditional Bulgarian architecture. See the Veliko Târnovo page for more suggestions.

Days 14 and 15 - Plovdiv

There is currently a convenient morning train from Veliko Târnovo to Plovdiv, which follows a scenic route through the Balkan Mountains and takes about 5 hours (if you miss this train things could get a lot more complicated). Spend the next two nights in Plovdiv.

Plovdiv is probably the most attractive large cities in Bulgaria. Spend your first afternoon exploring the attractive but rather museum-like Old Town, heading for the livelier modern town in the evening. The following morning take a bus (1 hour) to Bachkovo Monastery, tucked away in a wooded valley in the style of so many Orthodox monasteries in the Balkans. Return to Plovdiv in time to see whichever sights you missed the previous day, such as the Roman Theatre. See the Plovdiv page for more details.

Day 16 - Bansko

Today is dedicated to the pleasures of slow train travel. Start with the short trip on the main line from Plovdiv to Septemvr, where you transfer to the narrow-gauge line to Bansko. Don't expect any creature comforts on this local train, but do expect an entertaining five-hour journey through remote parts of the Bulgarian countryside - definitely one of the most scenic railways in the Balkans. Check timetables in advance as there are only a couple of departures daily on this route.

Bansko is not as attractive as it used to be due to rampant tourist development, but it has a lovely location between the Pirin and Rila mountains and is a convenient place to spend the night.

Days 17, 18 - Melnik

Melnik is not far from Bansko as the crow flies but getting there is slightly tricky. You'll first need to catch a bus to Blagoevgrad, then another to Sandanski. If you're lucky you'll find a bus from Sandanski to Melnik, but as there are only a handful of buses daily you may have to resort to a taxi for this last 20-kilometre stretch.

Melnik is now a dusty little village, but it was once a relatively large town and remains from its golden age are scattered around the hills. The scenery here in the southern Pirin range is quite different to that around Bansko, with lots of odd-looking sandy outcrops. On your second day here (if you haven't drunk too much of the local wine), walk over some of those strange-looking hills to Rozhen Monastery. See the page about the Pirin Mountains for more.

Day 19 - Thessaloniki

Return to Thessaloniki in time to catch a morning train across the Greek border to Thessaloniki, giving you the afternoon to explore the city. After the isolation of Melnik, the busy traffic of Thessaloniki might come as a bit of a jolt. Although it may not be an immediately attractive city, there are plenty of architectural treasures hidden away in its streets. I like the city a lot but I realise that many travellers don't, which is why I have alloted it only one night. Try to at least make time to wander the hilly streets of the Kastra district and take in the view from the city walls. See my Thessaloniki page for more details.

Days 20 and 21 - Meteora

Kalambaka, the base for visiting the monasteries of Meteora, can be reached by train in about 4 hours from Thessaloniki - you'll need to change at Paleopharsalos. Stay overnight in either Kalambaka or nearby Kastraki.

There are many dramatically located monasteries in the Balkans, but none quite as astonishing as those perched on the rock towers of Meteora. To avoid succumbing to monastery fatigue, try to split your visit into two days - leaving Thessaloniki early will give you enough time to visit a couple of the monasteries on your first day. Ideally do as much walking as possible, to fully appreciate the relationship between the monasteries and the surrounding landscape - see the Meteora page for more. Visit the remaining monasteries the following day, before catching the convenient direct evening train from Kalambaka to Athens.

Variations on the basic route

Alternative start and end points

It is quite easy to modify this route to finish in Istanbul instead of Athens: on day 21, return to Thessaloniki and take the overnight sleeper-only train to Istanbul, the Filia-Dostluk "Friendship" Express.

Belgrade is a possible alternative starting point, as there is a direct afternoon train to Thessaloniki (4 hours).

Extra days

If you have time to stay an extra night or two at some places along the route, consider the following options:

Southern Bucovina extension

The Painted Monasteries of Southern Bucovina unquestionably rank among the highlights of Romania. I haven't included them in this itinerary because their location makes it slightly awkard to fit them into the route. But if you have a few days to spare, an excursion to Southern Bucovina is highly recommended. The colourful little monasteries in deeply surroundings are among the most moving religious monuments anywhere in the Balkans.

From Braşov there are a few transport options to reach Suceava, the most convenient base for the monastery. There is an overnight train, but as far as I know it doesn't carry couchettes or sleepers. There are one or two buses or minibuses daily - an 8-hour journey across the Carpathians on some very poor roads (but with great views). Or you could visit Sinaia and then take a train south as far as Ploieş to join the main Bucharest-Suceava line. Once in Suceava the monasteries can easily be visited on an organised excursion, although there is a danger of suffering monastery fatigue if you try to see them all in one day. With some time and patience it's also possible to see them using a mixture of trains, buses, and walking.

From Suceava it's relatively straightforward to take an overnight train (with sleepers) to rejoin the main itinerary at Bucharest. Another option would be to take a short detour via Iaşi, an interesting and rather underrated city.