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We had a really great experience! The tour was well organized, our accommodations were very nice, and the hiking trails were stunning! Thanks you, Brikena, for all your support and being constantly av…We had a really great experience! The tour was well organized, our accommodations were very nice, and the hiking trails were stunning! Thanks you, Brikena, for all your support and being constantly available to answer our questions and check in on us!!
R
We had a blast in this tour of the Balkans in 14 days. The tour which was supposed to be a group tour turned up to be a private one for just the two of us. We were so grateful to be fully organised by…We had a blast in this tour of the Balkans in 14 days. The tour which was supposed to be a group tour turned up to be a private one for just the two of us. We were so grateful to be fully organised by the kind Sirma of Choose Balkans, fully guided in our adventures by Eraldo and Ilir who were very kind, supportive, understanding, flexible, friendly and energetic. Kudos for their superb informative guidance and explanation as well as the energy and determination to drive us everywhere as per the organised itineraries.
When we arrived in Tirana, Albania after the first half of our trip, we were delighted to meet Sirma and Brikena, and glad to be in the food tour guided by Markel.
Overall, the accomodations in this tour were very good.
The Balkans are such Beautiful places and we were so glad to take this one dream off our bucket list with The Choose Balkans team.
Although the trips were quite long and tiring, we truly enjoyed the sites and of coz will cherish the beautiful memories forever.
Who knows one day we will travel again with Choose Balkans.
P
My husband and I had never been on a trip like this one, where we were driven from place to place and guided through the sites. I was excited about the prospect of it: the length and how much territo…My husband and I had never been on a trip like this one, where we were driven from place to place and guided through the sites. I was excited about the prospect of it: the length and how much territory it covered, and happy that we did not have to reserve our own accommodations.
Belgrade, Serbia: We enjoyed our Choose Balkans (CB) tour guide. But we were disappointed that the tour was so short and that we would see so little of Belgrade. We had to book our own hotel in Belgrade. Getting there from the airport was not easy. Afterwards, we wondered why even start the tour in Serbia, if we were going to see so very little of the country and have to be driven so far to get to Sarajevo.
We could have used some help in Sarajevo, where we felt we’d been dumped by our driver. Jet-lagged and hungry, we found it difficult to navigate on the crowded cobblestone streets and find a place to eat. The culture shock was extreme. We had a difficult and exhausting first day. No help from CB. The hotel room was very small, personnel almost non-existent, very difficult to get into with the keys and the door opening out onto the narrow street. The bed was comfortable and skylights let air in, which was appreciated. The breakfast was dismal. We learned that this is how it was going to be for many of the hotels: fresh food provided for breakfast was usually good, such as the fresh tomatoes and fresh cheese. But processed food, such as yogurt and cereal were very poor quality. Pastries in vending machine type wrappers. Until later on in Albania, the hotels were mostly disappointing.
The next morning we met Mario (our guide and driver for the rest of the trip, we were told) and the tour officially began. We found him to be personable and knowledgeable. However, one of things I was interested in seeing was the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide in Sarajevo. Mario never mentioned it and I forgot to bring it up because of my jet lag. (I later leared that we missed a lot. Many important museums and sites were not mentioned. We went only to the UNESCO heritage sites at each place. For example, In Prizen, he did not even know what "the American corner" was.)
The next visits, Mostar, Shkroder, Prizren, Kotor, and Budva involved a lot of driving and stops at fascinating (but difficult walking up and down steep hills on round stones embedded in concrete) UNESCO sites, but we were never told an overall plan for the day, such as how long we would be in the car, where we would stop for lunch, or a rest break. Even though we had interesting discussions with Mario about the history of the places, he was young and inexperienced as a tour guide, and we eventually learned that he did not know how to properly take care of tourists.
He had suggestions about where to go for for dinner, for example, only when we were in his home country of Albania. We never stopped for lunch or bathroom breaks. He dumped us at our hotel on many occasions without giving us suggestions about where to go and what to do. And played awful 1980s disco music while driving (which we asked him to change, and he did, but it was no better).
We were hot and tired on the way to Kotor. We had been driving and driving. Finally, when we requested, Mario stopped so we could use the toilets at a petrol station, but they were broken. The owners sent us to the next door café, but they would not let us use them without buying something which I refused. We went onward to Kotor to see the Medieval town. We had never stopped all day for any kind of break. So Mario left us in Kotor to find something to eat and find a toilet (not an easy prospect) and then came back after a while (after meeting some friend he ran into), and gave us a quick tour, which we were hardly in the mood for at that point.
Then we drove on to Budva. He dropped us off at our hotel. I asked: “So what do we do for dinner?” He said, it’s like a neighborhood around here, just walk around and you’ll find something. We walked down a street and ended up going to a restaurant that was bad. We probably should have crossed the highway to the seaside where the nicer hotels were, but we didn’t know.
Tirana, the capital of Albania, was next, halfway through the tour. We were getting very frustrated. We wrote to CB to ask about eliminating 2 or 3 of the days and going to Corfu early. We met our very nice CB representative in person at our hotel in Tirana. She wanted to know what our concerns were and how they could improve the tour. It was difficult at that time to process and say all that was problematic. We were told that if we wanted to shorten the driving, we should skip Ohrid in North Macedonia and Meteora, Greece.
But, now, after being home and researching what we missed, I am angry, particularly, that we missed Meteora, which looks like the most spectacular of all the places.
Then, on our last night in Tirana, we learned that our guide/driver would change! His name was Ilir and he was wonderful. We later learned that he was supposed to be our guide for the entire trip, but something interfered so they called in Mario at the last minute (who did not typically work for CB).
And, as our tour continued with Ilir, we began to understand what a professionally guided trip could be like. Also, Berat and Gjirokastor were so much better as were the hotels. This had a lot to do with having a wonderful guide who provided options, explained where to eat, told us about when our breaks would be and to be sure and tell him if we needed anything. He never played music (and said he thought it was not appropriate). He also understood much more about the culture, and we had very interesting discussions rather than just hearing historical events recited back to us.
We should have been told we would be getting a different guide. If we had had Ilir as our guide from the start, we doubt that we would have cut the tour short.
On the last day he asked us if we wanted to see The Blue Eye, a natural lake in the mountains (not a part of the itinerary). On the way to the Blue Eye, Ilir learned that we had CB book 11:00am tickets for Corfu. He was surprised, said he did not know that, and quickly changed course to take us directly to the port to get there in time. He told us that he’d contacted CB that morning to ask if he could take us to Blue Eye. Then why did CB say 'yes' he could, if they knew we had to get to the port for the 11:00am ferry? There was no time and they certainly knew that!
A bit more about Ilir: Even though he was both driver and guide, which I now think is not the best way to run a tour, he did well with both and it was very interesting to talk to him about the culture and history of the Balkans, and Albania in particular. His maturity and thoughtfulness made it a pleasure to spend time with him and see the interesting places with him. (We learned more about the American corner in Prizren from him. He told us that he takes his tourists inside to read some of the materials there. We felt disappointed; Mario didn’t even seem to know about it when we asked him.) Ilir also told us, when we were in the old market of Tirana, that if we wanted to buy anything in the bazaar, we should haggle for it. A couple of days earlier, when we were in Kruje with Mario, I wanted to buy a rug and asked him if I should “haggle.” He didn’t know the word. So I said “barter.” He still didn’t know what I meant, which surprised me.
To conclude, my husband and I were quite disappointed in the entire trip. We spent a lot of money and energy on it. CB should have reimbursed us for the 3 days we cut short. We would not recommend it. However, we were happy to experience the Balkan countries and Albania in particular. We enjoyed all the people we met.
Written November 17, 2024
L
A fantastic way to experience the Adriatic! This 8-day cruise from Split to Dubrovnik offered a wonderful mix of scenic islands, swim stops, and charming historic towns.
The staff were kind and pro…A fantastic way to experience the Adriatic! This 8-day cruise from Split to Dubrovnik offered a wonderful mix of scenic islands, swim stops, and charming historic towns.
The staff were kind and professional, the food was great, and the boat was clean and comfortable. The organization was seamless, so we could simply relax and enjoy the journey.
Highly recommended for a memorable Croatian coastal adventure!
An unforgettable 8-day journey along Croatia’s stunning coast! The itinerary perfectly blended historic towns, crystal-clear swimming stops, and beautiful island scenery from Split to Dubrovnik.
Th…An unforgettable 8-day journey along Croatia’s stunning coast! The itinerary perfectly blended historic towns, crystal-clear swimming stops, and beautiful island scenery from Split to Dubrovnik.
The crew was friendly and professional, the food was delicious, and the ship was clean and comfortable. Everything was well organized, making the trip relaxing and enjoyable from start to finish.
Highly recommended for anyone wanting to experience the true beauty of the Adriatic in a unique way!
L
Fantastic tour. Would do it again and again!
Beautiful coast and pleaces. Boats are great and stuff is wonderful.
Thank you guys!
F
Perfect experience!!
A
U
It was a very pleasant experience. The room was amazing, and the staff was very helpful.
S
Armir was a Good guide. Mostly great hotels. The vehicles the guide drove could have been cleaner. Lovely country. Food tour with Markel was terrific. He was a gem.
C
It’s so lovely having everything organised for you- all we had to do was show up. The selection of guesthouses was great, and the transportation was also good.
Brikena was very responsive on Whats…It’s so lovely having everything organised for you- all we had to do was show up. The selection of guesthouses was great, and the transportation was also good.
Brikena was very responsive on WhatsApp and checked in with us daily.
Very enjoyable experience.
D
Perfect tour of hiking through balkan!!! 10/10 would recommend it
I
Semi-Private Balkans Tour, Dubrovnik to Athens in 14 days - We had a good trip overall with a good introduction to the region. Our driver/guide, Juli, was engaging, enthusiastic, informative, and an e…Semi-Private Balkans Tour, Dubrovnik to Athens in 14 days - We had a good trip overall with a good introduction to the region. Our driver/guide, Juli, was engaging, enthusiastic, informative, and an excellent travel companion with a good sense of humour. Our vehicle was comfortable, and, as Juli was an excellent driver, although there were some long drives, we all enjoyed the views from it. We had some really nice accomodations and we also had a couple of so-so arrangements. Hotel breaksfasts were usually satisfactory, and it was easy to buy our own lunches with street food. Gorgeous pastries in the region. Throughout the trip Choose Balkans kept in touch and were responsive and I felt comfortable sharing our feedback with them and hopefully they will choose to make some positive changes. Although we visited many many UNESCO World Heritage old city and castle sites, we feel the biggest oversight was the exclusion of the Srebenica Genocide Memorial in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). We believe strongly that there should have been the option to visit the memorial as it is a incredibly recent reminder of a significant part of, not only BIH's history, but that of humanity, or rather inhumanity, in our world. BIH, and the entire region function today as they do, in part by growing out of the horrors that took place and trying to resettle another way. We tried to go and even though we drove right past it on the highway, we were unable to visit the memorial as "it's not in the itinerary". Another thing is that while we walked so many steps in old cities, fortresses, monasteries, we also wanted opportunities to enjoy swims in the many beautiful, natural lakes and rivers. Thank you.
What a fantastic trip! We started our journey in Tirana where we were picked up by a friendly driver. After a 4h drive, we could then begin our adventure. Six days full of blissful guesthouses, beauti…What a fantastic trip! We started our journey in Tirana where we were picked up by a friendly driver. After a 4h drive, we could then begin our adventure. Six days full of blissful guesthouses, beautiful views, fun encounters and tough but wonderful hikes.
We did the stages: Lepushe-Visanje-Teth-Valbona-Cerem-Doberdöl-Gjerevica. After these adventures to another world (less sounds and comforts, but beautiful nature and peace) we were able to rest in Gjakova. A small but charming town in Kosovo with a cozy bazaar.
We would recommend Brikena's help to anyone! She made sure that everything was always arranged smoothly and her advice made the trip even better. In addition, she regularly polled if everything was going well with us. That was also nice.
So we would recommend this trip to anyone who wants to make beautiful (sometimes strenuous) walks in these beautiful countries and get to know friendly people. ☺️☺️
My review:
We had a great experience with this tour company. Our guide and driver, Ilir, was knowledgeable, friendly, and competent. I learned a lot about the history of Albania.
We visited a number…My review:
We had a great experience with this tour company. Our guide and driver, Ilir, was knowledgeable, friendly, and competent. I learned a lot about the history of Albania.
We visited a number of UNESCO sites, and Albania is a beautiful country.
We also really enjoyed the company of our fellow travelers from Australia and New Zealand.
W
Our tour was excellent, owing largely to our guide/driver Bilbil. The tour was less than we anticipated as there was far more "free time" than expected. Fortunately, Bilbil was quite happy to listen t…Our tour was excellent, owing largely to our guide/driver Bilbil. The tour was less than we anticipated as there was far more "free time" than expected. Fortunately, Bilbil was quite happy to listen to our suggestions we sussed out online at various places for additional sights and activities from wineries to sunset cruises on the Danube to special sites and entertainments in locations which we were completely unfamiliar. We were so grateful to Bilbil for helping rescue what otherwise would have seemed somewhat disappointing.
S
The tour was a wonderful vacation, with a variety of locations and experiences. The towns we visited were all different. Athens was busy with life and history. The other towns quaint, with beautiful w…The tour was a wonderful vacation, with a variety of locations and experiences. The towns we visited were all different. Athens was busy with life and history. The other towns quaint, with beautiful water and Mountain View’s. The food and service was awesome everywhere we went. Our guide Billy was kind and very knowledgeable of all the history and sites we visited. He worked exceptionally hard to give us exceptional service.
E
We really enjoyed this tour with our guide Rozi. 10/10
The Pearls of Italy tour exceeded all my expectations. The small group size made the experience more intimate, and our guide was knowledgeable and engaging. The trip covered so many beautiful spots, a…The Pearls of Italy tour exceeded all my expectations. The small group size made the experience more intimate, and our guide was knowledgeable and engaging. The trip covered so many beautiful spots, and I felt like I got a true taste of Italy!
T
This small group tour was the perfect way to explore the Balkans! From the lively streets of Tirana to the beautiful cities of Sarajevo and Belgrade, we got to experience so much in just a few days. T…This small group tour was the perfect way to explore the Balkans! From the lively streets of Tirana to the beautiful cities of Sarajevo and Belgrade, we got to experience so much in just a few days. The itinerary was perfectly balanced, allowing for plenty of time to explore each location, and the small group size made the experience much more intimate. I loved it!
M
We had an amazing tour! The guide was knowledgeable and friendly, and every stop offered something unique. Highly recommend this tour to anyone.
L
I loved learning about the history and culture of each country we visited. Thank you to everyone from Choose Balkans Team, they made my holidays hustle free and enjoyable.
A
Everything was perfect
M
Hi it was excellent very enjoy it food was lovely and the tour guide she was excellent to thank you for a lovely time
I had an absolute blast on my food-walking tour of Tirana. Besides getting to taste local street food like Byrek (an absolute must), we also learned plenty of history while walking through the differe…I had an absolute blast on my food-walking tour of Tirana. Besides getting to taste local street food like Byrek (an absolute must), we also learned plenty of history while walking through the different neighbourhoods of the city. Our guides, Markel and Brikena, were extremely knowledgeable and answered any questions we had throughout. You will not leave hungry and the Raki was the perfect finishing touch.
T
Highly recommend the self-guided trek over Valbone Pass. It was an unforgettable family experience. CB set up a great plan for transport and lodging. All the necessary details were clearly communicate…Highly recommend the self-guided trek over Valbone Pass. It was an unforgettable family experience. CB set up a great plan for transport and lodging. All the necessary details were clearly communicated by Brikena and team and provided us the opportunity to have a private experience on our own timeline.
The country is beautiful. The people are very nice. Our guide company was very attentive and accommodating.
W
This hike was incredible and truly a highlight of my visit to Europe! The mountains were stunning, and it was amazing to get to access the gorgeous remote villages. Having all accommodation and transp…This hike was incredible and truly a highlight of my visit to Europe! The mountains were stunning, and it was amazing to get to access the gorgeous remote villages. Having all accommodation and transport organised by Choose Balkans meant that all I had to worry about was walking and the weather! Brikena was very helpful and checked-in daily to make sure all was going to plan, and offered advice for the day based on the forecasts. The perfect way to see the lesser reached areas of the Balkans!
V
The tour takes you past some of the most stunning parts of north Albania, it was gorgeous and the guesthouses we stayed at were small and welcoming. The food was really good too (dinner is not include…The tour takes you past some of the most stunning parts of north Albania, it was gorgeous and the guesthouses we stayed at were small and welcoming. The food was really good too (dinner is not included, but available at the guesthouses we stayed in).
The self-guided hiking tour was well organized, all we had to do was walk ;). Our tour operator (Brikena) made some changes during our trip, which were always discussed before. Because of that, the tour was far more convenient than having to schedule everything yourself, additionally, we had a short private boat trip which was really fun
W
A wonderful tour with scenic highlights and absolutely friendly hosts.
Very well organized and everything went smoothly thanks to Brikena.
Perfectly organized tour that takes te worries away from you. The self guided aspect is really nice because you can pace things yourself.
K
This is the best and only way to do this tour. A sense of independence to do as you would like you experience to run BUT without the hassle of organising. It’s run meticulously well. The choice of gue…This is the best and only way to do this tour. A sense of independence to do as you would like you experience to run BUT without the hassle of organising. It’s run meticulously well. The choice of guesthouses and instructions for all transport was tops. Totally recommend !
The route is beautiful and well worth it if you like a challenge now and then and want to completely unwind. The tour is very well organized by the organization and guide. Throughout the different sto…The route is beautiful and well worth it if you like a challenge now and then and want to completely unwind. The tour is very well organized by the organization and guide. Throughout the different stops you stay in the most nice places with very friendly people!
T
Everything went very smooth and whenever I needed help, Birkena was always available and ready to help me, so I never felt lost. The hike is beautiful and some of the guesthouses have an amazing view.…Everything went very smooth and whenever I needed help, Birkena was always available and ready to help me, so I never felt lost. The hike is beautiful and some of the guesthouses have an amazing view. Highly recommend!
