Last October I went for an amazing road trip and wanted to share my route with you. I started my trip from Luxembourg, but you can start from wherever you want of course. The trip includes so many breathtaking places, beautiful national parks and amazing people along the way. I did it all in 3 weeks, but if you have the possibility, take your time and explore maybe even more of these great countries. Anyway, here is the route I took:
- Salzburg (Austria)
- Ljubljana (Slovenia)
- Zadar (Croatia)
- Split (Croatia)
- Dubrovnik (Croatia)
- Kotor (Montenegro)
- Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Korenica (Croatia)
- Zagreb (Croatia)
- Munich (Germany)
Salzburg
This beautiful city in Austria was supposed to be only a sleep over for me. As I arrived earlier than I expected, I explored the town, visited the stunning Mirabell gardens and climbed up the way to the fortress which offered me an amazing view over the city. Oh, if you love marzipan, don’t miss the delicious traditional “Mozartkugeln”.
What to visit: Fortress Hohensalzburg, castle Mirabell and its gardens, castle Hellbrun, abbey Nonnberg
Stay: The Meininger hotel (They have a few dorms too). It is a really big hotel, but the dorms were cheap (for Austria), it was close to the city centre and the breakfast was amazing.
Ljubljana
I didn’t stay in Ljubljana itself, but in Zelesniki (which is close to the city) as I found the perfect Couchsurfing family here. I wasn’t that interested in the city, more in exploring the amazing nature of Slovenia. Don’t miss the Triglav national park, one of the most beautiful places on earth! Read more about it here.
What to visit outside of Ljubljana: Triglav national park, lake Bohinj, lake Bled
Stay: try Couchsurfing. I stayed with locals in a small village in a mountain valley. They were absolutely amazing, they shared everything with me and in the evening we had beers together and talked about our craziest travel adventures.
Zadar
Finally, I arrived in beautiful Croatia! The promenade along the sea and the old town make this city really worth the visit. Enjoying a great sunset while listening to the sea organ is a must. Read more about it here.
What to visit: Sun salutation, sea organ, St Donatus church and its tower (offers a great view), the old town in general, visit an island with the ferries
Stay: The drunken monkey hostel. The hostel is located a 20 minutes walk from the old town, but the way along the sea is really beautiful. The staff is friendly and helpful, they have a great backyard for garden parties and a beautiful rooftop terrace.
Split
On your way to Split, you should definitely stop at the Krka national park, walk around and have a swim. Then continue to the city. It is huge, in fact, it is the second-largest city in Croatia. Don’t miss dancing beneath the stars in the ruins of the Diocletian palace. Read more about it here.
What to see: Diocletian palace, Cathedral and bell tower of St Domnius, the old town, rent a bike and explore the Marjan park, Klis fortress, swim in the sea
Stay: Beach hostel. The hostel is really beautiful and creative (you can paint the walls yourself and writing on them). I liked the terrace and that it was so close to the beach. The ladybird runs the hostel all on her own, thumbs up!
Dubrovnik
I love Dubrovnik! Lots of tourists, but still a very beautiful city with a lot of stuff to do. Visit some museums and don’t miss walking around on the old city walls. While walking through the old town, you feel like you are in the middle ages again. Read more about it here.
What to visit: Old town, city walls, museums and monasteries, take a boat to see the city from the seaside, the Lovrijenac fortress, take the cable car to get a bird view over the city.
Stay: Dubrovnik backpackers club. If you don’t mind walking for an hour or taking the bus to the old town, this hostel is amazing. It is so cosy and welcoming, the guy working there is great and helpful to people as well as to animals (he adopted an abandoned kitty and I loved his dog too).
Kotor
Kotor… I never wanted to leave this town. Absolutely beautiful, the old town as well as the whole area of Boka bay. It was also so easy to get to know the very friendly locals, which made me feel at home instantly. Read more about it here.
What to visit: old town, city walls, the many churches in the old town, take a long walk around Boka bay, take a day trip to see more of the country
Stay: Old town hostel. Definitely a party hostel where it is so easy to meet all kind of people. It is located inside of the old town, offers day tours, has friendly staff and an option to eat there together in the evening. Party every evening inside the hostel, lots of drinking games and improvised pub crawl to the bars or wherever the way takes you. Not the right hostel if you want to get a lot of sleep, but the fun is guaranteed.
Sarajevo
I didn’t plan on going to Sarajevo, but other travellers have convinced me to visit the city. My GPS didn’t work and neither did my phone connection, so I got lost pretty bad and drove for 8 hours instead of 3 (shit happens). There were no villages or houses (where I could have asked for directions), just a huge national park, but at least the route was beautiful and I guess I have seen the whole country. I was so happy to finally find the city and the hostel. This place has so much history to offer! It is shocking how much buildings are still destroyed by the war that happened here not even 30 years ago. I am really not the sentimental type, but even I cried during the visit of a war exhibition. Anyway, if you have the time, stay a little longer, I would have loved to. Read more about it here.
What to visit: Gallery 11/07/95 (prepare for crying), walking tour that explains the history, the war tunnel, Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, Latin bridge, abandoned Saravejo bobsleigh
Stay: The doctor’s house. Very comfortable hostel, I loved the curtains on the beds which gave you more privacy. The staff was friendly and helpful. Other travellers, with whom I spent the day, stayed at the Vagabond hostel which they also recommended.
Mostar
Ahh beautiful Mostar! This has been on my bucket list for a while. The city is also marked by the war but still kept its charm. After visiting the old town, drive to Blagaj and the Kravice waterfalls. Careful, a stray kitten hid inside of my car and I drove for a while before discovering it. Luckily the kitty hasn’t been hurt. Read more about Mostar here.
What to visit: Old town and the Stari most bridge, climb up the abandoned sniper building to the top, Koskin-Mehmed Pasha’s Mosque, day trip to Blagaj and the Kravice waterfalls
Stay: Hostel Golden bridge. The hostel keeper is by far the craziest one I met during the journey! Stefan makes you instantly feel at home, he does everything for you, he even did all my laundry! He gives you a lot of recommendations and keeps the hostel nice and tidy. Thumbs up for Stefan!
Korenica
I chose Korenica because it was very close to the Plitvice lakes. Plan a whole day to visit this amazing national park. The surrounding mountains seem to be very beautiful too, but I had bad weather and sadly not much time, so I wasn’t able to explore it all. Read more about it here.
What to visit: Plitvice lakes national park, hiking in the mountains
Stay: Hostel Falling lakes. The right hostel for outdoor people. They have a great kitchen and common area. A shuffle bus can take you directly to the Plitvice lakes. The hostel also offers amazing hiking tours to the mountains. The staff likes to explain the tours to you if you want to go on your own.
Zagreb
I sadly had to skip Zagreb, but would definitely add it to the road trip if possible. Many people I’ve met during the journey went there and didn’t regret it.
What to visit: the cathedral, the archaeological museum, the Lotrscak tower
Munich
Munich is a very nice city, but as I have been here before, I only spent the night and departed again in the early morning (to get back to Luxembourg). Nevertheless, it has a lot to offer and is also highly recommended for a weekend trip. You can of course visit during the Octoberfest, but be aware that everything is a lot more expensive than the rest of the year.
What to see: The “Marienplatz”, the nymphencastle, the “Hofbräuhaus”, the English garden, the botanical garden, the state opera
Stay: Schusterhausl Inn. If you don’t mind taking the bus or car to the city centre, this is a nice alternative to the big city. Located in the middle of nowhere outside of Munich, the surroundings are really beautiful. During summer, they have their own beer garden and I can imagine that hiking around is cool here.
Final note:
All these cities are considered safe and it should be no problem to go there as a female solo traveller. I always asked in the hostel if the neighbourhood was safe to walk at night and I didn’t feel insecure at any time. Be sure to ask in your hostel where you can park your car safely and for free, as car robbery is quite common in some of these countries. If you have other experiences in these countries or maybe the same as me, let me know in the comments!
Enjoy the trip 🙂
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