This 14-day private Balkan tour moves through Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia at a pace that lets you absorb each place rather than simply move through it. You will sit across from a guide who lived through what you are trying to understand. You will sit down to a farm-to-table lunch in the Albanian countryside, ride a narrow-track train through the Serbian hills, and stand on a sixteenth-century bridge that a Nobel Prize-winning novel was built around. For travelers considering private tours Balkan wide, the region’s layers become visible slowly — and one of them will stay with you longer than you expect.
* Price is per person
You’ll meet #YourSerbiaHost at the airport/bus/train station (or another agreed point) and transfer to your hotel. After check-in, the rest of the day is left open to recover from travel or take a first independent walk in the city.
Today is a structured introduction to Belgrade’s main layers. You’ll start at Belgrade Fortress, then move to Dedinje for the House of Flowers and the story of Tito’s Yugoslavia. From there, you’ll visit the St. Sava Church for a different kind of historical anchor. Lunch is in a nearby restaurant with modern takes on local food. Later, you cross to Zemun for a relaxed Danube walk or Gardoš Hill cafés—time to feel the city’s rhythm. The evening stays free, with practical recommendations.
You leave Belgrade for West Serbia, with a scenic pause to see the Drina River House. The day’s centerpiece is the Šargan Eight narrow-gauge railway—slow travel through the mountains, with time to take it in. Before the ride, you’ll have lunch in a local tavern, then continue to Drvengrad–Mećavnik (Woodentown), created by Emir Kusturica.
Crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina, you stop in Višegrad for the 16th-century bridge on the Drina and the story behind Ivo Andrić’s The Bridge on the Drina (Nobel Prize, 1962). You’ll take a boat ride to view the bridge and town from the river, then walk through Andrićgrad before heading to a well-regarded local restaurant known for its Bosnia-style cuisine. The drive to Sarajevo follows the Drina and crosses Romanija Mountain before arrival and check-in. The evening is unstructured, with tips for enjoying the city.
A local guide leads you through Sarajevo’s old town (Baščaršija) and key points around the city, focusing on lived context rather than just facts. After the guided part, you rejoin #YourSerbiaHost for lunch in a local restaurant. The rest of the day is intentionally open for your own pace.
Following the Neretva River, you reach Mostar for time around the old town and its 16th-century stone bridge. From there, you continue to Blagaj at the Buna River spring—cool air, clear water, and a small family-run restaurant where the setting is part of the meal. In the afternoon you drive through Herzegovina to Trebinje, a town with a softer, Mediterranean feel. Restaurant guidance is provided, but the evening stays yours.
With a local guide, you walk through Trebinje’s old town and see how Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian periods sit side by side. You’ll stop at the 16th-century Ottoman bridge and hear why it never entered the UNESCO list despite its character. Later, you visit Monastery Tvrdoš and its authentic wine cellars (15th century), including a tasting of the monastery’s labels. Lunch is arranged in a carefully selected local restaurant, with an emphasis on regional Herzegovinian cuisine, before returning for downtime.
You leave Bosnia and Herzegovina and enter Montenegro, shifting from inland landscapes to the Adriatic’s varied coastline. Before Kotor, you stop in Perast for sightseeing and an early lunch. In Kotor, after check-in, you take a walk through the old town to place the main landmarks in context. The remainder of the day is free for your own plans.
The morning drive follows the Montenegrin coast before turning inland toward Albania. Your first Albanian stop is Shkodra (Skadar) and its historic citadel. Lunch is planned in the countryside at a farm setting where the food is produced domestically. You then continue to Lezhë to visit the memorial site and tomb of Skanderbeg, a central figure in Albanian history, before driving on to Tirana. The evening is left open to relax or explore the city at your own pace.
A local guide introduces Tirana through the lens of daily life across political eras: Enver Hoxha’s regime, the transition period, and modern Albania. After the city tour, you meet #YourSerbiaHost for lunch at a traditional Albanian restaurant—because understanding a place includes eating as locals do. The afternoon and evening are yours.
You leave Albania and enter North Macedonia, driving through mountain terrain that helps explain the country’s long isolation. You stop at St. Naum Monastery on Lake Ohrid, then have lunch nearby before continuing to the town of Ohrid on the other side of the lake. After check-in, you can take the evening at your own pace.
You explore Ohrid’s old town and begin with Samuilo’s Fortress, then continue through churches and historic sites spread across the hill above the modern city. Later, you visit Vevčani—less known to most visitors, but memorable for its springs, local character, and the story of its 1990s “independence” and local currency.
Lunch is arranged in a family-run restaurant in Vevčani, where you first descend into the cellar for a tasting of local wines, rakija, and traditional meze, before sitting down to a meal prepared by the hosts themselves. After lunch, you return to Ohrid for a relaxed evening.
On the way to Skopje you stop at Matka Canyon, a distinctive landscape shaped by the Treska River. You’ll take a short boat ride to a cave known for cave jewelry and a bat population, followed by lunch at a restaurant in the canyon. After lunch, it’s a short drive to Skopje. Once you check in, an evening walk through the city center is suggested to understand its contrasting architectural layers, with the rest of the night free.
Your private Balkan tour ends with a transfer to Skopje Airport (Alexander the Great). Depending on flight time, you may have a little space for final city time or simple shopping before departure.
The End of the Balkan Tour
It has been two months since traveling through the Balkans on the Western Balkans Private Tour with Serbian Private Tours, and the trip is still a major talking point with friends. The diversity of the geography, breadth of culture and depth of history made for an amazing trip full of learning, sightseeing and wonder. It is always a pleasure to travel in areas that are off the beaten path, but also worthy of the time spent. The pacing of the trip was perfect and requesting a few additional stops along the way was not a problem. The SUV we traveled in was new and spotless and with our knowledgeable guide / driver Andrija, we could not have asked for more. Without hesitation I would highly recommend traveling with Serbian Private Tours.
We, husband and wife, traveled with Andrew for 14 days through the above countries. This was one of the , if not the , best ever trips of the many we have done. All logistics, accommodation etc were perfect but more importantly Andrew’s knowledge and ability to convey it was unbelievable. Couldn’t recommend this organisation and Andrew highly enough. Kevin and Ruth, Melbourne.
First we have to say that this was the best private tour ever and we have had quite a few, since we are world travelers. Our private tour was the Western Balkans for two weeks and we enjoyed our trip to the fullest. Andrija was our tour guide/driver and he was outstanding. By the end of the tour, he was more like a close friend/family member for us. He took very good care of every possible detail in order to accommodate us and made our trip wonderful. They hand pick every place so well that even the most demanding traveler will be satisfied including my picky husband. LOL All cities, towns and historic sites were incredible; we also met up with other excellent tour guides in Trebinje, Tirana and Emir in Sarajevo who was particularly fun. The culinary experience was fantastic and all restaurants were just as good as the trip itself. Miljan made booking easy since with all the preparation especially answering questions and his customer service was impeccable. The vehicle used was very comfortable and Andrija always kept it nice and clean. Hotel locations were also great all had air conditioning and WIFI. We particularly loved the one in Old Town Kotor while staying at Kustendorf it was a very nice experience as well. Overall my husband and I can’t say enough about our experience and look forward to booking once again with Serbian Private Tours in the very near future.
Review Serbian Private Tours Excellent service, every detail managed We were scheduled for 3 week Balkan Tour (Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia) in spring os 2020 when pandemic struck. Miljan worked diligently with us to reschedule for fall of 2020 but of course we had to reschedule once again for spring of 2021. Throughout this time he stayed in contact and professionally rearranged every detail. After we were vaccinated with his patience and reassurance we took the plunge and went. We just completed the trip in May 2021! Upon arrival and throughout entire trip every detail was managed by guide Andrija with Miljan checking in with us periodically to confirm all was going well. All the hotels were small local operations in good locations….clean, secure with good breakfasts. The daily afternoon meals were incredibly good….Not regular tourist restaurants but consistently outstanding! All local tour guides were very knowledgeable and spoke English well. Andrija was readily available to us even when we were with local guides and always ready to assist with our unexpected needs. Each day he had our vehicle cleaned even when it was raining. He is extremely knowledgeable and very patient.Truly the best guide we have ever had in all our of our travels In conclusion this company is of the highest quality and best value any travelers could possibly desire. Don’t hesitate to use them your experience will be fantastic!! Thank yo
Can’t say enough about Miljan and Andrija! We did the 2 week Western Balkans Tour (Belgrade-Visegrad-Sarajevo-Trebinje-Kotor-Tirana-Ohrid-Skopje). From my first pre-booking inquiry to a check in after our arrival home, Miljan was responsive, friendly, and epitomized Balkan hospitality. He even helped me find a tour guide for the subsequent part of our trip in Turkey. Andrija was *stuck* in a car with us for two weeks, but by end we felt like friends. He handled all three of us getting sick without missing a beat. The parking job he did at Shkoder fortress was unbelievable. He managed to get a number of fantastic photos of us, despite our camera shyness. We came to learn about Balkan culture as well as take in the sights, and he was a true ambassador. He kept us fed, watered, and tired! But all the little things, from helping with our bags to extra bottles of water, allowed us to have a truly amazing experience. We couldn’t imagine booking a Balkans tour without Miljan, and we would go anywhere with Andrija.
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