Slovenia. It is not part of the Balkans, but it is part of the tour! Arriving just in the afternoon and staying for a night, we clearly didn't have much time in Ljubljana. I loved the vibe there from the dragons to the architecture that feels like a bit out of vampire movie, or at least what it reminded me. 😂 I haven't been to Romania but I think it will be quite similar.
The dragon is Slovenia's symbol. I'll not narrate the legends, but you can find them here. I'd definitely go back and include Lake Bled next time!
The dragon is Slovenia's symbol. I'll not narrate the legends, but you can find them here. I'd definitely go back and include Lake Bled next time!
Flights
Manila-Amsterdam and back is via KLM.
Booked round-trip on Transavia (a budget airline, subsidiary of KLM) from Amsterdam to Athens vv. Kinda expensive cos it was summer but I used a part of my miles so it was okay. :)
The Tour
Booked with Expat Explore. Search for the 16-day Balkan Explorer.
I've always traveled on DIY itineraries before and this is the first time I joined a group tour. I've solo traveled in Western and Central Europe but I wasn't quite comfortable on doing a Balkan tour on my own so I booked this trip.
What I liked about this tour
It's hassle-free. I booked online and paid online--on installments--which was really convenient for my budgeting.
Expat Explore has a very responsive customer service who helped me on guidelines with my Schengen visa. No, they don't process visas but when I wanted to double-check if I can enter certain countries using mine (specifically Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia), they were very helpful to confirm from their end. I also did check of course with our local embassies (who are also very responsive) via email.
So in the end, if you're a Filipino doing the Balkan Explorer and you have a valid Schengen Visa, Type C, Multiple Entry--you're good!
It has some meals included. One of the hardest questions every day is "What do you want to eat?" This helped haha.