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420. RUTA POR LOS BALCANES: CROACIA-MONTENEGRO-KOSOVO-MACEDONIA-ALBANIA.

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Trail stats

Distance
1,227 mi
Elevation gain
94,633 ft
Technical difficulty
Moderate
Elevation loss
92,733 ft
Max elevation
6,161 ft
TrailRank 
48
Min elevation
-71 ft
Trail type
One Way
Time
12 days 6 hours 33 minutes
Coordinates
29984
Uploaded
August 31, 2022
Recorded
August 2022
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near Gruž, Dubrovačko-Neretvanska (Hrvatska)

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Trail photos

Photo of420. RUTA POR LOS BALCANES: CROACIA-MONTENEGRO-KOSOVO-MACEDONIA-ALBANIA. Photo of420. RUTA POR LOS BALCANES: CROACIA-MONTENEGRO-KOSOVO-MACEDONIA-ALBANIA. Photo of420. RUTA POR LOS BALCANES: CROACIA-MONTENEGRO-KOSOVO-MACEDONIA-ALBANIA.

Itinerary description

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Travel around the Balkans. Some significant localities of five countries are visited: Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and Albania. The trip is circular, starts and returns to Dubrovnik, although this is the only point in Croatia that is touched. The Balkans have many more places worth visiting, especially Slovenia, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina.
Except for Albania, all the countries were part of the former Yugoslavia, and the terrible wars of a few years ago are still in the memory. Even at the time of our visit, NATO had to threaten to intervene in a border dispute between Serbia and Kosovo.
In our tour we did not find citizen security problems. The distances on the road are not great, but they become endless, either due to traffic congestion or the innumerable curves. It probably takes a whole day to cover 200 kilometres. Regarding borders, our experience is highly variable. In some you go directly without even checking your passport, while in others there are long and inexplicable queues.
We point out some of the places visited, which we consider essential.

We advise to see the route on PC, facilitating the consultation in the respective wp.

DUBROVNIK (CROATIA): Spectacular city, a World Heritage Site, and unique for its beauty and history. Located in one of the most beautiful parts of the Adriatic, it has preserved its old town practically intact. In this link there is a walking route through the city 415. DUBROVNIK: PORTS AND OLD TOWN. (GAME OF THRONES).PORTS AND OLD TOWN. (GAME OF THRONES).

KOTOR (MONTENEGRO): World Heritage City since 1979. Due to its special location, Kotor has been a maritime refuge since ancient times. Located at the bottom of a fjord, in the area known as the mouths of Kotor. Its period of greatest splendor is reached in the Republic of Venice, which fortified it to defend it from the attacks of the Ottoman Empire. A wall of four and a half kilometers, with its top at 200 meters, around Mount San Juan. Later it belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until its disappearance in 1919. Today it is completely taken over by tourism, and even by cruise ships that disembark hundreds of people every day. Even so, its appeal remains intact. For a tour of the city see this link: 416. KOTOR (MONTENEGRO). THE MEDIEVAL CITY AND ITS CASTLE. THE MEDIEVAL CITY AND ITS CASTLE.

PERAST (MONTENEGRO): Near Kotor it has baroque palaces and churches. Perast brings back memories of the city that once owned Venice. On its main street there are 16 churches and 17 palaces. Opposite it in the middle of the fjord we find the two peculiarly picturesque islands, the most interesting Gospa od Škrpelja (Our Lady of the Rocks),

SVETI STEFAN (MONTENEGRO): Fortified town, and connected to land by an isthmus, it is one of the best images of the Montenegrin coast. Today it is an exclusive hotel complex, owner of the entire island.

DURMITOR (MONTENEGRO): Durmitor Park, a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site since 1980, comprises a vast area of the mountainous interior of the country with natural spaces where the mountain ranges of the Dinaric Alps, five deep canyons and 18 glacial lakes coexist. Here we find the Cañón del Tara, one of the deepest in the world (1,000 meters). It is an advisable visit due to the grandeur of the landscapes that we will see.

PRIZREN (KOSOVO): The most attractive town in Kosovo. City with a Muslim majority and quite well preserved. Highlights include its stone bridge over the Bistrica River, Shatërvan Square, the heart of the city, and the 1615 Sinan Pacha Mosque with its blue dome and minaret. The fortress, the Kaljaja, presides over the entire city. Incredible nightlife in its streets.

OHRID (MACEDONIA). Located next to Lake Ohrid, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. These waters are shared by Macedonia with Albania. Together with Titicaca and Baikal, it is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Clean waters, authentic inland sea of the country. And on its shores is Ohrid, named the Jerusalem of the Balkans, a city with 365 religious buildings, and 4,000 years old. A route through the city and its surroundings here: 417. OHRID. THE PEARL OF MACEDONIA. OHRID. THE PEARL OF MACEDONIA.

BERAT (ALBANIA): Berat the city of a thousand windows, with its houses perched on the hill, is a World Heritage Site. Perhaps the most interesting thing is going up to the well-preserved fortress.

GIROKASTRA (ALBANIA): City declared a World Heritage Site. At 2,500 years old, this beautiful city is one of the most visited in Albania. Today there are about six hundred houses from the Ottoman period, which attract with their uniformity. Dictator Enver Hoxha was born here, and that is one of the reasons why it is so well preserved today. Its name derives from the Latin Argyrokastro (argyron and castrum), fortress or silver castle. Like many other cities in the Balkans, it has passed from the Ottomans to the Greeks, and from Christianity to Islam. The post-war communist regime imposed it as an industrial and commercial center, but being the birthplace of the dictator, it was protected in its main monuments.
What to see: STONE HOUSES: The majority of the typical Ottoman houses were built during the 17th century and are known as kule. The white facades contrast with the slate roofs. This style of tower houses is similar to that of Berat or Ohrid. CASTLE: (Kalaja e Gjirokastrës in Albanian) is visible from all points of the old town. It is accessed from the lower area of the city through the Rruga e Kalasë or Castle Street, a path that goes around the hill, crossed by arches. BAZAR: Built in the 17th century by Memi Pash, although it has a presence several centuries ago. BUNKER: bunker from the cold war, excavated under the castle hill.

ALBANESE RIVIERA: The main source of tourist arrivals in the country. The towns of Sarande and Kamil, which concentrate the largest number of visitors. In this second one the ruins of Butrinto can be visited, more information at this link 418. BUTRINTO (ALBANIA). ESSENCE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD. ESSENCE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD. . The town of Qeparo offers beaches with little tourism and a relaxed life. In this link we can see a description of the surroundings and the bunkers that are found. 419. QEPARO (ALBANIA). BEACHES AND BUNKERES. . Finally we can stop at Himare, where we can visit its beaches and promenade, its old castle and several churches.

TIRANA (ALBANIA): Although it is often associated as a chaotic or backward city, nothing could be further from the truth. Some parts of the city, especially its urban center is assimilable to any European city. And that for many years Tirana was the most isolated capital on the planet. Curiously, and as in the rest of Albania, the streets did not have names, but numbers, although today the European Union has financed an address and signage system to give names to the streets that did not have them. During those years it was impervious to tourism.
What to see in Tirana: Skanderbeg Square. Center of the city, there is the National History Museum of History, the Palace of Culture (which houses the Opera and the National Library), the Eh'tm Bey Mosque, monuments such as that of the hero who gives his name to the esplanade , the National Bank, the town hall next to ministerial buildings of the Albanian government, and the Clock Tower. Eh'tm Bey Mosque: It is one of the oldest religious temples in Tirana. Built between 1789 and 1821, after World War II Clock Tower: It is an old Ottoman tower built by Haxhi Et'hem Bej in 1821-1822 to which a German clock was added in 1928. The Pyramid of Tirana: Built in 1988 after Hoxha's death three years earlier, Bunkers. In Tirana there are several bunkers, reused as cultural and exhibition centers. The first to harness the concrete giants of the Cold War was Bunk'Art 1, just outside Tirana. Its almost 3,000 square meters underground on various levels was intended to house Albania's political elite in the 1970s in case of attack. Other places worth visiting: - Markata E Peshkut Market - Deshmoret e Kombit Boulevard - The Great Mosque – Namazgjah - Blloku neighborhood

KRUJE (ALBANIA): Ancient city, which is reached by a winding road. We enter a forest terrain, with the Kruje Castle as its most outstanding monument. This city is the birthplace of Skanderbeg, the Albanian hero, on which Albanian nationalism in the 19th century built its national identity. The old bazaar stands out, in addition to the castle.

PODGORICA (MACEDONIA). In Podgorica, capital of Macedonia, we see the Millennium Bridge. In a city with few attractions, and despite the fact that the bridge was built on July 13, 2005, it is one of the most emblematic places in the city, along with the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. It was designed by a professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Podgorica and built by a Slovenian company

OSTROG (MONTENEGRO): Ostrog is reached by a winding road that is already worth it. Then you will have to walk, unless you take one of the taxis that leave us at the same monastery. It is a monastery attached to a rock wall and raised 900 meters above the Zeta Valley. For Orthodox Christians it is the holiest place in Montenegro, and we will meet many pilgrims, who even outnumber tourists. In the cave chapels of the upper monastery, we find centennial frescoes on its walls. Its own construction is known as the miracle of Sv Vasilije (Saint Basil), as it is difficult to imagine how it was built, in 1665, inside two large caves; The lower monastery (Donji manastir) is two kilometers below the main one.

Waypoints

PictographFerry Altitude 549 ft
Photo ofPuerto de Dubrovnik Photo ofPuerto de Dubrovnik

Puerto de Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is a spectacular and unique city for its beauty and its history. Located in one of the most beautiful parts of the Adriatic, it has preserved its old town practically intact. Our departure point the port.

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PictographWaypoint Altitude 629 ft
Photo ofFrontera Croacia/Montenegro Photo ofFrontera Croacia/Montenegro

Frontera Croacia/Montenegro

Largas filas de coches en verano nos esperan, pero el paisaje genial.

PictographFerry Altitude 37 ft
Photo ofFerry Photo ofFerry

Ferry

Atravesamos el fiordo hasta Lepetame, y sus calles estrechas.

PictographWaypoint Altitude 29 ft
Photo ofPrcanj - Hotel Montebay Photo ofPrcanj - Hotel Montebay

Prcanj - Hotel Montebay

We arrive at the Hotel Montebay, on the fjord, also one of the mouths of Kotor. Large cruise ships cross it, very close to the shore. In the photo you can see the entire fjord with Kotor in the background.

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PictographPanorama Altitude 235 ft
Photo ofSveti stefan

Sveti stefan

A fortified town, and linked to the land by an isthmus, it is one of the best images of the Montenegrin coast. Today it is an exclusive hotel complex, owner of the entire island.

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PictographWaypoint Altitude 56 ft
Photo ofFrontera Montenegro/Albania

Frontera Montenegro/Albania

La atravesamos cerca del lago .Esta zona tiene un intenso tráfico.

PictographWaypoint Altitude 1,095 ft
Photo ofKosovo Photo ofKosovo Photo ofKosovo

Kosovo

Border of Kosovo, in the following photos details of some of its holdings

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Photo ofPrizren Photo ofPrizren Photo ofPrizren

Prizren

The most attractive town in Kosovo. City with a Muslim majority and quite well preserved. Highlights include its stone bridge over the Bistrica river, Shatërvan square, the heart of the city, and the 1615 Sinan Pacha mosque with its blue dome and minaret. The fortress, the Kaljaja, presides over the entire city,

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PictographIntersection Altitude 0 ft

Seguir recto

Sin salida fácil en el desvio a la derecha.

PictographWaypoint Altitude 2,001 ft
Photo ofFrontera Albania/Macedonia

Frontera Albania/Macedonia

En esta zona se atraviesan en varias ocasiones la frontera

Photo ofOhrid Macedonia Photo ofOhrid Macedonia Photo ofOhrid Macedonia

Ohrid Macedonia

Located next to Lake Ohrid, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. These waters are shared by Macedonia with Albania. Together with Titicaca and Baikal, it is one of the oldest lakes in the world. Clean waters, authentic inland sea of the country. And on its shores is Ohrid, named the Jerusalem of the Balkans, a city with 365 religious buildings, and 4,000 years old. SEE THIS ROUTE: 417. OHRID. THE PEARL OF MACEDONIA. OHRID. THE PEARL OF MACEDONIA.

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PictographWaypoint Altitude 3,256 ft

Frontera Macedonia/Albania

Cruzamos de nuevo a Albania

Photo ofBerat Photo ofBerat Photo ofBerat

Berat

Berat the city of a thousand windows, with its houses perched on the hill. Perhaps the most interesting thing is to go up to the well-preserved fortress.

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Photo ofGirokastra Photo ofGirokastra Photo ofGirokastra

Girokastra

GIROKASTRA (ALBANIA): City declared a World Heritage Site. At 2,500 years old, this beautiful city is one of the most visited in Albania. Today there are about six hundred houses from the Ottoman period, which attract with their uniformity. Dictator Enver Hoxha was born here, and that is one of the reasons why it is so well preserved today. Its name derives from the Latin Argyrokastro (argyron and castrum), fortress or silver castle. Like many other cities in the Balkans, it has passed from the Ottomans to the Greeks, and from Christianity to Islam. The post-war communist regime imposed it as an industrial and commercial center, but being the birthplace of the dictator, it was protected in its main monuments. What to see: STONE HOUSES: The majority of the typical Ottoman houses were built during the 17th century and are known as kule. The white facades contrast with the slate roofs. This style of tower houses is similar to that of Berat or Ohrid. CASTLE: (Kalaja e Gjirokastrës in Albanian) is visible from all points of the old town. It is accessed from the lower area of the city through the Rruga e Kalasë or Castle Street, a path that goes around the hill, crossed by arches. BAZAR: Built in the 17th century by Memi Pash, although it has a presence several centuries ago. BUNKER: bunker from the cold war, excavated under the castle hill.

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PictographBeach Altitude 107 ft
Photo ofRiviera Albanesa Photo ofRiviera Albanesa Photo ofRiviera Albanesa

Riviera Albanesa

We stop at the towns of Sarande and Kamil, which concentrate the largest number of visitors.

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PictographBeach Altitude -30 ft
Photo ofHimare

Himare

Beautiful village on the Albanian Riviera. What to see in Himarë The beaches Old castle of Himare Church of All saints Churches of St. Sergius and St. Bacchus Boardwalk

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PictographPanorama Altitude 2,862 ft
Photo ofMirador Photo ofMirador

Mirador

Genial mirador sobre la costa y las abruptas montañas

PictographWaypoint Altitude 388 ft
Photo ofTirana Photo ofTirana

Tirana

Although it is often associated as a chaotic or backward city, nothing could be further from the truth. Some parts of the city, especially its urban center is assimilable to any European city. And that for many years Tirana was the most isolated capital on the planet. Curiously, and as in the rest of Albania, the streets did not have names, but numbers, although today the European Union has financed an address and signage system to give names to the streets that did not have them. During those years it was impervious to tourism. What to see in Tirana: Skanderbeg Square. Center of the city, there is the National History Museum of History, the Palace of Culture (which houses the Opera and the National Library), the Eh'tm Bey Mosque, monuments such as that of the hero who gives his name to the esplanade , the National Bank, the town hall together with ministerial buildings of the Albanian government, , and the Clock Tower. Eh'tm Bey Mosque: It is one of the oldest religious temples in Tirana. Built between 1789 and 1821, after the second world war Clock Tower: It is an old Ottoman tower built by Haxhi Et'hem Bej in 1821-1822 to which a German clock was added in 1928. The Pyramid of Tirana: Built in 1988 after Hoxha's death three years earlier, bunkers. In Tirana there are several bunkers, reused as cultural and exhibition centers. The first to tap into the concrete giants of the Cold War was Bunk'Art 1, on the outskirts of Tirana. Its nearly 3,000 square meters underground on various levels was intended to house Albania's political elite in the 1970s. in case of attack. Other places worth visiting: - Markata E Peshkut Market - Deshmoret Boulevard and Kombit - The Great Mosque – Namazgjah - Blloku neighborhood

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PictographCastle Altitude 1,753 ft
Photo ofKruje Photo ofKruje Photo ofKruje

Kruje

Ancient city, which is reached by a zigzag road. We enter a forest terrain, with the Kruje Castle as its most outstanding monument. This city is the birthplace of Skanderbeg, the Albanian hero, on which Albanian nationalism in the 19th century built its national identity. The old bazaar stands out, in addition to the castle.

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PictographWaypoint Altitude 54 ft

Frontera Albania - Montenegro

Entramos en Montenegro.

PictographBridge Altitude 168 ft
Photo ofPodgorica Photo ofPodgorica

Podgorica

In Podgorica, capital of Macedonia, we see the Millennium Bridge. In a city with few attractions, and despite the fact that the bridge was built on July 13, 2005, it is one of the most emblematic places in the city, along with the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. It was designed by a professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Podgorica and built by a Slovenian company

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PictographReligious site Altitude 2,457 ft
Photo ofOstrog Photo ofOstrog Photo ofOstrog

Ostrog

Ostrog is reached by a winding road that is already worth it. Then you will have to walk, unless you take one of the taxis that leave us at the same monastery. It is a monastery attached to a rock wall and raised 900 meters above the Zeta Valley. For Orthodox Christians it is the holiest place in Montenegro, and we will meet many pilgrims, who even outnumber tourists. In the cave chapels of the upper monastery, we find centennial frescoes on its walls. Its own construction is known as the miracle of Sv Vasilije (Saint Basil), as it is difficult to imagine how it was built, in 1665, inside two large caves; The lower monastery (Donji manastir) is two kilometers below the main one.

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PictographWaypoint Altitude 3,268 ft
Photo ofFrontera Montenegro - Croacia

Frontera Montenegro - Croacia

última de las fronteras que pasamos. Muchas colas y pocos coches.

PictographMonument Altitude 28 ft
Photo ofPerast Photo ofPerast

Perast

Nearby Kotor has baroque palaces and churches. Perast brings back memories of the city that owned it, Venice. On its main street there are 16 churches and 17 palaces. Opposite it in the middle of the fjord we find the two peculiarly picturesque islands, the most interesting Gospa od Škrpelja (Our Lady of the Rocks),

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PictographWaypoint Altitude 6,017 ft
Photo ofDURMITOR

DURMITOR

Durmitor Park, a UNESCO Natural Heritage Site (since 1980), comprises a vast area of the mountainous interior of the country with natural spaces where the Dinaric Alps mountain ranges, five deep canyons and 18 glacial lakes coexist. Here we find the Tara Canyon, one one of the deepest in the world (1,000 meters). It is an advisable visit due to the grandeur of the landscapes that we will see.

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Photo ofKOTOR Photo ofKOTOR Photo ofKOTOR

KOTOR

This wp is a Parking, with easy access to the city enclosure, a World Heritage Site since 1979. Kotor, due to its special location, has been a maritime haven since ancient times. Located at the bottom of a fjord, in the area known as the mouths of Kotor. Its period of greatest splendor is reached in the Republic of Venice, which fortified it to defend it from the attacks of the Ottoman Empire. A wall of four and a half kilometers, with its top at 200 meters, around Mount San Juan. Later it belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire until its disappearance in 1919. Today it is completely taken over by tourism, and even by cruise ships that disembark hundreds of people every day. Even so, its incentive remains intact. For a tour of the city see this route: 416. KOTOR (MONTENEGRO). THE MEDIEVAL CITY AND ITS CASTLE. THE MEDIEVAL CITY AND ITS CASTLE.

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