Balkanology Blog

Summer 2012 closure of the Septemvri-Bansko railway

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 20 May 2012 13:44:00 +0000

A reader has alerted me to some news about Bulgaria's narrow gauge mountain railway from Septemvri to Bansko and Dobrinishte. It seems that the line will be closed for construction works between June and September 2012, with the trains being replaced by buses for that period. There are more details (in English) at the Hiking Guide Bulgaria website, which also has other useful information such as the summer opening hours of various gondolas and chair lifts in the Bulgarian mountains.

A honeymoon on rails in the Western Balkans

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:53:00 +0000

In today's Independent Adrian Phillips describes his slightly unconventional honeymoon: a journey by train (mostly) from Hungary to the Croatian coast, calling at Budapest, Belgrade, Sarajevo, Mostar, and Ploče before a final leg by road to Dubrovnik. Unluckily, the couple missed out on the scenic trip by rail between Sarajevo and Mostar. The conclusion: "Dubrovnik fits the classic honeymoon mould. But we'd found romance too in the other stage posts on our Balkan journey: not frilly, chocolate-box prettiness but the hardier stuff of Shakespeare, tales of spirit forged in adversity's fire."

The Sarajevo-Mostar line

New edition of the Bradt Guide to Albania

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:00:00 +0000

Bradt Guides have published the 4th edition of their guide to Albania. Written by Gillian Gloyer (who was also the author of the previous editions), the guidebook has expanded to 272 pages.

Some of the changes compared to the previous edition reflect the rapid changes in Albania's road network. In particular the new highway to Kukës has opened up access to northeast Albania, and the chapter dealing with that part of the country has been reorganised and expanded. The author also mentions the addition of information aimed at the increasing number of visitors who arrive in their own cars or mobile homes. Another new feature is a selection of suggested itineraries for visits to Albania ranging from a few days to a month.

Albania's Lake Koman ferry

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 09:59:00 +0000

Articles about Albania in the travel pages of mainstream newspapers are rare, and articles about the country's remote northern mountains even rarer. So it's good to see a piece in today's Observer about a journey to the Valbona Valley in the Albanian Alps.

The article focuses on the scenic two-hour ferry journey on Lake Koman: "Just as you conclude you're heading straight into the side of a mountain, the water opens up again and you turn into a narrow passageway between two vertical walls of rock". The account of the practicalities of Albania travel are likely to strike a chord with many visitors to the country. Although finding solid information about the ferry trip initially proved difficult, "... eventually a taxi driver with a few words of English called a friend and arranged for us to be picked up early the next morning. This was typical of our experience. Ask someone on the street and, even if they can't help, they'll find someone whose second cousin definitely can".

At the end of the piece the Observer bravely commits itself to an actual timetable and departure point for the connecting buses that link the city of Shkodër to the ferry.

No more Malev flights to the Balkans ... or anywhere else

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:03:00 +0000

This morning the Hungarian airline Malév announced that it is to cease operations immediately.

This development will leave some large gaps in the air transport map of Southeast Europe, at least in the short term. Malév's flights linked all the Balkan capital cities, and some smaller places as well, to Budapest and onwards to the global Oneworld network.

On a personal note I am sorry to see Malév's Dublin-Budapest link disappear as I used it a number of times at the start or end of trips to the Balkans - on one occasion taking a connecting flight from Budapest on a tiny aircraft to the equally tiny airport at Targu Mures in Romania.

The news comes just a few days after the bankruptcy of Spanair. The collapse of the Barcelona-based airline is of much less relevance to the Balkans, but it does mean the loss of a route from Barcelona to Belgrade and of summer services to Croatia.

Last train from Italy to Slovenia

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:29:00 +0000

Rail connections between Italy and neighbouring Slovenia have been progressively reduced over the last few years. The only remaining direct link is the EN440/441 overnight train on the Venice-Ljubljana-Zagreb-Budapest route, which is inconveniently timed for anyone wanting to do the short hop between Venice and Ljubljana.

Now The Main in Seat 61 reports that even this imperfect connection is to disappear. The last Venice-Budapest night train will apparently run on December 10, 2011.

Many travellers are likely to give up on rail transport completely as a means of transport between Italy and Slovenia and take a direct bus instead. For those who would still like to do part of the trip by train, the Italy page on the Slovenian Railways lists some of the options (by bus from Trieste to Sežana; on foot or by taxi from Gorizia to Nova Gorica; and by bus from Triest to Koper).

Flights from Belgrade to Dubrovnik in 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 10:29:00 +0000

After a gap of 20 years, it will be possible to fly directly from Belgrade to Dubrovnik in summer 2011. There will be four flights weekly on from mid June to mid September. JAT Airways will fly on Friday and Sunday, while Croatia Airlines will fly on Monday and Wednesday.

Kosovo for Beginners - new page

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 20:26:00 +0000

Anna Wiman, a journalist living in Prishtina, has kindly contributed some practical advice for first-time travellers to Kosovo: see Kosovo for Beginners. You can find more photos, and commentary about life in Kosovo, on Anna's own website.

Greece suspends international train services (this time they really mean it)

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:53:00 +0000

At the end of last year I posted about cost-cutting plans by the Greek train operator OSE. Among other things, the plans involved the suspension of all international train services into Greece from the start of January.

As it turned out, these trains were given a temporary reprieve and continued running until February. But it appears that from February 12 the suspension did really go ahead, and according to all reports I can find, the Greek rail system is now isolated from the rest of Europe.

This is my understanding of the specific changes:
- The two daily Belgrade-Skopje-Thessaloniki services will now run between Belgrade and Skopje only. It will still be possible to reach the border station at Gevgelija on domestic Macedonian trains.
- The two daily Sofia-Thessaloniki trains are cancelled. It will still be possible to reach the border station at Kulata on domestic Bulgarian trains.
- The Bucharest-Sofia-Thessaloniki train ("Romania") will run between Bucharest and Sofia only.
- The Istanbul-Thessaloniki "Dostluk/Filia Express" is suspended.

Although the websites of the Serbian, Bulgarian, and Macedonian rail operators carry news items confirming the suspension, at the time of writing the changes don't seem to have filtered through to the European rail timetables database used by German Railways (DB) among others. All online timetables relating to Greece should be treated with caution for the time being.

Wizzair flies from London to Skopje

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 20:17:00 +0000

Skopje is currently one of very few European capital cities with no direct scheduled flights to the United Kingdom. That's about to change, as Wizzair has announced that they will fly from Skopje to London Luton starting on June 20th. There will be three return flights weekly (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) until the end of September. It also appears that the route will continue into the winter, with the Wizzair site currently showing flights scheduled on Thursdays and Sundays from October.

More about Montenegro in the travel pages

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 12:43:00 +0000

Several UK newspapers have published articles about Montenegro in the last few weeks.

The Mail describes a family driving holiday based mainly on the Adriatic coast, with an excursion inland to Durmitor National Park.

The Telegraph's writer also spent a few days on the Adriatic before heading inland, in this case to hike in the relatively little-known Komovi Mountains.

Finally, the Independent's correspondent also combined the coast and the interior on an eventful family holiday.

Belle Air flies from London Stansted to Tirana

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:17:00 +0000

The Albanian low-cost airline Belle Air has recently started operating direct flights from London Stansted to Tirana twice weekly (Thursdays and Sundays). There are now three airlines offering flights from London to Tirana - Albanian Airlines already flies from Stansted, while British Airways flies from Gatwick.

Albania and Bulgaria feature in top destinations for 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 12:41:00 +0000

Two Balkan countries, Albania and Bulgaria, appear in CNN's list of "the World's top destinations for 2011". The same two countries features in Lonely Planet's "top 10 countries for 2011". (This is not as much of a coincidence as it might appear - a Lonely Planet editor is among the contributors to the CNN list). I am a little bit sceptical about these annual lists - the format normally requires a completely fresh list each year, which means that pretty much every country in the world is likely to get a mention eventually. Even so, it's nice to see the merits of two Balkan destinations being recognised.

Snowboarding in the Balkans

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 18:55:00 +0000

A recent article in The Guardian, "Boarding the Balkan Bloc", looks at the snowboarding opportunities on offer in a number of ski resorts in the Western Balkans. Among the destinations covered are Kapaonik (Serbia), Popova Shapka (Macedonia), Kolašin (Montenegro), and Jahorina (Bosnia). The writer's overall impression of snowboarding in the region: "rugged mountains; masses of deep, powdery, snow; tree runs from heaven; zero lift queues; friendly locals; low prices; and great food (albeit heavy on the meat)".

Sam Baldwin, the writer of the article, is the editor of the Snowsphere.com winter sports travelzine, and the website includes further coverage of the resorts mentioned above, as well as others in Bulgaria and Slovenia.

Greece cuts train services - all international trains suspended (or maybe not?)

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 21:23:00 +0000

A few days ago the Greek train operator OSE announced that it will take drastic measures in the coming year to deal with ongoing deficits (just one aspect, of course, of Greece's difficult economic situation).

The full announcement is here, in Greek only. With the help of Google Translate and the Man in Seat 61, the following key points stand out:
- All international routes from Greece will be "temporarily" suspended from 1st January 2011. That means no trains from Thessaloniki to Skopje/Belgrade, Sofia/Bucharest, or Istanbul.
- Some domestic routes will also be suspended, especially in the Peloponnese region.
- Some ticket prices will be increased where they are currently cheaper than bus fares, but discounts will be introduced to encourage early ticket purchase.
- A few connecting bus services will be introduced to link cities to the surviving rail network, for example Ioannina to Kalampaka.

The withdrawal of international services is particularly sad news for independent travellers in the Balkans. Nobody seems to be holding out much hope that the so-called "temporary" nature of the measure will mean any resumption of services in the foreseeable future. It seems the best we can hope for is that bus services improve to take up the slack - especially between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia, where public transport links were poor even before this announcement.

I will post updates here if I receive any further updates about alternative means of transport. In the meantime, please bear in mind that quite a few pages within this website have been made obsolete by this announcement and it will take me some time to update them.

Update 14/01/2010

As mentioned above, the announcement referred to international services being suspended on January 1st. However I'm told that international trains are still running. And the websites of rail operators in neighbouring countries, who would obviously be affected by these measures, do not appear to have any information about changes to international services. It's not clear to me if the suspension has been temporarily deferred or abandoned. If anyone reading this can clarify the issue it would be great if you could post a comment here or contact me.

Update 20/02/2010

It appears that the suspension has indeed taken place - see my updated post.

New edition of the Bradt Guide to Kosovo

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Back in 2007, when Bradt Guides published the first edition of their guide to Kosovo, they had little competition. Three years on, with the publication of the second edition, not a lot has changed. As far as I know there is still no other full-length, up to date guidebook to Kosovo in English.

At last, direct flights from Dubrovnik to Athens

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 13:40:00 +0000

There was good news this week for travellers hoping to visit both Greece and Croatia's Adriatic Coast. Croatia Airlines announced that in summer 2011 their flights from Zagreb to Athens will include a stopover in Dubrovnik, allowing a direct connection between southern Croatia and the Greek capital. The flights will operate three times weekly (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday) starting on May 31.

In test bookings on the Croatian Airlines website, the cheapest return ticket (Dubrovnik-Athens-Dubrovnik) I could find for June 2011 was 2071 kuna, approximately 282 euro. The cheapest one-way ticket from Dubrovnik to Athens was slightly more expensive.

Travellers hoping to make the journey in low season, or unable to adapt their itineraries to fit the days of the week on which these flights operate, will have to continue to choose among the other options outlined on my page about travelling from Croatia to Greece.

Croatia Airlines also announced another summer-only service likely to be of great interest to tourists travelling around southern Europe: a direct flight from Dubrovnik to Venice. The service will operate twice weekly (Thursday and Saturday) starting on June 16. At the time of writing it does not yet appear to be possible to book this flight online.

Turkish Airlines flies from Istanbul to Podgorica

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 06:36:00 +0000

In July 2010 Turkish Airlines began flying from Istanbul's Ataturk Airport to Podgorica in Montenegro. The flight will operate three times weekly all year round (Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday). As well being of interest to local residents, this flight may prove useful to some tourists wishing to travel between the Adriatic coast and Turkey without undertaking the long overland journey. The cheapest one-way fare I could find was €154, while promotional return fares are available for around €190.

This development means that Turkish Airlines now flies to all capital cities in Southeast Europe.

Guidebook updates 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 10:52:00 +0000

It's time for one of my regular roundups of new and updated guidebooks to the Balkan region. There haven't been as many completely new guidebooks this year as in 2009, but several publishers have been active in producing updated versions of their existing books.

I've already mentioned Cicerone's new guide to walking in the Bulgarian mountains in a previous post. Cicerone have also issued a new edition of Rudolf Abraham's Guide to Walking in Croatia. As well as describing treks in the mountains of mainland Croatia, the new version promises additional coverage of walks on the Adriatic islands.

Bradt Guides continue to outdo other publishers with their extensive range of guides to individual Balkan countries, with their Bosnia, Croatia, and Serbia reaching their third, fourth, and third editions respectively. Bradt have also published a new guide to the Peloponnese region of Greece.

I mentioned Lonely Planet's updated guide to Romania in an earlier post. Their guides to Slovenia and Greece have also been updated in 2010.

Rough Guides have similarly been busy updating their range. Their mammoth guide to Turkey has reached its seventh edition, while Slovenia and Croatia have also been updated.

Finally, In Your Pocket continue to provide unrivalled coverage of the main cities of the region in the form of free downloadable guides. This year has seen the addition of Podgorica to the IYP range, while Tirana and Pristina are among those cities with updated IYP issues.

New photos of Croatia: Zadar, Rab, and more

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 11:01:00 +0000

I've updated my Croatia galleries with some new photos. You can find photos of Zadar, Ugljan, and Dugi Otok in the "Around Zadar" gallery, while the "Kvarner and Istria" gallery now includes Rab Island and a mixture of old and new photos of Pula.

Albania Minibus Schedules

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:03:00 +0000

Formal bus stations and printed or online timetables are almost unknown in Albania, so getting hold of timetable information can be tricky. The recently created website "Albania Minibus Schedules" is a very useful list of bus and furgon (minibus) routes and timetables. Naturally it is entirely unofficial, but it's very useful for getting a reasonable idea of frequencies and departure points on particular routes. The page is editable, so if you have been in Albania recently you can contribute with up to date information.

New direct flight from Croatia to Greece

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:32:00 +0000

Travelling from Croatia to Greece just got (a little bit) easier. Many travellers have been surprised to find that there are no scheduled direct flights between these two countries. That situation has now changed - at least if you happen to be travelling on the right day of the week and at the right time of year.

Croatia Airlines are now operating a direct flight from Zagreb to Athens three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday). The timetable allows same-day connections via Zagreb to and from other major Croatian destinations such as Split and Zagreb. Currently the route is scheduled to operate until October 3rd.

The airline says that return fares will be available starting at €164 - although you will probably need to move fast to snap up a price as low as that any time over the summer months. Don't expect to find cheap one-way fares, budget airline style - as far as I can see a one-way ticket will typically cost just as much as a return. And don't assume that this is the cheapest way to fly from Croatia to Greece - it may work out cheaper to change planes somewhere else, such as Budapest.

More details from Croatia Airlines

More about travelling from Croatia to Greece

Lonely Planet updates Romania ... but not Moldova

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Mon, 31 May 2010 15:45:00 +0000

Lonely Planet this month published the fifth edition of their guide to Romania. Previous editions have distinguished themselves from competing guides by including a chapter about the Republic of Moldova, but the newest version covers only Romania. If you are planning to visit Moldova as a side trip you can purchase and download the relevant chapter of LP's Eastern Europe guide from their online shop. Or take a look at LP author Leif Pettersen's online guide, which still covers both countries.

This blog has moved

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:06:00 +0000

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Easyjet flies from Switzerland to Kosovo

noreply@blogger.com (Alan) — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:42:00 +0000

Easyjet has announced that it will link Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, with two Swiss cities starting in June. Flights from Geneva will operate on Wednesday and Saturday while flights from Basle will leave on Thursday and Saturday. Fares start at 30 euro one way, but you may need to move fast if you want to snap up a flight at that price - especially if you are looking for a Saturday flight in summer.