After my friend joined me in Romania and we reached the Black Sea, it was time to start our road trip in a camper. Our route was not completely set, we just knew that we had to be in Tirana in 2 weeks’ time, when our vacation ends and my friend’s flight leaves.
Arriving at the Black Sea
We arrived at the Black Sea a day before on the Romanian side, then crossed the border to Bulgaria, where we continued South along the coast. We had a beach called “Bolata” marked on our map, which we wanted to visit. We arrived in the afternoon. People had already started to leave, but it was still very crowded. The streets were so narrow, and I wasn’t that comfortable driving the van. At some point, we found a parking spot on the side of the road and tried to squeeze in. While we were there, we headed up the cliff to a lighthouse and an abandoned military position.
Spending the night next to cliffs at a beach
From up there, the view down to the beach and the Black Sea was amazing. The golden hour was also about to start, and I climbed the lighthouse. From there, I could take some nice pictures. We spent some time up there and then headed down. Even more people left, and we found a bigger parking spot we wanted to spend the night. We had to drive backwards out of the small street where we parked before because it was a dead end and there wasn’t really a possibility of turning around. We managed and were happy to be at a bigger parking spot and with fewer people. Arrived there, we opened our roof tent and started to cook dinner. The sun was about to set, and the atmosphere was beautiful. In Eastern Europe, the police don’t care about wild camping for now. It’s amazing, actually, while in other countries it is forbidden, and officials are patrolling regularly. Sadly, that’s the result of a few misbehaving people in this big camper community, who are just leaving their places for the night, leaving rubbish all over.
We had dinner and a quiet night by the beach. We woke up to the sunshine because we had left our tent open to enjoy the scenic view. After a slow start, we left the place before new people arrived who came to enjoy the beach for the day.
We headed south towards Varna. One of the biggest cities in Bulgaria on the coast. But while driving South, we decided to skip it and head directly towards Sofia. We wanted to move further west in the country and had a cave marked somewhere midway between Sofia and Varna. On the way, before we joined the highway, we passed through many local villages. You can actually call them more ghost towns. They had pretty good infrastructure, 2-4-lane streets, no traffic, and we almost only saw old people. It seems younger generations are all moving towards the city and leaving the towns and villages in the countryside behind. Understandable, but kind of a sad reality.
Visiting the Devetashka Cave
Our goal for the day was the Devetashka Cave. It’s an ancient cave where humans lived thousands of years ago. Now it’s home to many bats, which can be visited, or at least smelled. The cave has quite a nice shape and is partially open at the top. It’s very nice to walk through, and at the time we visited, there were not many visitors there. The cave was also used to shoot movies, including “The Expendables 2”.
After parking at the cave, we prepared ourselves some lunch. Self-made wraps with cheese, salad and meat. Very simple things we can do on the go to have energy for the next stretch. The goal of the day was to get as close to the capital, Sofia, as possible. He drove another couple of hours before we started to search for a spot for the night. We found a marked parking spot a bit off the road. But we weren’t sure how easy it was to reach, since some people mentioned that a 4×4 was needed. So we stopped at the parking bay by the street and walked down the path to a small river. The weather changed, and it was about to rain. So, a wet surface also had to be taken into consideration so we wouldn’t get stuck. After looking at the site, we agreed it was safe to drive and try to park it. Everything worked well, and we could turn the camper around in a small gap between two trees. We had to shift the level quite a bit to have a proper place to sleep. During the night, it started to rain a lot. A thunderstorm and stronger winds occurred. Luckily, all was good, and our parking was safe.
A day break in the capital of Bulgaria
The next morning, we had breakfast by the river, just next to where we had parked. Then we continued on to the capital of Bulgaria, where we booked a hotel for the night to get an irregular shower and enjoy the city a bit. I’ve never been to Sofia, so I was excited to explore a bit. Sometimes it’s also nice not to have to worry about how to manoeuvre the car in a city, since we just parked it in a public parking lot and moved in with the minimal things into the hotel.
The weather was beautiful and perfect for exploring. We passed by a couple of churches, archaeological sites and markets. We went for juices and just enjoyed the summer vibes in a European city. Later in the evening, we headed to a famous walking street, where we had some food at a restaurant that was recommended to us. It was delicious. Afterwards, we walked all the way back home to the hotel and had a nice evening walk, passing by parks with many people hanging out and enjoying the warm summer evening.
The next morning we took the change of being in a city and headed out for a nice milkshake and do some research for our next destination. Our official plan was to cross over the border to North Macedonia and then head South. But after some research we decided for another route. Instead of heading West, we went into the mountains, were we wanted to go on a hike and then continuing South into Greece and doing a big loop that way.
So our first stop was somewhere in the mountains close by to our hiking spot, the Seven Rila Lakes. We left the city late, so we also arrived not too early up in the mountains, just below the cable car we wanted to take the next day. After arriving, we continued on a gravel road, and when it widened, we parked the van to stay for the night. My friend started cooking dinner while I headed out to fly the drone and capture some nice shots of the mountains and their surroundings. We also had the Starlink out since there was 0 network reception, and it delivered with great speed and a reliable signal. When it got dark and cold, we crawled into bed and watched some Netflix.
Hiking the Seven Rila Lakes
The next morning, the weather wasn’t as sunny, and it was quite foggy. Since we had already gone up the mountain, we still wanted to take the cable car up and hike a bit. While the atmosphere on the cable car was quite mystical, the view wasn’t there, and visibility was very low. We packed rain jackets and warm clothes and started to hike round trip around the famous lakes. Usually the views are amazing, but we saw mostly only grey, sadly.
After some time, the rain grew a bit stronger, and we got quite wet, which didn’t help us stay warm. Nevertheless, we pushed through and continued to walk. Sometimes the rain stopped, the visibility increased a bit, and then it started to rain again. We passed a couple of lakes and did the round trip. Overall, we still enjoyed it and could only imagine how beautiful it would be on a sunny day. After 3.5 hours, we made it back to the station at the peak, where we headed down while trying to stay warm. Especially since we were sitting and not moving again. Arrived in the camper, we had to change into dry, warm clothes. We both were frozen, so we wrapped ourselves in warm blankets first. After we warmed up a bit, we started driving again and turned on the heating.
A quick stopover in Bansko
Our next stop was a place very famous as a landmark for digital nomads, in the mountains of Bulgaria, with a well-known conference for nomads, many co-working spaces and co-living spaces, and a vibrant community of nomads year-round. I didn’t know any of my nomadic friends staying in the town at the moment, so we just strolled around a bit and had some local food. Overall, a quiet and cosy place with great vibes. We wanted to enjoy a spa session in one of the hot springs, but we weren’t able to make it in the available time.
The next day, we already had to leave in time to make it to our next stop towards the South, which is already in Greece. Our destination for the evening wasn’t clear yet, but we just wanted to head South and see how much we could make. We passed nice landscapes and made it over the border to Greece. Passing Thessaloniki, we continued along the Mediterranean coast. Then we stopped at a beach town to enjoy a cold drink and an ice cream. We looked at booking platforms to find some nearby, last-minute deals and found a boutique in the mountains of Greece. An area I’ve never been to. It’s not far from Greece’s highest mountain, Mount Olympus. So I was happy to explore a new area. A landscape that isn’t very well known in the country, since most people associate it with beaches and islands.
Visiting the mountain village of Palaios Panteleimonas
Our place for the night was in the village “Palaios Panteleimonas” up in the mountains. It’s built in a very local fashion with stones. The village has a very specific look, and our boutique hotel just across, with a view towards the village, is built the same way and reassembles the village’s vibes, but in luxury. A really, really nice place to stay. The village is very authentic, although it’s touristy, and our accommodation is just perfect. The owner is also very friendly, a local family who built and are running this place with all their heart.
We enjoyed the sunset from our balcony while overlooking the mountains and the sea, then we walked over to the village and had some Greek food in a local Taverna. I just love Greek food and was looking forward to eating it again.
The night was peaceful. Great temperatures up on the mountain. We got up and headed over to the breakfast buffet. I love that so much, having a buffet with cheese, meat, bread, yoghurt, juices and more. That’s a holiday for me and a good reminder that I’m actually on holiday. With so much driving, it feels like a lot. After we’d filled our stomachs to the max, we packed our things and hopped back into the camper van.
I had a stone bridge marked on my map, which was kind of on the way to our next destination, so we headed there, but because of the dry weather, there wasn’t much water. The rivers were pretty much empty, and the waterfall of Palaiokarya was also just dripping a little water. The day was super hot, and we sat down at a coffee shop next to the bridge and ordered a cold juice/ice coffee.
Spectacular monasteries at Meteora
After some rest, we continued on to a location we were both really excited to visit. It’s called “Meteora” and actually looks unreal- super spectacular. There are a handful of monasteries built on very steep sandstone rocks. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Upon our arrival, we saw a long straight road, so we could see the rocks from afar. The sun was already very low, and therefore the light was very beautiful. That was a sick arrival. To avoid wasting more time and missing the sunset, we drove up the mountain roads straight to a viewpoint. Many people up there, but we managed to park on the side of the road and head to a viewpoint. Despite the tourists, we could still enjoy the view of the monasteries and the surrounding landscape. Just amazing. After spending some time at the crowded viewpoint, we decided to head up to a less busy spot. Also, with the idea of maybe parking there for the night, but everywhere up there forbids overnight parking. So we just parked quickly to enjoy the view. I jumped over to another rock and climbed the peak. From there, the view was even more amazing, and I could just look straight over to one of the smaller monasteries.
Then it got dark, and we headed back down into the town. On the lookout for parking. We decided to cook some leftover food in the camper. After a while, we spotted a parking spot with no car and an area where we could park without annoying anyone. There was not much going on, and it was a bit out of town. Once perfectly placed, we opened our tent and prepared to cook. But nothing, we ran out of gas. I was aware that we wouldn’t have much left, but I wasn’t physically checking. Well, this was just the worst moment we thought it would be, since we placed ourselves and were not in a vibrant area. So what could we do? We searched for nearby restaurants we could walk to. Also, it was already quite late, and I wasn’t optimistic that there would still be a kitchen open once we reached it.
To our surprise, just opposite where we parked, there was a restaurant up the hill that we hadn’t even noticed. According to Google Maps, it was still open, so we crossed the road and walked up. We were pretty much the last, but they were super friendly and even the chef came out and offered me a special meal. It was our lucky dinner actually. The restaurant was just placed below some of those famous rocks where they put lights to make them more visible. Overall, a beautiful view from down up. Then our meal arrived, I ordered a special version of Moussaka. It was the best Moussaka I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried that Greek dish many times since it’s one of my favourites. Since the camper was already parked, I had a Sangria to drink.
The next day, we got up very early and drove up the rocks again. This time we wanted to be there before all the tourists, and our plan worked out well. I researched some good spots to park and hike the evening before. So we went up, parked in the main parking area, and hiked farther up the hill. I brought my big photo camera and also the drone. After we did the “money shots”, which were really beautiful, especially with the drone, we headed more to the back to some other rocks and took some pictures of the valley. The weather was perfect and the light great so early in the morning at 7 am.
Then we headed back to the camper, where we got some breakfast. We had to wait until the “Holy Monastery of the Great Meteoron” opened its doors, so we could have a look inside. Because we had only seen it from the outside until now. Once it opened, we were among the first to enter. No big queues or overcrowding. We walked around a bit and explored this special place. When we headed back, the parking was full, and there were queues down the road – so many people. We were really glad to get up early and enjoyed the place in peace.
Leaving to Corfu island for a couple of days
While the mainstream tourists made their way up to the monasteries, we already headed down and towards the west coast of Greece. We bought tickets for a ferry to head over to Corfu, a Greek island. First, we had to cross the country from the centre all the way to Igoumenitsa on the West Coast. Luckily, the roads were very good and mostly highways. It was still a 3-hour ride, and we needed to get there in time to catch the ferry. Our plan was to park the camper at the port and abandon it for 2 nights. I was searching for covered parking or underground parking, but couldn’t find anything proper. So we were left with the open parking lot next to the sea, where the sun was beating very strongly. We tried to shield all the windows and set the fridge to a temperature setting so the battery would hold until we’re back and our products don’t go bad. I added a trick and bought a couple of water bottles beforehand, which we left in the fridge. During the 3-hour ride to the port, we set the fridge to very low, so the water bottles got very cold and kept the temperature. This will help keep the fridge cold for “free”.
At the port, we had some time to pack the essentials we needed for 2 nights. Just a small bag each, and we went to a local market to buy some snacks. Then we boarded the ferry. It was a 1-hour ferry ride. Very light luggage made it very chill for us to travel. Once we reached the island, we headed to the next scooter rental place and got one for two days. This meant we had total freedom to go around the island and explore. Since we just had two small backpacks, we could also head to our hotel like this without issues. The place was a 20min ride towards the North. No problem for us. Once we arrived and checked in, we quickly explored the property and headed to a nearby Gyros place. My friend had never tried it, and since I love the local dishes, I was very excited to get it.
The next day, we used our flexibility to ride the motorbike around the whole island. We headed all the way up North West, where we passed many nice local villages. At some point, we hit the coast again. We stopped at a restaurant with a beautiful view over the cliffs and enjoyed a Greek salad. Then we continued, following smaller roads that led us over a mountain to a new viewpoint. I like such places a lot. Small passes without many people and viewpoints.
Down at the beach area, it got crowded again. We arrived at the main town in the North, in Palaiokastritsas. We stopped at a beach, but it was so crazily crowded, and the water was pretty cold. We continued to a little bit more remote beach. A beach you have to walk to, not just drive there. This always means fewer people, because the majority of people are lazy. We spent some time there, then headed back to our accommodation.
At our place, we rested a bit, got a shower and were ready to head South to Corfu Town to stroll around and get some food. The city was pretty packed, with a lot going on. Nice vibes. There was a student orchestra playing in front of the Old Town Hall. The alleys between the buildings were super cute and filled with people and restaurants. We reserved a seat at a famous restaurant we researched to grab some Greek food again. Since we’re not in Greece for long, we have to take advantage of it. After some waiting, which we used to explore the nearby streets, we sat down, and I ordered Grilled Cheese and Souvlaki. All dishes I love and was craving.
The next day, it was already time to check out. But before that, we enjoyed a nice breakfast by the pool. Then we packed our two backpacks and jumped on the scooter. We returned it just next to the port and walked over to get our ferry ticket. We had to wait a bit and were off to the mainland again. Arrived, we reunited with the camper again and continued North. Not far away, there’s the border to Albania. This means we’re leaving the European Union and the Euro currency. At the crossing, the officer pointed at my Peruvian friend and said, “problem”. She checked beforehand that no Visa is needed for her to enter, but the officer didn’t know that. I guess it’s not very common for a Peruvian to cross. Another very friendly officer came, and we showed her the official information we relied on. After some phone calls, things were solved, and my friend got a stamp. So we could continue.
Following the Albanian coast towards the North
Without much of a plan, we followed the street and at some point ended up in “Sarandë”. A resort city on the coast. Many, many people and much traffic. The place itself was pretty ugly, with many concrete buildings. So we turned around and continued on the road towards the North. The road got more and more curvy. Overall very good roads in the middle of nowhere.
We’ve been driving for hours and needed a place for the night. I checked our app for camping spots and found one not too far away close to the beach. We set the GPS there and continued following the curvy road. At some point we had a beautiful view down to village right at the beach, that was our spot for the night. The villages we passed were very basic, not many people are very countryisde. When we came down to what looks like an upcoming beach area for tourists. Everything in construction, overall quite basic, but nicely done. We entered a small road (no concrete after the main road) and ended up on a land with trees, some tents and a toilet facility. That was the campsite. Also here very basic, but the girl who was running this place with her sister came and was super friendly. We parked, setup our things and headed to the beach to see the sunset and grab food in one of these nicely done beach restaurants.
Leaving the coast and diving into the countryside and mountains
The next morning, we grabbed breakfast at the campsite. Then I fixed the gas issue we had in Greece with my father’s help over the phone. Then we were ready to continue along the road towards the north. At some point, we headed inland and passed through beautiful countryside and deep valleys. We had a couple of stops along the way to do some recordings and pictures with the drone. We didn’t cross many cars. Sometimes some motorbikes which obviously love these roads. Very well maintained asphalt streets, curvy and little traffic. One scenic spot which actually has a name we stopped, watched and had a snack. It was at “Viewpoint Tepelene” somewhere above the the steep cliffs by a valley.
Our next goal was the town of “Permet”. It’s quite a cute place just before a hot spring, which we wanted to visit. But first, we wanted to stroll around that town and feel the vibes of the Albanian countryside. Friendly people overall and very quiet. We grabbed a coffee and continued. About a 30min drive away there was the site for the Benja Thermal Baths, there’s a small campsite next to it where we stayed for the night. We cooked some food, showered and refuilled our water tank. After we did everything, we had a relaxing evening at the campsite with movie and our own “MaWi Bar”. We mixed a cocktail camping style.
Enjoying hot springs in the Albanian mountains
The next morning, we went to the hot spring. Since we parked just next to the site, we were the first. Before a lot of people arrived. Just ahead, there was a large construction site. They’re building proper parking and commercialising the place. The campsite we stayed at was really, really local. The friendly guy even had a pet goat who was running around and saying hello. The spring was also very simple, but nice. All the water coming down from one side was hot. Definitely hot, so depending on how close you were to the normal river you could mix it and have a pleasant temperature. They also build some bigger pools which is really nice to go in as well. A nice and quite atmosphere. Especially before noon. After we had a dip we walked up the hill a bit into a valley to enjoy some view and explore the area. But the sun got very hot and we decided to return to the campsite. There we had a shower to clean from those natural gases and get ready to move to a new destination.
A lot of driving through the Albanian mountains. I was still impressed by the great road. The houses and infrastructure in general are very simple, but the roads are way better than in all the countries I’ve been passing through in the past weeks. We crossed more valleys, forests, and very cute, remote villages. I loved the ride.
Arriving at Lake Ohrid
Just before sunset, we arrived at Lake Ohrid at the North Macedonian border. First, we went to the lake to enjoy the sunset and take some nice pictures from the pier. The spot was actually amazing for pictures. Very local and not many people. The catwalk was overlooking the whole lake with the sunset atmosphere- just great. Btw, Lake Ohrid is one of Europe’s oldest and deepest lakes.
Just before it got dark, we headed on the highway and were about to cross the border. After crossing the Albanian border, there was an issue regarding my Peruvian friend’s nationality. This time, our car wasn’t passing. And this time, for real, we had to return. The problem is that the Balkan countries are not in the European Union and require a car insurance certificate (Green Card). It’s not that I don’t have insurance. Every car with plates is insured, but I didn’t have this green card because it’s not needed in the European Union. Back at the lake where we set up for the night, I tried to get this certificate digitally so we could cross in the morning. Good that things back home in Switzerland are very quick, and the insurance could generate such a document for me. So the next day, off to North Macedonia. Country Nr. 4 of this vacation trip.
Made it into North Macedonia
We visited a museum of ancient stilt houses. It was a reconstruction, but still interesting to see. The water around was very clear, and we did some diving below. We also stopped by the coast and wandered around a bit. The sun was very hot, so we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.
For the night, we booked a hotel in the city named the same as the lake. We arrived in the city and searched for street parking near our hotel. It wasn’t that easy, but we just circled the area until we found a spot. As we usually do, we grabbed our small bag, took the most important things and headed to the hotel for check-in. A shower and AC were needed. We were so tired that we napped for a bit.
Just before the sun was about to set, we headed out to walk down to the lake, through the busy walking street and along the lakeside to a church on a hilltop. Very nice atmosphere and great vibes. To reach the top of the church and look down at the lake in the background, we had to gain some elevation and walk up. It was worth it because the view was great. After we reached the top, we decided to stay up and walk back to the old town another route. While walking back towards our hotel, we stopped at a restaurant which looked nice and local to grab some new dishes.
Moving on a hot day to the capital of Albania
The next morning, the same procedure. Breakfast, back to the car and another couple of hours driving. The distances are not small, so we had to keep going to make it back to Tirana for my friend’s flight. Which was today, later in the evening. So we headed back over the border to Albania again, after just a night in North Macedonia. The temperatures were really high, and we were happy to be able to sit in the car and use the AC. We reached the capital of Albania in the early afternoon. We didn’t have time to explore the city centre, but we took a cable car up to Dajti, which overlooks the city and is a pretty nice spot to visit.
After stopping to go up the mountain, we headed straight to the airport. With traffic and all, we didn’t want to cross during rush hour and definitely wanted to leave enough time. So we arrived early, near the airport, where we grabbed dinner at a nice restaurant. There, we used all the time left before my friend had to go over and check in. We were just within walking distance to the terminal. And this sums up 2 weeks of vacation in the Balkans by camper van. My Peruvian friend and I crossed 5 countries and definitely covered a lot of kilometres and hours of driving. Things we mostly smooth, timing fitted great and we saw a big variety of landscapes and cuisines.
After I dropped my friend off at the airport, I decided not to stay in the city but to head north on the highway and find a quiet place to stay for the night. I ended up driving even more because I missed the exit to a place I had marked and diverted to the next option I had on the map. It was dark, and I don’t really like driving for too long in the dark, especially alone when there’s no distraction or talking. I stayed the night not far from the highway on a dirt road by the river.