Balkans, Adriatic and Albania Explorer - Balkans motorcycle tour

Upon your arrival to Zagreb, Croatia, you will have an opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the one of the most attractive and vibrant Central European capitals. Depending on the time of your arrival, you might have time to do some sightseeing or simply to rest and prepare yourself for the excitement that awaits you.  You will be given all the necessary information concerning your tour at the welcome dinner in the evening of the first day.  

Welcome to the first riding day of our coastal adventure. Our starting point is Zagreb and our goal will be to reach Istria – Croatia’s largest peninsula – the home of exquisite wine, cheese and truffles. We are taking the ‘old road’ – formerly the only connection between the continental and coastal part of the country. After the highway Zagreb-Rijeka was built, this road is rarely used, and luckily for us, it features good asphalt and some great curves. This road was built in early 19th century, in times of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, and was named ‘Lujzijana’ after Maria Luisa, the daughter of the Emperor Francis I of Austria. We will ride through the magnificent mountain areas of Gorski Kotar – known for its deep dark woods and cool and clear mountain streams. In the evening, we will let you pick from some of the truffle flavoured specialties perfectly paired with Malvasia Istriana. We will spend the night in Istria.

Let’s take a tour of Istria, have a closer look at those vineyards and olive groves and visit some of the picturesque villages located on hilltops arising from foggy valleys. Apart from being famous for the beauty of its nature, Istria is the area rich with history. Here, every village has some amazing old stories to tell and many Roman and early Slavic remains to prove them. 

After leaving Novigrad, we will visit famous Lim fjord. The Lim bay and valley is a peculiar geographic feature found near Rovinj and Vrsar on the western coast of Istria, south of Poreč, Croatia. The name comes from the Latin limes for "limit", referring to the landform's position at the border of two Roman provinces: Dalmatia and Italia. The Lim valley (Limska draga or Limska dolina) is the 35 km long valley of the river Pazinčica, which transforms into the Lim bay (Limski zaljev), a 10 kilometer long estuary. The Croats sometimes also call it Limski kanal ("Lim channel"), due to its narrow width.  

The estuary is sometimes called a fjord, although it is not in fact a fjord but a ria, because it was not carved by a glacier but by the river eroding the ground on its way to the Adriatic Sea, when the sea level was lower. We will not miss the oysters tasting as it is one of the must taste specialties of the area. However there is a lot to see and experience in our todays ride and we will be heading on towards Rovinj (check out the photos and no words are needed ?), then going further down south to Pula and its famous Roman arena in the very center of the town, nearby breath taking Stone Cape (Rt Kamenjak).   

Our route will guide us through Istria all the way to the ferry boat port where we will pass in a short ferry ride to the archipelago of Cres and Lošinj islands. Amazing island ride, a must taste sheep dishes in several varieties in some of local konobas (authentic local restaurants) is certainly not to miss and no way you pass Cres without tasting it. Continuing our amazing island ride futher down south to Lošinj where we will be enjoying a true Mediterranean experience in all its senses. Smells, tastes, cuisine, sea, islands vegetation. Simply amazing. Lošinj is famous as well as an Island of vitality, famous for its air and sea currents that combine a special mix of extraordinary wellbeing. 

Heading back to the island of Cres and taking another ferry ride, this time to reach the island of Krk, which is connected with the mainland with a big modern bridge. A ride past the charming coastal towns to the old pirate port with a fortress – Senj. We will be heading south alongside the magnificent Karolina road, one of the most scenic motorcycle coastal rides! Its a truly amazing and unforgettable riding day. The roads are marvelous, ride is amazing and the view is simply indescribable. We will be ending the day in Zadar, a beautiful coastal city rich of history from Roman times. You could see many ancient Roman artefacts in the old town and enjoy the magnificent seaview sunset from one of the architectural marvels, a famous sea organ (instrument playing powered by the sea and air), from the famous place called "greeting to the Sun". A definite must see! This is the day to remember! 

Today we will take a break in beautiful Zadar. There is plenty of opportunities out of which we can recommend you a sailing trip to famous Kornati archipellago or sailing around Zadar archipellago. Easygoing time on the boat combined with delicious cuisine and stunning views will be the perfect rest from the ride and fuleing you with energy for the next days of our journey.

We will ride right through the belly of Dalmatia, an area called Ravni Kotari – a place of ideal climate and fertile land, an area filled with marasca orchards, olive groves and vineyards. You will get a chance to see another pirate bay - Skradin – an amazing location where the mountain river Krka meets the sea (Krka National Park). From the hilly roads of Dalmatian hinterland,  then rest for the night in the wonderful Mediterranian city of Split where we will take a ferry to the beautiful Island of Hvar.

Today we will be heading towards Pelješac peninsula in a truly amazing coastal ride. We will be passing through Ston bay, famous for its mussels, of course we will not miss the chance to taste this delicious sea specialty. Pelješac peninsula will show us a magnificent beauty of the scenic ride with the view to the deep blue Adriatic sea and wineyards of Plavac (the homeland of famous grape sort, that passed its glory all the way across Italy to USA (famous Zinfandel routes come from here). Sure we will not miss the opportunity to taste and enjoy it. Our evening will end back in Dubrovnik where you can enjoy the dinner, have a walk around the old town, or visit its surroundings, we will make sure you take all the advantages this beautiful coastal town can offer you.  

Today we will take a break in Dubrovnik and use the opportunity to explore it. The absolute best of the Croatian coastal destinations. ln case you would like and have some free time, you could visit Molunat - the cutest fishing village in the south part of Konavle, famous for its beautiful sandy beach. The entire region is famous for a number of exclusive and high-rating restaurants where you will surely taste some of the most amazing specialties of the south Dalmatian cuisine: smoked ham and cheese, young lamb and veal baked under an iron bell, home-baked bread and grilled fish of the finest quality. Due to its unique well-preserved architecture and the lush greenery of the centuries-old trees, the entire region of Konavle seems as if the time has stopped centuries ago. What a perfect place for a rest day!

Today it is time to move on to another exciting country. Bosnia and Herzegovina is ahead of us. After riding down the Durmitor nature park, riding along the Tara and Sutjeska rivers and canyons (Sutjeska was one of the famous historic sights of WWII as one of the toughest battles between German troops and Partizans took place there. The Battle of Sutjeska (known as the Fifth Enemy Offensive in the Yugoslav historiography) was a German operation against Partisans Main Operational Group in the Second World War. The German code name for this operation was „Operation Case Black“ (German: Fall Schwarz). This operation took place in May and June 1943 and was aimed at destroying the main Yugoslav Partisan force, near the Sutjeska River in the south-eastern Bosnia. The failure of the offensive marked a turning point for Yugoslavia during World War II. We will continue through magnificant inlands of Bosnia passing to Montenegro mountains reaching stunning Durmitor mountain.

Enjoying the ride of magnificent Durmitor mountain, we will be continuing our adventure further down south through the valleys surrounded by mountains before crossing the border to Albania. This area is truly stunning and mountain ranges are spreading all around before coming down to the beautiful Shkoder. Albanian city of Shkoder on the shores of a beautiful lake Shkoder (one part of the lake belongs to Montenegro and another to Albania). Shkodër is the most historic town in Albania. The oldest wall of the Shkodër castle dates from the 1st millennium BCE. The Roman historian Livy cited the town as the capital of the Illyrian king Gentius, who surrendered to the Romans in 168 BCE. The town was subsequently held by the Byzantines, Bulgars, Serbs, and Turks, again by Illyrians and Venetians. 

Continuing the Albanian adventure! We will be heading down towards the shores of Adriatic and reaching an incredible and vibrant Durres. The important port of Albania and a town full of history and crossroads of Meditterranean, South Italian and even north African influence. You can immediately feel the vibrant atmosphere. It’s known for its huge Roman amphitheater. Nearby is a 9th-century church with mosaic-covered walls. The Archaeological Museum displays pieces from the Greek, Hellenistic and Roman periods. heading further we will be again entering the inlands of Albania and beautiful town of Berat, full of history. Berat is a city on the Osum River, in central Albania. It's known for its white Ottoman houses. On a hilltop, Berat Castle is a huge compound now inhabited by townspeople. Within its walls are Byzantine churches, the Red Mosque and the Onufri National Museum, with Christian icons. We will have a nice authetnic dinner in this beautiful town and spend the night.

Today we will take a break and use the opportunity to explore Berat, its surrounding hills, a castle on the hilltop or simply drink coffee and feel the street vibe or rest in the hotel. A town certainly so magnificent and worth visiting. A truly authentic Albania with a lot of history in one place.

We will continue our Albanian journey towards its capital - Tirana, ride the inlands and some very nice curvy roads. Late in the afternoon we will again croiss the border to Montenegro and and the day in beautiful bay of Kotor. 

We will take the curvy roads through the karst areas of western Herzegovina until we reach Mostar – the capitol of Herzegovina and a city of unique beauty and amazing history, split in two parts governed by two separate administrations – one held by the Croats and the other one held by the Bosniaks. Located on the banks of the Neretva River, famous for many beautiful Islamic structures built during the Ottoman Empire, the most famous of which was the Old Bridge connecting the Muslim communities in the East with the Christian communities in the west. The Old Bridge was destroyed during a bitter civil was in 1993 and reconstructed in 2004 by using the same limestone blocks salvaged from the river. In 2005, the bridge was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. 

The last day, and also the longest, takes us from Mostar through the national parks of Bosnia and Herzegovina located in mountainous areas, sparsely populated and without traffic, but with excellent roads. Until we arrive in Zagreb and through Croatia, we will not leave the incredibly beautiful areas in order to provide you with a top-notch experience until the last moment.

Depending on you flight schedule, you may use the opportunity to have a walk in the historic city center of Zagreb, have a coffee in one of its charming streets. The airport is easily reachable so you can have a nice and relaxing morning before your departure.