3,600 kilometres to the Balkans and back

Ljubljana was our first proper base. The city is beautiful, colourful, varied and lively. It has lovely squares, bridges, the castle above, riverside cafés, young people and street life. You can arrive, do some shopping, walk through the old town, have a coffee, sit by the river and feel that you are already travelling at a different pace. For us, Ljubljana was also the first test of the way we wanted to travel: an apartment, self-catering, a cool box, parking, exploring the city by bicycle and on foot. Ljubljana made it easy to settle into the journey. No great fanfare, but a very pleasant first stop.

Plitvice was one of the great natural highlights of the journey. We were first at the entrance, and that was the right decision. At a place like Plitvice, timing makes a real difference. Early on, the park has a different rhythm: less heat, fewer people, quieter paths. The lakes had been on our bucket list for a long time, and they fully lived up to it. Water in every shape, colour, height and movement. You see plenty of photographs beforehand, but being there is still something else. Plitvice is well organised and very busy from midday. You notice it. But for us, that did not detract from the experience. We had arrived early enough and enjoyed it to the full.

Old town, promenade, sea, sunset, people outdoors. After Slovenia, Zagreb, Rastoke and Plitvice, we reached the coast in Zadar. Zadar was a surprise. Not quite as uniform as other old towns, but much better than expected. The Sea Organ, the Greeting to the Sun and the sunsets are extraordinary. We also had some lovely cycling. And then there was the sea. Zadar may not carry quite the weight of Split or Dubrovnik. But we loved it all the same.

Our apartment was on the coast exactly halfway between Split and Omiš. We set off early by bicycle into the city. That worked surprisingly well, though it was tiring too. Then the city hit us with full force. Split demands a little stamina. An old town that is a Roman palace. A Roman palace that is an old town. Lots of people. We soon headed back to the beach and returned in the evening. The atmosphere was more relaxed then, the city lively without feeling quite so heavy. The beach, incidentally, is highly recommended too.

Korčula brought a different pace to the journey. Partly because an island sets its own rhythm, unlike the mainland, and partly because from here onwards the heat began to take charge. Korčula Town is not ‘Dubrovnik in miniature’, as you sometimes read, but it is also far more than ‘just a postcard view’. Lanes, water, walls, views, little bays, white wine and olive oil — exactly the combination we like: beautiful, manageable, but not bland. We particularly loved swimming off the rocky shore right in front of our Airbnb.

Dubrovnik was one of the highlights of the journey. The city is not just famous, it is extraordinary: from the walls, from Srđ, from the lanes, in the morning, in the evening, at night. The red roofs, the pale city walls, the sea, the rocks, the light. We had good conditions. It was busy, but never unpleasantly so. We had checked the cruise ships beforehand; in the end, they were not a problem for us. Our accommodation was conveniently located, the bus worked, the Dubrovnik Pass suited us, and at midday we took a break in the apartment. But the key point was not that Dubrovnik was ‘easier than expected’. The key point was that Dubrovnik delivered. City walls in the evening, Srđ overlooking the old town, lanes early in the morning, the blue hour, the illuminated city. That stays with you.

In terms of landscape, Kotor was one of the most striking places on the journey. Bay, mountains, old town, hairpin road — it is spectacular. You look at the landscape almost in disbelief, because everything comes together so tightly, steeply and dramatically. Kotor itself is small, winding and narrow, but its surroundings give it grandeur. The old town is beautiful, the bay impressive, and the view from above is an essential part of it. Here too, we had kept an eye on the cruise ships. They did not become a problem for us — almost the opposite: the large ships make the scale of the bay even more striking. And beyond all the drama, we had a very relaxed morning cycling along the shore near Dobrota.

Mostar was perhaps the place that occupied our thoughts most. The bridge, the river, the lanes, the mosques, the atmosphere of the East, the light — photographically and atmospherically, Mostar is extraordinary. You constantly want to stop because another view, detail or perspective appears. At the same time, Mostar is not a simple place. The city feels shaped by its Ottoman past. Yet above it stands a cross 33 metres high. You sense that history is not far away here. Much is visible; some things you only partly understand as a visitor. And when you look into them, it becomes complicated.

A long driving day by this journey's standards, with a lovely refreshing stop at the Kravica waterfalls. So it was already quite late when we reached the sea again near Senj and went for a swim. Even so, it was anything but a ‘supply stop’: coastal road, wind, water, a very distinctive fortress and another blue hour.

Pula is not simply a holiday backdrop. Among the harbour, residential streets and plenty of visible everyday life, the Arena suddenly appears — one of the most impressive buildings of the journey. It is precisely this contrast that makes the city interesting: Roman history, the present and the sea lie surprisingly close together.

Rovinj delivers the classic image of Istria: the old town on its peninsula, narrow lanes, harbour, sea and the church tower above. It is touristy, but at the same time so harmonious and atmospheric that it still ranks among the very best for us.

Trieste probably had the hardest task. In our minds, we were almost home already, and Piran had set the bar high. Yet Trieste struck a note of its own: grand squares, coffee, harbour, sea, traces of Austria and that slight air of faded grandeur which suits a final evening.