I’m trying to remember who told me planning a trip to the Balkans would be just as easy as planning one to western Europe. Balderdash! When I do remember, I think I’ll cheerfully strangle that person.
You CAN get there from here. But getting around once there is another story.
We are flying into Budapest. Easy.
From Budapest we are taking an overnight train to Belgrade. Easy.
From Belgrade a day train to Kolasin. Easy, although hair-raising.
After Kolasin we will travel around the Kotor area of Montenegro with a rental car. Easy, although I hear it can be life threatening to drive in the roads.
Leaving Montenegro is where the difficulty lies. I’ve spent and entire day researching ways to get from Kotor to Bucharest…plane, train, automobile, & boat.
Our preferred option would be train, but oh, right – no trains from Montenegro to anywhere. Yes there is the Belgrade/Bar line that will take us BACK to Belgrade, but after Dan gets a taste of that trip coming into the country, I know he won’t agree to it a second time. And the ONLY other train in Montenegro runs from Niksic to the coast of Albania. That won’t do us any good.

So, we are going to have to take a bus from Kotor to Dubrovnik. Then, if we don’t want to spend almost as much as we did to cross the ocean, a plane from Dubrovnik to Bucharest VIA VIENNA for Pete’s sake!
All of this complaining is being done with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.
I’m having a blast trying to figure out the logistics of this trip.
Wait until Dan find’s out we are going through Austria to get to Romania! Tee he hee.