...Albania,Montenegro,Macedonia,& Serbia? Any must sees? My husband & I are taking our 4 kids on a fabulous road trip through the above countries. We're thinking about driving down the Croatian coast (We spent the best week of our lives in Croatia last year. LOVED it!), to Dubrovnik, Kotor, somewhere in the north of Albania (we planned on going to the SW tip, reading it is beautiful, but not the best driving...) somewhere in Serbia to Ohrid (Macedonia), hit the western part of Bulgaria, then back up Serbia to Budapest. We only have 10 days for that big circle, so a couple days in each country. Any suggestions for that top region of Albania, west side of Bulgaria and then through Serbia espeically? I wish we could stay longer in each place, but my man must get back to work in Germany!! We're not money bags at all, but with our kids, we'd like some memorable and safe places to stay (preferable with kitchen and a couple bedrooms). Does anyone have tips on what we must see and do in those areas and some fun places to stay?I absolutely LOVE all three of you for responding. Thank you so much for your time! We have added ideas from each response to our trip itinerary!!! I hope to get more advice, especially for northeast Albania and through Serbia. lovingly, Chrispy

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here are some tips I recomend ppl here about Ohrid, Macedonia:There’s so much to be seen there..During the day you can go on any of the many beautiful beaches by the shore of the lake, do some shoping, sightseeing in the city or just sit in one of the many cafés in any of the narrow streets in the Old Town and enjoy. For all the young people, the nightlife is great and vibrant. The cafes work late at night, but there’re also so many nightclubs where you can carry on from there.For sightseeing, there’re enormous many old churches, my favourite ones are Plaoshnik, more than 15 centuries old, St. Jovan Caneo, St. Naum… If you climb on the Samuil Fortress, just 5 min from the centre, you get amazing sight on the whole lake. The Lake is clean, one of the oldest ones in Europe, from 1980 protected by UNESCO as a place of world cultural and natural inheritance. Most of the lake’s plant and animal species are endemic, which also makes Ohrid unique. The most famous among these are two types of Ohrid Trout. You should try them prepared on the traditional way. Mmmmm…Ohrid is also known as the site of the first Slavic university run by St. Clement and St. Naum at the end of the 9th century. Ohrid, also, used to be the centre of the orthodox Christianity in the whole region. There’s so much history there… And DO NOT miss a boat trip on the lake, especially at night, believe me one of a kind experience!!I must not forget to mention the hospitability of the people there. In the last few years Ohrid is soooo popular among foreign tourists, especially Greeks, Dutchmen, Bulgarians, Serbians etc. So, check it out and have fun!!!p.s. And, did I say it's cheap?! ;o) all the bestwww.exploringmacedonia.com

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Well I am from Macedonia and I think you should visit Ohrid for sure because it's a beautiful town with a beautiful history,churches,the lake...in Serbia visit Belgrade,you can also visit Budva ,yes visit Dubrovnik because it's so marvelous and in Bulgaria -Golden Sands but if you want some mountain air then go to the village Bansko.Have a good trip! =))

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There are several interesting places you could hit in western Bulgaria, listed starting from the southern border, reaching the Danube to the north - you can chose based on what you feel like seeing or doing:Melnik – it is a very unique “sand� town in the middle of an area sand dunes would be the last thing to expect... The scenery is beyond belief; lots of traditional old architecture, too. It is famous for good wine. Your kids may be interested in a little cave tour there (it is actually a wine cellar), I remember truly enjoying the twisty cold path in the side of the hills… There are nice B&B’s, and it has become touristy lately.Sandanski is around the corner, it’s popular for its natural hot springs, if you think your kids would enjoy the soaking, you could all have a splash.Rila Monastery – an absolute must see. It is a little out of the way, up a twisty road in the mountains… Whatever I type in here won’t do it justice, but you can check the Wiki on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rila_Monastery If you can see one single thing on your trip through Western Bulgaria, I recommended it to be the Rila Monastery. You can stay overnight at the monk quarters there, too! Sofia, obviously, just because it’s the capital… Too much to see and do there, but not necessarily that unique. The Wiki again: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SofiaBelogradchik – there is a stunning natural rock formation stronghold with outer fortress walls… My husband had a photo we took there as his screensaver, and a colleague asked him which video game that was from! Kids would have a blast, imagination can run wild there, and anything that involves rock climbing (nothing difficult or dangerous or requiring gear) is bound to be fun. You can park right outside the fortress gates. Vidin – the Baba Vida fortress is probably the best place you can take kids, too. When we visited, there wasn’t a soul in sight past the ticket booth. We had the towers, dungeons, moat (no water), a whole medieval castle all to ourselves to play hide and seek…Have a fun trip!

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Since everybody else told you something about Bulgaria and Macedonia, I'd like to tell you stuff about Serbia. If you plan on visiting Serbia on your return from Bulgaria, you should definitely spend some time in Nis (Southern Serbia, it's the third largest city in Serbia), Belgrade (Serbian Capital having about 2 million inhabitants), and Novi Sad in Vojvodina (second largest city in Serbia). First of all, Nis is right off the highway when you enter Serbia from Bulgaria. You should see there Cele kula and the beautiful bank of the Nisava (the river going through Nis). Going up north from Nis and taking the highway, you can stop by any local restaurant and enjoy pecenje (it's a sort of rottiserrie eaten cold) or rostilj (Serbian barbecue - it's just lovely) and have a sip or two of rakija sljivovica (Serbian plum brandy). When you arrive in Belgrade, you can check in at Hyatt or Intercontinental or Balkan or Moskva (these are very expensive hotels, but if you prefer something cheaper, you can go to Mladost hotel). Once in Belgrade, you'll wish to stay longer than just couple of days, because there's so much to see and do here. You can go to Ada Ciganlija (that's a lake in Belgrade where the whole city goes over summer and swims, does sports, enjoys cafes by the beach, etc), Kalemegdan (medieval fortress and the beautiful park right over the Sava), Belgrade zoo (it's right by Kalemegdan), numerous museums, Knez Mihajlova (walking zone in Belgrade right across from Kalemegdan), take a walk by Skupstina Srbije and Skupstina grada (beautiful Parliament buildings) etc. You can also take a walk on Kej (it's in New Belgrade across the Brankov most - the bridge) and Kej is also a walking area by the Danube. Once you leave Belgrade, you should take the highway to Novi Sad (Novi sad is about an hour of driving north from Belgrade) and definitely see Petrovaradin (beautiful fortress on one side of the Danube, while the rest of Novi Sad lies on the other side of this great river). Beside Petrovaradin, you should also go downtown Novi Sad and take a walk there and see this beautiful city and its churches and museums. After leaving Novi Sad, you can take the highway to Budapest and on your way there you can stop by Subotica and Palic (Palic is the lake real close to Subotica and it's the very north of Serbia and Vojvodina).I hope this Serbian route helps you decide where to go. Enjoy!!!

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These guys pretty much hit everything on the ball.But i will tell you that if you want anymore travel tips about traveling in general you can check out my blog at http://www.scottstravelblog.com

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I hear Budapest is the best place to visit!

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