We engaged Choose Balkans tours after interviewing a number of Balkan travel agents. We wanted a 2-week private excursion in the Balkans in October 2024. Choose Balkans was always... read more prompt to respond to messages, and kept our conversation moving forward throughout July, 2024 despite it being the busiest time of year for them. We had some delay in receiving information about the hotels chosen by them but still received the hotel list in plenty of time to substitute a couple of them. They were very accommodating with the itinerary we requested. They also did an excellent job of listing all of the sites to be seen, and making first day and last day arrangements.
Once we reached Tirana, Albania, they performed superbly! One of their agents met us on the first day, gave an overview, and answered all our questions. The next morning, we met Gino, who would be our driver for the entire trip, except the last day. He was a very good driver, a good English speaker, and was also quite knowledgeable about the various sites we visited in Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Montenegro. Our Lonely Planet book was an excellent supplement and filled in the gaps for other countries. He was also very accommodating when we asked to do different or special things, even during a full day of driving and guiding.
We had agreed to 3-star accommodations, and in all cases they were adequate. In most cases the breakfasts were quite good, and the hotel personnel personable. Sometimes we had to carry our luggage up one or more flights of stairs, making us double glad we packed light. All were located in areas easily walkable to sites and restaurants. The car that was used throughout was new, spacious, and excellent.
Now that we’ve been back from the trip, it brings back excellent memories of the Balkan countries and all of the experiences we had along the way. We certainly wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Choose Balkans for another Balkans trip.
