THE IDEA
I have always been dreaming to travel by car in Europe. One morning my dream became “The Idea” with the question remaining: “what if?”. What if I book some hotels, fill my car with gas and start a road trip?
So did I! It wasn’t that difficult, nor so expensive to accomplish such a trip in the end. All you need is a good car, decent English language knowledge, a passport, 10 days and 900€. Everything else was a piece of cake, honestly!
Luggage
- 1 Big Suitcase
- 1 Small Suitcase
- 3 Backpacks
Car
I had 300€ in cash and everything else in my N26 debit card.
I had my (Greek) passport and green card for my car. Nothing else was asked to cross the borders.
- Greece: Every 50km
- N.Macedonia: Every 50km
- Serbia: Every 50km
- Hungary: Vigniete
- Czech: Vigniete
- Austria: Vigniete
- Croatia: Every 50km
- Bulgaria: Vigniete
All Tolls could be paid by Debit or Credit Card. No Cash needed.
HOTELS
THE TIMELINE
Bear in mind that this is a road trip with quick stops, sightseeing in the city centres and then back home!
Serbia
Tuesday, April 9-10, 2019
PATRA TO BELGRADE, 10 HOURS
Start point was my hometown, Patras, and first destination Belgrade. It is the longest trip I have done by car. It was about 10 hours, including stops, tolls and border checks. I stayed there overnight and next morning headed off towards Budapest.
BELGRADE TO BUDAPEST, 3 HOURS
Budapest is one of the most beautiful cities I visited. Something new was to discover around every corner: renaissance architecture, beautiful bridges over Danube and a magnificent castle. To my surprise, my hotel happened to be in it!
Hungary
Wednesday, April 10-11, 2019
Austria
Thursday, April 11-12, 2019
BUDAPEST TO VIENNA, 2.30 HOURS
I don’t have a circumstantial opinion about Vienna. It was wrong stopping and staying there. Wait, Vienna is a great city, but not for such a trip. It’s a big, quite expensive city and you need at least 5 days to visit just the basics. My hotel was far from the city center and I payed 8 euros for commuting and visiting just 3 places. To sum up, I wouldn’t recommend Vienna for a budget road trip.
VIENNA TO PRAGUE, 3 HOURS
Prague! Prague! You must spend 2 nights there, like I did, and you will see more or less everything. The most complete city, the best hotel and, to my luck, free parking in weekends. Prague fulfilled me the most when I saw all this beauty from the castle. I discovered the city in 5 hours on foot, taking photos, eating street food and tasting traditional local deserts. RECOMMENDED!
Czech Republic
Friday, April 12-14, 2019
Austria
Friday, April 14-15, 2019
PRAGUE TO INNSBRUCK/SALZBURG , 6 HOURS
Innsbruck and Salzburg are my favourite small cities to visit in Austria. I stayed in a small Airbnb apartment in Innsbruck and the day after I visited Salzburg. Each city has a unique beauty, surrounded by the Alps and gorgeous natural green landscapes. Recommended! Next stop ZAGREB!
SALZBURG TO ZAGREB , 7 HOURS
Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. A very peaceful small city with historical buildings and a big Cathedral in the city centre. Check photo above. I stayed here 2 days and explored the entire city 3 times. Don’t forget to check the Musuem of Broken Relationships.
Croatia
Friday, April 15-17, 2019
Bulgaria
Friday, April 17-18, 2019
ZAGREB TO SOFIA , 8 HOURS
Sofia was the last stop before returning home. A direct trip from Zagreb to Patras was imbossible, so I decided to stay one night in Sofia. Didn’t see much, but from my short stay, it seemed to me as an abandoded city with lots of malls, hotels and factories.