We first travelled in the Balkans as a couple and kept returning as a family, first with one baby and later with two daughters. The region suits children better than its winding roads suggest: distances between towns are short, the sea and the mountains are close together, and cafés, parks and old towns welcome families.
This guide connects our Balkan journals into one route and adds the planning points that made the biggest difference for us.
A Balkan road trip route with children
Two weeks is a comfortable length for a loop through four or five countries, with two or three nights in each main stop. Our own journeys are described in Balkan journeys through the years.
- Ljubljana, Slovenia: a riverside city made for pushchairs, with a detour to Metelkova.
- Opatija and Makarska, Croatia: the Makarska Riviera with a baby, our very first family road trip.
- Dubrovnik, Croatia: a shorter Old Town walk with a baby, timed around the heat.
- Kotor, Budva and Ostrog, Montenegro: the Bay of Kotor with a baby, a slower day by the sea and the cliff monastery at Ostrog.
- Mostar and the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina: things to do in Mostar with kids and our Bosnia road trip.
- Belgrade, Serbia: Kalemegdan, the rivers and a gentler second visit.
Travelling with recent history
The wars of the 1990s are part of many places on this route. Mostar's Old Bridge, destroyed in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004, is the most visible example. We also visited the memorial at Potočari, and wrote about it in Remembering Srebrenica.
With children, we found it helped to talk about these places in simple words beforehand, to listen more than we spoke, and to accept that people hold different views of the past.
Practical tips for a family road trip
- Confirm that your rental car may cross every border on the route, and ask about cross-border fees and insurance documents.
- Expect mountain and coastal roads to take longer than the distance suggests, and keep driving days short.
- May, June and September are usually more comfortable than the peak of summer, when the coast is hot and busy.
- In parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, landmines remain away from roads and paths: stay on marked routes in the countryside.
- A light carrier helps on stairs and cobbles; we wrote about trying a MiniMeis shoulder carrier on one trip.
Good to know
A few useful questions
What is the best time for a Balkan road trip with kids?
May, June and September usually offer warm weather without the heat and crowds of July and August.
How long do you need for a Balkan road trip?
About two weeks for a loop through four or five countries with two or three nights in each main stop.
Is the Balkans safe for families?
We felt safe and welcome throughout. Plan for heat and long mountain drives, stay on marked paths in rural Bosnia and Herzegovina, and check current travel advice.
