Driving in the Balkans could be more than just annoying. It could be dangerous. Yet, if you are aiming for an authentic experience off the beaten track, renting a car and driving may be the best solution, as public transportation in this area of Europe is often unreliable or non-existent.

Driving experiences in the region can vary greatly, depending on your route. Driving in Greece, Turkey, Croatia and on the main roads in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia would be more or less normal and you can count on an average speed of 90-100 km per hour. But don’t expect anything even remotely similar if you’re driving in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, or on the smaller roads of Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia. There, your time may be spent in either driving with 40 km per hour in a cloud of poisonous smoke from old cars’ exhaust pipes or snail-slaloming between immense potholes on a desolate road.

If you’re not very experienced behind the wheel, we strongly recommend you avoid driving in the region, with the exception of Croatia, Greece and Turkey. If you’re a seasoned driver, you could have a safe adventure as long as you are prepared for the widely-spread nuisances and take some precautions accordingly.

Here are some annoyances of which you should be aware when undertaking a road trip in the Balkans.

The Human Factor

In most countries in the region taking over on roads with a solid white line and at impossible bends is a common practice. The public debate whether these are reckless murderers, or people overjoyed at having cars they never thought they’d get, is on-going. However, avoid following their example, and try not to panic when you see them on the road. Simply slow down a little and drive at a bigger distance, as to make sure that you would manage to stop in time if they crash.

Not giving due priority, crossing on a red light and not stopping on zebra crossings is also habitual in the Balkans. Expect everything and anything from the drivers around you, and you shall be safe. In some cases you can witness cars taking illegal left turns from the far right lane, or driving into oncoming lanes of traffic.

Underdeveloped Economies’ Effect

Driving in the Balkans often confronts you with the difficult choice of whether to avoid road assholes or road potholes. Both are abundant across the region and you really need to be careful when coping with both types.

Probably the worst potholes you will find are in Kosovo, but they are also quite widespread in Bulgaria, though the situation in the new EU member is improving rapidly. They are more numerous and worse on the smaller roads, where lack of money sometimes brings local authorities to strange solutions, such as encircling the disruptions with road paint instead of filling them.

This doesn’t help much, though, so just drive slowly and try not to get into what may seem like puddles in rainy weather, but may turn out to be small lakes.

In some countries, but almost everywhere in Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and remote corners of Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, you should keep in mind that roads marked on the map may in fact turn out to be macadam roads – roads, whose asphalt has decomposed with time. It could also happen that a road starts with a stretch of new asphalt and then turns rough as soon as you pass a point of no return. Especially if you travel in remote areas, make sure to check on the condition of the road you intend to take with your hotel, host or at the local petrol station.

Another problem you will certainly encounter in most of the Balkan countries (Turkey, Greece and Croatia, again, make an exception) is the bad signposting. Apart from featuring all kinds of styles, roadside signs are often confusing, misleading or simply missing. In Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro you may also encounter signs that are only in Cyrillic.

Asking for directions is also difficult because English-speakers are relatively few, especially in the countryside, but most of all because of the specific local manner of giving directions. Instead of “straight”, “left” and “right”, they tend to use “up” and “down”, which can be extremely confusing. Sometimes they would refer to a signpost which is only noticeable if you walk by it slowly, as it is written, say, with brown paint on a brown wooden board, hidden in rich tree foliage. And so on.

Also beware that even the most prestigious travel guides for some countries, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina for instance, may contain false information or nonsensical directions, such as instructing one to “drive for 15 minutes and then turn left.”.

There are several possible solutions for this: you could buy a good map and ask at your hotel for directions, or you could get a local for a guide. At some places this is very easily done, even on the spot. It often happens that people you ask will offer to personally take you to your destination so that you don’t get lost. In most cases this is perfectly safe, but you need to speak a little of the local language.

Although the idea of riding in a 30-year old Zastava, a falling-apart Yugo or a Trabant which roars like a jet may seem entertaining, old cars are a great annoyance in many places around the region. You can best experience their “charms” in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and to a slightly lesser extent – in Macedonia.

Combined with old trucks, they create huge congestions, and leave you driving along the narrow, busy roads with less than 50 km an hour, surrounding you with poisonous clouds of gas. You can’t do much about it, except to use a car with a good ventilation system and to plan enough time for your trip.

Also, while driving through the region, you should be mindful of another serious danger: horse-drawn carts, which sometimes ride along the roads with no lights, and even without light-reflectors. Although this is strictly forbidden and local authorities try to prevent it, it can still be encountered in many countries.

Apart from that, you will surely see numerous dead animals, livestock and sometimes – rocks on the road.

Rules and Traffic Police

Traffic Police can be a real annoyance in the region, with some exceptions – again, in most parts of Greece and Turkey. In the Balkans you will probably find more policemen on the roads than you’ve seen thoughout your life. Their practice is to hide in places where people can’t see them from afar, and where a speed limit stretch is almost over – most often after you exit an inhabited area and you think you are back on the main road (you will find the sign for speed limit abolishment is maliciously put 500 metres further).

Unfortunately, there is still widespread corruption amongst traffic policemen, and they often stop you not to ensure safety on the roads, but to get some extra income. People have reported being stopped in Bosnia and Herzegovina for exceeding the speed limit with 3 kilometres.

However, as corruption is getting more and more concealed, you will find the traffic policemen are unlikely to openly ask for money if you don’t offer a bribe yourself. Instead, they will gloomily write you a ticket.

If you are really caught with a violation, pay your penalty – it can often be done on the spot. But bear in mind that there is also a chance that the policemen might make up a story of an earlier violation. Do ask to go to the spot in question and demand an explanation of what exactly you have done. We received travellers’ accounts of situations when the policemen’s story was obviously impossible and it was proven as such when confronted with the alleged violation scene.

Your status as a foreigner can have different effects on policemen. While on the one hand they will see you as a possible source for income, on the other, they are mindful of having troubles with Western Europeans. This is why, if you feel unjustly accused, you should insist on your rights and they will most likely let you go.

Another inconvenience is that road rules vary across the region. In Bulgaria, for instance, you are obliged to drive with your lights in the daytime during the winter season only, while in Bosnia you need to have them on throughout the year. In Serbia you may get fined for not having switched on your fog lights, in case you disagree with the traffic police over whether there is a fog or not.

Speed limits vary too. Click here to check what they are in different countries. Yet we would recommend that every time you cross a border, you check the rules with the border police, as legislation in South East Europe is quite dynamic at the moment.

To make your experience easier and more hassle-free, there are four basic points of advice:

• Take a good insurance (for Kosovo you will need to buy a separate car insurance at the border, at 50 euros, as no international insurance company covers accidents on the province’s roads);

• Use a decent car. If your plan is to go off the main roads, take a 4x4 vehicle. If you don’t have one – rent it for the journey, it is well worth it.

• Plan your trip carefully, possibly with assistance of a local person, buy yourself a good map and do not count on an average speed of over 50 km per hour for when you drive off the infrequent highways in the Balkans. While you can go the 500 km from Sofia to Belgrade in six hours, you will need at least nine hours to cover the same distance between Sofia and Sarajevo;

• Do not let difficulties on the road spoil your trip – apart from its bad roads, travelling in the region could be a very rewarding experience, and as authentic as you can find in Europe.