Four Long-Distance Hikes in the Balkans
Between 2018 and 2026, I have hiked over 6,000 kilometers across the Balkan Peninsula.
Below, you’ll find an overview of each hike, with linked pages for each country or region for more detailed stage descriptions, GPS tracks and gear notes.
- 2018: hiking from the eastern coast of Cyprus to Slovenia via Crete, Peloponnese, Central Greece (with the Pindus mountains), Albania and Via Dinarica. I then followed to the Dolomites on Via Alpina.
- 2019: hiking through Eastern Europe from Istanbul to Italy via Bulgaria (Rhodopes, Pirin, Rila and the Balkan mountains) before continuing to Serbia and Romania via the Carpathians.
- 2025: hiking in Aegean Greece starting with the Cyclades, Euboea, the Sporades, Mount Athos then walking through Macedonia (Greek, Bulgarian and Northern).
- 2026: hiking through the Balkans West to East from the port of Durrës in Albania to Cape Emine on the shores of the Black Sea.
Hiking through the Balkans in 2018 — Cyprus to the Dolomites (3,450 km)
4 months hiking, around 3,450 kilometers through nine countries (Cyprus, Greece, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy). A way through mountains with 160 kilometers of ascents. It’s also a way through history — between the Greek and Roman worlds, Eastern and Western Europe, the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, at the border of Catholic, Orthodox and Muslim areas.
I started at Cape Greco to hike through Cyprus and then through Crete. From the south of the Peloponnese, I hiked the peninsula and then through Central Greece. This part is quite isolated — the mountains often exceed 2,000 meters and are still wild. But whatever the area, throughout Greece, I found kindness and hospitality.
What to say about Albania? Meeting Albanians is a highlight of this section. The country long remained closed to tourism, so relationships here are still authentic. Albania also offers beautiful mountain and countryside scenery.
Entering Montenegro marked the return to the western world. A 1,000-kilometer path, the Via Dinarica, brought me to Slovenia via Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.
To see detailed information (accommodation, resupply…) and GPS tracks, visit each specific page:
Hiking through Eastern Europe in 2019 — Istanbul to Italy
From Istanbul, I hiked through Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with a superb route along the Black Sea coast and then through Edirne with its splendid mosque. Before arriving in Bulgaria, I crossed a corner of Greece. Bulgaria is very beautiful, with varied landscapes — Alpine massifs (Pirin, Rila), gentler ranges (Rhodopes, Balkans), Turkish and Pomak villages, monasteries and Orthodox churches — all connected by many paths. I walked nearly 800 kilometers in this country before continuing into Serbia to climb the Carpathian mountain range through beautiful mid-mountain landscapes, reaching Romania where the Danube crosses the Carpathians at the spectacular Iron Gates gorges.
To see detailed information (accommodation, resupply…) and GPS tracks, visit each specific page:
Aegean Greece and Macedonia in 2025
In 2025, I walked through Aegean Greece, taking in the Cyclades (Santorini, Naxos, Tinos and Andros), Euboea, the Sporades (Skopelos and Skiathos), the Pelion peninsula up to the foot of Mount Olympus, and Mount Athos. From Mount Athos, the route continues towards the Bulgarian border, crossing the highest massifs in the country — first the Pirin, with its highest point, Vikhren peak (2,914 m), then north with a loop through the Rila before reaching the border.
In North Macedonia, I walked east to west via the Osogovo massif, then the central plain. Continuing westward, I hiked through the Šar Mountains on the Kosovo border, then south to the Albanian border via the Korab massif, the country’s highest point at 2,753 m. After following the shores of Lake Ohrid, the route ends in Greece at Mount Olympus.
To see detailed information (accommodation, resupply…) and GPS tracks, visit each specific page:
The Six Seas Trail — Balkans West to East in 2026
From the Adriatic to the Black Sea: from the port of Durrës in Albania to Cape Emine on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, this is the final leg of my long-distance trail, the Six Seas Trail, which began in the Basque Country with the northern Iberian Cordillera, then continued east-west through Sardinia and Southern Italy, from the Amalfi Coast to Cape Santa Maria di Leuca at the tip of the Italian boot’s heel. I first completed my walk in Albania, from the port of Durrës on the Adriatic coast to Lurë National Park, establishing the eastern link to my 2025 hike through Macedonia. After a bus transfer, I resumed at the western section of this trek at the foot of the Rila Mountains in Bulgaria. The route then climbs to the highest point of the Balkan Peninsula, Musala (2,925 m), before reaching the central part of the Stara Planina (Balkan) mountain range, and follows the Kom-Emine trail (European long-distance path E3) to Cape Emine on the Black Sea coast.
See the following pages for detailed stage descriptions, GPS tracks, and all logistical information (supplies, accommodation, water, etc.):
My Gear for 2025
Since 2017 and the Appalachian Trail, I’ve kept almost the same gear. For the reasoning behind my main choices, see the introduction page for Italy. Compared to 2024, the main change was leaving my camera behind. Until now, I wanted to benefit from camera zooms and also avoid relying too heavily on my phone, risking either breaking it or running out of battery — it’s first and foremost a safety tool, for emergency calls and navigation. The improvement in phone zoom quality convinced me to make this switch. In return, I upgraded my charging gear. The overall result is a weight saving of about 250g.
Phone: Google Pixel 8 Pro, rated IP68 for water resistance. It stays in a case (cut out only at the lenses) attached to the backpack, to prevent it from falling when I take a photo. I chose this model for its photo quality and for its emergency satellite messaging feature, which works across the European Union.
Solar panel: I moved away from the models I’d used until now (Tomtop, etc.) as their performance and durability were disappointing. I switched to the X-Moove ETFE 6W. In testing, it charges at 5W. Panel weight: 150g.
Power bank: I use a Sofirn HS41 headlamp that runs on 21700 batteries and doubles as a phone power bank. Tested with two 6000mAh batteries, it delivered 3,200mAh to my phone — lower than I’d hoped. Headlamp weight, with its 21700 battery: 150g.
With my phone’s 5,050mAh battery, the headlamp’s 3,200mAh, and the solar panel, I hope to manage my phone usage without limiting myself on photos, especially since I’m not one for extended off-grid stretches in the mountains anyway.
My base weight (excluding food, water and fuel) is 7.3kg — a full kilo less than in 2017 for the Appalachian Trail!
