Balkan DMC · desks in Sofia and Belgrade

A DMC for the Balkans — all twelve neighbours.

Serbia to Slovenia, Budapest to Istanbul. Logistics, permits, transport, guides: handled. Our own brands have run here since 2023, so nothing here is a guess. Your guests and your logo, with our people on the ground.

Serbia to Slovenia, Budapest to Istanbul. Logistics, permits, transport, guides: handled. Your guests and brand, our people on the ground.

Sofia –:–Belgrade –:–
The countriesSend us a brief
Sofia desksent 3 photos from the BalkansOpen
Sofia desk
Balkan DMC · a person replies. always.
Hi, we're looking for a DMC in the Balkans to help with tours for our small walking groups.
Hi, Radina here from the Balkan DMC. We'd love to hear more :) Tell us about your brand.
Message the sofia desk…↑
the Old Bridge, Mostar
the harbour at Hvar
a nap on the ridge
The countriesSend us a brief
chapter one · the countries

Twelve countries, one at a time

Pick a country. What we've crafted there, what it suits, and what it looked like on our own departures.

chapter two · on the map

Where the itineraries actually go

The routes our own brands run, drawn from the day notes — the highlights, not every stop. Click a route to follow it, a country to open it.

Serbia — Belgrade on foot, the Šargan Eight by steamBulgaria — Rila, the seven lakes, and the rose harvestBosnia & Herzegovina — Sarajevo to Mostar by train, pie made properlyMontenegro — Stari Bar, the beach frame, the Bar–Belgrade lineNorth Macedonia — Matka Canyon by boat, a Macedonian tableCroatia — Island summits, Istrian villages, peka from under the bellSlovenia — The Julian Alps on foot, strudel in Bohinj, the beesKosovo — The Rugova side of the Peaks, flia in the ashesAlbania — The high village, Doberdol to Çerem, a bunker, TiranaHungary — Budapest on the Danube, Tokaj cellars, the train southRomania — Maramureș, the Mocănița steam train, Transylvania by railTurkey — Istanbul, where the line ends day 2 · Matka Canyonday 5 · Stari Barday 7 · Montenegro Expressday 8 · Šargan Eightday 14 · Sarajevo → Mostarday 15 · Omišday 18 · Zagreb2578141518day 3 · wine tasting, Kosovoday 5 · Rugova · Hajladay 6 · Kuqishteday 7 · Albanian Alps villageday 8 · Doberdol → Çeremday 14 · Tirana3567814day 1 · Budapestday 2 · Tokajday 3 · Maramureșday 5 · Cluj-Napoca · Mocănițaday 7 · Sighișoaraday 9 · Brașov · Branday 11 · Bucharestday 13 · Veliko Tarnovoday 14 · Sofiaday 16 · Rila Monasteryday 17 · Dobrinishte · Seven Lakesday 18 · Rhodope Mountainsday 19 · Plovdiv · rose pickingday 20 · Istanbul1235791113141617181920Julian AlpsBohinjSoča gorgeday 8 · Grožnjanday 11 · Mali Lošinj123811 SerbiaBulgariaBosnia & Herz.MontenegroN. MacedoniaCroatiaSloveniaKosovoAlbaniaHungaryRomaniaTurkey Sofia deskBelgrade desk
hover a route · its stops line up here
click a route to follow it · click a country to open it
chapter three · the trips

Itineraries that already run here

Under our own brands, with our own guests, at our own risk — the day notes are from those departures. Your version starts from one of these or from a blank page.

Magnificent Explorers · Fencox Travel · Patch Adventures

Balkans Rail Explorer

rail · lvl 2 · North Macedonia · Montenegro · Serbia · Bosnia · Croatia · Slovenia · Kosovo
  • 2Matka Canyon
  • 5Stari Bar
  • 7Montenegro Express
  • 8Šargan Eight
  • 14Sarajevo → Mostar
  • 15Omiš
  • 18Zagreb
departures:202482025720265
DAYS24GRADElvl 2
Camino Women

Peaks of the Balkans

walking · women-only · lvl 5 · Kosovo · Montenegro · Albania
  • 3wine tasting, Kosovo
  • 5Rugova · Hajla
  • 6Kuqishte
  • 7Albanian Alps village
  • 8Doberdol → Çerem
  • 14Tirana
departures:2023120243202522026120272
DAYS16GRADElvl 5
Magnificent Explorers · Fencox Travel

Budapest to Istanbul by Train

rail · Hungary · Romania · Bulgaria · Turkey
  • 1Budapest
  • 2Tokaj
  • 3Maramureș
  • 5Cluj-Napoca · Mocănița
  • 7Sighișoara
  • 9Brașov · Bran
  • 11Bucharest
  • 13Veliko Tarnovo
  • 14Sofia
  • 16Rila Monastery
  • 17Dobrinishte · Seven Lakes
  • 18Rhodope Mountains
  • 19Plovdiv · rose picking
  • 20Istanbul
departures:20241202532026320273
DAYS22
Camino Women

Slovenia and Croatia

walking · women-only · Slovenia · Croatia
  • Julian Alps
  • Bohinj
  • Soča gorge
  • 8Grožnjan
  • 11Mali Lošinj
departures:20243202532026320274
DAYS13
Magnificent Explorers · Fencox Travel · Patch Adventures

Balkans in Depth

rail · new for 2027

day notes to follow

departures:20275
DAYS25
on the ground in the Balkans right now

Already on the books.

12
countries
Budapest to Istanbul without a flight
2
desks
Sofia & Belgrade, staffed locally
5
itineraries
13 to 25 days, rail and walking
43
departures
on the books 2023–2026
14
on the 2027 calendar
already scheduled, five of them the new 25-day trip
3
of our brands
run the rail trips under their own name
chapter four · the people

The people in the office

Who you'll deal with from the first call. The guides and the people on the ground follow — and they get a page of their own.

Radina Petrishka
Radina PetrishkaGM · Balkan DMC
Miloš Veličković
Miloš VeličkovićBalkan DMC
chapter five · what we cater to

What you can bring us

The formats that have already run here under our own brands, and the practical answers you'd ask for on the first call.

Rail

Seven countries without a flight; the Sarajevo–Mostar and Bar–Belgrade lines, the Šargan Eight.

Walking, lvl 2 to lvl 5

From rail-trip strolls to the Peaks of the Balkans at our hardest grade.

Women-only

Camino Women runs the Peaks, Croatia and Slovenia here.

Food-focused

Strudel in Bohinj, Bosnian pie in Sarajevo, flia, peka, a Macedonian table.

Culture

Rila, Tsarevets, Kalemegdan, Stari Bar, Tirana.

Birding

No birding itinerary runs here yet; one is in design. Tell us if your guests bird and we build the day notes with you.

Sketching

Wayward Paper runs The Salt Coast here — eleven days through Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia with a sketchbook, from April 2027.

Fixed departure groups

Set dates, one operator's group, our ground team. That's what we run — no FITs, no MICE.

Borders & combining countries
Seven countries without a flight — Balkans by Train crosses North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia and Kosovo by rail and road.
Walking grades
We grade walking on a fitness level from 2 to 5. From strolls to mountain hikes — it's covered.
Group size
Tell us your group size and we size the ground team to it.
When something moves
Weather, roads, a border — you hear it from us before a guest tells you.
chapter six · say hello

Planning the Balkans? Send the brief.

Countries, dates, group size, the feeling you're after. The Sofia desk comes back with a costed plan rather than a brochure — two working days, usually one.

--:-- in Sofia
The Balkans team
the Balkans team — they live here

Or email it straight to radina@leatherbacktravel.com.