Ottoman Tour with Busabout

Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

I visited Bosnia while on my first trip with Busabout in September 2011. I had been in Edinburgh for over 6 months at the time and I was living in a hostel with lots of other Aussies. One of them had been on a Busabout trip the year before and highly recommended it so I jumped at the occasion and booked the Ottoman Tour together with her.

The tour started in Split, a beautiful coastal town in Croatia. We visited Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria and finished in Istanbul, Turkey. I loved every bit of it, but Bosnia has a special place in my heart.

Both Mostar and Sarajevo, which we visited, are so stunning! And the food was delicious.

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Belgrade, Serbia

Belgradians are very polite and open to visitors and it was a pleasure to be in Belgrade, even if for one day only.

As we arrived late at night we visited its fortress in the dark and I must say although my pictures are not good, it was exciting. There is a great view on the Danube river which meets River Sava and it was a nice and warm October evening so very enjoyable.

Sofia, Bulgaria

We arrived in Sofia during the day. I remember seeing slums arriving into the city by bus. But then the centre was so modern, so clean. Lots of contrasts I guess. 

This time, the accommodation chosen for us by the Busabout’s team was the Rodina Hotel, a super modern hotel with a casino, a bar on the top floor and rooms with a great view! In Sofia we had an amazing night out, which I will never forget.

We were picked up by our lovely driver and dropped off at Victoria Loven Park’s Restaurant, located in the middle of a forest. Yes, I remember we had to walk in the middle of a forest and I was freaking out a little! Only to found this incredible massive restaurant where we had a big table booked for us, and live music to follow.

Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Plovdiv is a super cute town in Bulgaria. Opposite to Sofia, we had lots of free time here and it was nice to just stroll around, peak in at shops and pop into bakeries, soaking in the chilling atmosphere of this town, one step closer to Turkey.

Istanbul, Turkey

Our entrance into Istanbul is marked in my memories by a wee monkey in a bar by the highway and a man selling what looked like pitta bread sitting on a tray on his head, while walking inbetween cars, in the highway!

Istanbul stole my heart and deserved its own post which you can read here 🙂