Balkans Tips Cheatsheet

A recent buying trip in 3 Balkan countries allows me to pass on some tips discovered en-route to make your own trip a bit easier.

1. Cheat Sheet Serbia

On my current buying trip I felt I had learned a few tips and tricks to make your own time in Montenegro. easier, cheaper and less stressful. 

Money

Currency is the Serbian Dinar (RSD). The current exchange rate is approx. £1=135 Serbian Dinar (RSD)

Up to date exchange rate is available at Wise.

Google Translate (Android / IOS )

About 1/5 of people speak English in Serbia.  Serbia also used the Cyrillic alphabet although increasingly it seems the latin alphabet is also used.

You can get by for simple stuff by learning a few words and the numbers but for something more

Phone/Internet/Data

I now use E-Sims to obtain my connection (after my Montenegro experience see here).

This allows you to buy the Sim before you actually reach the country and you can activate it as soon as you enter the country.  It’s then easy to top up when you need it by using the app.  I used the excellent and easy Airalo.  This link will get you $3 free credit also.

It saves you waiting in queues and struggling with the language. It’s the way I will always do it in future now that I have seen the light. Most modern smartphones allow the use of E-sims.  They have the added bonus of allowing you to keep your home sim card in the phone.

Public Transport

It’s possible to use all public transport in Belgrade by using a Belgrade cards.  More information and a map here

Bus

To look up country-wide bus information and times we used this comprehensive site.

Train

Timetables for all the major routes can be downloaded in pdf format here

2. Cheat Sheet Montenegro

On my current buying trip I felt I had learned a few tips and tricks to make your own time in Montenegro. easier, cheaper and less stressful. 

Money

Currency is the Euro. The current exchange rate is approx. £1=1.15 Euros.

Up to date exchange rate is available at Wise.

Google Translate (Android / IOS )

About 1/4 of people speak English in Montenegro, you can get by for simple stuff by learning a few words and the numbers but for something more complicated I found using google translate invaluable. The app also lets you play audio of the phrase.   Montenegro uses the latin alphabet unlike neighbouring Serbia

Phone/Internet/Data

At first I went to a phone shop and bought a sim card which with 30 days validity with 10GB data.  This only cost me 10 Euros but I had to wait in the phone shop for 30 minutes as there was a queue and it was very difficult as no-one spoke English in this shop in Podgorica

I now use E-Sims to obtain my connection. My next stop was Serbia and I bought my Serbian Sim before I even went there.  I activated it as soon as I crossed the border.

It’s then easy to top up when you need it by using the app.  I used the excellent and easy Airalo.  This link will get you $3 free credit also.

Transport

Bus

Bus

To look up country-wide bus information and times we used this comprehensive bus site. it works in the neigbouring countries too.

Taxi

There are next to none Uber-like apps in Montenegro.

The only one I found was Tesla, which has an app similar to Uber but has a very small fleet and only serves Podgorica.

They only use Tesla cars and I was pretty impressed by the car, very posh!  I used their service a few times and found it to be excellent. Unfortunately the time I really needed need it when I had pre-booked to get a taxi to the train station in Podgorica to leave for Serbia I didn’t get a car and had to go to the street and a regular one.  (IOS / Android)

Trains

 There is a limited train service in Montenegro. I used it several times on the Bar-Belgrade line.  You cannot buy tickets online. You need to do this at the train station ticket office. For an excellent account of the famous Bar-Belgrade railway journey click here. We did it on the trip and it’s pretty spectacular.  Make sure you get a seat on the left if going towards Belgrade.

Sundays

Don’t try to do anything on Sundays.  Almost everything is closed. A law passed in 2021 means that all shops are closed.  We arrived on a Sunday and couldn’t buy anything to stock up our airbnb house.  Pubs and bars are open though.

Above: Podgorica Train Station

3. Cheat Sheet Croatia

On my current buying trip I felt I had learned a few tips and tricks to make your own time in Croatia. Easier, cheaper and less stressful. 

Money

Currency is the Euro. The current exchange rate is approx. £1=1.15 Euros.

Up to date exchange rate is available at Wise.

Google Translate (Android / IOS )

About 1/3 of people speak English in Croatia, you can get by for simple stuff by learning a few words and the numbers but for something more complicated I found using google translate invaluable. The app also lets you play audio of the phrase.   Montenegro uses the latin alphabet unlike neighbouring Serbia

Phone/Internet/Data

My UK phone provider, Virgin included Croatia in its free roaming plan, Roam like home.  Not many UK operators do this. 

If this has not been the case I now use E-Sims to obtain my connection (after my Montenegro experience see here).

Transport

Taxi

Uber works here in major centres like Zagreb and Dubrovnik  (IOS / Android)

Bolt also works but I found it to be not as reliable as Uber was. (IOS/Android)