We’ve tested the entire route of the V. Balkan Rally

Some routes look great on a map. Others still work in November, in dense fog, pouring rain and from behind the wheel of a classic car.

Last autumn, Günti drove the entire route of this year’s Balkan Rally kilometre by kilometre, and we’re confident about one thing: this year’s terrain will pull everyone in just as deeply as it has in previous years.

A route scout has to look at things differently. Is a section genuinely enjoyable in a classic car? Is it technical or just tiring? Can the entire field comfortably drive it? Are there decent fuel stops? Where will the field naturally spread out? Does the day have a good rhythm? And perhaps most importantly: does a particular road add something memorable to the overall spirit of the rally?

This year’s route scored highly on all fronts.

Within hours of leaving the Croatian coast, we arrive at the essence of the Balkans: narrow mountain roads, misty plateaus, serpentine passes squeezed between cliffs, unusual border crossings, hidden Montenegrin villages and landscapes that regularly leave us speechless.

The Piva Canyon and Durmitor remain among the highlights, but this year, for the first time, the rally also crosses into Albania.

Throughout the scouting trip, Günti kept a detailed journal. What follows is a small sneak peek into this year’s stages, still wrapped in the colours of a Balkan autumn.

The rally base and opening weekend will take place at Brown Beach House in Trogir, directly on the waterfront facing the old town.

Originally built for the tobacco authority of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the hotel is now one of Croatia’s most stylish seaside properties. Its iconic black-and-white pool provides a fitting backdrop for this year’s opening ceremony.

The prologue is the perfect warm-up for the week ahead. Only a few kilometres beyond Split, we begin climbing into the hills. The coastal panoramas quickly give way to tight Mediterranean villages, roads barely one-and-a-half cars wide and winding mountain passes lined with massive stone walls.

By the end of the day, we’ll reach a viewpoint above Primošten, where the old town, the harbours and a large stretch of the Adriatic coastline unfold beneath us.

On the first competitive day, we quickly leave the Adriatic behind.

After Split, we turn northeast and enter the Dinaric Alps. Coastal views slowly give way to deep valleys, barren mountainsides and the distinct raw atmosphere of Bosnia as we follow the Neretva Canyon and Lake Jablanica towards Sarajevo.

Beyond Tomislavgrad, the character of the road changes completely. Rocky hills, strange plateaus and landscapes somewhere between a Balkan mountain road and the set of a western movie begin to unfold around us.

The Ramsko Jezero area turned out to be particularly spectacular. Peninsulas and tiny coves stretch into the lake, creating the kind of scenery that makes you want to stop for photos every five minutes.

During the scouting trip, we explored several alternative routes here. One promising section looked fantastic on the map, so we enthusiastically turned onto it, only to discover halfway up the mountain that it had quietly transformed into a rocky dirt track. By the time we found our way back to the planned route, darkness was falling.

Moments like these are exactly why scouting trips matter. They reveal not only whether a road is exciting, but whether it genuinely works for an entire rally field over the course of a long day.

The second stage will feel familiar to many participants.

After a two-year absence, we’re returning to the Montenegrin section that perhaps captures the spirit of the Balkan Rally better than anywhere else.

Leaving Sarajevo, we first immerse ourselves in classic Balkan traffic culture on the M18 highway, where locals attempt ambitious overtakes in various naturally aspirated diesel Volkswagens with remarkable confidence, usually for the sole purpose of arriving seven seconds earlier at the next roadworks traffic light.

Then, suddenly, we arrive at one of Europe’s most atmospheric border crossings: a narrow wooden bridge connecting Bosnia and Montenegro.

From there, we follow the turquoise waters of the Piva reservoir before climbing through tunnels carved directly into the rock towards Durmitor. The famous P14 remains one of the absolute highlights of the entire rally: a narrow ribbon of asphalt winding through sheep pastures, mountain lakes, A-frame cabins and completely unreasonable levels of scenery.

The scouting trip confirmed something we already knew. No matter how many times we’ve driven this road, it’s impossible to make good time here.

In theory, you could cross Durmitor in an hour.

In practice, you’ll stop every few minutes for photos, coffee or simply to stare at the view. By the time Günti reached the other side, nearly three hours had passed.

The day ends in Kolašin at the familiar Hotel Bianca, where the spa and the evening parking lot gathering have gradually become an official Balkan Rally institution.

For once, there’s no packing and no hotel check-out.  Instead, after breakfast, we set off on a large Montenegrin loop around Kolašin. On paper, the day could be simple. A main road circles the Tara Canyon quite conveniently. Naturally, we ignored it.

During the scouting trip, we continuously turned off onto smaller mountain roads with less traffic, better views and far more enjoyable driving.

This is likely to become one of the best driving days of the entire rally. Authentic mountain villages, empty switchbacks, ancient monasteries, deep canyons and roads where you occasionally have to pay equal attention to oncoming traffic, potholes and stray cats casually strolling down the middle of the asphalt.

The most technical section awaits between Andrijevica and Mateševo as we gradually approach both the Kosovo and Albanian borders. By evening, we’ll return to Hotel Bianca and one of the most reliable traditions in Balkan Rally history: the spontaneous nightlife that forms in the parking lot.

For the first time ever, the Balkan Rally enters Albania. After Andrijevica, we turn south towards the Accursed Mountains and quickly arrive in a part of the Balkans that still feels genuinely wild and untouched.

Around Lake Plav, holiday homes gradually disappear and are replaced by villages where nearly every yard contains a few cows and an impressive collection of ageing Mercedes sedans.

The Albanian border crossing delivers the classic Balkan experience: plenty of paperwork, slow administration and a mildly unpredictable rhythm. Somehow, everything always works out in the end. On the other side awaits one of the most beautiful roads of the entire rally.

We give Shkodër a wide berth — mainly to avoid its famously chaotic traffic — before returning to Montenegro via Lake Skadar. From there, a long coastal joyride leads us to Budva and back to the Adriatic beneath the lights of one of the oldest old towns on the coast.

The final rally day won’t simply be a cool-down stage. Leaving Budva, the bustling Adriatic atmosphere gradually fades behind us as we enter the Luštica Peninsula on the southern side of the Bay of Kotor. The entire stage consists of narrow coastal roads and tiny fishing villages.

It’s also likely to be the shortest stage and the one requiring the most concentration. Some sections still feel completely untouched, while others pass through old Mediterranean villages where the roads seem to have been designed to accommodate either a donkey or a small Fiat — but certainly not much more.

By the end of the day, however, we arrive at Luštica Bay, which provides a striking contrast to everything that came before. A newly built Mediterranean seaside town filled with marinas, terraces and evening lights.

Our home here will be The Chedi, where we’ll host the award ceremony and closing evening of the V Balkan Rally. After an entire week on the road, it feels like a pretty spectacular place to arrive.