Estonia to Armenia

📍 Estonia → Latvia → Lithuania → Poland

We started in Estonia and drove through Latvia and Lithuania before crossing into Poland and continuing to Warsaw. Kurri is calm and unbothered as always and this is how it starts.

📍 Warsaw area

We stopped near Warsaw for the first night. It`s easier to find apartments that allow all pets without extra fees, which is our usual approach across the trip. Kurri had a quiet evening and woke up to his birthday the next morning 🎂

📍 Warsaw → Kraków area → Zakopane area · Tatra Mountains

Day two took us from Warsaw down to the Zakopane area in the Tatra mountains. Same logic, plenty of accommodation options that welcome pets without charging for it. We found a room in a mountain house with a garden, so Kurri got to walk outside in cool mountain air after a long day in the car. Good birthday present.

Warsaw accommodation

Zakopane mountain house

Kurri in Poland with some beautiful artwork

📍 Zakopane → Ždiar → Spišské Podhradie → Hungary → Romania

Our second longest driving day: straight through Slovakia and Hungary into Romania, three vignettes needed. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland don't have tolls, but Slovakia, Hungary and Romania do. We always buy everything online before crossing. No hassle, no queues at the border to buy vignettes.

📍 Near the border · Rest stop

First night just near the border: an apartment building with an enclosed courtyard where Kurri could walk freely. After a long driving day that's exactly what you need.

📍 Oradea → Florești → Alba Iulia region → Munții Lotrului → Râmnicu Vâlcea → Arefu

After entering Romania, we crossed toward the Southern Carpathians, passing the Cluj and Alba Iulia regions before reaching Arefu and the Transfăgărășan area.

📍 Arefu · Rest day

A quieter day based at the hotel in Arefu before tackling Transfăgărășan. We walked down for lunch on the terrace nearby and let Kurri settle in properly before the mountain drive.

📍 Transfăgărășan Road · The "Bears side"

We first drove Transfăgărășan in 2022: when we were still at the very beginning of Kurri`s training, and he only watched the place from the car. We started from the other side of the road back then, it was rainy and foggy and as we drove higher we literally arrived above the clouds. Everything was drifting, it felt dream-like, another world. One moment it was cold and the next, after the last tunnel, it turned sunny. This time it`s much more crowded, no clouds, but we came from the other side, where the bears are. So much had changed. More people, more noise, and at least 7 bear warnings on the way. We saw so many bears just relaxing by the road. Kurri's highlight was the grass near the highest point next to a waterfall - that's where he was happiest.

📍 Black Sea Coast · Mamaia

Two nights on the beach side: modern gated apartment complex with a small spa in Mamaia, just a walk away from the beach.

📍 Mamaia → Constanța → Vama Veche → Sunny Beach · Nesebar

We'd traveled this coastline before, so the stretch felt familiar. We settled near Nesebar for a couple of nights to rest and stock up at the stores before continuing down the coast toward Primorsko. If you're looking for a beautiful beach, I recommend skipping Golden Sands and Sunny Beach altogether, though Nesebar itself is definitely worth a visit.

📍 Primorsko → Turkish border

Last stretch of the Bulgarian coast before crossing into Turkey. From Primorsko we drove straight through the border and kept going all the way to Istanbul, arriving the same day.

📍 Istanbul

First stop after crossing from Bulgaria, straight into the historic old city. We picked a hotel with a rooftop terrace looking out over the Süleymaniye Mosque, the Galata Bridge and the Golden Horn, one of those views that makes a one-night stay feel like enough.

📍 Safranbolu

From Istanbul we drove inland to Safranbolu, worth the long day for the old Ottoman quarter alone. Before leaving the next morning we stopped at a viewpoint over the town to see the UNESCO-listed houses from above.

📍 Safranbolu → Kastamonu → Taşköprü → Atakum

From Safranbolu we drove north to the Black Sea coast, settling into Atakum for a couple of nights. A good stretch to slow down after the long driving days getting into Turkey.

📍 Atakum → Ünye → Ordu → Giresun → Trabzon · Altındere Valley

Onward along the coast to the Trabzon area, where we settled in for a couple of nights. From here we took a day trip up into Altındere Valley to see Sümela Monastery, built straight into the cliffside. A steep but short detour off the coast road, and a completely different landscape from the Black Sea below.

📍 Trabzon → Hopa → Borçka

The final Turkish stretch took us east from Trabzon through Hopa to Borçka, putting us right at the Georgian border for the crossing the next day.

📍 Georgia border → Avgia → Makhinjauri → Kobuleti

We crossed from Turkey into Georgia at the Black Sea border, passed through Avgia and Makhinjauri, and continued down the coast to Kobuleti for the night.

📍 Kobuleti → Okatse Canyon → Okatse (Kinchkha) Waterfall → Khoni → Kutaisi

From Kobuleti we headed inland to the canyons: Okatse Canyon's cliffside walkway, then the Kinchkha waterfall drop nearby. A stop in Khoni on the way, then into Kutaisi for the night.

📍 Kutaisi → Khoni → Gochkadili Canyon → Martvili Canyon → Balda Monastery → Ophitara Waterfall → Lentekhi

A canyon-and-waterfall day: the turquoise water of Martvili Canyon, the small Balda Monastery, and the three-tier drop at Ophitara, before a long climb up into the mountains to Lentekhi for the night.

📍 Lentekhi → Zagari Pass → Ushguli → Mestia

The mountain-pass day into Svaneti: over Zagari Pass, then on to Ushguli, one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Europe, before winding down into Mestia for the night.

📍 Mestia → Becho → Jvari

A slower day around Mestia and the Becho valley, then a long drive across to Jvari, where we stayed on the mountain for the night.

📍 Jvari → Tbilisi → Tskneti

Left the mountains behind for the long drive back toward Tbilisi, continuing up into the hills at Tskneti for the night.

📍 Tskneti · Rest day

A quiet day around Tskneti, getting around on foot and by local bus. Same hotel again for the night.

📍 Tskneti → Tbilisi → Ananuri → Jvari Pass → Stepantsminda → Ananuri

A full Georgian Military Highway day: Ananuri Fortress on the reservoir, over Jvari Pass, up to Stepantsminda near the Russian border, then back down to the Ananuri area for the night.

📍 Ananuri → Tianeti → Tbilisi outskirts → Sagarejo → Sighnaghi

East across Georgia into wine country: through Tianeti and the Tbilisi outskirts, then Sagarejo before reaching Sighnaghi, the hilltop town over the Alazani Valley, for the night.

📍 Sighnaghi → Marneuli → Bagratashen Border Crossing

Our last day in Georgia this leg: south through Marneuli to the Bagratashen crossing into Armenia.

📍 Bagratashen Border → Debed → Haghpat

Crossed into Armenia at Bagratashen and continued into the Debed canyon area, arriving in Haghpat for our first night in the country.

📍 Haghpat → Dilijan → Haghartsin → Lake Sevan

The final country of the outbound leg. From Haghpat we drove to Dilijan, continued into Haghartsin and Dilijan National Park, then carried on to Lake Sevan for the night.

📍 Geghard → Garni → Yerevan

The sightseeing day of the whole trip: Geghard Monastery carved into the mountainside, the basalt columns of Symphony of Stones in Garni Gorge, the pagan-era Garni Temple, and a viewpoint over Azat Reservoir, before driving into Yerevan for the evening.

📍 Yerevan → Aparan → Vanadzor

A quieter day: some time in Yerevan before heading north through Aparan toward Vanadzor for the night.

📍 Vanadzor → Gogavan Border Crossing

Last morning in Armenia before crossing back into Georgia at Gogavan, starting the long drive home.

📍 Gogavan → Guguti → Ponichala → Ujarma → Telavi → Gori

Back into Georgia from Armenia at Gogavan. We continued through Guguti, Ponichala and Ujarma, stopped in Telavi, and reached Gori late in the evening.

📍 Eniseli · Wine Region

Onward into the Kakheti wine region, staying in the small village of Eniseli for the night.

📍 Eniseli → Telavi → Tserovani → Khashuri → Borjomi → Akhaltsikhe

We left Eniseli, stopped in Telavi and Tserovani, continued through Khashuri and Borjomi, and settled in Akhaltsikhe close to the Turkish border.

📍 Akhaltsikhe → Vardzia → Saghighino → Potshkovistskali → Oltu → Erzurum, Turkey

From Akhaltsikhe we drove to Vardzia, then back through Saghighino and Potshkovistskali before crossing the Georgian–Turkish border and continuing on to Erzurum for the night.

📍 Erzurum → Tercan → Refahiye → Zara → Şarkışla → Avanos

A long inland drive south-west through eastern and central Turkey, ending in Avanos and the Cappadocia region.

📍 Avanos · Cappadocia

A quieter stop in Avanos before continuing south toward the Mediterranean coast.

📍 Avanos → Akseki → Antalya

We left Avanos and drove south through the interior to Antalya, with the route changing from inland Turkey to the Mediterranean coast.

📍 Antalya → Kemer → Çıralı → Finike → Demre → Kaş → Ölüdeniz

A full coastal route day: Kemer and Çıralı, then onward through Finike, Demre and Kaş before reaching Ölüdeniz for the night.

📍 Ölüdeniz → Kayaköy → Sarıgerme → Ekincik → Akyaka → Marmaris

We continued west along the coast, with stops around Kayaköy, Sarıgerme, Ekincik and Akyaka before reaching Marmaris.

📍 Marmaris → Kızılağaç → Bodrum → Milas → Söke → Selçuk

From Marmaris we cut across toward Bodrum and Milas, then continued through Söke to Selçuk for the night.

📍 Selçuk → Aliağa → Altınova → Keşan → Greece border

The final Turkish stretch took us north through Aliağa and Altınova, then across Keşan and out through the Kipi border into Greece.

📍 Kipi border → Makri

We crossed into Greece from Turkey late in the evening and continued to Makri for the night.

📍 Makri → Komotini → Bulgaria border

We left Makri, drove through Komotini and crossed into Bulgaria toward Plovdiv and Kalofer.

📍 Plovdiv → Karlovo → Kalofer

After crossing back from Greece, we continued through Plovdiv and Karlovo before settling in Kalofer for the night.

📍 Kalofer → Tarnicheni → Gabrovo → Krushuna

A full day through central Bulgaria, passing Tarnicheni and Gabrovo before finishing at Krushuna Falls.

📍 Krushuna → Simitli → Petrich

We continued south toward the Greek border, through Simitli and Kresna to Petrich for the final Bulgarian night.

📍 Petrich → Veria → Kozani → Grevena → Sagiada → Ksamil

A beach stop rather than a sightseeing one. Ksamil was far more crowded than we expected, so we kept things simple and stayed close to the water instead of trying to see everything.

📍 Ksamil → Ulcinj → Bar

Another beach stop on the way home, based in Bar for a few nights.

📍 Bar → Petrovac area · Sutomore

We had an electrical failure during this stretch — full story on that below.

📍 Bar → Podgorica → Dobrakovo border → Prijepolje → Kokin Brod

After the coastal heat of Albania and Montenegro, Serbia gave us a couple of nights of cooler air before the final push to Romania.

📍 Kokin Brod → Užice → Zaječar

Second night, still enjoying the cooler mountain air before crossing into Romania the next day.

📍 Zaječar → Romania → Pitești

We left Serbia and crossed into Romania, continuing through the country to Pitești for the night.

📍 Pitești → Răcari → Buzău → Focșani → Cîmpineanca

We continued east across Romania, through Răcari and Buzău to Focșani, ending the day in Cîmpineanca.

📍 Cîmpineanca → Tișița → Huși → Albița → Leușeni (Moldova) → Albița → Bacău

We drove east to the Moldova border, reached Leușeni, then returned to Romania through Albița and continued toward Bacău.

📍 Bacău → Gheorgheni → Sovata → Lopadea Nouă

A long central-Romania route through Gheorgheni and Sovata before reaching Lopadea Nouă.

📍 Lopadea Nouă → Ocnișoara → Aiud (day trip, back to Lopadea Nouă)

A shorter route day with a stop at Ocnișoara Salt Sea and then Aiud, back to the same cabana for the night.

📍 Lopadea Nouă → Gilău → Bologa → Aleșd → Oradea → Beiuș

We crossed western Romania through Gilău, Bologa, Aleșd and Oradea before reaching Beiuș for the night.

📍 Beiuș → Hungary → Berettyóújfalu → Miskolc → Slovakia

The Romanian leg ended at Beiuș before we crossed into Hungary, continued to Miskolc and then entered Slovakia.

📍 Miskolc → Csobád → Kráľova Lehota

From Hungary we crossed into Slovakia and stopped for the night near Kráľova Lehota.

📍 Kráľova Lehota → Liptovský Mikuláš → Raba Wyżna → Kraków → Jaksice → Kielce

We crossed from Slovakia back into Poland, passing Raba Wyżna and Kraków before continuing through Jaksice to Kielce.

📍 Kielce → Grójec → Emilianów → Kisielnica → Wiżajny

The final long Polish stretch took us north through Grójec, Emilianów and Kisielnica before ending near the Lithuanian border in Wiżajny.

📍 Wiżajny → Suwałki → Szypliszki → Lithuania

We left Wiżajny, stopped in Suwałki and Szypliszki, then crossed into Lithuania for the final overnight stretch.

📍 Wiżajny → Suwałki → Szypliszki → Lithuania → Šiauliai

We drove straight into the center of a massive storm that hit the region on August 21-22, the kind that later left most of Latvia without power. No sightseeing this time, just getting through it and to a bed for the night in Šiauliai.

📍 Šiauliai → Valmiera → Estonia

The same storm had knocked out power across most of the country by the time we crossed. Even gas stations weren't working. We didn't stop to see anything here this time, just kept driving straight through toward the Estonian border.

📍 Home

After crossing Latvia and spending the final stretch through Valmiera, we crossed back into Estonia and arrived home.