On Whitsunday 2025 (June 8), we began our long journey to Turkey in our motorhome, traveling through Austria, Hungary, Serbia, and Bulgaria. Thanks to the excellent highways, we reached the Turkish border after 10 days – including several two-day stops. Our first stop was breathtaking Budapest, the capital of Hungary, where we were both visiting for the first time.
The Hungarian Parliament
We found a good parking spot in a suburb about 10 km southwest of the center, so we took our bikes and spent a whole day strolling through downtown Budapest, including Margaret island in the mighty Danube.
Memorial for the Hungurian musican Laszlo Benko (1943 - 2020)
The former tax office and current Ministry of the Interior
Ruins on Margaret Island
Budapest is famous for its baths - dome of the entrance hall of the Széchenyi Gyógyfürdo Bath
Two days later, we reached Novi Sad, Serbia, where we enjoyed the promenade along Becarac Beach. Alfred dared to swim a bit in the Danube. We spent the night in the parking lot of the marvelous Krusedol Monastery.
War memorial in Novi Sad, Serbia with the Petrovaradin Fortress
Italian Vespa group in front of the Krusedol Monastary
We skipped vast Belgrade and continued to the nice Popland Camp in southeast Serbia close to the town Niš. We stayed two nights there, swum a lot in its neighboring bath and enjoyed the excellet food of its restaurant. The service of this campsite was incredible e.g. we got two loafs of fresh bread every morning free of charge.
On the second day we cycled about 12 kilometers and 300 vertical meters on narrow and lonely streets to the Cerjanska Cave which is with more than 7 kilometers length the second largest cave in Serbia. Unfortunately its entrance is closed but there is an interesting visitor center nearby. From there we dared to hike the seven kilometer roundtrip to the little peak Ljuti Vrh with our light shoes and sandals. The vegetation becomes more and more dense and we lost the tiny path several times but somehow we managed to find the 783 meters high summit and return to our bycicles.
Entrance to the Cerjanska Propast Cave
Abandoned house on the way to the summit of Ljuti Vrh
Now we wanted to explore higher mountains and found them near Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. A good cobblestone road leads to the Vitosha ski resort at almost 1,800 meters above sea level. The next day, we hiked to the 2,290-meter-high Cherny Vrah, the highest point of the Vitosha Mountains and we also climbed the mountain Skoparnika. On the way back from Cherny Vrah, we met only two women in the untouched nature and saw an incredible number of different flowers.
Marion on the way to the summit of Cherny Vrah
Alfred on top of rocky Cherny Vrah
Orchids on the way
Three beautiful Ladies on the south descent of Cherni Vrah
Summit of 2226 meters high Skoparnika with Sofia in the background
After two pleasantly cool nights in the Vitosha Mountains, Sofia was too hot for us, so we drove straight to Plovdiv, the cultural center of Bulgaria. Plovdiv is considered the oldest city in Europe and was the European Capital of Culture in 1999 and 2019. Founded in the Neolithic period about 8,000 years ago, it was conquered and ruled by Thaks, Persians, Macedonians, Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Thracian Romans, Bulgarians, Slavs, Crusaders, and Ottomans. The city thus harbors an incredible history that is evident almost everywhere.
On the way to Plovdiv, we stopped by the river in the village of Dinkata, where we were able to swim in the refreshing water. A large family was there who had washed a huge amount of potatoes. They suddenly disappeared, but left many potatoes in the river. We grabbed some of them and ate potatoes for a few days. Other people came and also collected many potatoes.
The horse also ate a lot of raw potatoes
The Ethnographic Museum in Plovdiv
Old town of Plovdiv seen from the Nebet Tepe Hill, where Thracian settlements were found about 8000 years ago
Three beauties on Nebet Tepe Hill overlooking the New Town of Plovdiv
Picture of the ancient theater of Plovdiv which is still in use
Noah's ark outside of the Saint Marina Orthodox Church
Indeed Plovdiv was the European Capital of Culture in the year 2019
Mural in Plovdiv - tired girl
We hadn't planned to stay two nights in Plovdiv, but when we were about 40 kilometers away on the highway toward the Turkish border, a red warning light flashed in our car and the coolant was leaking. We returned to Plovdiv and, with the help of the local VW dealership, found a garage that repaired our car on the next morning. The water pump was broken, but a new one was obtained and replaced within three hours - thank you so much, Autoservice Kristof.
At the Kristof car repair shop in Plovdiv
We spent the last night at the cozy Alexandrovo campsite, an hour's drive from the Turkish border. While there's a small pool, the real highlight is the Alexandrovo Tombs, one of the most remarkable monuments of Thracian culture, dating back some 2,500 years.
Stunning painting in the Thracian tomb of Aleksandrovo - 2,500 years old
On June 21, 2025, we crossed the border into Turkey without any problems; that is the next article.
For more pictures, please click here
For a map of our itineraries, click here
To download our GPS coordinates files of Bulgaria, Hungary or Serbia, click here