Itinerary around the 5 "stans" tour. Start in Vienna then on to a couple a places adjacent to the tour Istanbul perhaps going to Cyprus first. At tour end go from Ashgabat to Baku, Azerbaijan then home.
For entry requirements to Eastern Europe, see here. For entry requirements to Central Asia, see here.
Flights to Chişinău, Moldova require a stopover in Warsaw so I could add a brief stop there.
Below is the most efficient order and can be reversed depending on overall trip plan:
- Belgrade, Serbia
- Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Podgorica, Montenegro
- Tirane, Albania
- Pristina, Kosovo
- Skopje, North Macedonia
- Sofia, Bulgaria
- Bucharest, Romania
- Chişinău, Moldova (sleeper train from Chişinău to Bucharest)
I could get to Bishkek in two ways: directly from Istanbul, or from Istanbul or Ryadh to Lahore to Bishkek. A visa is required before entering Pakistan or Saudi Arabia.
See itinerary spreadsheet here.
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| Sleeper Train: Chişinău to Bucharest) |
