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Overland Route Map

Journey Perspective

Shehzadi—the Vagabond Couple's 2024 Toyota Tundra—has now covered enough ground to lap the Earth's equator nearly 1.7 times. The fuel bill alone, at a steady 15 mpg from a twin-turbo i-FORCE V6 producing 389 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, runs to an estimated $11,500 at $4.00 per gallon—not counting the additives required to keep some of the world's more creatively blended gasoline from staging a protest inside the fuel system. That works out to roughly 89 full tanks, or 2,850 gallons of fossilized Cretaceous marine life.

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Interior of the Temple of Saint Sava beneath gold mosaics, Belgrade, Serbia
Church of Saint Sava, Belgrade, Serbia: Ayasofya-inspired Byzantine architecture and stunning soaring dome

Having driven Shehzadi from Croatia and Bosnia into Serbia the day before, crossing the Una and visiting the Jasenovac Memorial along the way, we slept well in Belgrade at the Hotel Villa Bulevar, not too far from the Embassy of The State of Palestine Serbia.

That rest mattered. Belgrade had earned a morning of its own before we pointed east toward Bulgaria.

Belgrade to Sofia — Post Summary

This episode combines a morning in Belgrade with our overland drive from Serbia to Bulgaria: Kalenić Market, the Temple of Saint Sava and Kalemegdan, followed by the E75 to Niš, the E80 to Gradina–Kalotina and our climb onto Vitosha Mountain above Sofia.

What's Covered
🧭Route at a Glance — Belgrade to Vitosha via Niš and Gradina–Kalotina
🌉Belgrade — Sava-Danube confluence and city geography
🍅Kalenić Green Market — market visit and 1926 history
⛪Temple of Saint Sava — Vračar, mosaics and crypt
🏰Kalemegdan Fortress — layered defenses and river overlook
🛣️Belgrade to Niš — E75/Corridor X through the Great Morava valley
🛂Serbia to Bulgaria — E80, Gradina–Kalotina and road vignette
🌄Vitosha Mountain — Hotel Boeritsa above Sofia
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Bridge on Una river between Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina at Hrvatska Dubica-Kozarska Dubica Border Crossing
Bridge on Una river between Croatia (right) and Bosnia & Herzegovina at Hrvatska Dubica-Kozarska Dubica Border Crossing

We woke in Zagreb after driving in from Venice via Lake Bled and Ljubljana, then started with coffee off Tkalčićeva Street. The city was familiar from an earlier trip, but the truck was different: Shehzadi, our Toyota Tundra, was now carrying us east across Europe.

The route would cross Bosnia and Herzegovina before turning back through Croatia to Serbia. Between the border posts sat Donja Gradina and Jasenovac, places where the travelogue needed fewer jokes and better history.

Zagreb to Belgrade — Post Summary

This leg begins with Zagreb's Upper Town, then follows a three-country drive through northern Bosnia and Herzegovina to Belgrade. Between the border crossings are the Una and Sava river country, lunch in Kozarska Dubica, and the memorial sites at Donja Gradina and Jasenovac.

What's Covered
🏛️Zagreb Old Town — St. Mark's Church, Stone Gate, Dolac Market, cathedral restoration
🌉Croatia to Bosnia — Hrvatska Dubica–Kozarska Dubica, Una crossing
🌊Kozarska Dubica — Una River, Restoran Una, Orthodox church
🕊️Donja Gradina — Jasenovac execution site, Poplar of Horror
🛂Bosnia to Croatia — Jasenovac crossing, secondary check, Stone Flower
🚧Croatia to Serbia — Bajakovo–Batrovci, A3/E70
🌃Belgrade — Sava and Danube, hotel, kafana dinner
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