Will be arriving/departing Dubrovnic from the states in mid-September for eight nights. Was originally planning on spending most of the time in Croatia, but have read such great things about Bosnia that I am thinking it might be worth at least a day in Mostar and a couple in Sarajevo. We will be arriving in Dubrovnik late afternoon, and figure the first two nights we%26#39;ll stay there. Then travel to Mostar and spend a night, and then on to Sarajevo for two nights, back to Dubrovnik and try to hit a nearby island for a couple nights, and back to Dubrovnik for the last night prior to departure. Does this sound reasonable or is this too much travel for this length of trip? Any other suggestions? We were planning on trying to travel by bus, and were also wondering if the bus service a comforatable way to travel in this region? Thanks!
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Hello... As two travelers who don%26#39;t like to let moss grow under our feet while abroad (read: not a lot of time spent lounging at a beach), we think your itinerary sounds reasonable. Others, naturally, may disagree and say you are packing in too much.
The two nights in Dubrovnik (not counting your last night of the trip) will really only give you one full day to check it out. A %26#39;Don%26#39;t Miss%26#39; item I%26#39;d definitely recommend is doing the wall walk, which will give you great views of the city and surrounding area. After that, hit the town and if there are things you find you don%26#39;t have time to see but want to, maybe scoot back from the island on an early ferry to make sure to see them on your last day.
Bosnia is definitely worth the effort of making it there, and a night in Mostar is good if you leave early enough from Dubrovnik and have most of that day to spend checking it out (it is about a 3-4 hour bus ride, depending on traffic and time spent at border control).
Sarajevo is 2.5 hours from Mostar, either by bus or train (we%26#39;d recommend taking the bus, as the buses have a more flexible time schedule and are more scenic). Keep in mind, however, that the travel day from Sarajevo back to Dubrovnik/an island will be a long one (about 6 hours on a bus plus the ferry travel time), but can be done.
Buses in the region are a (relatively) comfortable and inexpensive way to go, and really, your ONLY option for travel. Aside from the bus versus train option from Mostar to Sarajevo, the only way into and out of Dubrovnik is by bus - there are no trains that far south in Croatia.
Again, it is a lot, but depending on how you like to travel, do-able. Hope this information helps, and don%26#39;t hesitate to contact us with any questions. Happy travels!
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Thanks for the great advice. I think we%26#39;ll give it a try and try to make it to Sarajevo. It%26#39;s a tough choice to divide time between two countries with so much to offer.
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Hey Bob,
We just came back from there and you could try this as an itinerary.................
Day 1 Arrive Dubrovnik late afternoon
Night 1 - Dubrovnik
Day 2 Dubrovnik
Night 2 - Dubrovnik
Day 3 - Dubrovnik - leave on either the 15.15 or the 17.15 bus to Mostar, journey 3 hours.
NIght 3 - Mostar
Day 4 Mostar
Night 4 Mostar
Day 5 Take the 7.38 train (very scenic route) to Sarajevo. Journey takes 2.5 hours. Spend day in Sarajevo - you%26#39;ll be able to see everything there in a day
Night 5 - Sarajevo
Day 6 - Morning bus from Sarajevo to Split (6 hours) or back to Dubrovnik (5 hours) and take ferry to island
Night 6 Island
Day 7 Island
Night 7 Island
Day 8 Ferry back to mainland - if that means Split you%26#39;ll then need to take the bus back to Dubrovnik which takes about 4.5 hours and they leave every half hour or so.
Night 8 Dubrovnik
I%26#39;d opt for two nights in Mostar just because it%26#39;s so lovely and eating dinner next to the river there is such a treat. We stayed at Muselbegovic House which is a museum/hotel in an original Ottoman house and very beautiful and relaxing. If you only wanted to spend one night there there%26#39;s an evening train to Sarajevo as well and plenty of buses which take the same amount of time. In Sarajevo we were going to stay in the old town but because we were on the move like you%26#39;ll be we opted for the infamous Holiday Inn which is a few minutes walk from the train/bus station and a 15 min walk from the old town which was fine. The hotel can also organise a round trip taxi ride on the spot to the Tunnel Museum if you want to visit it. We didn%26#39;t visit the islands when we there so I have no suggestions but we did go to Kotor in Montengro over the border from Dubrovnik which was gorgeous and a worthy alternative.
Overall it%26#39;s quite a bit of travelling but the buses were pretty good, aircon%26#39;d and ran on time and the views consistently lovely. I%26#39;d try to pick an island you can get to from Dubrovnik if possible just to avoid the extra bit of traveling up and down the coast on a bus.
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