We will be finishing a RS Adriatic trip mid May. We have a few days on our own after that and plan to go to Sarajevo. I have 2 questions:
Three to four full days in Sarajevo would be great. Dubrovnik is a fraction of the size - I think two full days there would suffice (it is truly very compact - the only reason to spend more time there is if you want to use it as a base to take trips to Montenegro). Have you considered flying back home from Sarajevo instead of backtracking? Is there a possibility of a short light to from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo that doesn't take 5 hours with a layover in Zagreb?
With a car rental, there are the usual issues of a Croatian rental car company not allowing their cars to cross over to Bosnia. If you take a bus, you may want to break up your trip in Mostar, unless the RS tour already goes there.
Driving in Bosnia is very easy, and if you rent a car and drive, you be able to stop and see things. The drive from Mostar to Sarajevo is very beautiful in parts, along the river. There really aren't many (any?) official "viewpoint stops" to pull over off the road on this drive, but I still stopped numerous times to take pictures. The bus would take the same route - and so would the train (between Mostar and Sarajevo). My only regret about driving was that I did not get to take the train ride, and I love trains.
Obviously one downside of driving is the extra expense to rent a car and then just park it for a few days in Sarajevo. You can probably find a hotel with free parking, though - mine did. I didn't move my car either for a few days in Sarajevo once I arrived there, but I didn't go back to Dubrovnik - I drove on through Bosnia and back to Zagreb, eventually, stopping for a few nights at towns along the way. There is more to Bosnia than just Sarajevo and Mostar.
I really appreciate all of your suggestions and insights. Thanks so much!
