Pre and post tour suggestions for Best of the Adriatic

I like Zagreb a lot. Nice bi-level historic district and many interesting museums.

You might search for earlier posts by Dejan, who has provided a lot of information on things to do in Slovenia. There are some active-sport possibilities that might interest you.

After the tour you might spend your free time in Montenegro, which has a lot of interesting cities: Herceg-Novi, Kotor (on a fabulous, fjord-like bay), Budva, Ulcinj and Cetinje ). It's a small country and you can get around easily by bus. Another poster here has warned that the direct route between Kotor and Cetinje is acrophobia-inducing. There are a couple of national parks that probably have nice hiking possibilities, but I'm not sure how workable that would be without a rental car.

Skyscanner indicates that there are no flights from Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro) to Zagreb, but you could fly back to Ljubljana and make the bus or train hop to Zagreb.

You could also just work your way back north through Croatia, stopping in a few places the tour skips, such as Zadar and one of the northern islands.

The klunkiness of transportation in the Balkans makes it not as easy as might be expected to make full use of your time.

Looks like the tour begins in Ljubljana and ends in Dubrovnik. Here are some options for before the tour:

• Sarajevo. This would be my top choice to spend a few days before the tour. Unfortunately, it's a long bus ride from Zagreb (7-8 hours), but the route is through beautiful scenery. You might consider taking the bus one way and flying back to Ljubjlana. (Adria has a non-stop flight for under $100. You could also fly both ways.) It's a shame this fascinating city isn't part of the RS tour you'll be on. It's worth seeing and spending a few days there.
• Zagreb. This is the easiest, obviously. I haven't been there, but from what I hear, it's worth a couple of days but not 4-5. You could maybe spend the first couple of nights here and then head to Sarajevo.
• Look at a map and see what is near Zagreb, Google some of these places, and see what strikes your fancy.

And for after the tour:

• An extra day or two in Dubrovnik. Though you can see most of what there is to see in Dubrovnik in the day you'll be there on the tour, you can find a few additional activities or day trips. A day trip to Cavtat, riding the cable car up to Mt. Srđ.
• Visit another island. Mljet perhaps for a long day trip or overnight, or Lokrum for a shorter one.
• Kotor. Could be done as a day trip from Dubrovnik or an overnight.
• Go back to Zagreb early and spend a few days there if you didn't do that before the tour.

Personally, my choice would be to go to Sarajevo before the tour, and afterward spend an extra couple of nights in Dubrovnik and then go back to Zagreb for a few nights.

But there are no must sees. So much in this part of the world is worth seeing, and whatever you see will end up being your perfect must sees. Enjoy!

I like Lane's suggestions a lot. To add a few of my own, you could also get a taste of the more Hungary and Austria-influenced lowlands in the east of Croatia or Slovenia that will not be covered by the tour at all and are generally overlooked by overseas tourists. The culture in this area is quite different from what you will experience in the Alpine parts of Slovenia and the coastal regions of Croatia. In these Pannonian regions, Varazdin, Cr. and Ptuj, Sl. are lovely medieval towns, Trakoscan Castle (Cr.) is a unique sight and the Jeruzalem wine region (Sl.) is very pretty, too. You could do all of these combined with a day in Zagreb with a rental car in a few days, either before or after the tour. As the region is filled with mineral springs, a visit to an Old World spa town such as Rogaska Slatina, Sl. or a more modern spa such as Terme Olimia in Podcetrtek, Sl. could also provide a nice day of relaxation before you return home.

Dejan & Lane & acraven,
Thank you for your generous replies and sharing of information. I have read other posts in the forum (Dejan, et. al.), and your comments added more to my options and decision making. I was worried I might have too many extra days. Ha! I need extra weeks!
Appreciatively,
Katy