Oh wise Steves Forum Folks, I would greatly appreciate your insight, here. I am planning a two-week trip in early June 2018 to include Split (2 nights), Dubrovnik (3 nights), Mostar (2 nights) then Sarajevo and Ljubljana. I'll fly home out of Venice (2 nights). Yes, this is a face-paced trip, but I've heavily researched on-ground transportation, day trips, and hotels/rooms and feel comfortable with the pace and distances. I do want to spend two nights in Mostar, as I've found that I really enjoy "smaller" towns (ie: Volterra, Montepulciano, Gubbio), and would like at least one full day there. I'm most confused about how to spend those 5 nights for Sarajevo and Ljubljana. (I actually chose Ljubljana because my flight home (United points) is from Venice, and I wanted a way to get there that did not include back-tracking to Split or Dubrovnik. There are direct one-hour flights from Sarajevo to Ljubljana, so I'll explore a bit of Slovenia on my way to Venice.) So... what would you do? Thanks very much! (I am posting this also in the Bosnia-Herzegovina forum, but this Croatia forum seems a bit more active...)
When making decisions like that, I tend to factor in how easy it would be to return to each place. Ljubljana, while not super-easy to get to, is a place you're probably more likely to see again than Sarajevo, so I'd probably end up spending the three nights in Sarajevo, assuming I could get a morning flight to Ljubljana.
Dubrovnik is likely to be very tourist-laden in June.
Thanks, acraven! I had not framed the question in terms of "where might I be more likely to return?" and realized that that is a very useful way to look at the situation. I am looking at a flight on Adria Airways that departs Sarajevo 15:35, arrives Ljubljana at 16:30, so that is a piece of the puzzle, too. (This is the only direct flight that I can find between the two cities, and is a reason that I chose Ljubljana.) And, yep, I have read that Dubrovnik may be tourist-jammed in June. I've looked at cruise ship schedules for the 2 1/2 days that I am there and am planning my time there strategically - I hope - re. when I go to certain sites, day tours, etc.
You might do three nights each in Sarajevo and Ljubljana and chop a night from Dubrovnik. Leave Dubrovnik in the afternoon if you want, to give yourself a little extra time. You'll still have your full day in Mostar and two nights, which is more than most tourists give it.
Dubrovnik is great, but it's not very big so doesn't take long to explore, and it is touristy during the days. The best reason to have more than two nights is to do day trips.
But if I had to choose 2/3 vs 3/2 in Sarajevo and Ljubljana? Personal choice would be 3 nights in Ljubljana. I loved the history in Sarajevo for sure, but otherwise I didn't warm up to the town. I had the option to spend a third night there while I was there, actually, and took it, because I thought maybe I hadn't spent enough time and another night might help me get a better feel for the place...but it didn't help.
On the other hand, I fell in love with Ljubljana the first time I visited and have been back three times since the first visit. There's not much to the place in terms of historical significance - it's just a charming, vibrant little city. There are also beautiful and interesting things to see nearby. If you want a nice small town to visit for a few hours near Ljubljana, take a bus to Skofja Loka - or rent a car for the day and drive there and on up via Jamnik and Kropa to Bled, a beautiful scenic drive.
I can appreciate wanting to spend two nights in Mostar. It is a lovely place. But I would urge you to consider cutting it to one night so you can spend 3 nights each in Sarajevo and Ljubljana.
If you get an early start out of Dubrovnik, you can get to Mostar by mid morning, and that would give you most of the full day there and the entire evening as well. Then, if you're truly enchanted, you can spend a few hours the next morning before departing for Sarajevo.
I just think both Sarajevo and Ljubljana are worth spending the extra day. And you should really take a day from Ljubljana to visit Bled, which you wouldn't have time to do if you only spend two nights there.
Thank you all so much for the thoughtful and useful replies. I'm going to mull this one over for a couple of days before deciding, and your advice really helps!
Sorry, not to hijack, but I'm looking to go from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo & Mostar... figured I had to fly from DBV to SJJ. How would y'all recommend getting from Dubrovnik to Mostar - traveling by myself, so not always economical for me to rent a car :) Thanks!
Hi there, foggybridges, I just sent you a rather detailed private message sharing the research that I've done on this route. Do be sure to check rome2rio.com as a starting place, and follow the (tiny) links to the various transportation companies, like bus companies, that rome2rio.com will show for that route.
Bus from Dubrovnik to Mostar; train or bus from Mostar to Sarajevo. I wanted to do the train to Sarajevo a few years back because it's a beautiful ride but drove instead, along the same stretch of river.
Renting a car may not be as expensive as you think. In 2015, I rented a car for a couple of weeks in Croatia for about $12 USD per day. Check EconomyCarRentals, Kemwel, and Auto Europe. Obviously, prices will be higher at high season in the summer. And a one-way rental from Croatia with the dropped in Bosnia would be very expensive, so better to drop back in Croatia somewhere.