Suggestions on overnights in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia

Part would depend on time of year--in warmer months, I'd linger at the coast a bit longer.
I think transport is largely going to make this plan for you: Dubrovnik 4- Mostar 1- Sarajevo 3- Belgrade 2 would make a nice overview.
You could split them fairly evenly, adjust as your interests dictate.

We will be there at the end of April hoping it will be a little less touristy. Thank you for the recommendation!

Do you plan to drive or use public transportation? There aren't many trains in that area. When I researched bus connections between Belgrade and Sarajevo earlier this year, it looked as if the bus would take all day.

Three options:

1. If you are going to use public transportation and you just want a simple conservative approach, then Dubrovnik to Mostar to Sarajevo to Belgrade. I will assume that you are sold on Serbia or already have flight tickets or …. Otherwise I would say, “why”? (where to spend the night and how long to stay is another discussion)

2. If you are not adverse to hiring a guide with a car, which by the way will cost a fraction of what it would in Western Europe, then: Dubrovnik to Mostar to Kljuc to Jajce to Travnik to Sarajevo. Then you have seen some great parts of Bosnia, then on to Serbia if you must. (where to spend the night and how long to stay is another discussion)

3. If you don’t mind rethinking the whole thing, but again with a guide. Dubrovnik to Perast to Kotor to Budva to Ulcinj, then back to Bar and from Bar there is a very “interesting “ train that goes to Belgrade. (where to spend the night and how long to stay is another discussion)

For any of this, you are in a region where having some professional help will pay for itself 10 times over. This individual will be a great help.

Dijana Krkotic Guide & Tour Designer Doclea Travel
+382 69 277 749
[email protected] www.docleatravel.com

Here is a blog on the Bar to Belgrade railway. There are about 5 entries, read them all.
https://europebetweeneastandwest.wordpress.com/2020/08/31/tunnel-vision-the-bar-to-belgrade-railway-yugoslavias-greatest-achievement-a-balkan-affair-19/

I took the Bar-Belgrade trip in August. The exceptional scenery is during the southern section of the trip. I was heading to Belgrade anyway, so I was good with sitting on the train all day. Others might want to explore other options.

My experience matched what I had read pre-trip: My carriage was air conditioned, but there was no food or beverage service available. That requires a willingness to consume room-temperature liquids (unless you travel with a thermos) and plan food that will be safe to eat after being at room temperature for a very long time. Those staying in accommodations with a freezer could freeze a 3/4-full bottle of water the night before the trip.

Thank you all for the great recommendations.

Ok, I've now had time to play around with these suggestions which led me to more questions :) We will already be spending 2 nights in Kotor before we arrive in Dubrovnik. We would like to see or stay in both Split and Mostar before we end up in Sarajevo. Does it make more sense to

1. Go from Dubrovnik to Mostar and then do a day trip to Split OR
2. Do a day trip to Split from Dubrovnik and then go directly from Dubrovnik to Mostar OR
3. Go from Dubrovnik to Split, spend a night and a day there and then go from Split to Mostar and spend a night and day there before heading to Sarajevo OR
4. Do we only need 1 full day in Sarajevo and should spend 2 full days in either Split or Mostar

Thank you so much for considering these options!

Your itenirary prior to Dubrovnik is a mystery, so it's hard to give any meaningful suggestions. I can say that if you are spending time in Dubrovnik, then 2 nights in Kotor is at the expense of seeing things better in Montenegro as Kotor is a lot a low key version of Dubrovnik, so repetitive of Dubrovnik with no advantage. As for Sarajevo, I would spend 2 nights there before I would spend 2 in Split. I would miss Split if it bought me more time in Bosnia or Montenegro.

I think you need to make a detailed list of what you want out of each stop--it's getting pretty packed, so knowing your priorities will help. Or at least knowing how much time you intend to spend in Belgrade, since that is a must for the flight out.
A car would help, but I would not pay an exorbitant fee to drop the car off in a different country, so I don't think that is the answer.
I don't like road trips, but this is the minimum I would spend in each of these stops if I had to:
Dubrovnik 2
Split 2
Mostar 1 (I know all of the above is doable by bus--be sure to sort out the transport to Belgrade)
Sarajevo 2
Belgrade 1

DBV and SPLIT are about four hours apart, so not day trip distance, and both are about three hours from Mostar and en route to Sarajevo.

I haven't been to Sarajevo since the early 1980s, and that area has change massively since then, but everything I've read about Sarajevo suggests it's worth a lot more than one day. I believe there's much more to see there than in Split, Mostar, Dubrovnik or Kotor.

It appears you don't plan to rent a car. International drop charges are typically very, very high, so that seems a good decision. That means you'll be taking buses. Unfortunately, it's typically much harder to find bus schedules than train schedules online. I haven't dug into the schedules for the travel legs involved in your possible routings, but I think this is a true statement: There are relatively few buses crossing international borders. Therefore, I would definitely not plan a day trip from Mostar back west to Split. For comparing the other options, I'm afraid you need to dig for bus schedules and accept that what you uncover may not be complete or 100% accurate; my policy is not to believe a Balkan bus exists until I've seen the schedule posted on the wall of the outbound bus station. Even then, I try to allow for misinformation and don't plan to take the last bus of the day. I can't tell you what bus websites to use, but from previous fiddling around I think buscroatia.com may be one partial solution for you.

You'll probably be charged the equivalent of $1 or $2 (in local currency) for storage of a suitcase underneath the bus; it's not a scam. You may be required to pay in the local currency of the bus company's home base. Although bus tickets can usually/always be purchased with a credit card, as far as I know there's no such option for the luggage fee. Therefore, you may not want to spend down the very last of your local currency before heading to the bus station. You might also encounter toilets at comfort stops that have fees--either fee gates or an attendant who needs to be tipped. For those situations there will probably be a work-around if you're in a new country and haven't yet gotten any local currency. There's a pretty good chance the currency from the departure country will be accepted, though at a non-advantageous exchange rate.

There are countries in the Balkans where you can exchange money at a reasonable rate. I don't know whether that is true now in Croatia. But if you would feel more comfortable having a bit of currency for Country X before departing on the bus to Country X, it may be possible at a reasonable price. The questions to ask are: what is the exchange rate, and what is the fee for changing XX in whatever currency to the chosen new currency. You could run into a money-changing kiosk with a really good exchange rate but an exorbitant fee, or one that advertises (truthfully) "no fees" but gives you a very bad exchange rate. To evaluate the exchange rate you are quoted, you will need to have previously Googled for that information. That's easy to do. There are places--like Albania--where such kiosks are much more economical than paying ATM fees, but I don't know the current ATM-fee situation in Croatia, Montenegro or Bosnia-Hercegovina. Since Montenegro uses the euro, you may already have what you need for that country.

Here are some links I have used for bus schedules in the past (It's also been a while for me, so usual caveats):
https://autobusni-kolodvor-dubrovnik.com/en
https://www.ak-split.hr/en/

You’ve had lots of great ideas and information. It sounds like maybe you are considering exchanging Belgrade for Split. That makes a lot more sense to me.

Starting with valadelphia’s suggestion of
Dubrovnik 4- Mostar 1- Sarajevo 3- Belgrade 2;
but changing it to
Dubrovnik 4- Split 2- Mostar 1- Sarajevo 3- seems better.

However now knowing you won’t arrive in Dubrovnik with jet lag, I might say you could cut Dubrovnik to 3 nights and add an extra night to Bosnia. I would look carefully at bus times to make a final decision where to add it. A quick glance at Google showed an early morning bus Split to Mostar and a late evening bus Mostar to Sarajevo, so one night might give you a full 24 hours in Mostar. A driver Mostar to Sarajevo might let you make a couple of interesting stops along the way. I found Tito’s bunker fascinating (if it’s still open).

Mr. É is also right about a driver being more affordable for Bosnia, if bus times are going to steal too much of you somewhat short time. Dijana could help with that - I don’t think you will find that on her website, but you can email or WhatsApp her.

In 2023 I also took the Bar to Belgrade train (but starting in Podgorica). It is a real experience but I had a lot of time. I rode at the end of Sept. and it was far better than I had expected. Took my own snacks and somehow bought 2 cans of orange drink instead of 1. Ha! In your case, I think dropping Belgrade is the better option.

Edit: I also have no hesitation in recommending Tour Mage. They have several private transfers listed, but can do others. Their Grand Tour of Sarajevo is also fantastic - I have taken it twice.

Mr. É is also right about a driver being more affordable for Bosnia,

Not just a driver, but a driver that is a guide so you can see a lot, learn a lot, efficiently and use the time well. When things are cheaper, you dont have a cheaper trip, you have the ability to have a higher quality trip.

I am confused about the OPs itinerary. but if Belgrade is off the table, thats probably wise. And TTM you know I prefer Montenegro over Croatia. You meet these people who went to Croatia 15 or 20 years ago and then returned recently and they always say, it was so much better before the tourist found it. Then you feel cheated because you didn’t see it 15 or 20 years ago. Well, Montenegro is your chance to see something special before the tourist find it. Bosnia has some similar qualities about it.

I would pay Dijana what ever she charges and let her plan out all of the transportation, guides and the route. Then every penny you spend will be well spent. Otherwise you will be sitting at bus stops for hours wondering ......

We will actually be flying in from Turkey. Although I haven't booked the flight yet it seemed easier to get to Tivat than Dubrovnik which is why we were starting in Kotor. Since that flight isn't booked yet, I'm open to other suggestions and would love to see other parts of Montenegro since it isn't as touristy. Since I haven't been to this region of Europe before I really appreciate all the feedback and honest advice on similar cities and places not to go to. And I'm not opposed to having a private or group transfer between locations so we can see other stops along the way and not have to be dependent on bus schedules :)

1. If you can add days to your trip for Montenegro, do so. If you decide to change nights out for Croatia, that’s a choice. But you shouldn’t cut nights from your other destinations, except maybe to 3 nights for Dubrovnik. You are at minimums already.
2. Someone else on another thread was proposing staying in Cavtat. You might want to read responses there. edit: Oops, sorry - misread.
3. Flying from Istanbul you could get a direct flight to Podgorica and see more of Montenegro from there heading to Dubrovnik. Podgorica itself isn’t fascinating but it positions you well.

Okay you had 10 days, and I posted 21. LOL! Sorry, I am no help.

Ten days. Big challenge

Day one, Land in Tivat, land and transfer (about 35 minutes) to Perast. Depending on when your flight lands you might be able to take a day out of Perast.
Day 2 Perast, do the islands and the bay tour
Day 3 Perast, visit Kotor and above Kotor where I know a good prosciutto curing house and restaurant on one of the most scenic roads in Montenegro. (hire a guide)
Day 4 Perast to Herceg Novi for lunch and on to Dubrovnik (private transfer)
Day 5 Dubrovnik
Day 6 Dubrovnik
Day 7 Dubrovnik to Mostar (join a group tour)
Day 8 early morning Mostar to Sarajevo (private transfer)
Day 9 Sarajevo
Day 10 Sarajevo
Day 11 fly on

Thank you, this itinerary sounds reasonable.