3 Weeks in Balkans, Advice of days needed.

I have been to most all those places. I worked in Croatia last year during the refugee crisis so got to know it as a non tourist.

I would say Ljubljana is a 1 day / nighter. Can see it all in a day / night. Pretty mellow city. Is known as the gate way to S Europe.

Your Split to Dubrovnik will be a bus route - make sure your passport allows for Bosnia Hertz. Is a long day.

I think Dubrovnik is lovely - but once again not a lot to do there once you have walked the old city and its walls. Also very popular with cruise ships so often in afternoon over run with ship tourists.

I think I took the train from Dubrovnik to Mostar. Lovely small river town.

Sarajevo - I spent a weekend there. 2 nights. Not a big city. Take a tour or two and eat local food and drink. But a good place to relax before your flight.

Only been to Istanbul airport last year - I just know from other friends the city is huge! Airport is huge too.

Budapest - 3 Nights since the first night is the arrival night; at least one night too few and I would prefer a minimum of 5 nights.
Ljubljana - 2 Nights never been there, but its what I might plan for
Plitvice NP - 1 Night I really don’t much care for one night stands.

Split - 2 Nights Probably about right
Dubrovnik - 2 Nights Probably about right. It’s a bit of a Disneyland these days, all be it a beautiful Disney.

Kotor - 2 Nights I would skip it. It is a miniature of Dubrovnik.

Mostar - 1 Night
Sarajevo - 3 Nights
Flying to Istanbul with Pegasus from Sarajevo
Istanbul - 3 Nights If you are serious about Istanbul, then you need to add at least one night.

Personally, for me, its too much, too fast. I would be inclined to pick 3 major stops and then run day trips out of them. I don’t like unpacking and packing and unpacking, etc. Might work better if you skipped Budapest and started in Ljubljana or flew from Istanbul to Budapest at the end.

I agree with James E: Too many 1- and 2-night stops strung together. The constant need to move on will get old, I think. In addition, ground transportation in this area can be slower than expected. Traveling Ljubljana to Plitvice will probably require routing through Zagreb (worth at least a full day itself, in my view) and take the better part of a day by the time you make the connection. Traveling from Kotor to Mostar appears to take at least 6-1/2 hours, though I haven't dug down into bus websites to confirm that.

For border-crossing buses it is advisable to buy the ticket in advance. Always, always re-check the onward bus schedule as soon as you arrive in town. Sometimes the day of the week matters, and of course holidays can cause issues as well.

And I am pretty sure that there are Wizzair direct flights from Sarajevo and Budapest meaning if you skip Istanbul you could fly in and out of Budapest and maybe save a few bucks over an open jaw.

I would generally concur that you have a lot of short-stay destinations. However, my suggestion is a little different from those you've already gotten.

Budapest - 3 nights
Ljubljana - 2 nights
Plitvice - 1 night
Split - 2 nights
Dubrovnik - 3 nights (day trip to Kotor if that interests you)
Mostar - 1 night
Sarajevo - 3 nights
Istanbul - 3 nights

I've only cut out one overnight destination, but with 19 nights (and assuming you already have your flights booked and can't change them), I think this is the best option without cutting out another destination entirely.

It's true Dubrovnik can get very crowded, especially on days when there is a cruise ship in port, but with 3 nights there you'll have several options to get away. In addition to Kotor, you can also visit Cavtat and Lokrum Island. And in the evening when the cruise ships depart, Dubrovnik is quieter and very pleasant.

Thank you everyone for the inputs, as expected comments like 'too many destination too little time' will always there, haha.

Being someone from southeastasia, i am very confident that this would be my first and the last time being in this area so one day is always better than none.

All flight has already prebooked, so i have no choice but i be in sarajevo on the 17 to get to istanbul.

As for the bus tickets, somebody mention that i need to buy in advance?

I also winged out my trip so that i coule change as an when i feel like too, only for border control purpose, i bought the first 3 nights in budapest first.

I have been to all your destinations except Sarajevo. Your itinerary is little bit fast for my taste but if you like it, it's OK. Ljubljana and Split - doable by train. From Split to Dubrovnik - bus. There is no train in Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik to Kotor by bus. Kotor - Mostar by bus. Mostar - Sarajevo by bus.

Is there any direct bus from kotor to mostar?