Hi, We are planning two day trips from Dubrovnik in a few weeks: Mostor and Montenegro. I was planning to rent a car for two days to do these back-to-back, but saw on some posts that others have taken a bus. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who took a bus to either destination, especially in May, and advice on bus company, etc.
Thank you!
Posted by
British Columbia, Canada
188 posts
We are not tour people at all, but decided to take a bus tour to Mostar. We booked through Atlas Tours, 2 or 3 days ahead of time while we were in Dubrovnik. Our Bosnian guide chatted the whole way up to Mostar about interesting facts. We had a local guide in Mostar for our 45 minute tour which included a mosque, traditional Turkish house the War photo museum and a stroll through the Turkish bazaar. We were pleased that we had 3 hours on our own for lunch, photographing, etc. It was a long day but I think it was easier to spend it on the bus rather than our usual driving and we learned a lot more from the guides.
Posted by
Seattle, USA
990 posts
The day trip bus tours are all pretty much the same regardless of the bus company, I think. I was in Dubrovnik for a conference and many of us conferees took various day trips, including Mostar and Montenegro, on various bus companies. From comparing notes, the trips and itineraries seemed identical no matter which tour bus company ran the tours, right down to stopping at the same roadside teashops. If you are staying at a larger hotel, the front desk staff can probably tell you which companies are running to which destination on which day. At least when I was there in September, bus companies didn't run every destination daily. If you're staying at a sobe, you might go to the tourist information center at Pile Gate, where I think you can also buy tickets in advance. I did daytrips both to Montenegro and to Mostar. Both were worthwhile, but the Mostar trip was by far the more memorable. Seeing the newly built bridge, walking through still-bombed out areas, visiting the rebuilt mosques and the huge new Catholic church gives a thought-provoking look at the war and its aftermath. The Montenegro trip involved driving around the bay of Kotor and stops in Budva and Kotor (as I recall). Scenic area and two more walled Croatian towns, but after seeing Dubrovnik they aren't quite so remarkable. One thing I liked about the bus tours was that we had guides who provided information about what we were going to see while on the bus and for some of the time in town, but then we had plenty of time for rambling around on our own.