Help with Former Yugoslavia Itinerary

My first instinct is that it's an awful lot for 10 days and much of the trip will be spent "on the go." For instance, I'm not sure what time you'll arrive in Ljubljana on Day 1 but it is likely the rest of that day will be shot due to jet lag (especially since you're coming from CA and will have at least one plane transfer). If you spend the next day day-tripping to Lake Bled and the following day is spent getting to Plitvice, it doesn't leave much time to actually see Ljubljana. And while I LOVE Lake Bled, with only 10 days you may want to consider dropping Slovenia to focus on Croatia (with trips to Montenegro and Bosnia). I also personally get a little cranky due to fatigue when we take a long day trip the day after arriving on an int'l flight, just ask my husband. So we avoid those at all costs.

That said, you may want to consider reversing the order of your trip to avoid doing that. Perhaps start in DBV, where you can spend the first full day (or two) after arrival exploring the Old Town there. Day 2 or 3 could be going to Montenegro, and then I'd strongly recommend overnighting in Mostar rather than doing it as a day trip. From Mostar you could bus directly to Split for 2 nights, possibly going from there to an island (however, Korcula would be a bit far, but there are Hvar or Brac to consider. Having not been to the islands I don't speak from personal experience here and it looks like some backtracking would be involved). From the island head back to Split where you could bus or rent a car to Plitvice (we rented a car, it's easy and the roads are great), and from Plitvice head to Zagreb for a flight home.

(running out of room here, continued in next post)

As for Zagreb, we weren't as charmed by it as much as we were other parts of Croatia, but it depends on your interests.

The other thing that neeeds to be taken into consideration is the time of year you plan on going. We were there in March, where the crowds were at a minimum, so the travel congestion could be longer/more arduous if you are traveling during peak months.

A website I found very helpful for putting our trip together is Croatia Traveller, where you can check transportation schedules and get general info on the places you'd like to visit.

This part of the world is superb and one of my favorites. I'm happy to try to answer any questions you might have, and I'm sure you'll have a great trip with whatever you decide!

Hi Dave,

I recently returned from a similar trip, so I'll give you my itinerary, which may be of interest:

Ljubljana (2 days)

Bus to Piran, which I count as one of my favourite places in all of Europe. It really is an incredible place and totally unknown outside of Slovenia. We stayed here for 3 days.

Bus from Piran to Rijeka (via Koper), which was a beautiful ride. Rijeka isn't a particularly attractive city, but we boarded the Jadrolinia ferry which runs down the Croatian coast, stopping off at numerous places including Split, Zadar and Korcula, all the way to Dubrovnik (and thence Italy). It is however only weekly. It was very cheap, but we slept on the deck (which isn't recommended - and demanded a lot of Croatian vodka to see of the cold).

We skipped Dubrovnik, as it is very expensive and terribly touristy. We took a bus from its very orderly bus station to Mostar (about two hours), which is a truly fascinating city. One day is enough to see it, but try and get away from the tours; it is perfectly possible to do it independently.

We took a train to Sarajevo, which was about three hours and cost 5 EUR each way [sic!]. Two days in Sarajevo, which is a very attractive city, though still visibly reeling from the recent conflict.

We then took a bus down to Kotor, via Mostar and Dubrovnik. Kotor is a beautiful place and well worth a visit. We stayed for three days, which was more than enough, though not too long.

From Kotor we continued down to Bar, which is unremarkable apart from its completely-unknown mediaeval ruined city, which was astounding. Ulcinj is supposed to be much more enjoyable. We stayed in beautiful hotel with Satellite TV and AC for 10 EUR a night.

From Bar we took what is surely the most breathtaking railway journey in Europe, all the way to Belgrade (timetabled to take around 10 hours and costing 25 EUR).

The former Yugoslavia was gobsmackingly beautiful and I can't recommend it enough. Have a great time!

Mark

Thank you all for your replies, this is going to help my planning.

This trip will be end of June, so at the start of the peak season.

I should have mentioned that I'm not travelling direct from the US, I'll actually be travelling from the UK during a larger UK trip visiting family and friends. So I would hopefully get an early flight to Croatia/Slovenia and be able to hit the ground running. I am open to starting the trip at either place.
I've become sick of 1 month UK trips over the last 12 years so have started spicing it up (last year we did Prague, Budapest and Krakow in 1 week, with night trains in between).
I do have some wiggle room to extend the trip length if necessary.

Thanks again for all your help and I will let you know if I have more questions.

Dave