We are signed up for Best of the Adriatic 10/14-10/27 of this year. For those of you who have toured Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia during the above mentioned time of year do you have any tips, suggestions, recommendations and warnings lol. This will be our 8th RS tour but new information for a tour is always appreciated. Bosnia-Herzegovina visit seems very short so I am wondering do I really need to order some of their currency from my bank? We don’t use ATM cards at home or when we travel so that option is out. Also the tour ends 10/27 but we can’t get a flight out on Delta until 11/1 which is fine. My question then would be is it better to stay in the last hotel which is Hotel Lero or stay in Dubrovnik Old Town. We are no spring chickens with ages of 80 and 75. Thank you in advance for your help!
Posted by
Used to be Steilacoom, now it’s Las Vegas
2426 posts
We just did this tour in May. We did not order any of the local currency nor was there any need for it. The few things we bought we either used a card or euros - Mostar was really the only area where there was much opportunity to shop.
As far as moving hotels, we’re in the same age bracket and would probably opt to continue our stay at Hotel Lero just to avoid the hassle of packing up again. There is a bus stop down the block going into town and similar distance on the way back. Ubers and taxis were plentiful but it was May - not sure what October is like tourism-wise. The hotel has a plentiful buffet breakfast as well as a restaurant.
If you’re interested, I did a trip report and if you type “Rick Steves Best of the Adriatic 2025” and then hit “travel forum” in the little box, it will come up.
We loved the tour.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
8602 posts
Hi Jacq, I went on this tour in 2023 and enjoyed it very much. The day walking through Plitvice was wonderful as are the cities.
If you don’t have an ATM card because of security (guessing), an option I use is a Capital One card. It is an ATM card that I preload with the amount I want on it, so it is not tied to my bank or any other accounts. I have had it for several years and just use it during travel. I did obtain some money with it during the trip.
Posted by
Palmetto State USA
56 posts
Was on this tour in Sept 2023. Very well done. Agree with others, no need for Bosnian currency. Also, your hotel looks nicer than the one we stayed in, I would continue there as you are walkable to beach and as others have said, short shuttle bus ride to old town. If I'm understanding, you plan to extend your stay in Dubrovnik by 5 days due to your flight schedule. Just our personal experience, but 1 extra day was adequate time to experience Dubrovnik's old town, especially if the cruise ships are in port! Very crowded. Maybe folks can chime in with some non spring chicken day trip ideas. Have a great trip.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
8602 posts
I agree with dootle; your Dubrovnik hotel looks much nicer than the one our RS group had in June 2023. I walked all over the old town of Dubrovnik during my free time the second day and went back to our hotel in the afternoon to swim in the pool because of the heat.
Posted by
Republic of Texas / U.S.A. / Magyarország / Budapest
23138 posts
If you want to bring some cash, sure, why not.
Bring Euros. Bosnian currency is fixed to the euro at 1.96 Convertible Mark = 1 Euro. it does not flucuate. Because its fixed most places will take either but you pay a little service fee for the privlidge. Its fair.
On a RS tour i suspect everyone will take your card. Outside of the tour area there are places that won't.
Posted by
OP
Galt, CA
40 posts
My goodness I am so appreciative of all the good tips and advise I have received on this forum. Booked the same hotel the tour ends in, not going to worry about trying to get BAM currency and going to look into getting the card you load before you go that is not attached to any of our accounts.
The additional time in Dubrovnik might be excessive but first flight out on Delta is November 1st and our tour ends October 27th. I looked at all kinds of ways to get home faster but lots more money and more hassle. Decided to just stick with Delta and leave November 1st, spending a night in Paris (21 hour and 20 minute layover) and finish our journey home on November 2nd. At first I was unhappy about this but then decided it was just another adventure and we will enjoy it. Blessed to still be traveling!
Thank you for all your help in our upcoming adventure!