Croatia and Bosnia road trip highlights

The Balkans have been on my travel list for a while, particularly Sarajevo since reading The Cellist of Sarajevo. So when we decided on Dubrovnik for our annual Girls on Tour weekend, it was a great opportunity to add 10 days of exploring Croatia and Bosnia before meeting the others. I’ll write separate posts about the places I visited. But as a starter for ten, here’s my itinerary, trip highlights and a few tips for planning your own Balkans adventure.

1. Cavtat, Croatia

After looking at the possible options, my travel buddy and I decided to start and finish the trip in Croatia. Not least because I could book return BA flights to Dubrovnik using a companion voucher and Avios points for £1 each. If you don’t have a BA American Express credit card it’s well worth looking into.

We were keen to start with a couple of chilled days before hitting the road so we booked to stay in Cavtat (pronounced Savtat). It’s five minutes from Dubrovnik airport and about 30 minutes by bus or ferry from the city. Perfect if you want a more relaxed holiday with day trips to see the Dubrovnik sights. But as we were visiting Dubrovnik at the end of our trip, we just enjoyed spending time in Cavtat. It’s a really friendly place, where everyone talks to everyone. And it has a lovely marina and palm-lined promenade where you can eat, drink, shop and ogle the super yachts! The promenade continues as a path around a wooded peninsula that’s ideal for a shaded walk, relaxing on a sunbed perched between the rocks, or a long lunch at Rokotin restaurant with a gorgeous view. There is also a beach in Cavtat if rocks aren’t for you.

2. Split, Croatia

After leaving Cavtat we picked up a car at Dubrovnik airport and headed up the Dalmatian coast to Split. As a section of the coast belongs to Bosnia & Herzegovina, the journey used to involve two border crossings. But a new route including the rather spectacular Peljesac bridge means that you can now do the whole journey in Croatia. Even on a cloudy day, the bridge was an impressive sight.

Split is the second biggest city in Croatia so it’s a busy place but we loved its lively vibe and mix of ancient and modern culture. Split is also unique in that it grew out of a palace built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The palace’s remains are at the heart of the old town which is a rabbit warren of the narrow streets, buildings and churches that replaced it. But there’s also a wide waterfront promenade, the Riva, and a vibrant port where ferries, yachts and cruise ships jostle for space.

Split Port, CroatiaRiva, Split, CroatiaIt’s also very easy to get away from the crowds and head up to the wooded hill that covers the Marjan Peninsula. Vidilica is a great cafe for a cocktail with a view of the city, or you can head further up for views along the coast and the islands.

Split, CroatiaVidilica, Split3. Trogir, Croatia

Split’s port is the jumping-off point for several islands that lie off the coast of Croatia including Brac and trendy Hvar. We considered a trip to Hvar but it was €50 return each on the ferry which didn’t seem worth it for a few hours. So instead we hopped on the Bura Line boat and paid €8 to go to Trogir. It’s also an island but connected to the mainland by a bridge, so you can also drive or get the bus. We chose to go by boat to get the views of Split and Trogir from the water, but caught the bus back as it was a windy day!

Split, CroatiaTrogir, CroatiaTrogir’s Old Town is small but packed with historic buildings and cobbled alleyways. The main square is dominated by a Romanesque cathedral with some intricately carved stonework. Opposite is the Town Loggia and clock tower, while outside the town walls are the cafe-lined Riva promenade and the atmospheric Kamerlengo Fortress.

Trogir, CroatiaTrogir cathedral, CroatiaTrogir Town LoggiaKamerlengo Fortress, Trogir4. Kravica Waterfalls, Bosnia & Herzegovina

From Split, we headed out of Croatia and into Bosnia & Herzegovina via the Kravica Waterfalls. It’s not far from the border and is one of the largest waterfalls in the Herzegovina region. It’s over 100m across and drops 25m down into a natural pool which has become a popular swimming spot.

That means it can get busy in the summer, but when we visited in mid-September, it was a perfect and very picturesque lunch stop. There are several cafes around the falls to choose from. It cost us around £8.50 to get into the waterfalls and luckily we could pay by credit card. We had no local currency at this stage as you can’t get Bosnian Marks in the UK. But we could pay for lunch with Euros and asked for the change in Marks which came in handy when we unexpectedly had to pay for short-term parking on arrival in Sarajevo. My advice is to try and exchange some currency in Croatia before crossing into Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Kravica Waterfall, Bosnia & HerzegovinaKravica Waterfall, Bosnia & HerzegovinaWe found crossing the border was quick and easy but some cars are stopped and searched so it’s best to check the latest regulations on what you can and can’t take across. You also need to tell your car hire company you plan to cross the border so they give you the right paperwork. You have to pay extra for that when you collect the car, it was around £44 for us. The best value car hire company we’ve found is Rentalcars.com and we buy the excess insurance through Insurance4carhire.com. The annual rate is usually not much more than a single trip. So, worth doing if you think you’ll hire a car more than once in 12 months.

5. Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Sarajevo went on my travel list after reading The Cellist of Sarajevo in 2010. The book had a significant impact on me because I hadn’t paid much attention to the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s. So I was shocked to realise what the city’s residents had to endure. This was brought to life even more sharply by our guide Mak on the excellent Roses of Sarajevo tour. I can’t recommend it highly enough. We were the only two people on the tour, so Mak was our private guide. He explained the history of the conflict, the political landscape that emerged afterwards and shared his personal experience of the war and its impact on his family. The tour also enabled us to see a lot in a short space of time as Sarajevo’s sights are quite spread out. Plus some of the roads up to the hills surrounding the city are very steep and winding so we wouldn’t have wanted to drive them!

The Roses of Sarajevo mark spots where mortar shells fell and the resulting cavities have been painted red. There’s one outside the house that was at one end of the Tunnel of Hope. You can walk through the tunnel but the conditions are very different now to how they were during the siege. We visited great viewpoints to see the city and Sniper Alley, a road crossing where people risked their lives daily. And we walked along the Olympic bobsleigh track which is now covered in street art. The Winter Olympics took place in 1984 before war ravaged the city. But Sarajevo is still proud to have been the host and there was a surprising amount of memorabilia for sale in the souvenir shops.

Rose of Sarajevo at Tunnel of HopeTunnel of Hope, SarajevoBobsleigh track, SarajevoSarajevoAside from the tour Sarajevo is a great city to spend time in. The old town Bascarsija has a strong Ottoman influence. At its heart is a square with the Sebilj fountain and leading off it is Ferhadija, a paved walkway that stretches down to the Eternal Flame monument. It’s lined with shops and cafes so perfect for strolling or stopping for some Turkish coffee and sweets. There’s also a river with multiple bridges, many of which are mentioned in the Cellist of Sarajevo. Some were heavily bombed in the war but have been rebuilt so the riverside is another nice place for a stroll. There are also some excellent places to eat in the city and it was about half the price of Croatia. You can probably tell that Sarajevo was a real highlight for us and I’d recommend including it in any Balkans itinerary.

Sebilj Fountain, SarajevoSarajevo old townCumurija Bridge, Sarajevo6. Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

From Sarajevo we drove around 2.5 hours to Mostar, primarily to see its main attraction, the Unesco World Heritage Site, the Stari Most. Although that translates as old bridge, it’s actually a replica of the original which stood for over 400 years before being bombed during the Bosnian War. It’s certainly an impressive site although we were surprised at how steep it is to walk over. It was a rainy day and as I’d picked up an ankle sprain a few days before, we took it very slowly. In fact a lot of Mostar’s old town is tricky to walk around as the streets are covered in huge cobbles. You’ll definitely want to wear your trainers.

Stari Most, Mostar, Bosnia & HerzegovinaStari Most, Mostar, Bosnia & HerzegovinaThe bridge is a fun place to hang out for a while as members of the local Bridge Divers Club make sporadic jumps into the Nervata River, 23m below. They collect money from the watching tourists so it can take a while but it was worth seeing. The rest of the town is a pretty place to wander around with plenty of shops, restaurants and bars. Some people just come to Mostar on a day trip but I think it’s worth spending the night. There are also lots of vineyards in the area. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to visit any but we did like the Bosnian white grape variety Zilavka. It’s always good to try local wines even if you haven’t heard of them. Many countries don’t export to the UK so it’s a great opportunity to sample them.

Mostar, Bosnia & HerzegovinaMostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina7. Dubrovnik, Croatia

From Mostar, it’s only just over a two-hour drive to Dubrovnik but we found the border crossing back into the EU a bit slower. We were headed to an apartment to meet four other friends and a good tip is to stock up at a Bosnian supermarket on route as it’s much cheaper than Croatia. The litre bottles of Zilavka were a bargain! As we had early access to the apartment we then dropped off the shopping and luggage before returning the car to the airport. There is no need to have a car in Dubrovnik and it was easy to get an Uber back from the car hire office. I’d recommend our Airbnb apartment as we had the most stunning view of Dubrovnik’s old town and the Adriatic Sea. Breakfast on the terrace and sunset drinks were fab. It’s quite high above the old town so there are a lot of steps down, but we were at the Pile Gate which leads into the Stradun main street in less than 15 minutes. And we always got Ubers back up which were cheaper than taxis from the rank.

DubrovnikDubrovnik sunsetPile Gate, DubrovnikThe Stradun, DubrovnikI would also wholeheartedly recommend Dubrovnik as a place to visit. It exceeded expectations for all of us, which isn’t something I often say. We had heard it can get overrun with cruise ship tourists. But we found it fairly easy to get away from the crowds once you ventured off the main streets. On the busiest day, we headed to Buza Bar on the rocks which isn’t suitable for large tour groups. It’s a brilliant spot for a relaxed drink sitting on a beer crate and watching braver people than us jump off the rocks into the sea.

Buza Bar, DubrovnikBuza Bar, DubrovnikWe also found that the day visitors went back to the ships by mid-afternoon. So we walked around the City Walls at that time of day and it was pretty quiet. Walking the walls is fabulous and not to be missed. I’d recommend buying the Dubrovnik Pass which gets you access to the walls and a range of other attractions. The one-day pass actually lasts for 24 hours. So as we knew rain was forecast on our final day, we activated the pass the previous afternoon to walk the walls and then used it to visit indoor attractions like the Rectors Palace and Franciscan Monastery the following morning.

Dubrovnik City WallsDubrovnik City WallsFranciscan Monastery, DubrovnikOn another day we visited Lokrum Island which is so close to Dubrovnik we could see from our apartment, but it’s beautiful and much quieter than the city. Perfect for a walk, lunch and a swim in the Dead Sea lake.

Lokrum Island, CroatiaDead Sea, Lokrum, CroatiaTo end the two-week trip we went back to lovely Cavtat for a late lunch. It’s a great option if you need to check out of your Dubrovnik accommodation but have an evening flight. It’s very close to the airport and a lot easier to take luggage there than into Dubrovnik Old Town! A fab end to an excellent first foray into the Balkans. But I definitely think there’s lots more to go back for.

For future posts about this trip keep an eye on the Europe section of my blog, where you’ll also find other posts with ideas for exploring the continent.

2 comments

  1. Wow what a great post! I feel I was there with you, so much detail. You’ve sold it to me and I’ll look into going in the future. I’ve always wanted to go to Dubrovnik, but never really thought about venturing further than that.

    Thankyou

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