2 Weeks in The Balkans

I recommend starting in Dubrovnik. The airport is about a half-hour drive from Old Town. You definitely do not need a car for this portion of your trip since cars are not allowed in Old Town. If you are looking to venture out of the old town area, it’s best to get a taxi since parking is also scarce. Be prepared to do a lot of walking, including up and down stone stairs. Don’t worry though, it is worth every step. Take this day to settle into your hotel and relax from the long travel day. Enjoy dinner at Port 22. We had a delicious bottle of wine recommended by the waitress. If you like a little spice, try the artichoke tempura with wasabi mayo. The food was amazing and the view of the old town was a great way to start our trip.

Day two is the perfect time to explore all of Old Town. If you are interested in walking the walls, make sure to do this early in the morning before the crowds arrive and the sun gets too hot. Now that you have gotten your exercise for the day, grab a table at one of the many restaurants found in the alleys of the old town for lunch. Last but not least, take a romantic sunset cruise. There is nothing better than being on the water when the sun goes down.

This will be your last day in Dubrovnik. We took the cable car up to the top of the mountain. You can book a one way and walk down or a roundtrip ticket. I say spurge for the roundtrip ticket since you have already done a lot of walking by this point. The views from the top are amazing. Stop for a drink and small appetizer at Restaurant Panorama before going back to sea level. Our accommodations had a nice terrace so we decided to stay in for dinner. We stopped at a local grocery store and bought a nice bottle of wine, cheese, prosciutto, and other snacks. What a spectacular evening looking down at the city lights and watching the sun set with the one you love.

Time to leave Dubrovnik and head to Split. We took a taxi back to the airport to pick up a rental car, then drove the three hours north. This drive is beautiful. You will be going up and down mountains, and through a lot of tunnels. We took a pit stop for lunch in a cute little town called Ston. If you like oysters, make sure to try them here. After checking into our accommodations in Split, we were ready for a beverage and a small bite. Make sure you check out The Daltonist Craft Bar. My husband enjoyed a few of their craft beers and I had the Kyoto cocktail, yum! The patatas bravas are also a must. We finished the night with a walk along the seaside promenade.

Island-hopping day! We booked a full-day island-hopping tour that took us to the natural pearl-blue caves situated on Bisevo, breakfast on Komlza, swimming on Budlkovac Island, and lunch on Hvar. It’s the best way to spend the day on the Adriatic Sea.

Wander the streets of Split. After a busy couple of days, we took this day to just relax. Nothing planned, just see where the day took us. If you’re looking for something, you could always take a guided tour of Diocletian’s Palace. At the end of the day, we had an amazing dinner at Zinfandel Food & Wine Bistro. Recognized as a Michelin-recommended restaurant, and I couldn’t agree more.

On to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was the first time we ever had to visit a border crossing in a car. Just a heads up, make sure you have your passports and rental car information handy. You will go through the process twice, once to leave Croatia and then to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina. As long as you have all your documents, it will go smoothly. We made a stop at Kravica Waterfall. It’s a great place to stop and enjoy the natural beauty of the waterfalls, go for a short hike, and maybe swim a bit. We finally arrived in Mostar in the late afternoon and immediately fell in love with this gorgeous city. The place we stayed at was right along the Neretva River. After getting settled in, we walked down to the Old Town area for a drink and met a really nice couple from Australia. There are plenty of really good restaurants with views of the river and Old Bridge.

For breakfast, stop at Pekara Lučki Most. It is a small bakery, but it has the world’s best burek. Both the cheese and minced meat were out of this world. Now that we have a full belly, we drove our little car up the windy road to Fortica Hill. There are so many possibilities up there. You can go on a giant swing, zip line, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, or walk out on the glass platform for the best view of the city. We chose to do the zip line. There were two sections to the zip line that total length of 1,000m. Wow, so happy we did this. After that adrenaline rush, we headed back down the mountain and had dinner and did a little shopping.

Sarajevo is just an hour and a half away from Mostar. We left on the 6:30 am train and spent the day there. For the best views of the scenery, sit on the right side of the train when traveling from Mostar to Sarajevo. This side offers the best views of the Neretva River and the surrounding landscape as the train follows the river’s path. We spent the day there, walking around town and riding the cable car. If you have more time in Sarajevo, check out the War Tunnel.

One last stop before we leave, Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had lunch in Trebinje. I highly recommend getting Cevapi while in Bosnia. After lunch, we walked through the local market, where I purchased a wooden bowl and hand-knit slippers from a local artesian. Now, off to Montenegro. As we started getting closer to Kotor, we had to pull the car over to take in the views. When I think of paradise, this is what I imagine. It was breathtaking. After parking our car in a nearby lot, we walked into Old Town. I knew the place we were staying at meant climbing 113 stairs, but once we made it to the top, I was happy with my choice.

After having my morning coffee and crepe, we hopped into a cab to take us to an underwater wine cellar. Yes, you read that correctly. You take a short boat ride to a floating wine bar where the wine is stored at the bottle of the sea. They also have a few light food options to pair with your wine. After eating our bruschetta and enjoying the red wine, we took a dip in the bay. What an amazing and unique experience.

For our last day in Kotor, we decided to just walk around the old town, did some shopping, and of course stopped at a few cafe/restaurants in the squares. We loved this little town and are looking forward to visiting again.