Last September, I spent 8 days in Croatia and Bosnia enjoying the last of the summer sun. I feel like I packed a lot of variety into this trip despite a leisurely pace so thought I’d share a trip report to give you an idea of what’s possible in this kind of timeframe.
If you’re the kind of person who likes to do something different every day then the area around Dubrovnik is perfect for you – there are so many activities and excursions available. I’ve been to Dubrovnik before so this time I stayed outside the city for a more relaxing vibe. I wanted to check out Cavtat as several friends have rated it highly, and it’s so close to the airport (6km) that it seems perfect for when you want a quick seaside break.
I flew into Dubrovnik Airport as I found a £17 flight from Stansted, and an equally cheap flight back from Sarajevo. Bosnia has long been one of my notable omissions in the Mediterranean region so I was excited to finally visit.
My flight landed in the evening. There don’t appear to be any direct buses to Cavtat (although you can change on the road to Dubrovnik) so I booked a transfer from my accommodation which was €20. I was checked in at my accommodation within 40 minutes of landing – super quick! I grabbed a quick ice cream and some groceries and took a stroll around town before calling it a day. I stayed at Sobe More Rooms , basic rooms in an old Franciscan monastery building but with an unbeatable location right next to the sea in the heart of the Old Town.
I’ve already written up a detailed travel guide to Cavtat if it sounds like your kind of place – see A Quick Guide to Cavtat.
Day 1 – Exploring Cavtat
I spent the whole day chilling and exploring in Cavtat. It has one Main Street with restaurants and cafe-bars so I checked out all the menus and earmarked a few to try later. I also took a walk around all of the peninsulas and went to the main beach.
My first impression of Cavtat in the morning is that it’s really beautiful, the scenery is just stunning. It occupies a winding bay with several hilly peninsulas covered in pine. It reminds me of Paleokastritsa but with a beautiful little old town in that honey-hued stone so typical of the Dalmatian region.
There are lots of rocky platforms for sea swimming. I lucked out with the weather, which was a bit crazy this September (usually I find late September to early October is a better window for weather than early to mid-September which is often stormy). The temperature was about 22°C – good for exploring, not too hot.
I had a set lunch at Dolium which was €25 for 3 courses (though wine was extra). A glass of wine is around €6 – and not usually a large one either.
There are a few bars along the coast near Hotel Cavtat which do happy hour (5-7pm) for slightly cheaper drinks..
Day 2 – Mlini Bay
Breakfast was a quick cherry pastry and a coffee from the bakery. Another day of glorious sunshine and today I was heading for Mlini and Srebrenica. I boarded the bus (the same bus that goes to Dubrovnik) which was €3.20 one way, and got off at the Mlini Bay stop.
The coastal road is stunning. It took a while to cross the busy road, and then it’s a steep 5-minute downhill walk to Mlini.
Mlini is a small hamlet with a tiny harbour, a handful of hotels and restaurants and an old church. You can walk along the coast through a park to Srebreno where you’ll find a glam beach bar, a Sheraton Riviera Hotel, and some livelier cafes. It has more of a resorty vibe than Mlini or Cavtat. It’s worth visiting all three as they’re all quite different and scenic.
From here, you can also continue walking along the coast to Kupari, a beach that’s the site of an abandoned luxury hotel. Keen urbex-ers should get here sooner rather than later though as it’s slated for redevelopment, into something very swanky I should imagine.
You can also take the boat to or from Mlini, so I opted to do that on the way back. You can buy tickets from one of the kiosks in Mlini Harbour. It was Xeur one way. The weather was pretty choppy, thankfully the boat ride was only about 40 minutes and the sunset was beautiful. But maybe check the wind forecast before deciding on your transport option.
For dinner I headed to Atlas Buffet, one of the more casual eateries in Cavtat. It has a mix of Croatian, vegetarian, and international dishes and is good place to eat if you’re solo (a bit less of the romantic/family vibe). I had the ćevapčići and it was the best thing I ate on the whole trip.
Day 3 – Dubrovnik Day Trip
Today was time for a day trip to Dubrovnik. I visited back in 2018 (see this post here) but there were a few things I didn’t get around to seeing, and it’s always good to take more photos for the blog.
Today I took the boat and thankfully the seas were calmer. There are many kiosks along the harbour in Cavtat which sell boat tickets as well as excursions. The boat takes you straight to the Old Port in Dubrovnik. I think the tickets were €10 for a single and €15 return.
I wouldn’t say that Dubrovnik is one of my favourite cities in the Mediterranean, but it sure is stunning and I really enjoyed a wander, particularly without a long list of attractions to check off. If you haven’t been before, I highly recommend the War Photography Museum, and a Game of Thrones tour is also great fun if you were a fan of the show.
I accidentally stumbled upon some good (but expensive – €6) coffee at Cogita, and poked my head in at notorious Instagram spot Buza Bar which was, as ever, very busy.
My main aim for the day was to visit Lokrum Island as I didn’t do this last time. There’s a permanent kiosk in the Old Port where you can buy boat tickets (€27) that include entrance to the island, which is also a natural park. The boat was packed but it only takes 10 minutes.
And I loved it! I mean, I love little pine-forested islands so this was an easy one. The nature of the Croatian coastline makes me so happy.
The main selling points of Lokrum are a) peacocks, b) a reproduction of the Game of Thrones throne, housed in a Benedictine monastery which made an appearance in season 2 as a garden party location in Qarth.
It’s a small island – less than a mile wide, but perfect for a few hours in the summer. There’s plenty of shade and picnic tables, and a few cafes. There are a few places you can get in the sea but they looked very rocky – I have so far in this life managed to survive without sea shoes but this looked like one place they would be necessary.
I did take a dip in the salt lake though.
Back in Dubrovnik, I called in at D’Vino Wine Bar. I do love the cosmopolitan feel of these backstreets in Dubrovnik even though it’s very touristy – fairy lights everywhere, potted plants, jazz, good wine. Much as I like Cavtat for its natural beauty and practicality, it doesn’t have quite the same vibe.
I wanted to sort out my bus ticket to Mostar for the following day so I walked to the New Port where the main bus terminal is located. There are plenty of buses between the old and new ports though, I don’t recommend the walk unless you really feel the need to stretch your legs.
Day 4 – Bus to Mostar
After checkout and brunch, I still had time to kill so went up to Banac, a pretty mansion and now wine bar, for a green smoothie (€10) with immaculate views.
At midday I took the bus to Dubrovnik New Port and wandered around a bit before boarding the bus to Mostar in Bosnia. The one-way ticket was €22.83.
The bus journeys up the coast to the border where we disembark, get our passport checked and stamped, and get back on. There’s a little bit of waiting around but not too much. We go through Neum which is the only bit of Bosnia with a coastline. I had wanted to spend some time at Neum but couldn’t quite make the timings work with such a short trip.
From there, the bus turns inland and the scenery (and weather) starts to change. It’s higher here, and feels as though we’ve immediately crossed over into autumn. The Croatian coastline feel very Mediterranean, with lots of similarities to Italy, but as soon as you go up and inland you’re definitely in the Balkans.
By the time we get to Mostar it’s dark. The bus station is a bit bleak-looking but it’s only a short walk to my hostel. I decided to stay in a hostel for this part of the trip because the hostels here get great reviews for being family-run and running very good tours. Thankfully they have private rooms because I can’t do dorms anymore.
I’m staying in Majdas Hostel. Majda herself runs the hostel, and her brother Bata does the tours. Majdas gives every newcomer a quick intro talk and a tea, runs through the map, and sorts out who wants breakfast and tours. It’s refreshingly old-school.
Nobody is currently signed up for the tour the next day but I indicate my interest and go out for Ćevapi before bed.
If you’re not staying somewhere that offers tours then you won’t have a problem organising one in Mostar – there are plenty of tour agencies and you can also find them easily online.
Day 5 – Herzegovina Tour
The next morning, a hostel volunteer knocks on my door (early) to inform me that the minimum tour group number has been met – breakfast is awaiting me and then we’re off.
The tour is emotionally intense but well paced and full of information, it’s a great introduction to Bosnia and Bata is an incredible guide. In terms of itinerary, it hits up many of the same spots that you’d do if you took a day trip from Croatia, but it’s timed to avoid the crowds. Nowhere was busy (except Mostar itself).
Kravice Falls were stunning. There’s a bit of a walk to get down. I went for a (very bracing) dip with two of my fellow tour-goers – it’s a lot colder than it looks. Then we lunched at one of the wooden restaurants next to it, a big meaty feast. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan you might struggle at this restaurant, so I recommend bringing snacks.
We also stopped at Počitelj and Blagaj. Whilst we were driving, Bata filled us in on the history of Mostar and the wider conflict.
Day 6 – Explore Mostar
The next day I was feeling emotionally drained so I had a long sleep (huge respect to the guides who do this every day). So no plans for this day except exploring Mostar.
Perhaps it was just my lack of energy, but I’m going to be honest and say I found Mostar to be overwhelmingly touristy and it sucked the joy out of it for me. The day trips from the Dubrovnik area are big business and the tidal wave of tourists doesn’t stop flowing until the end of the day. The old town area is really small area, just a couple of streets around the river. It made Dubrovnik feel peaceful! The restaurants also seem very commercial. On the Bosnian side, so many of the old buildings were destroyed and haven’t been restored.
I had imagined sitting in cafes sipping on Bosnian coffee and doing a bit of writing, but due to the crowds it didn’t feel that relaxing. Also, I was surviving on wi-fi only as I wasn’t in Bosnia long enough to justify getting an e-sim.
There are some nice places to get Bosnian Coffee though. Cafe de Alma is recommended but not open when I swung by, so I went instead to Food House (which is also a handy spot for vegetarian meals).
I was a bit disappointed by the shopping as most of it is the same made-in-China tat you’ll find in Turkey and Morocco, except a few places making traditional copper trays which are lovely but not cheap. Sarajevo is much better for souvenirs.
I had planned to go to the war museums and the sniper tower, but in the end I wasn’t up for more heaviness. The tourism industry here is understandably focused on education around the war, but it would be nice if there was something to balance it out. If anyone has any tips for the modern part of the city, do let me know. There are wineries in the area, but I didn’t see any suitable for solo travellers.
Day 7 – Bus to Sarajevo
Majda presses a few pastries into my hand as I depart for the bus station. Buses to Sarajevo are every hour so I didn’t buy one in advance, hoping it’s fine to just turn up and get one for the next hour (it is).
Internet sources tend to recommend the train between Mostar and Sarajevo, but today’s trains are at an unfriendly time in the morning (I’m not a morning person) or later on, when it’s already dark. Thankfully, the bus follows the rail line in the mountains for quite some way. At least half of the journey is stunning so I wouldn’t worry too much about missing out if you don’t take the train.
Sarajevo is an endless sprawl of apartment blocks and the main bus station is in the middle of a nowhere-area. I can’t quite figure out the buses (or the tram, which also looked pretty packed) so I decide to walk to my hotel which took me just under an hour.
I stayed at Old Town Hotel – a lovely little place for the price. Modern decor with an Ottoman touch, a little breakfast buffet, friendly staff, and a great location right next to the Old Town.
I only have one afternoon in Sarajevo so I don’t have anything in particular planned except wandering the Old Town. It’s definitely more atmospheric than Mostar. Unfortunately, the sunshine disappeared en route to Sarajevo which makes it feel as if winter is already in full swing. But the bazaar area is fun and there are lots of places to sit down and get a cheap coffee or beer. I had one last round of ćevapi for dinner.
Sarajevo is one of the cheapest capitals in Europe. I didn’t do it justice, but I think it would make an interesting winter weekend break. There are a few hammams and a food tour (my perfect combo). It’s the kind of place where you really need context to appreciate what’s around you. There are some more war museums and also a cool student vibe.
Day 8 – Flight Home
The next morning I had the hotel breakfast buffet to myself. With some time to kill I ended up chatting to the coffee man outside who is very friendly. There’s also stall opposite where you can get really good cake.
The airport bus leaves from an unmarked spot but is called Airport Bus Stop (City Centre) on Google Maps. Thankfully, there were tourists with suitcases hanging around making it was easy to spot.
So it was a brief whistle stop visit to Bosnia but I’m glad I finally made it. The nature, the people, and the value for money are all incredible.
I paid for most things in Croatia by card (except sunbeds and water taxis) but in Bosnia it was mainly cash and I have few (if any) receipts so I can’t tell you much about the prices, although I can tell you that the private room in the hostel was around €33 per night, I think the tour was €45, and the hotel in Sarajevo was £66. I withdrew euros in Croatia and then exchanged them into Bosnian marks at the bank as needed.
The day after I got home, central Bosnia was hit by massive landslides and flash floods which was very upsetting to watch, particularly as one of the worst hit areas was Jablanica, which I had been past on the bus to Sarajevo. It’s a beautiful area. I’m absolutely gutted for them and I hope it recovers quickly.
Read more: A Quick Guide to Cavtat