Arrive into Dubrovnik Airport and collect your hire car. Drive up the coast with a possible visit to the arboretum at Trsteno en route to Ston. Here you might like to try the local delicacy - oysters.
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Explore this fascinating country, full of historic cities, stunning valleys, ancient monuments and memorials to its more recent tragedies.
START / FINISH - Dubrovnik (or Sarajevo or Tuzla)
Activity code: BOFD01
Duration: 10 Days
Take the chance to visit Bosnia & Herzegovina with the ease of starting and finishing in Dubrovnik. In just over one week you can explore much of the country travelling in a circuit that includes Mostar, Sarajevo, Jajce, Visegrad and Trebinje before returning to Dubrovnik.
** An alternative would be to utilise flights into either Sarajevo or Tuzla and have your whole holiday within Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Your exploration begins straight away on this holiday as you can pick up your hire car directly from the airport and then you are free to enjoy the views of the coast and the old harbour of Dubrovnik from the open road almost immediately. In Ston, even for just 24 hours, you can try the local oysters, walk the walls and also drive along the beautiful Peljesac Peninsula to Orebic, even across to Korcula Island. It's quite incredible how much of this corner of Croatia you can squeeze in before crossing the border into Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Mostar's stunning bridge, which was lovingly reconstructed after the war of the 1990s, and its old town's atmosphere are well worth a couple of days. Our suggested route around the country takes in some of the most scenic roads and beautiful vistas imaginable in the whole of Europe, there are canyons, mountains, lakes and waterfalls galore - these include the Neretva & Drina valleys, Jablanicko & Ramsko lakes and the Skakavec and Kravice waterfalls. There are historic villages, huge monuments from the communist era, ancient sites and castles around almost every corner - these include Pocitelj, Jajce, Travnik, Foca and Visegrad.
In the middle of your trip you get to spend a full day (or more) in the capital, Sarajevo, which has so much to offer enquiring visitors, not just its historic heritage and the legacy of the Winter Olympic Games but the memory of the siege that lasted almost 4 years. We've also included a night in the lovely small town of Trebinje to break the journey where an early morning walk along the river is a delightful start to the day.
We feel that the best finale to this holiday would be a few nights in Dubrovnik where you can relax, enjoy some activities and sightseeing without your car as the local buses and cable car offer an excellent service (or you may prefer to go straight to the airport on the final day).
Alternative Routes
Option 1 - arrival in Sarajevo - suggested route would be Sarajevo, Tuzla, Visegrad, Trebinje, Mostar, Jajce & back to Sarajevo.
Option 2 - arrival in Tuzla - suggested route would be Tuzla, Visegrad, Trebinje, Mostar, Jajce, Sarajevo & back to Tuzla.
Important Information
Your fly drive can be as active or leisurely-paced as you please. Staying one night at each stop allows the maximum amount of sightseeing; two or more nights will allow you to do more side trips, whilst staying in one place will give you the opportunity to relax and explore the local area.
If you would like to visit these wonderful places without driving then we can supply a private driver for the duration or, alternatively, pre-book train tickets for you between the main locations. We can also pre-book guided sightseeing, lunches, extra activities and visits on your itinerary as required.
Flights are available to book with us through a range of airlines from various UK airports; if we book your flights this means that your holiday will also be fully ATOL protected.
Prices shown are a guideline "from" (in UK Pounds) and are based on a travelling party of at least 2 adults. Single supplements may need to be applied to the twin/double price and discounts for children (under 12yrs) and/or a 3rd adult sharing a room are available upon request. Quoted prices for individual enquiries will depend upon your chosen accommodation, room availability and dates of travel. We always aim to match a high quality experience with exceptional value for money. Discounts will apply if there are 3 or more people in your travelling party as fixed costs such as transportation and guides will be shared equally between the group.
Based upon 2 persons travelling
Itinerary
Arrive into Dubrovnik Airport and collect your hire car. Drive up the coast with a possible visit to the arboretum at Trsteno en route to Ston. Here you might like to try the local delicacy - oysters.
Option A (from Ston): In the morning you have time to take a drive along the beautiful Peljesac Peninsula then you have a choice of routes inland into Bosnia & Herzegovina to the historic town of Mostar.
Option B (from Ravno): Very close to your starting point is the cave system of Vjetrenica, afterwards we suggest driving towards Mostar via Hutovo Blato Nature Park or Stolac with its ancient necropolis.
Additional places to visit along the way in southern Herzegovina include the historic village of Pocitelj, the pilgrim site of Medugorje and the stunning waterfalls at Kravice.
Today you embark upon one of the most scenic drives in the Balkans, along the Neretva river valley with its impressive canyon not far to the north of Mostar. Your route also passes the beautiful lakes of Jablaniko and Ramsko prior to arriving at Jajce.
A full day to relax in this beautiful historic town and to visit the natural and cultural wonders in the area which include waterfalls, castles, watermills, catacombs and Roman temples.
Hugging the sides of the hill just under the spectacular medieval citadel are beautiful Ottoman-style houses which in turn lie above the crashing 27m high waterfalls on the Pliva River. Beneath St Luke's church are the catacombs, where high priests and nobility were buried and nearby is the site of the 3rd Century Temple of Mithras.
Heading north is the Vrbas Canyon - an amazing drive which can be done as a small circuit if you return via Mrkonjic Grad and the Plivsko Lake. In the wide areas of the Pliva you can find many mills that were built during Ottoman times; most of the mills are still in decent shape, and some remain in use.
Drive via a choice of roads, although we definitely recommend passing through Travnik (maybe for lunch by the river) and the Franciscan monastery of Kraljeva Sutjeska, near Kakanj. Once in Sarajevo you can spend the evening taking in the atmosphere of the old town and beginning to appreciate both the history and much more recent turbulent period.
A full day to explore Sarajevo's capital city.
When travelling around Sarajevo you'll feel totally at ease as there is a real, 'welcome to Sarajevo' atmosphere throughout the city. Places to visit include the old town and, in particular, the Bascarsija as well as many fine cultural sites such as the Bosniak institute, which holds various exhibitions on Sarajevo culture and Sarajevo history, the National Theatre of Bosnia and the National Museum. Whilst in the city your curiosity about the War of Independence and the Siege of Sarajevo can be satisfied with a number of sympathetic exhibitions and experiences such as the Freedom Tunnel and we definitely recommend a guided tour to understand what it was like to live here during this turbulent period.
Don't miss an opportunity to visit Jahorina National Park, site of the 1984 Winter Olympics, and, also not far from the city is the second tallest waterfall in Europe (98m), so beautiful that it is worth the short trip. The vegetation surrounding the waterfall contains a variety of rare species.
Yet more scenic routes, east to Rogatica and up the Drina valley to Visegrad with its fabulous 16th century stone bridge. You could opt for an extra night in Visegrad, (or nearby Gorazde) or consider a more direct route, albeit still a scenic one, to Trebinje. This alternative direction out of Sarajevo, southeast, follows the Zeleznica river up-stream and crosses the mountains at the Rogoj Pass (1161m) heading to Foca. This is where the two route options meet.
The final section of the route today involves two mountain passes over 1000m, the Sutjeska National Park and Bilecko Lake as well as so much fabulous scenery in between.
** you may wish to stay an extra night here if you are NOT choosing to end your holiday in Dubrovnik.
A full day in the delightful town of Trebinje in the Republic of Srpska. Trebinje's Stari Grad (old town) is intact and is full of life in the evenings offering locals and visitors alike a choice of bars, restaurants and ice-cream parlours. Trebinje has its own Old Bridge (the Arslanagica) which is worthy of a stroll alongside the river to view and walk over (why not try this as early as possible for some great photos). Return to your hotel and a visit to the traditional market on the main square before heading out of town in the afternoon for the short drive to Dubrovnik.
** or if you have an evening flight you could elect to go straight to the airport and drop off your car directly.
Option 1: If you have stayed an extra night in Trebinje then you'll make the short drive over the hills directly to Dubrovnik Airport, drop off the car and take your flight home.
Option 2: If staying in Dubrovnik you won't need the car so you can explore on foot (and bus/cable car) and we will provide a private departure transfer to the airport on Day 10 or Day 11, depending on how long you wish to stay in Dubrovnik.
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