Hello,
We are joining an organized 8-day tour of Croatia that will start in Split and end in Dubrovnik. My husband and I decided to extend our stay for 4 more days and visit Montenegro. we will pickup a rental car in Dubrovnik. We are interested in going to Mostar, Kotor, Budva.
Where does it make sense to stay, as our base, so we won’t have to keep moving hotels? Or does it not make sense to just stay in one place for what we want to do? I am hoping someone has suggestions. We don’t want to rush ; we are in our late 50s and not going to try to see everything - just those that are worth seeing.
please share your thoughts.
One more thing: we will need to drive back to Dubrovnik since our flight home is from Dubrovnik airport.
Hello, so my first question would be that with your tour ending in Dubrovnik you want to stay a bit longer to sightsee it or ? I don't know how many days you will be staying in Dubrovnik but in 2-3 days you can sightsee it and nearby things very effectively.
One thing I would recommend if you are visiting during summer time is to go to Lopud from Dubrovnik with a ferry, its a local run service, takes about 40 minutes with catamaran. Its one of the elaphiti islands and has best beaches in Croatia, sandy with shallow water, heaven.
Lopud: How to spend one perfect day on this island (Great island to visit from Dubrovnik)
So regarding where to stay when visiting Mostar, Kotor, Budva, this would be my suggestion.
After renting a car in Dubrovnik you will have to drive through Ston which I recommend you stop for fresh oyster farms, salt fields and great sea food. Also to sightsee the 2 longest wall in the world.
After Ston you will be passing Peljesac Bridge which I recommend you stop for photos. From there you can see the BiH part of the adriatic coast.
After that you will see Neretva, lots of farms, oranges, watermelons etc. and there you turn for Mostar. On Your way from Mostar you can also sightsee Kravica waterfall.
Day Trip Dubrovnik to Mostar Guide (Car, Bus or Tour)
Kravica Waterfall day trip from Dubrovnik: A Complete Guide
Sleep in Mostar, we found a great hotel in the city center, check the guide above, you have to sleep in Mostar unless you want to make it a day trip from Dubrovnik which is doable but it would be tiresome so I would recommend sleeping a night there, try cevape with kaymak a must in that region. After that you can either continue through Bosnia to Kotor which I would recommend just because you will pass the Bih/Montenegro border much faster compared Croatia/Montenegro. Only thing the road is not the same quality as in Croatia.
When you arrive in Montenegro I would stay in Budva as it has affordable but high quality accommodations, hotels etc. We stayed directly on the beach, you can find parking near by, its pricey, if I remember correctly about 20 euros per day. Budva is better for your stay just because it has 2 very nice sandy beaches 1 large and 1 smaller while Kotor does not have one. After one night in Budva we went to sightsee Kotor. Check for more details in the articles.
Dubrovnik to Kotor day trip itinerary
Budva a great Dubrovnik Day Trip Guide
Since your flight is from Dubrovnik, I would advise you be in Dubrovnik on the day of the flight. So Check what I wrote and come back to me with proposed itinerary so I can comment it. You can easily stay in Cavtat on this last night, its close to the airport and has nice beaches and walkways, great for relaxing.Cavtat Guide ( a great place to stay near Dubrovnik)
If you will have any other questions just ask!
- Apr 24: arrive Split 13:45; checkin at Hotel Marvie
- Apr 25: we are thinking of booking a half-day private tour to Krka Waterfalls & Klis Fortress. What do you think?
- Apr 26th 17:00 - May 3rd 8:00: we join our organized tour group
- May 3-May 7: end of organized tour group; either stay in Croatia and spend time to explore more of Croatia or visit neighboring countries (Montenegro?)
- May 8: Fly Home out of Dubrovnik
- Apr 26- free time most of the day then meet with our tour group at 17:00; afternoon walking tour of Split’s historic center (Diocletian’s Palace and Old Town); Dinner at a local favorite restaurant
- Apr 27 - Marjan Hill; free to explore on our own; visit archeological sites, option to go to beach or explore town; then back to Central Split for dinner
- Apr 28 - checkout of our hotel then ride catamaran to Hvar; visits to Vrboska, Jelsa, Stari Grad; drive thru Pitve, Vrisnik & Vrbanj; check in at Hotel Amfora, before dinner climb up Fortica Fortress, then dinner
- Apr 29 - checkout of hotel then ride catamaran to Korcula and visit town; checkin at Tara’s Lodge; free to go to beach or explore town some more; drive to Lumbarda to visit wineries and dinner there; head back to hotel
- Apr 30 - free time in Korcula in the morning; then in the afternoon head to a winery estate for cooking class; visit idyllic villages of Smokvica and Čara for winery tours; dinner back in Korcula
- May 1 - check out of our hotel then boat transfer to Pelješac; visit Ston; then end day with transfer to Dubrovnik; checkin at Hotel Ivka
- May 2 - start day with walking tour of old town Dubrovnik; afternoon free time to do shopping or explore more; or hike Mt Srd; farewell dinner
- May 3 - morning checkout of our hotel;end of group tour; possibly pick up a rental car(?)
- Our Lady of Rocks
- Blue Cave
- Kravica Waterfalls
- Medjugorge
- Suggestions on what to do: Mostar, Perast, Kotor, Budva
April.25th: Definitely do a day trip as you will sightsee Split most probably in the first day and half of second day is enough so doing a day trip is beneficial and Krka Waterfalls is nice to sightsee same as the fortress. You can also check for tours which do Krka + sightseeing Sibenik. It is 15 minutes away from the National Park so they usually combine it. KRKA National Park
Sibenik Old Town (What to see, things to do)
April 26th: since your organized tour starts you sightsee again Split, so maybe taking whole of 25th for day trips, you can also add if you want to see more Trogir, easy to reach, about 40 minutes away from Split with uber/bolt. If you want to relax and take in more of Split that is fine but most people sightsee it very fast and you also have it within your tour, going to Trogir or Omis might be an option if you want.
Trogir Croatia Guide (Day Trip From Split)
Omis Croatia Guide (Day Trip From Split)
You can reach both easily with public transport or taxis, for local taxis always agree on price beforehand as they can set their own prices. For Uber/Bolt you get the price immediately through the app and its cheaper.
April 27th: Still in Split so definitely first or second day when you arrive before the tour, do some sightseeing of near by towns. 4 days of only Split is too much, there is more beautiful locations to sightsee. 8 BEST DAY Trips from Split (Guide) By Bus or Car
Rest of the tour is nice, you get to see alot and alot of main things and even stuff locals like! Korcula is great for its sandy beaches in Lumbarda so be sure to go there if you will have free time.
On May 3rd since you are checking out of the hotel in Dubrovnik I would rent a car and head out towards Mostar, on the way there you can sightsee Medjugorje - Mostar. Spend one night in Mostar the next morning check out and head out towards Kravica Waterfalls and after that drive towards Budva. In the afternoon evening arrive in Budva stay there 5th May sightsee Budva and now you can sleep 1 more night or sightsee Kotor and drive back to Dubrovnik and stay in Cavtat May 6-7th.
Day Trip Dubrovnik to Mostar Guide (Car, Bus or Tour)
Since you are going in April/May, it will be warm and hot sometimes, but the sea is still not warmed up so unless you are brave you really wont be swimming alot, only sunbathing. If you are for sightseeing only, we did the trip to Budva, stayed 1 night, next day visited Kotor and drove around the whole bay, took photos of the lady of the rocks, didnt take the boat there but you can from Perast. And returned in the evening to our Dubrovnik accommodation. Budva a great Dubrovnik Day Trip Guide
Basically you can easily cover all locations you want to visit, only thing you can go do a blue cave tour on Elaphiti islands near Dubrovnik but its no the same popular blue cave that is well known, that one is on island Vis and there is no other day you could do this is on except April 25th but I would save it for another time tbh. Other things you can easily cover and still be able to spend the last day in Dubrovnik/Cavtat to explore a bit more of the town..
Dubrovnik Old Town: Guide for Hotels, Things to do, Restaurants, Hidden Gems, Practical Tips