I spent 2 weeks travelling through the Balkan countries of Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro. This is my Ultimate 14 Day Guide To The Balkans!
This includes 1 week in Croatia doing Sail Croatia, Mostar in Bosnia and Kotor and Ulcinj in Montenegro. I travelled via bus or car to all these destinations.
Apart from Sail Croatia, we had nothing planned or booked. We stayed in Airbnb’s which we booked last minute as we went along!
Day 1-7: Sail Croatia
I spent 1 week in Croatia, all of which was on a boat with a little known company called Sail Croatia. We did the Split return Navigator Cruise on the Premier Plus boat. The Navigator Cruises are the party boats for under 35s.
We chose the Premier Plus boat because it was the only option available! But it was really worth the price to get a proper bed, private bathroom and airconditioning. Also, the boat itself was much nicer than the lower level boats!
The islands and places we visited during the week were:
- Split
- Hvar
- Korcula
- Mjet
- Dubrovnik
- Makarska
- Stari Grad
Iย took barely any photos because I was too busy drinking in extreme excess with the 30 other people on my boat!
It was an awesome week though, we visited some really beautiful islands and watched the most amazing sunsets. We even stumbled across this massive street festival/costume party in Korcula and just raved on the streets all night for free.
The only downside to Sail Croatia is that it bleeds you of so much cash! It’s expensive to begin with and all the drinking, restaurants and optional activities it seriously adds up. But it was 1000% worth it, you make amazing friends and are guaranteed to come away with some entertaining stories.
Everyone needs to do it or some variation at least once. Nothing is better than holidaying on a boat, nothing!!
Day 8-9: Mostar, Bosnia
From Split we got a bus to Mostar in Bosnia for 2 days. We stayed in a 2 bedroom Airbnb apartment which was a few minutes walk from the Old Town.
The main reason we went here is so that my friend could attempt to jump off the famous Mostar bridge. It was extremely high and terrifying to witness, but he did it and has the certificate to prove it!
I loved Mostar itself as well. The old town was completely different from any of the others we had been to because of the Turkish influence in the country. It had a way different vibe!
There were cute markets, cobbled winding streets, rivers with outdoor restaurants perched on the edge and little bridges everywhere. It’s also an interesting place to visit in terms of recent conflicts which can definitely still be seen around the town.
Day 10-12: Kotor, Montenegro
Our next stop in the Balkans is Kotor in Montenegro, where we spent a couple of days. Again, we stayed in a beautiful Airbnb apartment just outside the Old Town which we booked last minute! We got here via transfer which was organised through a hostel in Mostar.
The drive itself was pretty spectacular, there were a lot of stunning lakes and mountains along the way which the driver stopped at for us to take pictures. I was really surprised by how stunning the scenery was in this part of Europe as it was completely unexpected!
Kotor is a very beautiful city. It’s on a lakefront which is nestled in between mountains! The old town is completely walled and surrounded by a body of water.
There are also walls going all the way up the mountain behind the old town to a castle which we hiked up to for sunset. This is the number one must do it Kotor!
One day we also hiked up the mountain on the other side. The weather wasn’t very good and at the top there were all these old abandoned buildings which gave us the creeps!
We were in Kotor for 2 nights which was more than enough to explore the town and the surrounding hikes.
Day 13-14: Ulcinj, Montenegro
We then headed down to this small beach town called Ulcinj at the very bottom of the country by bus for a couple of nights. Once again we booked last minute a lovely Airbnb apartment. This was a totally random place to travel to! But this made it all the more charming and memorable.
There were plenty of beach clubs, beaches and restaurants. It’s mainly a place where people from Montenegro go on holiday and people almost seemed shocked when they found out we were from New Zealand.
They were so friendly and showed us amazing hospitality. I also had an exceptional custom made vegan pizza here which I still think about all the time! We had a fun night out bar hopping and listening to amazing live music.
Warning! The Long Island Iced Teas in Montenegro are LETHAL!
After Ulcinj we caught a bus to Tirana and then to Himara in Albania which was unreal. I have written a separate post all about the magnificent beaches in Himara.
There you have my Ultimate 14 Day Guide To The Balkans!
These 14 days in the Balkans wasn’t really planned we had a rough idea of where to go and sort of just booked accommodation as we went. We figured out transport as we went and it worked really well in this part of Europe!
The apartments we stayed in with Airbnb were amazingly priced and legit what you would expect from Airbnb, locals homes that they rent out themselves! No hotels or guesthouses, so it made for a great experience as a group of three.
I seriously loved the Balkans, it was the highlight of my four month European Summer tour. I went in with no expectations and was blown away!
Use this Ultimate 14 day guide to the Balkans and get travelling this summer to Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro!
Don’t forget to check out my Guide to The Best Beaches in Himara!
