Croatia, Montenegro & Bosnia And Herzegovina Tour In Eight Days

Itinerary

Day 1: Dubrovnik (Croatia) (UNESCO) - Medjugorje (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Mostar

Pass By: Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, Dalmatia
Our professional tour guide will come and pick you up at your hotel in Dubrovnik at 9:00 am to begin our tour through three fascinating but very different countries. Dubrovnik used to compete with Venice as a trading port, having huge strong city walls that were built between the 11th and 17th century. Nowadays the city is more famous for being the setting of Game of Thrones, more specifically the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, King’s Landing! This is said to be the world’s best-preserved medieval city, reason enough for it to be an UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. The city is also full of markets, bazaars, cafes, bars and restaurants creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Stop At: Medjugorje, Medjugorje, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
We will leave Croatia and begin our tour towards Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first destination for today is the village of Medjugorje. The church of St. James is the symbol of this village, with its two towers and at the entrance the Statue of Our Lady. The name of the place, Medjurgorje, means "between mountains" and is located in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. At around 12:30, you will have some free time on every day of the tour to enjoy a tasty lunch and explore the places by yourself until 14:00. We will also visit the Via Domini, meaning “The Way of the Lord”. The Via Domini is a pathway existing out of mosaics that represent the story of the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary, illustrating the life of Jesus.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Mostar, Mostar, Herzegovina-Neretva Canton, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
After this, we will continue our visit of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Mostar.
Duration: 2 hours

No meals included on this day.
Accommodation included: Overnight in Mostar.

Day 2: Mostar – Cetinje (Montenegro)

Stop At: Old Bridge (Stari Most), Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina
Before we leave Bosnia and Herzegovina and cross the border to Montenegro, we will have a city tour of Mostar. Here we will, of course, visit the iconic Old Bridge also known as Stari Most, part of UNESCO world heritage and built in a typical Islamic architectural style in the 16th century.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar, Stari Most, Mostar Bosnia and Herzegovina
We will also wander through the Old Bazaar with its colourful streets and lively atmosphere. The city has stones with “Don’t Forget” all around the city, commemorating the city’s history. Mostar combines the old with the new, which you will notice while wandering through the streets. We will also visit the Blagaj monastery, a little bit outside of the city, on the foot of a cliff with beautiful blue waters in front of it.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Cetinje, Cetinje
Arriving in Montenegro, we will go to Cetinje, near Lovcen National Park, where you can find something interesting to visit in every corner of the street. Cetinje has been replaced with Podgorica as the capital of Montenegro, but culture and history have remained. The city offers an exclusive glimpse in the Balkan life before the First World War began. We will make a walk through the city to see the fascinating architecture. We will visit the Cetinje monastery and the Court Church on Cipur, which was dedicated to the Birth of Our Lady. The monastery and church seem to have the same kind of style, but there are centuries full of history between the two. As we walk through the historical center of Cetinje, we will also get a taste of the authentic atmosphere in the city created by the old buildings.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Cetinje.

Day 3: Cetinje – Podgorica

Stop At: Podgorica, Podgorica, Podgorica Municipality
From Cetinje, we will continue our tour to the present-day capital of Montenegro, where we explore the city’s most important attractions. The city got largely destroyed during the Second World War, so most of the city is quite new. One of the attractions, however, is the old neighbourhood of Podgorica, which has 400 years of history, being the former centre of an Ottoman Turkish town.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Dajbabe Monastery, Dajbabe bb, Podgorica, Podgorica Municipality Montenegro
We will visit the Dajbabe Monastery, which is remarkable for having a church inside a cave. Not to be missed, after 20 years of construction, we will be able to visit the Cathedral of Christ’s Resurrection. This is an impressive Serbian Orthodox cathedral with white stone towers and golden crosses on top.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Podgorica.

Day 4: Podgorica – Niagara waterfalls – Lake Skadar National Park – Place near the lake

Stop At: Waterfall Niagara, Cijevna River, Podgorica, Podgorica Municipality Montenegro
Today we will explore the beautiful nature in Montenegro. We will make a stop at the Niagara waterfalls of Montenegro, near the capital, on our way to Skadar Lake. The water is coming from the Prokletije mountains, located near the border with Albania. The snow on top of these mountains melts during the spring and makes these beautiful waterfalls possible.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Skadar Lake, Pavlova Strana viewpoint, Rijeka Crnojevica, Cetinje 81253 Montenegro
Our next destination is Lake Skadar National Park, one of the largest national parks in Montenegro that even has the largest lake of the Balkan Peninsula with crystal-clear waters and water-lilies floating in it. The lake can be described as a dolphin, its tale and fins in Montenegro and its nose in Albania. The park also has a rich diversity in flora and fauna with high imposing mountains. Yet, the national park has more to offer than beautiful nature, because around the lake there are villages, churches, monasteries, fortresses as well as monuments – lots of possibilities.
Duration: 3 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight near Skadar Lake.

Day 5: Place near the lake – Sveti Stefan – Budva

Pass By: Sveti Stefan, Sveti Stefan, Budva Municipality
After breakfast, we will drive towards Sveti Stefan, a fishing town on a small island near the coast. Unfortunately, it is not possible to visit the island anymore as it has turned into a five-star resort, but even while standing on the coast, Sveti Stefan is a sight for sore eyes – worthy of a picture.

Stop At: Budva, Budva, Budva Municipality
Our next destination is Budva, a popular tourist destination, famous for its beaches, gorgeous nature and old characteristic buildings. The city is separated between an old and new part. On the one hand, in the New Budva, there are many modern buildings, offices, shopping malls, restaurants and bars. On the other hand, in the Old Budva, there is the historical center and many sights to visit, such as the St. Ivan church, the small church of St. Mary and the Citadel, which we will visit on this tour.
Duration: 5 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight near the Adriatic Riviera.

Day 6: Budva – Kotor (UNESCO)

Stop At: Kotor, Kotor, Kotor Municipality
After a delicious breakfast, we will drive to Kotor, UNESCO world heritage city. We will wander through the maze of narrow, cobblestone streets crisscrossing the old town. This street plan seems quite chaotic, but it was created this way on purpose. The intention was to confuse intruders who came to plunder the town, while nowadays it characterizes the city. Make sure you pay attention to the old stone buildings and churches, while wandering through the alleys and the odd-shaped squares. Many of the old buildings and churches have small plaques on it with their dates of construction and original use.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: St. Tryphon Cathedral, Trg Sv. Tripuna 336, Kotor, Kotor Municipality 85330 Montenegro
We will stop at the Saint Tryphon cathedral, which is one of the only two Roman cathedrals in the city. The Saint Tryphon relics are kept inside the cathedral. Yet, these relics were destined to arrive in Dubrovnik but ended up in Kotor.
Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Church of St. Luke, Trg Sv. Luke, Stari grad, Kotor, Kotor Municipality 85330 Montenegro
Next to the Saint Tryphon cathedral, the Saint Luke’s church can easily be missed as it is a lot smaller, but of great significance for the locals because it represents unity to them. We will also walk to the San Giovanni fortress from which we will have an amazing view over the city. On our way to the top, we will pass by ruins of military buildings and a church from the 15th century.
Duration: 2 hours

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Kotor.

Day 7: Kotor – Kotor serpentine road – Rural village – Lovcen National Park - Tivat

Stop At: Kotor Serpentine, Route P 1, Kotor, Kotor Municipality 85330 Montenegro
Today we will go from the bustling city to the rural area of Montenegro. We will drive over the famous Kotor serpentine road, a zigzag road near Kotor with 25 serpentines. From the top, you can see the Boka Bay as well as the sea – a spectacular view. The road leads to a small rural village, located on the slopes of Mount Lovcen and on the other side of Lovcen National Park. The village has only 50 houses and a population of 200 people. They produce their own famous prosciutto, cheeses and natural mountain honey. We will learn more about the production process and have a chance to taste some of their delicious homemade products.
Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Lovcen National Park, Cetinje 81250 Montenegro
We will continue our tour to Lovcen National Park. This park is said to be “the heart of Montenegro”, while it is in the south of the country. On top of Mount Lovcen, there is a terrace that gives an epic view of the black mountains. Locals even say that you can see the whole country from this point. Petar Petrovic Njegoš last wish was to be buried on top of Mount Lovcen and in 1925 his wishes were honoured. Njegoš stopped most of Montenegro from surrendering to the Turkish attacks in the 19th century and he wrote poetry and literature of importance to the country. We will explore the beauty of the park by walking through the stunning nature surrounded by the mountain peaks.
Duration: 3 hours

Stop At: Tivat, Tivat, Tivat Municipality
Our last destination for today is Tivat.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
Accommodation included: Overnight in Tivat.

Day 8: Tivat – Dubrovnik (Croatia) (UNESCO)

Stop At: Tivat, Tivat, Tivat Municipality
After breakfast, before we will go back to Croatia, we will have a city tour of Tivat. Tivat went from a not-so-interesting to a popular destination in Montenegro, but you can still experience local life here instead of being overwhelmed by tourists. It is a small place said to be named after queen Teuta. She was an Illyrian queen who ruled over a part of Montenegro. Her summer house, which she built for herself, was located in Tivat and this is where she fell back to when she got attacked by the Romans in 229 B.C. We will visit the clocktower, the medieval Buca family house, consisting out of five buildings, and go for a stroll over the long promenade that offers a lovely view.
Duration: 4 hours

Stop At: Porto Montenegro, Tivat Bay, Tivat Municipality Montenegro
Porto Montenegro is another interesting spot in Tivat in the Bay of Kotor. The place is full of luxury yachts. We will return to Dubrovnik, Croatia. In the late afternoon, our tour of three countries will come to an end.
Duration: 1 hour

Meals included:
• Breakfast
No accommodation included on this day.