The Balkans loop, paced properly. Three countries and three UNESCO World Heritage cities—Dubrovnik, Mostar and Kotor—with two nights each in Mostar and Sarajevo, a winery lunch and a night in Trebinje to break the long road south, and the Bay of Kotor to finish. No day drives more than about 3.5 hours (est.). A Classic version in the same eight days trades the Trebinje night and a Mostar night for the Elafiti Islands and Lovćen.
Same start and finish, same private set-up. Choose the version with the client; the enquiry records which one.
| Compare | Relaxed | Classic |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 8 days / 7 nights | 8 days / 7 nights |
| Hotel changes | 4 (2 two-night bases) | 3 (3 two-night bases) |
| Longest drive day | Day 6, Sarajevo to Trebinje, about 3.5 h (est.) | Day 6, Sarajevo to Kotor, about 5.5–6 h (est.) plus the border, started at 08:00 with a lunch stop in Trebinje |
| Only in this version |
|
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| Best for | First-time clients who mind long drives: a full Herzegovina day from Mostar, and a winery night in Trebinje that splits the road from Sarajevo to the coast. | Clients who want the circuit the way most market tours run it: more coast at both ends, one night in Mostar, and one long road day from Sarajevo to Kotor. |
Balkans Grand Tour 8 Days: two nights in Mostar and Sarajevo, a Trebinje winery night. First-time clients who mind long drives: a full Herzegovina day from Mostar, and a winery night in Trebinje that splits the road from Sarajevo to the coast.
Arrive at Dubrovnik airport, transfer to a central hotel inside or within walking distance of the Old Town (about 30 min, est.). Late-afternoon guided walk through the marble streets, once the cruise crowds have thinned. Evening at leisure.
City Walls first thing, before cruise traffic. Then north over the Pelješac bridge and into Bosnia and Herzegovina for Počitelj's hillside Ottoman village. Afternoon arrival in Mostar and a guided walk over the Old Bridge and through the bazaar at golden hour.
Drive about 3 h (site figure) plus border time. One crossing, Croatia → BiH: we route over the Pelješac bridge, because the old coast road through Neum adds two more crossings. Walls opening times change by season; we book the slot per date.
A full day out of Mostar instead of a stop on the way. Blagaj tekke, the dervish house at the source of the Buna river, then Kravice waterfalls for a swim in season and a long lunch by the river. Back in Mostar for a free late afternoon on the bridge.
About 1.5 h of driving in total (est.). Kravice swimming May–Sep only. Second Mostar night means no packing today.
Morning at leisure in Mostar. Drive up the Neretva canyon via Jablanica (about 2–2.5 h with a stop, est.). Afternoon guided walk in Sarajevo: Baščaršija, the Latin Bridge and the Austro-Hungarian centre.
Deep dive into Sarajevo—War Tunnel Museum in the morning, Trebević cable car in the afternoon. Experience the unique blend of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Yugoslav history.
Drive south through eastern Herzegovina to Trebinje (about 3.5 h, est.; no border). A long, hosted lunch with a tasting at a family winery in the Trebinje vineyards, then an evening walk through the old town, the plane-tree square and the Arslanagić bridge.
The Trebinje night splits the old Sarajevo → Kotor run (about 5 h) into about 3.5 h today and about 2 h tomorrow (est.). The winery lunch is booked ahead for the party.
Into Montenegro and down to the Bay of Kotor (about 2 h, est.). Boat from Perast to Our Lady of the Rocks, then on to Kotor for a late-afternoon guided Old Town walk. Evening free.
One crossing, BiH → Montenegro.
Early climb to the fortress for the bay view (1,350 steps, optional) or a free morning. Drive to Dubrovnik airport (about 2 h plus border, est.) for afternoon departure flights.
One crossing, Montenegro → Croatia. Summer queues at Croatian crossings are planned into the day.
"This is the trip that makes people fall in love with the Balkans. Eight days, three countries: Dubrovnik's walls, two nights in Mostar with a full Herzegovina day, two nights in Sarajevo where East meets West, a long winery lunch and a night in Trebinje, then Perast and Kotor. Two-night stops where it matters, no day over about 3.5 hours on the road, and a guide in every city."
Balkans Grand Tour 8 Days, Classic: Elafiti, Mostar, Sarajevo and Lovćen. Clients who want the circuit the way most market tours run it: more coast at both ends, one night in Mostar, and one long road day from Sarajevo to Kotor.
Transfer to a central hotel inside or within walking distance of the Old Town. A late-afternoon guided walk through the marble streets, once the cruise crowds have thinned.
Free time: The evening is free.
Operations note: For arrivals after about 15:00 the guided walk moves to the morning of day 3, together with the City Walls.
A day on the water: a group boat to the car-free Elafiti Islands, with a swim at Koločep, time on Lopud's sandy Šunj beach and a seafood lunch on Šipan. Back in Dubrovnik in the late afternoon.
Free time: The evening is free in the Old Town.
Operations note: The boat runs on the sea forecast. If day 2 is ruled out, it becomes a Cavtat and Konavle day by road.
City Walls first thing, before cruise traffic. Then north over the Pelješac bridge into Bosnia and Herzegovina for Počitelj's hillside Ottoman village, and on to Mostar for a guided walk over the Old Bridge and through the bazaar in the late afternoon.
Free time: The evening is free in Mostar.
Operations note: One crossing, Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina: the Pelješac bridge route avoids the two extra crossings of the coast road through Neum. Walls opening times change by season; we book the slot per date. This is the only Mostar night of this version.
Early to Blagaj, the dervish house at the spring of the Buna, before the day-trip coaches. Then up the Neretva canyon via Jablanica to Sarajevo, arriving for an afternoon guided walk: Baščaršija, the Latin Bridge and the Austro-Hungarian centre.
Free time: The evening is free.
Operations note: Kravice waterfalls are not on this version: they need the full Herzegovina day of the Relaxed version.
The War Tunnel Museum in the morning, the Trebević cable car in the afternoon, and the city's Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslav layers in between.
Free time: Lunch and the evening are free.
Operations note: The cable car operator lists Monday to Wednesday as closed (zicara.ba, checked 22 Oct 2026); on those days we drive up the Trebević road instead.
The long day of this version, so it starts at 08:00. South through eastern Herzegovina to Trebinje for lunch and a short walk under the plane trees of the old-town square, then over the border and down to the Bay of Kotor, arriving in the late afternoon.
Free time: The evening is free in Kotor Old Town.
Operations note: The longest drive in either version; the Relaxed version splits this road with a night in Trebinje. Leave Sarajevo by 08:00, keep lunch to about an hour, and plan border time into the afternoon. For groups, check driver hours against the EU rules on this day.
Up the serpentine road above the bay in the morning to Lovćen National Park and the Njegoš Mausoleum on its summit, then Njeguši village for smoked ham, cheese and local dishes. Back down to Perast in the afternoon for the boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, and a guided Kotor Old Town walk in the early evening, after the day-visitor peak.
Free time: Dinner is free.
Operations note: The mausoleum is open daily 09:00–18:00 from 11 April to 15 November and closed from 16 November to 10 April (National Museum of Montenegro, checked 22 Oct 2026). Outside that season, or if snow closes the road, the morning becomes Njeguši and Cetinje by the lower road. The serpentine road can bring on motion sickness. Non-pork menu in Njeguši on request. The Perast boat runs on the weather.
An early climb towards the fortress for the bay view (1,350 steps, optional) or a free morning, then the drive along the bay and the coast to Dubrovnik airport for afternoon flights.
Free time: The morning is free if the climb is skipped.
Operations note: One crossing, Montenegro into Croatia and the Schengen area, where the EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU travellers, so we plan extra border time. Suits flights from about 15:00.
Longer, one-way or slower versions of the route above, in development for 2027. Each is designed for parties of 2, 4, 8, 16+ (series / group) and quoted per brief as a confidential net rate. Inclusions, hotels and timings are confirmed in the proposal, not assumed from this page.
Dubrovnik → Mostar → Sarajevo → Trebinje → Kotor → Dubrovnik
Private FIT couples and families who want the Relaxed route and the Classic version’s coast days in one trip.
Same three border crossings as both 8-day versions; summer queues at Croatian crossings are planned into the day.
Kravice swimming is a May–September element only.
Sarajevo → Mostar → Dubrovnik → Kotor
Clients flying into Sarajevo and out of Tivat or Podgorica, or ending the trip on a cruise from Kotor.
Open-jaw air is the client’s or agent’s booking; we align transfers to it.
Exit airport decides the final day; the proposal carries the timing.
Relaxed for clients who mind long drives: two nights each in Mostar and Sarajevo, a full Herzegovina day with Kravice, a winery night in Trebinje, and no day over about 3.5 h of driving (est.). Classic for clients who want more of the coast: two nights in Dubrovnik with the Elafiti boat and two in Kotor with Lovćen, one night in Mostar, and one long day from Sarajevo to Kotor of about 5.5–6 h (est.). Both run 8 days from Dubrovnik to Dubrovnik with the same three border crossings; the enquiry records which version.
Yes, in ten days: the Relaxed route plus a second night in Dubrovnik for the Elafiti boat and a second night in Kotor for Lovćen, so no leg gets longer. It is listed below under "Other ways to sell this programme".
Adapt this itinerary
Balkans Grand Tour 8 Days — 8 days, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro. Send us the dates and party and we will cost it against your brief.