thursdaysd

You don't need two nights in Mostar, and I agree with kja about the bus to Dubrovnik. Also, I gave Plitvice two nights and didn't regret it.

travellingwineO

Thanks for the responses.

kja,

The ferry schedule I found looks like there are ferries that depart at 16:00 & 16:30 for Korcula from Dubrovnik, so not technically evening, but it would give us a chance to spend the bulk of the day in Dubrovnik....

I may try to tweak the schedule to devote more time to Split, but I don't know that I want to do that at the expense of Ljubljuana or Istria. My thinking re: Istria is that it would be halfway (approximately, anyway) through our trip and therefore, a good time to slow it down a bit. I am also excited about the idea that it feels more Italian and will be able to share that vibe with our kids, who haven't been to Italy. Plus, truffles.

I'm not too worried about jet lag, as it hasn't seemed to be too much of a problem for us on our prior European trips (returning home is a different proposition), though accounting for the possibility of some jet lag was part of my rationale for taking the evening train to Mostar. It essentially gives us another entire day in Sarajevo.

We are morning people, so my plan would be to get to Plitivice first thing (7am), which would ensure that we are able to spend as much time as we want and still be able to make the drive during daylight hours.

I do think our itinerary is pretty busy and may very well end up getting toned down as we get closer. But I want to see as much as I can!! ;-)

thursdaysd,

The reason for two night is Mostar is that our first night we will be arriving on the train from Sarajevo (which arrives in Mostar at ~19:00). By spending a second night, we have a nice leisurely day in Mostar, then off to Dubrovnik first thing the next morning.

kja

Thanks for clarifying the ferries you are considering for going from Dubrovnik to Korcula -- those are the latest ones of which I was aware, and I certainly would not consider them to be "evening" ferries.

Sounds like you've given thought to how to make this trip fit your interests and preferences -- enjoy!

LancasterLad

I'd add a day to Mostar, and visit Medjugorje, a fairly recently discovered Roman Catholic Pilgrimage Site, founded after an [apparent] sighting of an apparition of the Vigin Mary. It's a lovely 50 minute public bus ride up there from Mostar Bus Station [next to the train station]. A [pleasant, quiet place to stay @ 35 Euros a night inc breakfast is the Mozart Motel, less than a 5 minute walk from the Train Station.

Medjugorje is a really nice little town, a bit 'tacky tourist' in parts, but the atmosphere is electric, with 1000s of pilgrims from all over the World. I was amazed at how passionate many of these RC Pilgims are.

Plenty of pleasant easy walking routes.

We visited as interested sceptics, and left as interested sceptics.

Well worth a detour from Mostar, infact we went twice.

A little more on Mostar. There's much more to see than the Old Town, and a wander around is definitely worthwhile, and more than just a little humbling. Not quite on a par with Sarajevo, but they're different places.

The train journey in either direction between Mostar and Sarajevo is really like living a dream, wonderful. I'd take the early morning train if possible, while there's more likelihood of mist and rain to give the trip a bit more of a spooky feel.

LancasterLad

You're missing out Brac and Hvar? The ferry trips from Split are worth a day trip alone. Takes just under an hour to Brac [Supetar], and 2 hours to Hvar [Stari Grad].

It's easy to get from Mostar to Split by bus. Have a look at Globtour website. Takes c4 hours, and a lovely drive. At least 1 rest stop, we had 2 on the way back to Split.

If you're going to Dubrovnik, then check out the Cruise Port Schedule first. The town can quickly become saturated with humanity, not my idea of fun.