gpotvin

We are planning two weeks in Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia. From what I have read here so far I have some general questions about moving from place to place. We are considering flying into Ljubljana and heading south along the coast to Dubrovnik. We want to make a day trip to Montenegro and then head back to Zagreb via Mostar and Sarajevo. We have done rental cars in a number of countries, but prefer public transportation. Is it possible to travel this route in reasonable time using buses and trains?

fourfortravel

This summer our daughter and I traveled part of your route, Zagreb to Sarajevo, via train. There is only one train each direction daily, and it was the absolute worst travel experience we've ever had. Old trains, no potable water, no food service, obnoxious beggar children at various points, and delays and more delays. I would discourage against train travel in BiH. In contrast, we traveled from Sarajevo to Belgrade via Eurolines bus; but for the bus running out of gas (thankfully inside Belgrade city) the experience was far better than the train. You may want to look at Eurolines routes. Click on my name for the travel report if you're interested.

kja

First and foremost, 2 weeks may sound like a lot of time, but is actually very little time to cover the territory you are considering. I encourage you to get some good guide books and decide what you are willing to forego if you deciide to explore this territory in just 2 weeks. (I spent 30 days in this area and still felt that I left a great deal out.)

You definitely have options for public transportation for most, if not all, of this part of the world. You might want to consult the Rough Guide, which IMO provided exceptionally good info about public transportation options (train, bus, and ferry) for and from Croatia. I don't believe that you have train options south of Split. I don't think you said when this trip would occur, but note that ferry options vary dramatically across seasons; I don't know whether train/bus schedules do.

My experiences of both trains and buses in the area were very positive -- nothing like what fourfortravel described. (I'm not questioning fourfortravel's experience, just saying that it was not consistent with my experiences.)

Of the places you mention, I used public transportation for all but all but Montenegro. I rented a car to travel from Dubrovnik to Kotor and back. I believe one can also visit Kotor and other parts of Montenegro by either bus -- if one times things VERY carefully! -- or by joining a day-long tour.

It's a beautiful part of the world! Enjoy!

Oh, and one of the most beautiful places in this area is, IMO, the Plitvice Lakes National Park -- well worth at least one full day (and so at least one, if not two, nights). It's a little harder to reach by public transportation, although you can certainly do so. You'll need to do some research to identify your options.

kja

PS - I did rent a car for a few other areas, including the Plitvice Lakes, because it saved me a lot of of time in light of my particular itinerary. Doesn't mean you would have to do so!

northie

we have just travelled by train from Budapaest to Zagreb abd from there to Sarejevo and from there to Mostar. except for the Hungarian train the rest are standard clas but as long as you know to take your own drinks and food it is a wonderful trip. It's a wonderful way to see the countryside and we certainly only met really lovely Bosnian people -no beggars.Had private driver from Mostar to Dubrovnik-.

lanejohann

id get a rental car...OH drove but there was nothing scary and the roads are well-signposted...a few probs maybe getting back onto the main road say if you pull into some of the old walled cities but theres always someone who speaks english to direct you and you might have a satellite device in the car anyway
youll see so much more...plenty of tourist bureaus to advise..if you head to montenegro at all...take euros for the border crossing
never encountered a serious problem when we were there in 2006..did have our wheels clamped once in a beachside area cos we couldnt find a meter to pay but paid a small fine and were released
have a fine trip whichever mode of transport you choose
and yes..do visit plitvice lakes!

yorkshire

Totally doable, but I would strongly consider scaling back--all of that in 2 weeks will be too much imo. Consider if exploring the coast or visiting cities will be your priority--time of year will help you decide.