Vacation to Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia
Sep 29th, 2013, 06:15 AM
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Vacation to Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia
My wife and I are planning a trip to Croatia in mid-October and are looking for some advice on things to see or do along the way as we are completely unfamiliar with the area. We only have 8-9 days so the schedule is tight. 
Our flights and hotels are mostly booked, but we could always adjust our schedule for the right opportunity.
We normally love outdoor activities like hiking, but we are unfamiliar with this area of the world and how safe or unsafe it would be. We like mountains, but are not big on beaches/islands/ocean. We generally skip museums/art related activities, but love history and architecture and old buildings. Food is typically a highlight of our trips and enjoying authentic cuisine is always top of our list.
We are flying into Zagreb and have about 1.5-2 days there. Hiking Medvednica and visiting Gornji grad upper town and Gradski trgovi city square sounded interesting to me. Are there any other must-see or must-do's in/around Zagreb?
Then driving to Plitvice Lakes National Park for a day and ending up in Split that night. Spending the next day in Split, not sure what to do other than see Diocletian's palace and enjoy walking around the city.
The next day we plan to drive to Dubrovnik with some stops on the way - maybe hiking Biokovo or visiting Ston? Are these places safe for tourists? Would it be dangerous to hike Biokovo without a group or guide? I also read there is a company that does Canyoning trips in Cetina river between Split and Dubrovnik. We love canyoning, but would this trip be safe? Going off into a secluded area of the mountains with strangers in a country we have never been to doesn't sound that appealing on the surface.
Then we have 1-2 days in Dubrovnik, main thing I found here is seeing Old Town and walking the walls. Not really sure what else to do here other than enjoy the sights.
We were planning on also doing a day trip to Montengro to see the beautiful scenery and stop at Perast, Kotor, and Tivat, then return to Dubrovnik that night.
Then leave Dubrovnik and head to Mostar for 1 day/night. What area(s) of Mostar are good for hotels? Which should we see other than the bridge? Although I can't actually find anything online saying it isn't safe to go to Bosnia, we are a bit hesitant just from the history. Should we be concerned about anything in Bosnia? Is this a place we should avoid?
Last day we would be driving from Mostar to Split to catch our flight home.
Are there any concerns with crossing the borders from Croatia to Montenegro or Bosnia? Should we expect delays or long lines? Are there extra charges? Are there certain crossings to avoid? Is it safe or unsafe at any certain times (maybe don't cross at night?)?
With Bosnia and Montenegro not in the EU, is it important to stop and trade in for their currency before going or do most restaurants and shops accept credit cards?
Thanks for any feedback and responses in advance, I like to have everything planned out before we go because I know we can't spend as much time there as we really want and won't be able to see everything.
Dave
Our flights and hotels are mostly booked, but we could always adjust our schedule for the right opportunity.
We normally love outdoor activities like hiking, but we are unfamiliar with this area of the world and how safe or unsafe it would be. We like mountains, but are not big on beaches/islands/ocean. We generally skip museums/art related activities, but love history and architecture and old buildings. Food is typically a highlight of our trips and enjoying authentic cuisine is always top of our list.
We are flying into Zagreb and have about 1.5-2 days there. Hiking Medvednica and visiting Gornji grad upper town and Gradski trgovi city square sounded interesting to me. Are there any other must-see or must-do's in/around Zagreb?
Then driving to Plitvice Lakes National Park for a day and ending up in Split that night. Spending the next day in Split, not sure what to do other than see Diocletian's palace and enjoy walking around the city.
The next day we plan to drive to Dubrovnik with some stops on the way - maybe hiking Biokovo or visiting Ston? Are these places safe for tourists? Would it be dangerous to hike Biokovo without a group or guide? I also read there is a company that does Canyoning trips in Cetina river between Split and Dubrovnik. We love canyoning, but would this trip be safe? Going off into a secluded area of the mountains with strangers in a country we have never been to doesn't sound that appealing on the surface.
Then we have 1-2 days in Dubrovnik, main thing I found here is seeing Old Town and walking the walls. Not really sure what else to do here other than enjoy the sights.
We were planning on also doing a day trip to Montengro to see the beautiful scenery and stop at Perast, Kotor, and Tivat, then return to Dubrovnik that night.
Then leave Dubrovnik and head to Mostar for 1 day/night. What area(s) of Mostar are good for hotels? Which should we see other than the bridge? Although I can't actually find anything online saying it isn't safe to go to Bosnia, we are a bit hesitant just from the history. Should we be concerned about anything in Bosnia? Is this a place we should avoid?
Last day we would be driving from Mostar to Split to catch our flight home.
Are there any concerns with crossing the borders from Croatia to Montenegro or Bosnia? Should we expect delays or long lines? Are there extra charges? Are there certain crossings to avoid? Is it safe or unsafe at any certain times (maybe don't cross at night?)?
With Bosnia and Montenegro not in the EU, is it important to stop and trade in for their currency before going or do most restaurants and shops accept credit cards?
Thanks for any feedback and responses in advance, I like to have everything planned out before we go because I know we can't spend as much time there as we really want and won't be able to see everything.
Dave
Sep 29th, 2013, 06:25 AM
#2
I would recommend at least one night at Plitvice. I spent two and could have stayed longer.
Bosnia is quite safe. There isn't much to do in Mostar aside from the tourist center. I found Sarajevo much more interesting.
Check here: http://www.portdubrovnik.hr/girica1.php to see how many cruise ship passengers will be in Dubrovnik when you are there.
Larger restaurants will take credit cards, but I always like to have local currency for smaller places and local transport. All these countries have ATMs.
Bosnia is quite safe. There isn't much to do in Mostar aside from the tourist center. I found Sarajevo much more interesting.
Check here: http://www.portdubrovnik.hr/girica1.php to see how many cruise ship passengers will be in Dubrovnik when you are there.
Larger restaurants will take credit cards, but I always like to have local currency for smaller places and local transport. All these countries have ATMs.
Sep 29th, 2013, 07:50 AM
#3
dave_k, our 12 year-old daughter and I traveled through Croatia (Zagreb) and Bosnia (Sarajevo) this summer, and I would suggest withdrawing local currency from the Bankomats. Even some of the larger and more touristy-type restaurants did not accept our Bankomat or VISA.
As for safety, I can not speak to Mostar, but we both felt very safe at night in Zagreb and Sarajevo.
If you click on my name you'll see our trip report if you're interested in how we spent our time in Zagreb.
As for safety, I can not speak to Mostar, but we both felt very safe at night in Zagreb and Sarajevo.
If you click on my name you'll see our trip report if you're interested in how we spent our time in Zagreb.
Sep 29th, 2013, 08:18 AM
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Mostar is perfectly safe. We stayed last fall at the Muslibegovic House and I highly recommend it. We had a very good meal at the Restaurant Taurus. We found plenty to do in Mostar for the 24 hours we were there. There are museums, several beautiful mosques, a market area. If for some reason you get bored, you can drive to Blagaj with its Tekke (dervish house) about 20 km away.
Ston and Mali Ston in Croatia are also great places to visit. you can walk along the amazing wall. The seafood restaurants in Mali Ston have great mussels.
My trip report from 2010 gives some more details and explains about driving options to Mostar from the Croatian coast. Last fall on our return trip to BiH we drove from Mostar to Blagaj to Ljubuski (where we stopped for lunch at the Restaurant Most) then took the motorway to Split, arriving there late afternoon.
Ston and Mali Ston in Croatia are also great places to visit. you can walk along the amazing wall. The seafood restaurants in Mali Ston have great mussels.
My trip report from 2010 gives some more details and explains about driving options to Mostar from the Croatian coast. Last fall on our return trip to BiH we drove from Mostar to Blagaj to Ljubuski (where we stopped for lunch at the Restaurant Most) then took the motorway to Split, arriving there late afternoon.
Sep 29th, 2013, 04:05 PM
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As you note, with only 8 or 9 days you will have to be extremely selective and you will be skipping most of this part of the world. You might want top consider focusing on a more limited region so you don't lose so much time to travel. I agree that you would do well to spend at least a night at the Plitvice Lakes. With your interests, The Lonely Planet guidebook would probably come in handy. Good luck!
Sep 29th, 2013, 07:52 PM
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Hi..we did a drive/sailing trip in croatia back in 2006
we visited vienna and prague beforehand and flew to zagreb..got a car and drove to plitvice for one night at Hotel Jezero ( upgraded due to number of Japanese tourists coming in )..the lodgings were great..all three hotels owned by the park anyway
we did a walk around part of the lake area ( it is huge huge and has many options..some depend on whether or not there has been raining and subsequent flooding)...the boardwalk is done so beautifully!
we left the lakes by 1:30pm and were on the road to dubrovnik via trogir for the night
.. its a good the road A1 highway
..left the highway to visit zadar...nice old town..had some lunch ..bought pastries at zeminik bakery on the way...place was riddled with bullet holes and there was evidence of the bombings..very confronting and upsetting for me to see people living amongst such horrific reminders...very sobering
the road then took us along the coast...very beautiful..we were travelling btwn 60-80km per hour
we passed Sibenik by 430pm but didnt stop
reacher Trogir by 630pm... great little town and so glad we chose this over split...( recommended by a fodorite years ago)
we went to the info bureau and quickly got a room in the Old Town part from a guy called Miro who got us parking using his pass so we could be close to the studio apartment
'Carol Rooms" 00385958119593
trogir was beautiful by night and day...water very clear and the lights afforded me some great photo opportunities at night
we left trogir by 8am next morning..had a look at the local school with what must be the nicest location in the world! ( right on the harbour)
and a quick peek at the nice old greystone cathedral
we had travelled 430 km the day before and had used 3/4 of tank of petrol
we took a pic of split from the car at 10 40 and drove on ( we were to return to split to collect the yacht later that week)
Next was Dugi Rat ..nice beachtown..it was 11:10 am by now
Got to Omis five mins later...very nice leafy little town..good coffee shops...has a fort and canyon cetine
we had 195km to dubrovnik to go...
stopped for pics near Markarska Riviera at 11:40
Brela has a pebbly beach and is by the Biakovo Mtns..not my kinda beach but pretty enough..very touristy
our car got clamped cos we didnt see the parking ticket machine
we had to call and wait for the ranger to come by and paid a fine of 25aud...phew..thought itd be more..
lots of pretty spots along the way but we were on a mission to get to dubrovnik for the night
we got to the border of bosnia hercegovnia by 3:15..they didnt even look at our passports
we passed the MLJET island signs and soon turned into STON
this is a great little village ( again recommended by the same fodorite who suggested trogir)..we climbed the steep wall and took pics, leaving to drive the remaining 49km to dubrovnik
we passed under the tunnel to get into dubrovnik and parked outside the OLD TOWN near the travel agency..the guy there offered us a room but we wanted to see if we could stay in the old town part...totally worth it!
we took the car down to the old town ..paid the 30kunas ( 10kunas perhour)...found the tourist agency on the main street in the old town...guy was very helpful..rang around and quickly got us a great studio apartment right in the old part for 300 kunas a night..bargain!..70 aud a night
Niko and Ivanka were the owners and were lovely..they owned the pizza place in town as well and shouted us a meal..so trusting they insisted on us paying after our stay and Ivanka did our washing, folding it for us neatly in a basket...wow!
we did have to park a bit far away...out of the old town but later were told of an empty block that we could use
near the travel agency..no charge between 9pm and 7am but had to get up to put some money in the machine...7-9min walk back to the Old Town but still worth it for us to have a car
Niko took our bags on a trolley and helped us with the luggage up the steep and narrow stairs to the studio
it was lovely
Ivanka had the fridge stocked with essentials like milk and even some bread and jam
we left our little apartment after breakfast and headed past Cavtat (16km away)..the hills surrounding reminded me of Greece
we reached the Montenegro border by 10 am..slight delay with passport check..the next station was a minute down the road and we had to pay 15 euros..no credit cards accepted...luckily we still had some euros...i asked what wouldve happened had we not had any euros on us and the officious official said hed confiscate our bottles of orange juice lol..he wasnt being funny...i couldnt read him and didnt want to continue with the smalltalk with a man who had a weapon attached to his body lol
we passed Hercig Novi and Meljine..the writing was now in Cyrilic alphabet...
surrounds were a lot shabbier, poorer than croatia..slower recovery from the war
we got to the ferry at Lepetane ..paid the 3 euros ..this is a shorter route then driving round the bay -23km vs 42km
the ferry ride was about 10mins
by 1130 we were driving the very narrow ( not scary) road round the sea inlet Boka..Kotorska fjord..
got to Kotor by 12..a bustling little place compared to what we had seen so far
we stopped at the village just before Kotor and bought pastries and juice and ate by the carpark in Kotor..very pleasant
we walked through the old town...quaint but not as nice as trogir back in croatia
then we headed towards Budva..stopped just up the hill a bit and took some photos of the fjord..gorgeous views from this mountain road..encountered a few cows and some dumped rubbish ( very uncool...rubbish...not the cows which were ubercool )
by 220pm we were descending and turning right to Budva...still had 18km to go
some good pics can be obtained here...i missed most of the opportunities and OH couldnt stop..so he said lol
Budva is quite nice...again the pebbly beach isnt my kind of beach having grown up in Bondi Beach Sydney but i could appreciate the marina and mountains
i had the worst iced coffee to date here in budva which OH happily drank for me..he has caffeine addiction problems and will drink anything lol
we left Budva at 4pm
we passed the turn off to Bigova and later Cestinj but continued on to Kotorshi heading to Tivat and back to Dubrovnik
Quick look at the Tivat Riviera ( 20mins from Budva)..huge mountains going down right to the sea...quite spectacular!
we then caught the car ferry at 425
it was a good idea of OHs to drive to Perast despite my feeling tired by then..wasnt so impressed of Perast itself..thought the harbour ugly... vista spoiled by a huge white hotel
there are prehistoric drawings at Lipci but we didnt see them
id really appreciate them now that i am more into history than i was back then
by 3 20 we had reached Herceg Novi..Naples -like fort here..
we passed the Igalo turn off and entered the wooded hills again
passport check at 5:40 and had to hand over the rental car papers for an insurance check
stopped at the croatian border a few seconds later and had our passports stamped
we headed to Cavtat ( lots of ferries can be caught from here)..took some pics and left by 620 for dubrovnik ..back at the old town by 640pm
...parked in the free 'carpark' near the real estate ..street is called ulica zagrebacka..'ulica' means street. ( the carpark was just a vacant block back then in 2006...who knows now)
there was a Konzum supermarket nearby so we bought some pasta etc to cook dinner in our apartment..loved loved having a little kitchen with window box and looking over the alley way..so recommend staying in the walled oldtowns wherever possible!
walked the wall with the audio commentary next day...great views...wonderful day
found a fantastic little bakery owned by a guy called Niko..Od Puca 11 is the address..down in the oldtown
i wandered around by myself while OH napped..and bought souvenirs ...talked to some shop owners who openly talked about the war...awful stuff whichever way you look at it
the next day we left at 7am or so ...took the same route back to Split to collect the yacht from ABA Vela..we settled onboard..got heaps of instructions from the owners ...dropped the car off at Sixt and got a lift back from the yacht people
we sailed out on the Katerina and headed due south to Milne for the night
i wont go on about the sailing route but just mention that we visited brac ( underwhelming compared to the pics we saw)
hvar...very much worth a look..we stayed overnight and hired a motorbike..the island is really quite big..great atmosphere cos the world cup soccer was on
we also went to vis island...not touristy and quite different from hvar
on our last night we headed back to split and explored that town on foot...lots of people dont really like split but i think it is worth a look...the promenade is really nice..and at night the place comes alive...as does dubrovnik on the weekend nights...lots of people- watching .. a great atmosphere
the old part of split is really nice..we listened to a church service..and theres quite a bit of Roman history to delve around in if youre interested
overall a wonderful trip...the sailing certainly added a different perspective although i was surprised at the slow-going..you simply dont get around as fast as i thought you would
we caught an incredibly cheap flight from split back to zagreb and then to vienna for the night and then back to sydney
enjoy your trip..croatia is beautiful and different from the rest of europe even though you feel the austrian influence in the north and the italian in the south...it was quite cheap back then which was an added bonus to us aussies Lol
we visited vienna and prague beforehand and flew to zagreb..got a car and drove to plitvice for one night at Hotel Jezero ( upgraded due to number of Japanese tourists coming in )..the lodgings were great..all three hotels owned by the park anyway
we did a walk around part of the lake area ( it is huge huge and has many options..some depend on whether or not there has been raining and subsequent flooding)...the boardwalk is done so beautifully!
we left the lakes by 1:30pm and were on the road to dubrovnik via trogir for the night
.. its a good the road A1 highway
..left the highway to visit zadar...nice old town..had some lunch ..bought pastries at zeminik bakery on the way...place was riddled with bullet holes and there was evidence of the bombings..very confronting and upsetting for me to see people living amongst such horrific reminders...very sobering
the road then took us along the coast...very beautiful..we were travelling btwn 60-80km per hour
we passed Sibenik by 430pm but didnt stop
reacher Trogir by 630pm... great little town and so glad we chose this over split...( recommended by a fodorite years ago)
we went to the info bureau and quickly got a room in the Old Town part from a guy called Miro who got us parking using his pass so we could be close to the studio apartment
'Carol Rooms" 00385958119593
trogir was beautiful by night and day...water very clear and the lights afforded me some great photo opportunities at night
we left trogir by 8am next morning..had a look at the local school with what must be the nicest location in the world! ( right on the harbour)
and a quick peek at the nice old greystone cathedral
we had travelled 430 km the day before and had used 3/4 of tank of petrol
we took a pic of split from the car at 10 40 and drove on ( we were to return to split to collect the yacht later that week)
Next was Dugi Rat ..nice beachtown..it was 11:10 am by now
Got to Omis five mins later...very nice leafy little town..good coffee shops...has a fort and canyon cetine
we had 195km to dubrovnik to go...
stopped for pics near Markarska Riviera at 11:40
Brela has a pebbly beach and is by the Biakovo Mtns..not my kinda beach but pretty enough..very touristy
our car got clamped cos we didnt see the parking ticket machine
we had to call and wait for the ranger to come by and paid a fine of 25aud...phew..thought itd be more..
lots of pretty spots along the way but we were on a mission to get to dubrovnik for the night
we got to the border of bosnia hercegovnia by 3:15..they didnt even look at our passports
we passed the MLJET island signs and soon turned into STON
this is a great little village ( again recommended by the same fodorite who suggested trogir)..we climbed the steep wall and took pics, leaving to drive the remaining 49km to dubrovnik
we passed under the tunnel to get into dubrovnik and parked outside the OLD TOWN near the travel agency..the guy there offered us a room but we wanted to see if we could stay in the old town part...totally worth it!
we took the car down to the old town ..paid the 30kunas ( 10kunas perhour)...found the tourist agency on the main street in the old town...guy was very helpful..rang around and quickly got us a great studio apartment right in the old part for 300 kunas a night..bargain!..70 aud a night
Niko and Ivanka were the owners and were lovely..they owned the pizza place in town as well and shouted us a meal..so trusting they insisted on us paying after our stay and Ivanka did our washing, folding it for us neatly in a basket...wow!
we did have to park a bit far away...out of the old town but later were told of an empty block that we could use
near the travel agency..no charge between 9pm and 7am but had to get up to put some money in the machine...7-9min walk back to the Old Town but still worth it for us to have a car
Niko took our bags on a trolley and helped us with the luggage up the steep and narrow stairs to the studio
it was lovely
Ivanka had the fridge stocked with essentials like milk and even some bread and jam
we left our little apartment after breakfast and headed past Cavtat (16km away)..the hills surrounding reminded me of Greece
we reached the Montenegro border by 10 am..slight delay with passport check..the next station was a minute down the road and we had to pay 15 euros..no credit cards accepted...luckily we still had some euros...i asked what wouldve happened had we not had any euros on us and the officious official said hed confiscate our bottles of orange juice lol..he wasnt being funny...i couldnt read him and didnt want to continue with the smalltalk with a man who had a weapon attached to his body lol
we passed Hercig Novi and Meljine..the writing was now in Cyrilic alphabet...
surrounds were a lot shabbier, poorer than croatia..slower recovery from the war
we got to the ferry at Lepetane ..paid the 3 euros ..this is a shorter route then driving round the bay -23km vs 42km
the ferry ride was about 10mins
by 1130 we were driving the very narrow ( not scary) road round the sea inlet Boka..Kotorska fjord..
got to Kotor by 12..a bustling little place compared to what we had seen so far
we stopped at the village just before Kotor and bought pastries and juice and ate by the carpark in Kotor..very pleasant
we walked through the old town...quaint but not as nice as trogir back in croatia
then we headed towards Budva..stopped just up the hill a bit and took some photos of the fjord..gorgeous views from this mountain road..encountered a few cows and some dumped rubbish ( very uncool...rubbish...not the cows which were ubercool )
by 220pm we were descending and turning right to Budva...still had 18km to go
some good pics can be obtained here...i missed most of the opportunities and OH couldnt stop..so he said lol
Budva is quite nice...again the pebbly beach isnt my kind of beach having grown up in Bondi Beach Sydney but i could appreciate the marina and mountains
i had the worst iced coffee to date here in budva which OH happily drank for me..he has caffeine addiction problems and will drink anything lol
we left Budva at 4pm
we passed the turn off to Bigova and later Cestinj but continued on to Kotorshi heading to Tivat and back to Dubrovnik
Quick look at the Tivat Riviera ( 20mins from Budva)..huge mountains going down right to the sea...quite spectacular!
we then caught the car ferry at 425
it was a good idea of OHs to drive to Perast despite my feeling tired by then..wasnt so impressed of Perast itself..thought the harbour ugly... vista spoiled by a huge white hotel
there are prehistoric drawings at Lipci but we didnt see them
id really appreciate them now that i am more into history than i was back then
by 3 20 we had reached Herceg Novi..Naples -like fort here..
we passed the Igalo turn off and entered the wooded hills again
passport check at 5:40 and had to hand over the rental car papers for an insurance check
stopped at the croatian border a few seconds later and had our passports stamped
we headed to Cavtat ( lots of ferries can be caught from here)..took some pics and left by 620 for dubrovnik ..back at the old town by 640pm
...parked in the free 'carpark' near the real estate ..street is called ulica zagrebacka..'ulica' means street. ( the carpark was just a vacant block back then in 2006...who knows now)
there was a Konzum supermarket nearby so we bought some pasta etc to cook dinner in our apartment..loved loved having a little kitchen with window box and looking over the alley way..so recommend staying in the walled oldtowns wherever possible!
walked the wall with the audio commentary next day...great views...wonderful day
found a fantastic little bakery owned by a guy called Niko..Od Puca 11 is the address..down in the oldtown
i wandered around by myself while OH napped..and bought souvenirs ...talked to some shop owners who openly talked about the war...awful stuff whichever way you look at it
the next day we left at 7am or so ...took the same route back to Split to collect the yacht from ABA Vela..we settled onboard..got heaps of instructions from the owners ...dropped the car off at Sixt and got a lift back from the yacht people
we sailed out on the Katerina and headed due south to Milne for the night
i wont go on about the sailing route but just mention that we visited brac ( underwhelming compared to the pics we saw)
hvar...very much worth a look..we stayed overnight and hired a motorbike..the island is really quite big..great atmosphere cos the world cup soccer was on
we also went to vis island...not touristy and quite different from hvar
on our last night we headed back to split and explored that town on foot...lots of people dont really like split but i think it is worth a look...the promenade is really nice..and at night the place comes alive...as does dubrovnik on the weekend nights...lots of people- watching .. a great atmosphere
the old part of split is really nice..we listened to a church service..and theres quite a bit of Roman history to delve around in if youre interested
overall a wonderful trip...the sailing certainly added a different perspective although i was surprised at the slow-going..you simply dont get around as fast as i thought you would
we caught an incredibly cheap flight from split back to zagreb and then to vienna for the night and then back to sydney
enjoy your trip..croatia is beautiful and different from the rest of europe even though you feel the austrian influence in the north and the italian in the south...it was quite cheap back then which was an added bonus to us aussies Lol
Sep 30th, 2013, 02:08 PM
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Montenegro uses the euro, even if it's not an official member of the eurozone. You should get marks (BAM) when in Bosnia, but an ATM will let you withdraw an amount suitable for an overnight stay. Your hotel may let you pay in euros.
Mostar is not all that big but it should have enough to occupy you. There is no need to worry at all about visiting Bosnia - the war was about two decades ago - even if there are still some markers of the conflict and remaining ethnic hostility (which you might not even notice as a tourist).
Mostar is not all that big but it should have enough to occupy you. There is no need to worry at all about visiting Bosnia - the war was about two decades ago - even if there are still some markers of the conflict and remaining ethnic hostility (which you might not even notice as a tourist).
Oct 5th, 2013, 02:45 PM
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Thanks for all the information, this is really helpful in planning the trip.
Can anyone help me figure out where "Hotel Bevanda" is located in Mostar? It was recommended to me, but Google maps, Bing, Mapquest, hotels.com, booking.com, and kayak.com ALL give me different locations so I have no idea where it really is. There are multiple addresses listed online and none of them seem to match up with any street names I can see on any maps...
Can anyone help me figure out where "Hotel Bevanda" is located in Mostar? It was recommended to me, but Google maps, Bing, Mapquest, hotels.com, booking.com, and kayak.com ALL give me different locations so I have no idea where it really is. There are multiple addresses listed online and none of them seem to match up with any street names I can see on any maps...
Oct 5th, 2013, 03:37 PM
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I did send an email to the hotel, but got no response, which makes me not really want to stay there. I checked the TA reviews, but none of the hotels in Mostar have very reassuring reviews.
Do you have a better suggestion? Hotel Demadino and Motel Emen had the only decent TA reviews, but both had bad reviews on other websites.
I had originally crossed off Motel Emen based on location, but after looking again just now I notice that it is in the wrong spot on all the map websites...and actually appears to be in the middle of old town.
Do you have a better suggestion? Hotel Demadino and Motel Emen had the only decent TA reviews, but both had bad reviews on other websites.
I had originally crossed off Motel Emen based on location, but after looking again just now I notice that it is in the wrong spot on all the map websites...and actually appears to be in the middle of old town.
Oct 5th, 2013, 04:23 PM
#12
I stayed here: http://hotel-mostar.ba/ba/home
Good location. Fine if you stay out the restaurant - food was OK but too many extra charges. See http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/...ngs-on-mostar/ for more.
If you want something fancier you might look at the Bristol.
Good location. Fine if you stay out the restaurant - food was OK but too many extra charges. See http://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com/...ngs-on-mostar/ for more.
If you want something fancier you might look at the Bristol.
Oct 6th, 2013, 10:44 AM
#13
Join Date: May 2007
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we were in Mostar last week and just loved it. The only problem we had was that there are very few street signs. A woman was very helpful with locating our hotel but said that since the war they still have not replaced many of the signs.
I would suggest staying close to the bridge/old town. You can walk everywhere if you do. I felt perfectly safe, people were very helpful when asked and friendly if you initiated conversation.
I was not as thrilled with Sarajevo but then I dont love big cities and the weather was terrible which did not help at all.
I would suggest staying close to the bridge/old town. You can walk everywhere if you do. I felt perfectly safe, people were very helpful when asked and friendly if you initiated conversation.
I was not as thrilled with Sarajevo but then I dont love big cities and the weather was terrible which did not help at all.
Oct 6th, 2013, 11:04 AM
#14
live42day - good thing we don't all like the same places! (And weather can make a big difference.) I much preferred Sarajevo to Mostar. It is bigger, but still walkable, and with much more variety. There's the older, Turkish, section, home to the souvenir shops and craftsmen (and the Latin Bridge where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated); the Austro-Hungarian quarter further west, with its stately buildings, and the newer section still further west towards the airport where people daily courted death during the siege on “sniper’s alley”.
I enjoyed several museums in Sarajevo (although I was less impressed by the Sarajevo Haggadah than I expected), and I found the tour of the wartime sights inspiring rather than depressing.
I enjoyed several museums in Sarajevo (although I was less impressed by the Sarajevo Haggadah than I expected), and I found the tour of the wartime sights inspiring rather than depressing.
Oct 6th, 2013, 11:58 AM
#15
Join Date: Mar 2007
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This has a strangely placed listing on trip advisor (not with the other hotels) but good ratings. We really enjoyed it. A unique place
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...va_Canton.html
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...va_Canton.html
Oct 6th, 2013, 11:23 PM
#16
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Thursday we did enjoy the Turkish area and the bridge, did the little museum beside the bridge and there was a very good photo museum about the war, (new this year I think) that we went to which was very imformative. As I say, the weather was terrible. We got soaked even with rain gear and umbreallas so that probably clouded our view (no pun intended). As we walk everywhere it put a big damper on things. (again the pun), the weather is very unusual for this time of year apparently.
