When we were picking a place to go for my boyfriend’s 30th birthday, we discussed loads of destinations, but they were all either too cliché, too expensive or not adventurous enough. Then, I remembered somewhere we kept being recommended – the Balkans. We’d both never been to this part of Europe, so we wanted a base where we could easily explore multiple the area. So, we decided to spend 10 days in Dubrovnik in southern Croatia, which has loads to see and do in the area, as well as being within daytrip distance of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The trip was planned for May, so we already knew we’d be catching the start of the summer temperatures minus the peak-season crowds.
Arriving in Croatia, the heat felt like we were in Spain and already everything was so beautiful. We got a taxi to Dubrovnik’s Old Town, with the mountain on one side and the blue sea on the other. Our home for the next 10 days was tucked away down a cute, cobbled street right next to the cathedral. We settled in, then locked in our plan for the trip…
Lokrum Island
Lokrum Island’s only 600 meters from Dubrovnik Port and there’s a ferry service that runs every half an hour. When we arrived, we were greeted by hundreds of peacocks, which was a huge surprise for us! The island’s home to a monastery, a botanical garden and a gorgeous salt lake called The Dead Sea. You could definitely spend a whole day here – there are restaurants and bars, plenty of spots for sunbathing and even a nude beach on the far side if you fancy avoiding the tan lines…
The Dead Sea was the highlight of the day. It’s a small salt lake surrounded by rocks, which was perfect for a refreshing dip. After our swim, we grabbed lunch at Lacroma Restaurant, where I had an amazing asparagus risotto. From there, it was a short walk to the Botanical Gardens and the Benedictine Monastery. We learned about the Legend of the Lokrum curse in the monastery’s museum and sat on the Iron Throne replica – we see you, Game of Thrones fans.
We set off on a small hike around the island before catching the ferry back to the Old Town. In the evening, we had dinner at a restaurant near our stay called Richetta, which did some of the best mussels I’ve ever eaten. We were so obsessed, we went back more than once during our trip!
Add it to your itinerary with this full-day cruise to Cavtat and Lokrum Island.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
After a great sleep, we got ready for a guided daytrip to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once we crossed the border, our first stop was the magical Kravice Waterfalls. There was hardly anyone here, so it felt super peaceful. We sat on the rocks and dipped our feet in the pool, watching the birds and dragonflies darting in and out of the water. Next up was Počitelj – a historic village with a fortress you can climb up – then onto Mostar, where our group had lunch. I had the best falafel wrap of my life here and my boyfriend was brave enough to try the rakia, a seriously strong local spirit.
We followed up lunch with an ice-cream from the market, then moved on to see some more of Mostar’s sights. The star of the show was its gorgeous bridge – Stari Most – and over the Neretva River. We learned that the Old Town and Stari Most were largely destroyed in the Balkan War. After its reconstruction in 2005, UNESCO added it to the World Heritage List. Throughout the tour, our guide also gave us a lot of background info about the local history, politics and culture, which made it all more meaningful.
Then, we headed back to Croatia, and after a full day out, we were so ready for a quit evening and a solid night’s sleep.
Tick off Bosnia and Herzegovina on this Kravice Waterfalls and Mostar full-day trip from Dubrovnik.
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Dubrovnik
Waking up the next morning, we wanted to have a bit more of a relaxed day, so decided to stay put in Dubrovnik and explore the Old Town and its beaches. The Old Town’s famous for starring in Game of Thrones as King’s Landing – there’s a cathedral, a church and a high wall that borders the entire town. We didn’t pay the fee to walk the walls because you can get a good view from other spots around the Old Town. Fort Lovrijenac’s only five minutes’ walk outside of the gates and entry’s €15 euros, which is much cheaper. Before heading to the beach, we stopped at Peppino’s Gelato Garden. There was almost always a queue here and I can confirm the ice-cream was worth the hype – shoutout to the Ferrero Rocher gelato and mango sorbet.
Beaches in Dubrovnik aren’t your typical sandy sweeps – they’re mainly rocky strips where you can lay out in the sun then dive into the water. The most popular’s definitely Banjee Beach. It’s easy to get to and has a beach club. If you’re after somewhere quieter, the locals recommended Šulić – you have to walk down some steep stairs on the side of the cliff, so it’s not the most accessible, but it meant it was more secluded.
Another thing worth doing in Dubrovnik is hiking up Mount Srđ. The route’s easy at first, then gradually gets more challenging the higher you get. It takes about an hour and on the way, you’ll walk through pretty forests and past wildflowers. At the top, we grabbed lunch at Panorama Restaurant. We shared a much-needed cheese board and chips with a cocktail and a beer. We saved our legs and got the cable car down, soaking up the stunning views of the Old Town and the sea.
Food-wise, here are some of other places we ate during our trip:
- For dinner by the port: Grandska Kavana Arsenal and Poklisar
- For good sushi: Azur
- For pasta and vibes: Troubadour Jazz Brasserie
- For a veggie brunch: Soul Cafe
- For oat milk coffees: GreenGo
- For Croatian fine dining: Nautika
See Dubrovnik’s best sights on this Old Town tour with cable car ride.
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Montenegro
You can also easily do a daytrip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik. Our first stop was Our Lady of the Rocks, a manmade islet off the coast of Perast. We had a look around and paid to visit the church and museum. We caught the ferry back to the mainland, then stopped at a waterfront café for some yum almond tart and watched fluorescent rainbow fish swimming about.
Next was the town of Kotor – we headed straight into the Old Town, which reminded me of something from The Lord of The Rings. We climbed up to a hilltop fortress – be warned, there are 1,350 steps – and admired the sweeping views over Kotor Bay, the Old Town and the surrounding mountains.
Back down in the Old Town, we explored all the side streets, which were mostly full of bars, market stalls and cats. The town is actually known as the ‘city of cats’, and our guide even recommended visiting Kotor Cats Museum – entry was €2 each and it was as quirky as it sounds. Cat art, cat photos, cat memorabilia… it was definitely one of the strangest museums I’d been to, and a fun way to end our daytrip.
Book the Best of Montenegro to experience it for yourself.
Elaphiti Islands
We were recommended these islands by a waiter, so we decided to visit them on our final day. Koločep was first – we strolled around the pretty port, noticing how many sea urchins there were in the clear water. There’s just one resort here and a population of only 231 people – it’s so small, the local kids actually get a boat every morning to go to secondary school on the mainland!
After an hour, we left to go to Suđurađ, where we visited a small village selling olive oil and honey. Instead of urchins, this time we noticed hundreds of pink jellyfish on the shore. We found a jellyfish-free area and dipped our feet into the water, watching the sea life and soaking up the sunshine before heading back to the boat.
Our next stop was Lopud, where we paid €3 each for a golf-buggy ride to Sunj Beach – it’s walkable, but we’d been exploring for almost 10 days at this point, so we took the easy option. The beach itself was lined with comfy loungers and beach bars, and the mountains on either side gave it a real hidden feel. We bagged a sunbed, ordered some cocktails and relaxed for a while before we heard about the local myth. Apparently, if you swim in the sea with your partner here, you’ll be together forever. We didn’t want to take any chances, so we went straight in for a paddle. After a few hours here, we hopped on the buggy back to the port, where we strolled along the market stalls selling artwork, souvenirs and ice-cream.
Back in Dubrovnik, we grabbed dinner and called it a night, exhausted after everything we managed to pack into our epic trip. We had the best time exploring this part of the Balkans, and we’d definitely recommend Dubrovnik as a base for visiting it all.
Build out your break with the three islands boat tour with lunch from Dubrovnik.
Check out our Croatia deals to get on the Balkans hype.
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Author: Shannon Randall (she/her)
Last updated: 15/08/2025
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