This itinerary will go through a couple of countries in the Balkans and former Yugoslavia. The countries on the itinerary are Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Slovenia. I will have one itinerary for the countries, but it can be used for the country itself. I will mostly say how I did it and sometimes give an extra option to do, which I did not do.

1 Month Itinerary 

Day 1, 2 & 3: Belgrade

We came from Vienna (8 hours), but your real itinerary starts in the biggest city of the countries, Belgrade. This mighty city has it all, with its informative museums, outstanding nightlife, great sights, and hospitable people. St. Sava Church (see picture below), Splavovi, the Museum of Yugoslavia, Zemun, and the Belgrade Fortress are the most important things to see and do these days. Walk around the village and feel the capital of former Yugoslavia.

Belgrade is a fantastic start to your trip to this surprising part of Europe. This is the mightiest city present in former Yugoslavia. If you want to know more about Belgrade, check out:

Day 4: Belgrade - Užice (by tour)

Depart early and head to the Drina River house. Enjoy the sight of the house on the river and maybe have a swim. Afterwards, head to Tara National Park and enjoy a hike. Stay there and go to Bansjka Stena to have a fantastic view of the area. Head to Timber Town to see cool film decor and end your day with a stay in Užice, a non-tourist city. This is your last day in Serbia.

Day 5: Užice - Žabljak

Take a 5.5-hour bus ride to Žabljak and enter Montenegro. Today you will not have enough time to see a lot, so walk a bit through the village and have a drink. Žabljak is a cute town that mostly consists of one street where restaurants and bars are present.

Day 6:  Žabljak, Tara Bridge and Black Lake - Podgorica

Wake up early and head to Tara Bridge to walk over the bridge and do a thrilling zipline next to the bridge. Then head to the Black Lake and have a swim, a couple of hours of hiking, and enjoy the insane scenery of this beautiful lake. Head to Podgorica by bus (2.5 hours) and have dinner in the capital.

Day 7: Podgorica - Virpazar

Have a free walking tour of the capital and enjoy the sights of the city. You will see most of the city except the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, so visit that later. Go for a swim and lunch, and head to Virpazar by a short train ride. When arriving here, have a wine tasting at winery Mašanović. Have dinner in town.

Day 8: Virpazar, boat tour - Bar

Head into town to arrange a boat tour. This is very easy to arrange in town, as there are multiple operators next to each other. I would recommend taking a 6-hour boat tour, where you will see many birds and fantastic scenery. You will have lunch in a cute village, and then you will head back with both sides swimming. Take a train for 30 minutes to Bar and have dinner.

Day 9: Bar- Budva

Have a relaxed morning at the beach in Bar and head to the Church of St. Jovan Vladimir to see some culture. Afterwards, take the bus to Budva and see Sveti Stefan on the way. Budva has a lovely old town where walking around is fantastic. Make sure you have an accommodation in the Old Town. 

Day 10: Budva - Cetinje

Have a good walk and a swim in the Old Town then head to Cetinje by bus for a 40-minute ride. Have a lovely stroll in the city and enjoy the more relaxed vibe in comparison to other towns. See the Monastery of St. Peter and have a beer on the main square.

Day 11: Cetinje - Lovćen National Park - Kotor

This is a full day, so start early by taking a taxi to Ivanova Korita, hike from there (ask at the information office), and enjoy the fantastic scenery. After some hours, enjoy a lunch in Ivanova Korita and then take a taxi to Petar II Petrović-Njegoš Mausoleum, where you will have the most beautiful view! After this, go with the same taxi (ask him to wait) and enjoy the fantastic views of Kotor Bay. Have dinner and a walk through Kotor.

Day 12: Kotor, Perast

Enjoy the city of Kotor by walking around the fantastic old town. Then head to Perast by 20-minute bus ride, where you can have a little stroll, a good swim, and have lunch at one of the great restaurants next to the water. Head back to Kotor to hike the Kotor Fortress and enjoy the city from a higher viewpoint. Then have dinner and a stroll in the adorable alleys and squares.

Day 13: Kotor - Mostar

Have a 6-hour bus ride from Kotor to Mostar, with a stop in Dubrovnik (maybe walk in town, although the city is far from the station). In Mostar, have a first stroll around the town and may enjoy festivities or a lovely dinner.

Day 14: Mostar, West Bosnia and Herzegovina day trip

Take a day trip to some fantastic places in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where you first visit the magical Dervish house in Blagaj, which is very special. Head to the very old town of Počitelj, where you can admire the amazing views and citadel. The end will be at Kravica Falls, to have a swim and views of very impressive falls. Head back to Mostar and walk through the city and see Stari Most, the crooked bridge (if you did not already), and the Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque.

Day 15: Mostar - Sarajevo

Start the day by heading to my highlight of Mostar, the Sniper Tower (see picture below). This can be scary and a bit rough (and forbidden) to enter, but you really want to see this sight. Head to the Museum of War and Genocide Victims, which is very rough but absolutely worth the visit. You will learn a lot about the Yugoslavian war. Afterwards, take the beautiful train to Sarajevo, which will take around 2 hours. In Sarajevo, you can have a first walk and dinner in Baščaršija. 

Day 16 & 17: Sarajevo

Sarajevo is a lovely city to be wandering through. There are many sights to visit, and you can enjoy many different things to do. Make sure you do a Sarajevo War tour one day and understand what happened during the Yugoslavian War. On the other day, you may walk the whole bobsleigh track down from uphill (although you will see a part as well during the war tour) to Gallery 11/07/1995. Have cevapi and also eat at Ascinica Hadzibajric and Nanina Kuhinja for traditional Bosnian food and great experiences.

Day 18: Sarajevo, Srebrenica

Have a relaxed morning, and you may visit a sight you had not seen before. Head to Srebrenica for a day trip and learn about the old town and the memorial. I have not done this, but I would recommend doing it, as it was the place where the biggest genocide in Europe occurred since the Second World War.

Day 19: Sarajevo - Piran

Have a day exploring the city and see the sights you have not seen before, for example, the Latin Bridge and the Yellow Fort. In the late afternoon, take the 12-hour bus ride to Piran in a night bus to the coastal city of Piran in Slovenia.

Day 20: Piran

Enjoy a day in Piran by looking at the adorable Italian-like village and taking a swim in the Adriatic Sea. Enjoy some fresh fish and a beer in this cute town. Have a relaxed day in this cute town and recover from your night bus.

Day 21: Piran - Skocjan Caves - Postojna

Head to the Skocjan caves by a 1.5-hour bus ride to Skocjan and then walk 40 minutes (through a bit of nature) to the caves. Make sure you have a tour booked in advance (because we could not enter). Head further to Postojna and end the day.

Day 22: Postojna, Caves, Vivarium, Bear Hide

Today is a full day, so start early in the Postojna caves (book in advance) and enjoy the insane beauty of the caves. Go further to the Vivarium, which is just next to it, and see cool cave animals. Have some lunch, and afterwards go on a tour towards a bear hide to see these mighty animals. Have an evening in Postojna.

Day 23: Postojna - Ljubljana

Head to Ljubljana by bus for a 1-hour ride. Have a good first walk through the city to see some of the bridges and squares, and walk through the clean city centre. Have a good dinner at one of the many restaurants in the centre (maybe a reservation can be a good thing).

Day 24: Ljubljana

Enjoy the capital of Slovenia and see some of the bigger things to do, such as Ljubljana Castle, a lovely boat tour to see some nutrias, and the alternative Metelkova Mesto, which is very cool. For the rest, see more of the city centre.

Day 25: Ljubljana - Bohinj

Head to Lake Bohinj from Ljubljana by a 2 hour bus ride (you have to switch buses probably) and see its beauty. Have a relaxed afternoon in the beautiful lake and in the evening make a hike to Savica fall, which is fantastic. Enjoy a relaxed ending of your day.

Day 26: Bohinj, Bled

Take the 40 minute bus ride to Bled and enjoy the beauty of this fantastic lake. First head to Vintgar Gorge (by hike) and see the beauty of this nature. After that walk to the lake and walk around it and see some viewpoints. Never forget to do a swim in this scenic area. Afterwards head back to Bohinj in the village in the east and have dinner here. Walk passed the lake to the camping in the west of the lake. 

Day 27: Bohinj, Vogel

Today is a bit more relaxed. Have a swim in Bohinj, and then head to the Vogel cable car to have an insane view of the lake and multiple mountains. Ride the skilift up to get even higher and have a lovely hike. After that, take a boat tour to the east of the lake to have a beer and a swim here.

Day 28: Bohinj - Bovec

Today, take a bus ride of 5.5 hours to Bovec and enjoy a relaxed evening. Don't do too much today, because tomorrow will be a long day. Just enjoy the cute village.

Day 29: Bovec, Soča River Trail

Wake up early, head to Trenta, and start the 20-kilometer hike down the Soča River at the Soča River Trail. See the fantastic blue water and have a wonderful hike through nature. This is rough and can take a lot of time, but it is a great highlight. After the hike, which brings you back to Bovec, celebrate with a nice dinner.

Day 30: Bovec, rafting 

Today, go for a rafting tour, as this is one of the best places in the world to do it. The Soča River is beautiful, and riding on it with adrenaline must be a fantastic experience. Unfortunately, I did not visit the Bovec area. Rafting and hiking here are definitely still on my bucket list. In the evening, enjoy a relaxed end to your holiday.

Day 31: Head back home

Unfortunately today is the end of your trip.

Add to the itinerary

These countries can add a lot to the itinerary. You can also add other countries like North Macedonia, Croatia, and Kosovo to the itinerary, and that is mostly what I would do.

If you want to know more about the area, check out: