We went for a day trip from Dubrovnik to Kotor by a rental car and then at the same day we continued from Kotor to Mostar and stayed in Mostar for the night. In my blog post below, you can find our experiences of border crossing from Montenegro to Bosnia and Herzegovina and information about road conditions.
Kotor or Mostar from Dubrovnik?
If you are trying to decide which day trip to choose from Dubrovnik: Kotor or Mostar, I would suggest: “How about both?”. We went for a road trip from Dubrovnik, Croatia to Kotor, Montenegro and afterwards we crossed to Bosnia Herzegovina at same day. After a one night stay and exploring half a day in Mostar, we kept driving to visit must see places outside Mostar. Indeed, we did all of this in just 2 days! After a delightful trip, at the end of the second day we went back to Croatia.
It is totally doable and with good planning you can explore lots of places in short time. If you have more time, it’s even better. You would have a chance to take in more the places you visit.
For information about Dubrovnik – Kotor road conditions, renting a car in Dubrovnik, day trip from Dubrovnik to Kotor and things to do in Kotor, please click here.
Day trip from Dubrovnik to Kotor by rental car
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Driving from Kotor to Mostar
We started our trip from Kotor old town and then drove through Bay of Kotor. After a while, we crossed the Montenegro – Bosnia and Herzegovina border at Border Crossing Sitnica. Then, we followed M6 through Trebinje and Ljbinje and finally reached Mostar old town. The whole journey was about 195 km and it took around 3 hours and 20 minutes.
Trip from Kotor to Bosnia and Herzegovina border
Trip Duration: 1 hour 20 minutes
We drove to Bosnian border through a newly asphalted, well maintained road. After a while, we started climbing from sea level to quite high in the mountains. We kept driving between the mountains and reached at the end of the road where we needed to pay 3€ toll for the toll road. Actually, it was a simple two lane road nothing like a freeway, but it was for a fee. Even at this state it wasn’t crowded at all. We met only a few cars during our journey.
Crossing Montenegro – Bosnia and Herzegovina border
Crossing Duration: 3 minutes
When we reached to Bosnian border there wasn’t even a single car waiting to cross the border. We noticed “Montenegro Goodbye” and “Welcome to Republika Srpska” signs. We were totally confused seeing “Republika Srpska” on our way. Oh no, did we come accidentally to Serbia border instead of Bosnia? We passed our passports and asked the funniest question ever asked to a border officer: “Where are we, where are we crossing to?” :)))). We were very relieved hearing her “Bosnia and Herzegovina” answer.
For a note, later we have learned that Republika Srpska is not the same as Serbia. Actually, it is one of the two semi-autonomous entities that make up the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located on the north and the east of the country.
Trip from Bosnia and Herzegovina border to Mostar
Trip Duration: 2 hours
We crossed Bosnian border just after sunset and drove through Trebinje and Ljbinje on our way to Mostar. Compared to Montenegro’s rocky coast, everywhere was so green around. We drove through mostly straight, narrow and well maintained roads. There were many villages and towns on our way to Mostar.
Just after dusk we reached the city of Mostar. I was very surprised seeing that Mostar is a huge city spread at a quite large area. On the contrary, Mostar Old Town was very compact and very walkable. We checked in our hotel in Mostar and were ready to explore the beautiful historical town of Mostar.
Where to stay in Mostar
Hotel-Restaurant Kriva Cuprija (Booking.com score 9.4 / for more than 990 reviews) is a perfect choice for a memorable accommodation in the middle of the Old Town, just steps away from the Old Bridge. It also offers a great breakfast and quadruple rooms for the ones who travel as a family.
Hotel Almira (Booking.com score 9.1 / for more than 460 reviews) is another choice in the Old Town which is quite a budget friendly accommodation. It offers breakfast, free garage parking and has many triple and quadruple room options as well.
For more choice and prices of Mostar Hotels, please click here.
Interested in things to do in Mostar? Check out my post:
What to do in Mostar in one day?
Check out my posts for my whole Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina trip