Ten days allows a very good route through three countries.
Fourteen days is an excellent length for a wider journey through four or five countries without rushing.
Current itineraries often treat 10 and 14 days as the most practical formats for a first trip.
Current itineraries often treat 10 and 14 days as the most practical formats for a first trip.
Three weeks open up completely different possibilities. You can then link Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia without changing hotels every day. The biggest mistake is planning by the number of countries.
A border isn't a tourist attraction. If you spend one day in Sarajevo, one in Mostar and the next already in Kotor, technically you've seen a lot, but you've got to know very little. We recommend at least two nights in key destinations whenever possible. Larger cities such as Sarajevo, Split or Belgrade often deserve more. Smaller places can be linked as interesting stops between the main bases.
That way the transfer becomes part of the experience. If you only have ten days, accept that you'll have to come back. If you have fourteen, strike a balance between well-known places and the hidden Balkans.
If you have three weeks, the region really begins to reveal how big and diverse it is.
