markstol4727

Hi,

two years ago we made a beautiful trip of 4 weeks through Croatia. Therefore we are exploring to go to the same region again in October this year. We are now focused on combining Bosnia and Montenegro.

We are with two adults and four kids in ages between 10 and a few months.In Croatia we loved Plitvice, Krka, Split and Istria. The kids did not like Dubrovnik, Trogir and Sibenik too much. So you can say we like the combination of nature, beach and larger cities. Furthermore we like to travel slow (3/4 nights on one spot).

For practical reasons we will fly in and out of Dubrovnik and hire a van there which with we can visit both countries. Our itinerary now is the following:
- Mostar: 3 nights
- Jajce: 2 nights
- Sarajevo: 4 nights
- Durmitor: 4 nights
- Lake Skadar: 4 nights
- Kotor: 4 nights

key questions:
- does the itinerary make sense?
- any alternative suggestions looking at what we like ? Maybe another nice spot in Montenegro as we could limit the days in Kotor, Skadar and Durmitor?
- is the weather still good in this places in October?
- are most of the things still open in October?

many thanks for your help!

kind regards
Mark

P_M

Kotor is magnificent. I recommend day trips to the monastery and to Budva.

From Mostar you could do a day trip to Kravica Falls.

I think your time in Sarajevo is good as it's a fascinating city.

I can't imagine why any place would be closed in October.

Enjoy.

markstol4727

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated. Do you know what kind of weather to be expected in October?

My concern on October mainly comes from my experience in Croatia that restaurants tend to shut down in the second half of October (at least in smaller towns like Cavtat)

rialtogrl

For sure some places will be starting to shut down in Durmitor and Lake Skadar. You never know about weather, it could be glorious or it could be stormy. If you stayed in Zabljak and just made day trips from there you will be able to find open cafes and restaurants. A lot of places in Kotor will remain open through October. I suppose it depends on when in October - getting later in the month you have possibility of snow in Durmitor. But maybe that could be nice, you can book some winter sport activities.

You could spend a few days in Cetinje and visit part of Lake Skadar from there plus Lovćen national park. Nothing in Cetinje closes for the season. Virpazar is really nice too and if weather is nice a good base to explore Lake Skadar. However I was there in a low season once and it was pretty quiet. But with less people, more birds will be out on the lake..

markstol4727

Wow thanks for the great recommendations Rialtogirl. Will definitely look into Cetinje and Virpazar.
I was not aware that it could already snow in Durmitor in October. I might reconsider going there in that case as hiking with small kids then does not have my preference

P_M

When speaking of closures I was thinking of the places I mentioned and not the more remote places so I'm glad someone else weighed in.

I've never been there in October but on my first trip to Croatia and Montenegro I was surprised at how much snow there was in March, and this did affect my trip. If you have flexibility to change your plans then you could check the forecast a few days in advance. If you want to book everything in advance then the possibility of snow should be a consideration.

rialtogrl

It can snow.. it can rain… it can storm.. or not. If you base in Zabljak you can play it by ear..

in Cetinje, kids rule the land. There is a nice park, playground, pedestrian streets and squares with cafes where you can hang out while the kids play. Plus a lot of street parking.

in Kotor consider staying outside the city walls, in Dobrota for instance. More of a locals place in off season and you can walk to Kotor or drive and park in the municipal lot which is not too expensive.

markstol4727

Thanks will definitely look into Cetinje. I did not know the town but it looks pretty nice.

are there any specific hikes you would recommend to do with young kids (not too long, not too many height differences, etc)?

rialtogrl

I am not a hiker and don't have kids - but maybe someone else can advise..
Do you know this website? Maybe it can help. https://www.alltrails.com/montenegro