Adriatic Coast Route: Split to Herceg Novi Guide

The route starts in the north at Split, makes a short hop west to Trogir, then heads south to Dubrovnik and crosses into Montenegro for the Bay of Kotor with Kotor, Budva and Herceg Novi. Split and Dubrovnik lie roughly 220-230 km apart by road; the Pelješac Bridge, opened in 2022, now bypasses the Neum corridor in Bosnia. Dubrovnik to Kotor is about 90-92 km via the Karasovići-Debeli Brijeg border crossing. Allowing at least a day per stop, five to seven days is a comfortable pace; but check current bus and ferry times from an official source before you build them into your plan, and for any unverified time or price we say here we don't know.

Split is a port city of 160,577 residents in the 2021 census, and the heart of the route is the palace that Emperor Diocletian had built between 293 and 305 CE. That palace became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 and still forms the core of the living old town; the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, converted from the former Temple of Jupiter, and the bell tower begun in 1100 stand out. Split is one of the Mediterranean's busiest passenger ports and a gateway to the islands. Some 27 km west lies Trogir, on a small island between the mainland and the island of Čiovo; its historic core, inscribed by UNESCO in 1997, holds the Cathedral of Saint Lawrence with the famous Portal of Master Radovan. Opening hours of museums and the cathedral shift by season; we do not write them unverified, and where unknown we say we don't know.

With 41,562 residents in 2021, Dubrovnik is the Croatian climax of the route. The old town became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979; the stone city walls that ring it are its emblem and can be walked all the way around. The city governed itself from the 14th century until 1808 as the independent maritime power of the Republic of Ragusa, rivalling Venice. The 1667 earthquake destroyed most public buildings; during the 1991-92 siege the UNESCO-protected walled city was heavily damaged by artillery. Inside, the Rector's Palace, the Sponza Palace and the cathedral are worth seeing. The current entry fee and hours for the walls walk change with the season; this guide does not write them without a sourced check, so confirm current details officially, and for any unknown detail we say we don't know.

The Bay of Kotor is the most indented part of the Adriatic and is not a fjord but a drowned river canyon, that is, a ria. The town of Kotor (about 13,347 residents) joined the UNESCO list in 1979 as the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor; its medieval walls run for 4.5 km above the town. Roughly 20-23 km outside the bay lies Budva (17,479 residents in 2023), Montenegro's main tourism hub, whose old town from the Venetian period (1420-1797) is protected by walls. Herceg Novi, at the bay's western entrance, was founded in 1382 as a fortress by the Bosnian king Tvrtko I Kotromanić; Forte Mare, the Ottoman-built Kanli Tower and a Spanish fort can be seen here. We do not write museum and fortress hours unverified; for anything unknown we honestly say we don't know.

Along the route buses link the main coastal towns frequently and are the region's most common, cheapest transport; the Split-Dubrovnik leg can also be covered by Jadrolinija coastal ferries. The main land route is the Adriatic Highway (Jadranska magistrala). In the Bay of Kotor a car ferry runs across the Verige strait between Lepetane and Kamenari, saving the drive around the whole bay. Because Montenegro is outside the EU, a passport is needed at the Croatia-Montenegro border, and in summer queues can build at the Karasovići crossing. The most balanced window is late spring to September, when crowds and prices ease and the sea is swimmable, that is May-June and September. Current ferry and bus times and fares are not written without a sourced check; for anything unknown we say we don't know.