5 Balkan Countries, 13 Nights, $1,692

A seven-hour bus ride through the hilly countryside will bring you to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a picturesque valley. While it was battered during Serbia's civil war in the early 1990s, the city is well on its way to recovery. You'll find colorful modern structures mixed with historic landmarks dating back to the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman empires, and the occasional Communist-era holdover.

During your three-night stay in Sarajevo, you'll make an excursion to Mostar, named after the 16th-century stone bridge that made international headlines when it was destroyed during the civil war. The bridge has since been rebuilt and is seen as a hopeful symbol of coexistence by the town's Croats and Muslims.

Aerial view of Dubrovnik, Croatia (Karl Weatherly/Getty) [enlarge photo]

From Bosnia, you'll take another long seven-hour bus ride to Montenegro. First stop: Ostrog Monastery. The 17th-century structure, built into the side of a mountain, has drawn Orthodox Christian pilgrims for centuries. You'll spend the night in a konak (a basic room within the monastery); men and women will sleep in separate rooms.

Then you'll leave the monastery and ride a bus for about two hours to Budva, on the Montenegrin coast. After a sightseeing tour of the Old Town (Stari Grad) you'll be free to explore the beaches, cafés, and restaurants, or to climb the town walls for postcard-worthy views of the coast.

After two nights in Budva, you'll be back on the bus for a quick ride to Kotor, about 45 minutes away. The UNESCO World Heritage city is located on the largest southern European fjord, Kotor Bay. You'll hike in the surrounding hills and visit castle ruins.

A three-hour bus ride will bring you to Dubrovnik, Croatia, for the final leg of the trip. While the walled medieval city suffered some damage during the local wars in the early 90s, its tiled roofs and stone buildings remain largely unharmed. The orientation walk with your tour guide will cover the city's major attractions. Aside from its beaches and surrounding islands, Dubrovnik is also known for its historic landmarks, such as the Onofrio Fountain, the Franciscan Monastery and museum, the clock tower, and the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Accommodations in Dubrovnik will be as authentic as they get, as you'll be staying overnight in a private house or apartment; these typically have two or three rooms and a shared bathroom. Check-out is 10 a.m. (Note: Intrepid Travel works with a network of hotels and hostels throughout the Balkans, and at press time the company was still finalizing the precise properties for this trip.)

For more tips on what to do in the area, visit the official tourism websites of Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Croatia.

You can find the latest exchange rate, the local time, and the weather forecast at BudgetTravel.com.

Getting There According to a recent Kayak search, the lowest multicity round-trip fares arriving in Budapest and departing from Dubrovnik in mid-April are: $887 from Chicago (multiple carriers), $890 from New York (multiple carriers), $952 from L.A. (multiple carriers), $1,064 from Seattle (multiple carriers), $1,104 from Houston (multiple carriers) and $1,187 from Miami (multiple carriers).

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