Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia-Herzegovina

This quick trip will include the highlights of the Bosnia-Herzegovina. You’ll explore the most popular sites, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the history, culture, and excellent food. This trip requires a car so be prepared to rent one. If you have more time you could pair this with a longer trip, check out our Balkans Highlights.

Length: 3+ days

Transportation: Rent a car or plan to hire a driver

Best Guide Book: Rick Steve’s Croatia, Rick Steve’s Slovenia

Day 1 – Sarajevo

Day 2 – Sarajevo

Day 3 – Mostar

  • Drive to Mostar (2h4m drive)
  • Lunch in Mostar at Restoran Hindin Han
  • Drive to Blagaj Takija Monestery (20m drive)
  • Dinner – Babilon, Restoran Lagero, Bašćine, Tima – Irma, Restaurant Šadrvan
  • Lodging – Muslibegovic House

Day 4 – Kravice Waterfalls

Day 5 – Jajce

  • Explore the Old Town
    • St. Mary’s Church (12th century) with St. Luke’s belfry
    • Mithraic Temple
    • Catacombs
    • Jajce Fortress
    • AVNOJ museum
  • Pliva Waterfall
  • Pliva Lakes and Mlinčići watermills
  • Drinks – Svemirko Pub
  • Dinner – Kod Asima
  • Lodging – same place (night 2/2)

In-Depth Itinerary

Bosnia-Herzegovina is a fantastic place to explore! The highlights are without a doubt Sarajevo and Mostar. If you’re short on time, Sarajevo can be explored in just one day, though a relaxing two is better. With a third day add in Mostar. With more time, add in some nature and a smaller town like Jajce. You could also consider a visit to a National Park like Sutjeska National Park if you’re the outdoorsy type. If you’re adding this trip as part of a greater one to Croatia, you may need to change up the order. For instance, Kravice Waterfalls is only 2 hours from Croatia and Mostar is likewise closer. In this situation we would not recommend driving back to Sarajevo.

You’ll want a car starting in Sarajevo unless your guide provides one. If that’s the case, you could pick it up on the way out of town when you head to Mostar. But we found Sarajevo easy to park in.

Day 1 – Sarajevo

Sarajevo is a beautiful city (and one of my favorite places I’ve ever been) with incredible culture and a recent devastating history. When most people think of this historic capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, people tend to think of two things: home of the 1984 Winter Olympics and the civil war of the 1990s that devastated the region. The aftermath of the civil war is still evident, however Sarajevo is very much emerging from this tragic history and is a city with significant Bosnian charm. Located in a beautiful valley along the Miljacka River and surrounded by the Dinaric Alps its picture-perfect. Here you’ll find abundant history, beautiful Ottoman architecture, a fascinating culture, and a uniqueness not seen anywhere else in Europe. It’s ancient meets modern and East-meets, West at its best.

Enjoy breakfast at Moricá Han, Kolobara Han, Wiener Cafe, or Aščinica Stari Grad. After breakfast enjoy a half day tour of Sarajevo. We cannot recommend our tour guide Jadranka Suster enough. Let her take you first outside of Sarajevo as you start with a viewpoint of the city at the White Bastion fortress.

Sarajevo

Next, visit the Roman Bridge, Vrelo Bosnewith with the spring the Bosnia river, and Illidza Spa. Make your way to the War Tunnel Museum and explore it. Next head to the Trebevic mountain which hosts the old Olympic Bobsled course. Walk down the the old sled route.

Olympic bobsled course near Sarajevo

The tour then proceeds to Old Town Sarajevo. Visit City Hall, the Eastern-influenced part of town with handicrafts, copper smiths (Kazandziluk street), silver and goldsmiths street, carpet street, and Bezistan (the covered market place). Have lunch at the recommended Buregdzinica Sac, enjoying Burek (Bosnian Pies).

Make your way to the Old Orthodox church, Mosque of Gazi Husref Bey, Madrasah (Muslim secondary school), Jewish museum, place of the Sarajevo assassination, and the Latin Bridge. (As I said, this tour covers it all).

Grab an afternoon ice cream at Slasticarna Egipat (evidently world famous) on Ferhadija Street.

In the afternoon, enjoy more of Bascarsija Square, the heart of the old town which dates back to the 15th century. This is where the Muslim culture of the Ottoman meets the Western Culture of Austro-Hungary and you can marvel at the church-mosque-synagogue combo of the city’s remarkable synergy. Enjoy meandering the cobblestone streets, poke into small shops, and have a traditional Bosnian coffee served in a copper pot or enjoy coffee with the locals at Caffe Michele, Caffe Kamarija–Point of View and Klopa.

For dinner make your way to Restaurant Kibe Mahala. It’s on the pricier side but well-worth it for one of your nights in Sarajevo. Other great options include Luka, Noovi, Pivnica HS, Karuzo Restaurant, or Mala Kuhinja. Or have dinner at a restaurant on charming Prote Bakovica street at a place like Dženita or Pod Lipom.

After dinner, have a cup of tea at Cajdzinica Dzirlo-Tea House or after dinner drinks at Barhana Restaurant and Grapperia.

Day 2:

Spend your time today wandering any of the buildings you didn’t feel you got enough time in the day before including the Old Serbian Orthodox Church (16th century), Gazi Husrev-Bey Mosque (Sarajevo’s most important mosque, the minaret was used for target practice during the Bosnian War), Old Synagogue and Bosnian Jewish Museum.

Consider heading back to City Hall. This newly restored building houses the national and university libraries, the city council, and rotating art exhibitions. You’re also right near the Archduke Franz Ferdinand Assassination site if you didn’t get a good enough look the day before and can take time to explore the 1878-1918 Museum where you can learn more about the history of Sarajevo.

If you’re interested in learning more about the the genocide, head to the Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide. It covers everything from the breakup of Yugoslavia to the genocide of the Serbs against the Bosniaks.

For lunch, stop at Cevabdzinica Zeljo and order cevapcici, a non-spicy beef sausage served in a pita with onions and cheese. Have a Bosnian coffee (aka Turkish coffee if you’re anywhere outside Bosnia) at one of the many outdoor cafes.

Do not miss the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and if you pick only one museum today this should be it. It’s recently renovated and includes almost 4 million artifacts including the world’s oldest Sephardic Jewish document from the 1300s.

An alternative option for today include a hike up to Trebevic, the 5,338 foot mountain above Sarajevo offering beautiful views. This hike takes 3-4 hours. It’s much easier to drive to the top, but if you’re feeling adventurous this is an option.

Enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail on the roof at Hotel Hecco Deluxe.

For dinner, try a place you didn’t try the night before.

If you’re looking for nightlife, you can head to a hookah lounge in Old Town called Dibek or enjoy a 1920’s-inspired speakeasy Zlatna Ribica where you can try Bosnian moonshine – rakija.

Sarajevo

Day 3 – Mostar and Sarajevo

Drive to Mostar (2h4m drive). Mostar is still very much recovering from the war which is evidenced by ugly Soviet Bloc architecture riddled with bullet holes and buildings partially bombed out everywhere. While Tito united Yugoslavia, Mostar’s residents of Croatians, Serbians, and Bosniaks intermingled cultures, but in the 1990s Mostar experienced a horrible war between those same groups. The city still feels like a blend of European and Middle Eastern culture.

Mostar

Opt to do a self-guided walking tour or hire a local guide. Start by parking in downtown Mostar (we had to give money to a random guy in the parking lot, but it ended up being a legitimate place to park). Start by visiting the Franciscan Church of Saints Peter and Paul (tallest spire in Mostar). Walk the Bulevar (the original modern main drag of Mostar and site of many of the battles in the 90s). Damage from the war is still very evident on this main street with craters in the sidewalks and shelled and bombed out sides of buildings. Head to the city’s Old Town. Notice the crooked Bridge which was built before the Old Bridge. The original was lost to floods and the current is a reconstruction. Make your way to the Old Bridge (Stari Most) that spans the Neretva River and had stood for more than 400 years until the recent war. It’s considered a point where East meets West. Watch locals jumping off the bridge  to wild applause.

Once you cross the bridge make your way to Coppersmiths’ Street (Kujundziluk) which is a modern day bazaar selling a blend of local arts and crafts and junky souvenirs.

Get lunch at Restoran Hindin Han which has a beautiful terrace overlooking the river with views of the Old Bridge.

Visit the Koski Mehmet-Pasha Mosque dating from the 17th century and built on a cliffside for a feel of the Bosniak/Muslim influence on Mostar.

In the afternoon, take the short drive to  Blagaj Tekija, a centuries-old Muslim Dervish monastery that’s built into the side of a cliff and over the river.

Dinner try another place like Babilon, Restoran Lagero, Bašćine, Tima – Irma, or Restaurant Šadrvan.

For lodging you can’t beat the historic Muslibegovic House. You can also opt to drive back to Sarajevo tonight or continue on to your next destination.

Day 4 – Kravice Waterfalls

If you want to keep your tour going, in the morning visit to Biscevic Turkish House, a traditional Turkish-style home that once was found throughout Mostar. It dates from the 1600s and is a nice demonstration of a typical Mostar house from that time.

Drive to Kravice Waterfalls (54m drive). You’ll find yourself visiting a series of twenty 80 foot high waterfalls cascading into a lake where you can soak in refreshing water. It’s beautiful with clear water cascading from the green forest above into a turquoise lake below. There are cafes and restaurants along the lake.

From here, decide if you want to continue your journey or head back to Sarajevo or onto your next destination. If you choose to continue, we recommend heading to Jace.

Day 5 – Jajce

Jajce is a small town located in the central part of Bosnia and Herzegovinia and is a nice change of pace from more touristy Mostar and Sarajevo. With extra time on your trip this can be a fun stop. Here you’ll find a hilltop fortress, small Old Town, a large pretty park and Pliva Waterfall and Lake.

The area was inhabited already in ancient times but the peak of prosperity came in medieval times when Jajce was the capital of the independent Kingdom of Bosnia. The town was pretty damaged in the many 20th century wars, but you’ll still find old Ottoman houses mixed in with more modern architecture. Sites in the old town to see include the ruins of St. Mary’s Church (12th century) with St. Luke’s belfry, which during Ottoman rule was turned into a mosque and the Mithraic Temple, an ancient construction dating from the 4th century. Nearby are the 15th century catacombs which, honestly, aren’t terribly impressive. The highlight of Jajce, other than the waterfall, is the fortress from the 14th century above the city. This was the seat of the rulers of the Kingdom of Bosnia before the area fell under the Ottoman, then Hungarian, then again Ottoman rule. While not impressive inside, the main reason to climb up is to to see the beautiful panorama of Jajce and surrounding mountains. On the way down, you can walk parts of the city walls that will lead you back to the main street of the Old Town and Esma Sultana Mosque.

There’s a few museums you can visit: the Ethno Museum focuses on local history and the AVNOJ museum is where the 1943 second session of the Anti Fascist Council of the National Liberation of Yugoslavia was held, where Tito, later the leader of Yugoslavia, essentially formed his first communist government of Yugoslavia. This museum covers this, and is most interesting if you’re interested in the 20th century history of Yugoslavia and Tito.

After you visit the old town, head to Pliva Waterfall, the highlight. It’s situated right in town. The falls are over 20 meters high and a bright turquoise color. The best viewing platform is the official one where you can feel the spray of the water.

After this don’t miss nearby Pliva Lakes and Mlinčići located between Large and Small Pliva Lakes. Mlinčići is a complex of 26 old wooden watermills dating from the mid-16th century. It’s picture perfect. You can wander along them on a wooden path right above the water. You can also stop at the Love Bridge which has a wooden path above the lake.

For drinks try Svemirko Pub and for dinner head to Kod Asima.

For lodging, consider Hotel Stari Grad or Apartmani Waterfall .

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