Bosnia-Herzegovina is a magical melting pot of many cultures. Start your discovery of the country in the spirited and deeply attractive capital Sarajevo, before venturing south into Herzegovina, a land of rocky hills gashed by deep canyons and thrashing rivers. Your one unmissable stop here is Mostar, south of which lie the emerald hills of the Neretva Valley. The north of the country is the Bosnian heartland, whose lush mountain pastures and fertile plains are home to the pretty towns of Travnik and Jajce as well as the country’s second city Banja Luka.
Encircled by mist-topped mountains, a skyline pricked with spires and minarets, and with a powerful, all pervasive waft of coffee, Sarajevo oozes charisma. Begin your explorations in the wonderfully atmospheric Baščaršjia quarter, the city’s old Turkish bazaar. Here, in narrow streets locals sit and chat as they sip Turkish coffee, while open-fronted shops hawk colourfully woven carpets, copper coffee pots and the like – haggling is all part of the fun, so make sure to give it a go.
Sarajevo’s Ottoman heritage manifests itself in some exceptional architecture, for example the beautifully proportioned Gazi Husreg-Begova Džamija (Mosque of the Bey), which is worth a look for its outstanding assemblage of Persian carpets and prayer rugs. Another architectural highlight is the neo-Moorish National and University Library, which has been restored to its original magnificence. To learn more about the city’s history, the Historical Museum and Tunnel Museum have moving displays.
With a gorgeous situation overlooking the Miljacka river, both the Courtyard Sarajevo and the Residence Inn Sarajevo offer impeccably kept rooms, the latter with suites too. At Courtyard Sarajevo, there's also a spectacular cocktail lounge to enjoy, while Residence Inn Sarajevo promises a first-class fitness centre, sauna and steam room.
Herzegovina's provincial capital and largest city, Mostar is the undisputed highlight of this region. Today the town is best known for its single-span hump-backed bridge – a graceful limestone parabola – although this is actually a replacement for the previous, 400-year-old bridge destroyed in 1993. At the Tara Tower on one side of the bridge, the Museum of the Bridge explores the structure’s history and significance.
If you travel east from Sarajevo, you’ll encounter some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in central Bosnia. A good entry point to the region in Višegrad on the Serbian border. Once a great Turkish stronghold, this pretty town’s most significant feature is the graceful old eleven-arched bridge over the Drina. Its enduring presence through some seven centuries of history is memorably recalled in Ivo Andrić’s Nobel Prize-winning novel The Bridge over the Drina.
It’s also worth spending some time in Trebinje, wedged between the borders of Serbia and Montenegro. Positioned astride the Trebišnjica river, and with its own fine-looking bridge – the Arslanagić, which, remarkably, was moved here in 1972 – it’s perhaps the prettiest town in the valley and offers another tantalising glimpse of the Orient. Relax with a coffee in one of the many convivial cafés scattered around the leafy market square.
Some 90km northwest of Sarajevo lies Travnik, once the seat of the Turkish Vizers (governors of Bosnia) whose tombs can be seen scattered around town. Travnik's old quarter piles up a hill crowned by a restored medieval fortress, below which is the Many Coloured Mosque, in reference to its brightly frescoed façade. Travnik was the birthplace of the former Yugoslavia’s most famous author, Ivo Andrić, and you can learn more about the man and his work in an enlightening memorial museum.
The next town heading north is Jajce – which roughly translates as “egglet” – a lovely little place whose chief sights are the catacombs (an underground cemetery) and the 21m-high Pliva waterfall, the venue for a jumping competition each August.
Around 70km directly north from Jajce lies Bosnia’s second town Banja Luka – meaning “Baths of St Luke” – whose beautifully reconstructed Ferhadija grand mosque is the town’s star cultural sight. Stay at the state-of-the-art Courtyard Banja Luka and eat at Kod Brke (“At the Moustache”), whose menu is heavily skewed towards meat and fish but with wood-fired pizzas too.
There are dozens of ćevabdžnica (simple restaurants specialising in ćevapi and other meaty treats) in Sarajevo, but Petica Ferhatović is the place to head for a plate of these juicy grilled meat rissoles, typically served with somun (flat bread). Bosanski Lonac, a slow-cooking stew of meat, vegetables and spices, is worth seeking out. In Mostar, the Food House does it very well, along with lots of other fantastic Bosnian homestyle cuisine.
The national drink – and one that you'll be offered everywhere you go – is rakija, a powerful, fruit-based spirit drunk neat, the most popular being the plum-based šljivovica.
Coffee is the daily staple for most people, and in Bosnia it's served Turkish-style: presented on a small metal tray, the thick, bubbling coffee is poured from a copper vessel (džezva) into small tumblers (fildžan), with sugar added if desired.
When in Sarajevo, take the cable car up to the top of Mount Trebević – one of the ski venues for the 1984 Winter Olympics – from where there’s a wonderful panorama of the city.
Not to be missed is the train ride between Sarajevo and Mostar, one of Europe's most scenic; now with sleek modern carriages, this magical two-hour journey takes in some of the Balkan's most memorable mountain scenery.
Try and coincide a visit to Mostar with the annual diving festival, when local daredevils torpedo headfirst from its apex into the frigid green Neretva some 70ft below – if you want to, there’s nothing to stop you from having a go yourself. Either way, it’s quite a spectacle.
The Sutjeska National Park is a special area of unspoilt and little-visited meadows and forest around the Zelengora and Maglić mountains, the latter Bosnia’s highest at 2386m. You can also take a whitewater rafting expedition on the fast and foamy Drina and Tara rivers.
Tucked away in Bosnia’s far northwestern corner, Bihać is renowned as the country’s premier rafting centre.
South of Mostar, the lush Neretva Valley holds two towns that are the stuff of picture postcards: Blagaj, splendidly crowned by the ruins of a castle, and the old fortress town of Počitelj. One unique thing to do is to pay a visit to the popular pilgrimage village of Medugorije, 26km south of Mostar, beyond which the Adriatic beckons.
The country's double-barrelled name comprises Bosnia, which covers approximately four-fifths of the country in the north and centre, and Herzegovina, which is roughly the southern fifth of the country. Bosnia-Herzegovina also supports three official languages: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian.
Published: February 03, 2023
Article Tags: Bosnia-Herzegovina
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