Bosnia-Herzegovina

General

Places


Mostar

A man and woman stand underneath the Mostar Bridge, in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Mostar’s Old Bridge (Stari Most).

Sarajevo

Trebinje

  • Peruse stalls selling homemade cheese, honey, lavender oil, dried herbs, and more at Trebinje’s atmospheric green market. It’s held in the town’s main town square.
  • Soak up history and nature at the Hercegovačka Gračanica and Tvrdoš monasteries.
  • Stroll along the Trebišnjica River past old water mills until you reach the handsome Arslanagić Bridge. These days, you needn’t pay a toll for passage.
  • Learn about Trebinje’s — and greater Herzegovina’s complicated history — at the Museum of Herzegovina. You’ll also find archaeological artifacts as well as displays that show what everyday life was like centuries ago.
  • Walk the well-worn lanes of Trebinje’s walled Old Town (Castel), passing cafés, mosques, and shops.
In Trebinje, the 16th-century Arslanagic Bridge spans the River. Up on the hill is the Hercegovačka Gračanica Monastery.
In Trebinje, the 16th-century Arslanagić Bridge spans the Trebišnjica River. Up on the hill is the Hercegovačka Gračanica Monastery.

Accommodation

I’ve stayed in everything from homestays to apartments in Mostar, Sarajevo, and Trebinje. While I’ve long forgotten the homestay names from my first visit 10 years ago, here is where Shawn and I have recently stayed. (Some affiliate links follow.)

  • Mostar – Shawn and I spent two nights at the family-owned Apartment Neretva. The owner’s daughter, Lana, was friendly and attentive, and the one-bedroom apartment was really comfortable. The interior had recently been renovated, so everything was clean and fresh. In November, Mostar’s weather was a bit chilly, but the apartment’s ample hot water and heating made our stay cozy. We also liked all the extra touches: a variety of herbal tea and coffee (including ground Bosnian coffee), even rakija brandy—a popular drink in the Balkans. Best of all, it only took about 10 minutes to walk to the Mostar Bridge. We had small backpacks with us, so we were even able to walk to both of Mostar’s bus stations from here (Mostar East & Mostar West). If you stay at the Apartment Neretva, be on the lookout for the family’s adorable cat, Mickey. But be forewarned: this friendly feline likes trying to sneak into the apartment. :)
  • TrebinjePeaceful Pines Apartment owner Ljiljana is one of the kindest, easygoing hosts I’ve met. She picked us up from Trebinje’s bus station and had a glass bowl of local strawberries waiting for us upon our arrival. Her studio apartment is about a 15-minute walk from Trebinje’s Old Town-core, but the mountain views are wonderful. The apartment was impeccably clean with a washing machine, air conditioner, stovetop, and refrigerator. There are even screens on the windows. We spent six nights in the Peaceful Pines and would’ve stayed longer had the property not already been booked!

Transportation

  • We’ve solely relied on buses to get from place to place in BiH (for example, Split to Mostar, Trebinje to Dubrovnik, Zagreb to Sarajevo). We’ve found GetByBus to be a helpful site for finding bus schedules, comparing bus ticket prices, and (sometimes) purchasing tickets online. Buses have ranged from new, comfortable coaches to “rugged” minibuses.

Additional Bosnia-Herzegovina Resources


See all of my posts from Bosnia-Herzegovina:

The Eclectic Windows of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina

To wander Sarajevo’s streets is to journey through the centuries while diving into a grab bag of architectural styles. In the city’s Baščaršija district, which feels like Istanbul in miniature, artisans craft Turkish-style copper coffee pots under towering minarets and mosques dating back to the 16th century. Along the Miljacka River, the city’s Vijećnica building —…

A Peaceful Nap in Sarajevo, 100 Years Later

A dog naps in the afternoon light on the Sarajevo street corner where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated 100 years ago today. Special events in Sarajevo will commemorate the 28 June 1914 shooting, which is said to have been the spark that started World War One. There are differing opinions about the event, with…

Photo du Jour: Meeting of the Matryoshki – Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Matryoshka dolls await buyers at a market in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The first set of such wooden nesting dolls was made in the late 1890s. The word matryoshka, or матрёшка, means “little maiden” in Russian. The designs of the delightful dolls featured above are pretty traditional, however, in countries such as the Czech Republic and Russia, I’ve…