Discover Bosnia and Herzegovina

We actually stayed a bit over 2 weeks in this country. But I squeezed it down to 12 days so also people who are short on time can have a beautiful trip. Me personally I am an explore it all Girl. When I visit a country I want to see everything. So here I summarize the best places I have seen on my trip. Enjoy! And if you want to check out my BH stories or have any questions do not hesitate to contact me on instagram @vero.Jurjewna First we started in Tuzla, but there is really not much to see. We spent a whole day and after a few hours we were already super bored. Thus, I would recommend to spent two hours in Tuzla and walk around the old town. After that head to Sarajevo. We rented a car and took a break to visit Bijambare. Here you can go for a walk or visit the caves (costs a little fee like 3 BAM). The entrance fee is 2 BAM (around 1 Euro) There is another cave you can visit, which is free but not as impressive as the other one. Great places to have a Picknick though. There are many walks you can do or you can even take a little train all the way from the entrance to the caves for 1 BAM. This area is nice but not mind blowing. If you decide to skip it it’s fine. After that we drove to Sarajevo on the same day and explored the city by night.

You can visit the famous bridge there and explore the old town, which is super busy during the night. There are some great food places. You should defenitley try the sweets like baklava, etc.

Sarajevo is a nice city. You can walk along the old town, the modern parts of town and visit a few museums. We walked around the city all day. To get to the city center you can use the tram system. We for example slept in a hostel a bit further away. To find parking is quite difficult so when booking (we used booking.com) make sure to book accommodation with parking. Otherwise you won’t find parking or you have to pay for it. The tram system is totally fine and super cheap. First we went to the tunnel museum. Go early in the morning since it gets quite busy and there are limited parking spots. The tunnel was used to transport food, medicine and wounded people during the war. It is close to the airport because this area was were the UN peacekeepers were stationed. After that we drove to Vrelo Bosne. It is a park a bit further outside the city and a famous place to relax and go for a walk. You have to pay a little entrance. But it’s worth it. It really is relaxing and they also have a restaurant there. The food is not that great but you get food with a view 😆 After that we explored the city and tried the famous čevapi (traditional dish in the balkans). It is normally served with bread, kaymak and onions.

Later that day we took the cable car up the mountain Trebevič to enjoy the view over the whole city. There are also some walking paths. It costs 20 BAM with return to go up. It was so worth to go up there before sunset. You can also go up and walk back down or vice versa. There is also an old Olympic bobsled track you can explore. After that we went back home by taxi.

Early in the morning we left Sarajevo to drive to Mostar. This is where the amazing nature starts. You will see so many different landscapes! Be careful though and don’t walk to far out, since there are still mines. We found those crazy flowers! The are quite sharp! Feels like Aluminium

We did a stopover at this lake. The water was crazy blue and the landscape is super beautiful. However, there were many visitors (mostly locals). You can actually rent an apartment with your own lake access. The last picture shows the most beautiful road in Bosnia to drive. It’s the road between Jablanica and Mostar. You will drive along the neretva river which is the bluest river I have ever seen. And the mountains…. It’s super stunning!

Since we had a really busy day, we just went out for dinner in Mostar old town. There is a really nice restaurant with view on the bridge that you should check out. We had stuffed peppers and wine leaves. This was the best food we had there so far! Super important to mention: if you travel there on the weekend you should book accommodation in advance! We stayed at hostel mirror and it was one of our favorite accommodations on our Bosnia trip. Reserve parking before you arrive.

In the morning we drove to the close by town Blagaj to see the famous Vrelo Brune. This is one of the largest Karst springs in Europe and the largest in Bosnia. You can also visit the Dervish house which is an old monastery. You have to pay entrance to visit the house though. The viewpoint is free :) it was really hot that day and full of people, but it was indeed beautiful to see. There are quite a few restaurants. So after breakfast we went back to Mostar.

In Mostar we went for a long walk. You can see two famous bridges. The small one is a bit hidden and is a copy of the larger one (stari most). This bridge separates the Croatian and Bosnien site of the city. It is also a famous spot for people to jump off. However, not everybody is allowed to do it since it is super dangerous. You need special training and a permit. Nevertheless, you can swim beneath the bridge. There is a little beach area where you can enter the Neretva river, which is one of the coldest rivers in the world.

After dinner in the old town we walked around a bit more outside. There you can find still some remains of the war (destroyed buildings, bullet holes,etc). We also found another beach which looked quite nice. After watching the sunset we walked back to our hostel.

We went to Kravice waterfalls early in the morning to avoid the crowds. We arrived the waterfalls at 9 am and at 10 am it already got packed. So really recommend to get there as soon as they open. It’s. Bit more than an hour drive and you still have to walk to the waterfalls about 15 min (slow pace). Picture taking tip: at the right of the falls right by the line you can stand and take a close up picture of the falls. As soon as it got full (there is no beach or anything to relax) we walked to the smaller waterfall (not many go there). One the way we stop at a few spots to take a dip in the crazy colored water. Once you reach the mini waterfall turn left where a natural shallow platform is and follow the stream of the waterfall. After 2 minutes you will reach a pool. You can leave your stuff at the pool and jump in to swim to the other side. From there you can see the waterfall and also jump in the water 😍 Kravice is in my top 3 things to see in Bosnia. And although it gets quite crowded there are ways to avoid it. Especially the last part. There were Almost no other people.

Not far from Kravice are these waterfalls. Also super beautiful and less crowded. There are restaurants and you can also swim here :) After these we went back to Mostar and enjoyed our last night there. In the evening we also visited the war museum. One of the best museums I have visited so far. It really made us cry but was so enriching. We think that knowing the history is an important part of traveling through this country. Especially most of the people you will meet (at least the ones over 27) are witnesses. And that’s crazy when you think about it.

We left Mostar in the morning and drove to this amazing place. The drive was already a highlight. A misty drive through the forest during rain. Loved it. We stayed at camp sutjeska, which is the cheapest accommodation in the area and super close to all hikes. The drive from Mostar to this camp takes around 4 hours including breaks. The waterfalls hike was closed when we were there and it seems it won’t open anytime soon. But there is a view point of the largest waterfall in Bosnia. We stayed the whole day at this camp because it was raining and we needed a break from the last days. The camp has a restaurant and a little shop. We ate instant noodles that night and got hot water from the restaurant. You have two types of huts. One hit with only a bed in it, which fits two people (super comfy) or a family option. Showers and toilets are there too. Later that day we also went to the famous monument. It’s the battle of sutjeska memorial monument in The Valley of heroes. This monument is quite impressive. There is also a museum you can visit.

I would suggest to leave the camp at 10 and find your way to the Nationalpark entry gate. From the camp you have to drive left until you reach the old gas station (maybe 5 min by car). There is a way on the left on the other site of the station. Take this way and drive all the way until you reach the entrance (don’t follow maps, just stay on the main road). It took as quite sometime to find the right way cause maps showed us a different way which was impossible to pass. We read that the road conditions are not the best, but the wrong turn we took was the worst you can imagine. In the end we found the right way and the road was really not that bad. Just drive 15km/h and you should be fine. After you paid the entrance fee you can stop at several stops a long the way. We did the primeval forest and waterfall viewpoint walk (5-15 min depending how far you wanna walk). Sutjeska Nationalpark has one of the last primeval forests in Europe! From there we continues our way to the trnovacko hike. We left our car at prijevor and hitchhiked/walked the rest. The hike it self takes around 2,5 hours but you can do it even faster if you are a fast walker. The way there is pretty easy (straight/down) but the way back up can be a bit more exhausting. Overall I would say this is a moderate to easy hike. During the hike you will cross the border (see picture 2).

Once you reach the lake you will be welcomed by an old man living in a hut to collect 1 Euro from you as well as you passport details. You can camp there, go for a swim in the lake or go up to the view point (15-30 min walk). This lake was my favorite place on our road trip. The hike was super beautiful and the lake view was breathtaking!!! A must visit before infrastructure will turn it into a tourist attraction! The road to get to tjientiste is totally fine btw. After the hike we went back to our camp, ate in the restaurant and hung out with the locals.

We left sutjeska really early in the morning. We had a really long day of driving ahead of us. But it was a really cool day because we got to see so many beautiful places. We went back to Jablancia to stop a few times on the way. Our favorite stop was Diva Grabovica. It’s a hidden beach (sand and mud) with super blue water! The way to get to that beach was full with beautiful views. Follow maps and drive a title further past the little bridge. We were lucky that we saw some cars parked because otherwise we probably would have not found the entrance. It’s free and super super beautiful. Plus, not many people know about it.

Ramsko jezero is a human Made lake which is so special because of its shape (see pic 1). But also the island is special. It’s super calm, clean and relaxing. It’s like you’re in another country. There are some view points and you can access the water at certain spots. They have a tourist information. We would have liked to stay longer but we already booked our accommodation in Livno. However, this place will be a new tourist attraction on the future, so you should go now before it’s to crowded!

On our way to Livno we were surprised when the landscape was changing from mountains and blue rivers to steppes. That’s what we loved about this country, it’s diversity! Livno itself was not that interesting to us but the way there belongs to our top three drives around the country. Amazing road conditions and super cool landscape!

We left Livno early in the morning to get to Martin Brod, the first stop in Una Nationalpark. We wanted to do Satorsko Jezero on the way but we decided not to. I think it’s worth it though. You should check it out! Martin Brod waterfall is in my opinion the most beautiful waterfall in Bosnia! But you cannot swim here and it’s less wild (human made paths). That’s the only reason why it has not entered our top three destinations. However, looking at it is just mesmerizing. Super beautiful village too, you feel like in a cottage dream.

Another stunning waterfall is this one here. You also have to pay an entrance here (few euros). There is a long path leading along the waterfall. Some people even raft here. We did this one on another day but would suggest to do Martin Brod and this one on the same day. We slept in the little village Kulen Vakuf where you will find lots of accommodation. The road here is very good and there are also a few restaurants. Book in advance if you wanna visit during the weekend. Otherwise you won’t have a place to sleep or pay a huge amount of money! You can walk around town in 1 hour and enjoy some coffee at the bridge cafe (they also have good pizza) The best place to stay is: apartments galijasevic (cheapest and most beautiful, plus parking and great location)

The next morning we decided to do some wild water rafting. We joined a local family on their trip and had a wonderful day with them. I was missing more thrill though. But we met so many amazing people that day that it was totally worth it (and we paid less than most people - 20euros/ normally: 40-60euros) After this action adventure we drove to Banja Luka, which is quite a long drive. We arrived at night and went straight to bed.

After this action adventure we drove to Banja Luka, which is quite a long drive. We arrived at night walked around a bit and went straight to bed.

We decided to do a Day trip to Pliva to see the famous waterfalls and river. It was a nice trip but in my opinion not a must see. So feel free to skip it. Here you see a super large waterfall. It’s so strong that you can feel the water drops when walking closer! Another highlight are the water mills. They look so cute and pretty! Overall the ride takes 1,5 h and time spend there maybe 3h depending on you.

We spent three days in total in Banja Luka. But I would suggest one day. There is a market, a beautiful mosque and this amazing church. But not much more to see. I am a nature person therefore I don’t like cities too much 😆 however we had the best accommodation on our whole trip! This apartment is called Beti and you can find it on booking.com! Two room apartment with modern kitchen, great bathroom and a balcony for 25 euros a night for two people. On the way to Tuzla we also stopped at Doboj but this city was not really worth a pit stop. So just leave at 8pm to drive back to Tuzla to drop the car and catch your flight (We dropped the car of at 10pm and slept at an airport hotel to catch our flight at 5 in the morning)

I always recommend to have a buffer day. In case something happens or you like a place or somebody recommended something. More buffet days are better but in case you don’t have much time then at least one should be included. We stayed much longer and took our time. But overall this is what we did. It can be done in 12 days and you really see most of the country. There are still some other cool spots you can visit, but I think these ones here are the coolest :) This trip includes swimming, relaxing, hiking, city trips, history and nature! I hope you enjoy your trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina and that I could help you 🥰