Include Bosnia and Herzegovina in your Balkan Tour

If you ever wanted to visit the Balkans be sure Sarajevo isincluded in your itinerary.

You can start or finish your Balkan tour from the Bosnian capital, and we recommend to spend at least two days there.

Here you’ll dive in to the Balkan history, the Bosnian was and the collapse of former Yugoslavia. Together with that there are many activities you can do during all seasons. Some of them are listed bellow. 

Things to do in Sarajevo

• Know more about the Bosnian history war by visiting one of the museums in Sarajevo

The Tunnel of Hope / Tunel Spasa
Galerija 11/07/95 that tells about Srebrenica
War Childhood Museum
Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide 1992-1995
History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Ask the locals about the “Sarajevo rose”
• Standing at the spot where World War 1 began (the Latin Bridge)
• Walk around the Bascarsia try the Bosnian coffee
• Ride the funicular in Ciglane
• Visit the Sarajevo’s Abandoned Bobsleigh Track
• Take a cable car to the Trebic mountain or climbing up to one of the viewpoints to see the city from above
• Ear some cevapi and burek in local buregdzinica

Višegrad town spreads where the Drina and the Rzav rivers merge.

Jajce will fascinate first with the waterfalls: nowhere else in the world can waterfalls be observed in the very city. The Pliva Waterfalls are formed where Pliva flows into another river.

Travnik is also famed as the home town of Ivo Andrić, eminent writer and Nobel Prize winner.

Drvengrad means “Timber Town”. The famous director movie Emir Kusturica had it constructed with the idea to hold seminars and concerts.

Lukomir

Lukomir is the country’s finest example of a highland village.

• That is the most remote village you can reach in Bosnia, and it lies at the altitude of 1,495 meters.
• The Lukomir houses are built of stones and have wooden tiles covering the roofs.

As many other places in Bosnia, Lukomir has its ancient history. There are remains from the 14th and the 15th centuries. Among legends linked to the place is one in which a dragon lived in the canyon nearby, the canyon of the Rakitnica river.

The Lukomir name means “harbour of peace”. Indeed, that is a peaceful area. It belongs with the Dinaric Alps, a fascinating mountain range, the principal one for Bosnia, covered with verdant forests. The Via Dinarica route, a hiking trail with a length of almost 2,000 km, passing from Albania to Slovenia, is a rewarding choice for hikers.

Tourists are pampered with thermal springs and spas and pools. Trips to the medieval fortresses and to the nearby waterfall on the Vrbas are a must. Activities like fishing, rafting, hiking and rock climbing in the river canyon are popular in the area.

The Tunnel of Hope in Sarajevo

Tunnel of Hope is the Sarajevo war tunnel that saved the city

• This tunnel, called Tunel spasa in Bosnian, was specially built in the Bosnian War in 1993.
• The purpose was to connect Sarajevo with the lands held by the Bosnian army.
• It was used for transporting food, and war supplies for the defenders.

The tunnel enabled people from lands under Bosnian rule to send humanitarian supplies. The entrances in the two Sarajevo neighborhoods were secret: in Dobrinja it was a garage, in Butimir it was a house, now a museum.

Medjugorje

• Medjugorje is popular with Catholic pilgrims,  who reported appearances of the Holy Mother on Apparition Hill.
• A special highlight is the Saint James church, with its spectacular outdoor altar, and the Jesus Leaving the Cross statue behind it.

Famed for numerous apparitions of the Holy Mother, the Apparition Hill will invite you to climb the steep path to the site where Our Lady has been seen. The path upwards goes among rocks strewn on the hill surface, but the reward when you climb to the holy spot is immense.

Kravica waterfall

Kravica is the ideal place for a picnic or a swim and definitely provides one of the most scenic landscapes in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

• In Herzegovina’s heart, on karst ground, the Kravica waterfall is a must see cascade.
• The waterfall height is 25 meters.

For great sights of the fullest beauty visit in the spring. The area is dotted with restaurants where fish specialties and other dishes will make great lunch menus.

Blagaj

• It owes its name to the mild climate; blaga is “mild” in Bosnian.
• The highlights include the spring of the Buna, and an old Dervish monastery with mixed architecture.

The Blagaj Tekija, which is the local for the Dervish monastery, dates from the early 15th century. The elements of Ottoman style are mixed with Mediterranean architecture. The tekija material is half timber. The Buna spring comes out of a cave, and is picture perfect.

Tara River Canyon

Tara is the longest mountain river of Montenegro (144 km) and Europe’s biggest drinking water supply.

• The canyon belongs with UNESCO’s list, as a precious site.
  It is the longest in Europe, and worldwide is second only to the Grand Canyon.
  The Tara Canyon belongs with the Durmitor Park.

The length of the canyon is 144 km; of them, 104 are in Montenegro, and the remainder in Bosnia.  The deepest part is 1,300 meters.

What to do in B&H?

• Know more about the bosnian war
• Visit the Sarajevo museums in Museum of Sarajevo 1878–1918
• Tunnel of Hope
• Try the Bosnian food
• Take the cabin lift to the Trebevic mountain for a panoramic view
• Walk the Bascarsia in Sarajevo
• Watch if someone is jumping from Mostar bridge
• Try the bosnian pastry and BBQ

Hiking

• The country invites for hiking along great trails, with mountains, verdant forests and enjoying waterfalls and lakes.
• A great hiking destination is the Sutjeska Park, and another recommended one is the area of Durmitor mountains.
• You should summit the highest peak in this country Maglić, 2,386 meters, located on the border with Montenegro.

Durmitor national park is a UNESCO site, with the Tara river forming a beautiful canyon, with lakes and lush pine forests.

Wine tours

• Wine tours will reveal secrets of wine preparation and the delight of sampling local wines.
• Tvrdos Monastery is a highlight, with its history of wine making since the 15th century.
• You can go wine tasting in Vukoje winery, and buy a many local wines in Trebinje.

Tvrdos Monastery will leave an indelible mark with its two cellars. The barrels in the older one are very old, great for maturing wine. The new cellar is equipped with the latest technology. In the Vukoje winery wines have been produced since 1982, and aged in oak barrels in 8 meters deep cellars.

The Tara river canyon is breathtaking. The canyon is the second deepest world and is 144 km long. Combine visiting this UNESCO site with rafting.

Dark tourism

• The 1990s Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict scarred the country, and its effects are still visible.
• Along with stunning nature, UNESCO sites, architectural landmarks, the ravages of war will impress you.

Sarajevo is the highlight as a dark destination. Visit the War Tunnel and the museum, the assassination site that started WWI  and the siege exhibition. In Srebrenica, the tale of the 1995 massacre will impress and sadden you, taking the toll of 8,000 people in the Bosnian War.

Festivals to visit

• International Sarajevo Winter Festival (February to March)
• Bascarsija Nights – the biggest cultural festival in Sarajevo (July)
• Summer on the Vrbas (July)
• Banja Luka Summer Games – the traditional sports and cultural event (August)
• The Color Festival
• Kozara ethno festival (June – July) …
• International Folklore Festival (July)

UNESCO Sights

Cultural

• Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad
• Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar
• Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards

Bosnian Intangible Cultural Heritage

• 2017: Konjic woodcarving (RL)
• 2014: Zmijanje embroidery (RL)