I recently took it upon myself to list the 5 Best Places to Visit in Herzegovina (a post that is still trending today), but ever since then I wanted to go back and do a list of amazing destinations from the whole country, not just the southern part which is called Herzegovina.
The list here is written in anticipation for the upcoming tourist season in 2015, and I hope it will be a useful tool for visitors. To all the others, who will not be venturing out to Bosnia and Herzegovina this year, I hope it will still be an enjoyable exploration of the beauty this country has to offer.
Of course no Top 10 list could ever encompass all of the locations that can be visited, so I'm sure to miss a lot here. But these are the essentials, as well as places that you can visit conveniently on a road trip, weather you are driving north to south through the country or otherwise.
click on the images for a bigger view
1. Bascarsija in Sarajevo
Bascarsija is the old town center of Sarajevo, and a place that is always filled with tourists, that are exploring the various narrow streets that cut through the old houses, bazaars, mosques and many many restaurants and sweet shops. On Bascarsija there are several important historic buildings, such as the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and sahat-kula. Today it's the major tourist attraction of Sarajevo. You can see more from Sarajevo and the Bascarsija in my three part travel series.
2. The Old Town of Blagaj
The old town of Blagaj is a small town, only a couple of miles south from Mostar. Blagaj is situated at the spring of the Buna river. It's a spot that enchants emidiately, beginning with the cliffs that bend over the place and the fresh river spring all the way to the many restaurants and cafes that offer food and a calming place to rest. More from Blagaj here.
3. The Fortress in Jajce
The fortress was built in the 14th century, by the founder of the city Jajce. It was the seat of the kings, who engraved their coat of arms on the castle. A part of the wall was found by the Hungarian King and the Ottomans made the powder magazine. It's often an overlooked place, since it's a little bit out of the way from any other tourist spot, but it's definitely a place that will enchant you.
4. King Herceg-Stjepan Fortress in Blagaj
This fortress is a must see spot in Herzegovina. While the outer walls remain almost untouched the inside of the Herceg-Stjepan fortress is almost all but gone. The medieval building – also known as Stjepan city, is situated on the late antique fort above Blagaj, and was actually a city palace enclosed by hard walls with jagged peaks, that are still visible today. The views from up here are amazing. If you want to read more about it click here for my three-part travel series.
5. The Old Bridge in Mostar
I have written a lot about The Old Bridge and Old Town of Mostar, but the list simply wouldn't be complete without including it here again. You can find lots of accommodations in the old town center and explore some of the places in this list from there (like Blagaj, Herceg-Stjepan Fortress, Pocitelj and Kravice waterfalls). It's a great base center that offers much to see by itself.
6. Mountains: Bjelasnica, Jahorina and Vlasic
Bjelasnica
Jahorina
Vlasic
Bosnia and Herzegovina offers up many beautiful mountains for a daily or weekend visit. I only listed 3 here, but there are many more to see. These three here are the most popular ones, and they are even worth a visit when there is no snow.
7. Nature Resort Hutovo Blato
Hutovo Blato is a nature and bird reserve located in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The reserve is on the list of BirdLife International's Important Bird Areas. It is the largest reserve of its kind in the region, in terms of both size and diversity. For a daily trip here, make sure to get lunch in the motel located at the north entrance of the resort. My full trip to Hutovo Blato can be found here.
8. The Old Town of Pocitelj
Pocitelj presents one of few urban ensembles in Bosnia and Herzegovina preserved in their integrity to the present time developed through the several phases of the history, beginning with the medieval period. It's not far from Mostar, and surely worth a day visit. Best spot: the Tower of Pocitelj, situated above the town.
9. Kravice Waterfalls
Kravice are a well known summer tourist spot here in southern Herzegovina. These waterfalls are located a couple of miles west from Capljina. Kravice is a popular swimming and picnic area and, during the summer, it is frequently visited by tourists from Mostar, Medjugorje and Dubrovnik.
10. The Pyramids in Visoko
The Bosnian pyramids are a pseudo-archaeological claim that promote a cluster of natural hills in central Bosnia and Herzegovina as the largest human-made ancient pyramids on Earth. The hills are located near the town of Visoko, northwest of Sarajevo. Now while this has not been authenticated in any way (except the hills really resembling pyramids) it's still worth your a visit to the archaeological site. And hey, no one says anything about the fact that, for example, the Bran Castle has not really been lived in by Dracula in Romania, right?
By which place are you mostly drawn in?
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