Bosnia and Herzegovina - Europe's under-rated and best kept secret

If you're looking for a destination that blends East and West, has an abundance of natural beauty with mountains and rivers, a history of resilience and amazing food and wine, then Bosnia and Herzegovina should be on your travel bucket list. Unfortunately, the first thing that many people associate with Bosnia and Herzegovina is the war that happened when Yugoslavia fell apart in the mid-1990’s. But the country is definitely a safe place to visit and is one of Europe's best kept secrets. See our Instagram Post on Bosnia here.

In 2019 we quickly visited Mostar and Medjugorje, but we returned for a more extensive visit in May 2025. Our road trip through this captivating country exceeded all our expectations and has become one of our favourite destinations. It's a place where cobbled Ottoman streets meet Austro-Hungarian facades, where minarets rise beside cathedrals, and where natural beauty is around every curve of the road.

Pro Tips:

• Bosnia and Herzegovina have not moved to the euro (at the time of writing this blog) and surprisingly credit card was not widely accepted. So, make sure you have sufficient cash or Bosnian Convertible Mark (BAM). The Bosnian Convertible Mark) is officially pegged to the euro to make it easier to keep track of currency exchanges. 2BAM = 1 EUR. Many restaurants and even hotels only accept cash.

• The weather can be unpredictable, so carry an umbrella and coat with you. In summer, the weather can also be very hot.

• Driving can be slow as the country is very mountainous with winding roads. But at the same time, this means that drivers are often overtaking each other, so you need to drive with caution.

• If hiring a car outside of Bosnia and Herzegovina (like us, we hired a car in Budapest) then double check the terms and conditions and whether they will allow you to drive the car into Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also make sure you have the necessary insurance / green card details from your car rental company to show at the border.

• Don't just visit Mostar on a day trip or for a few hours. In 2019 we visited for a few hours and it left us overwhelmed. When we visited again in 2025, we stayed for 2 nights. This meant we had the old town to ourselves to take photos and to explore at night and early in the morning. The city is totally different when it is quiet and peaceful!

• Make sure you purchase a local authentic souvenir - the famous being a Bosnian coffee set. Just make sure you are purchasing a hand-made one from local artisans. Which also means you need to buy Bosnian coffee. We stopped at the local grocery stores to buy different brands to try.

• Book tours with local guides to fully appreciate the history and culture of the cities. We have recommended below some tours that we did and loved.

• Don't expect to find any McDonalds or fast-food chains in Bosnia and Herzegovina, instead you will find 'Burek Kings'. There is so much wonderful food to try, so enjoy!

We started our journey driving from Croatia across the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina but obviously you could also start your journey by flying into Sarajevo and picking up a car. These are just some of the highlights from our road trip. For details on how to visit Croatia - read our blog here.

Day 1 - Jajce (approximately 3 hr drive from Split or 2 1/2 hrs from Sarajevo)

Accommodation: Apartman 'Centar Jajce'. 60 euros (paid in cash) for a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment with kitchen (no washing machine).

Jajce is not a large city - so you only need to spend 1 night in the town. Jajce has an important historical significance for Bosnia and Herzegovina as it was the venue for the Second Yugoslavia Assembly, with the Yugoslav state being officially signed into existence in a meeting room here. The building where the assembly was held is transformed into the Museum of the National Struggle for Liberation or more commonly, the AVNOJ Museum.

Our apartment was right in the middle of the old town amongst all the restaurants and was on the top floor. After moving some restaurant sandwich boards, we were able to park the car beside our apartment. Our hosts did not speak English very well but after making our acquittances and 'checking in' we headed out to explore the town and to find the reason we were there - to see the Pliva waterfalls, which we could hear them from our apartment.

The waterfalls are right in the centre of town and are breathtaking! You can see them for free from above at the viewing platform where there is also a small market selling souvenirs for tourists. For a fee you can also see the waterfalls up close, which I would recommend. For us (2 adults and a child it was 20 BAM). From up close you could hear and feel the power of the waterfalls.

Check out our Instagram post on our visit to the Jajce Waterfalls here.

View of the waterfalls - free from top viewing platform

Our apartment hosts recommended a wonderful restaurant in the centre of old town for lunch at Restoran Omerbegova kuća. We highly recommend the Cevapi here - it had to be the best we had during our road trip.

We spent the afternoon, leisurely exploring the city including the smaller waterfalls and the fortress.

Before you leave Jajce, you must stop by the historical Pliva Lakes Watermills that are about 5km outside of town. It is a really peaceful location where you can have a picnic and just enjoy the sound of the water.

Day 2 - Drive to Mostar (2 hrs from Sarajevo)

Accommodation - Motel Monte Rosa (which is also above a restaurant). Parking is next door in an open parking lot for 24 BAM per day (cash only). A wonderful breakfast is included.

Mostar is the capital of Herzegovina and is very popular with both domestic and international tourists for a reason - the famous Mostar Bridge or Stari Most.

The original Stari Most was commissioned to replace a wooden suspension bridge by the Ottoman emperor Süleyman the Magnificent in 1557. The work took about nine years, and the bridge was completed in 1566.

However, in November 1993, the Stari Most bridge was destroyed during the war. A project, overseen by UNESCO, was undertaken to rebuild the Stari Most using the same materials and techniques used in the original bridge. Construction began in 2001 and was completed in 2004. In a way, the bridge encapsulates the history of the country in a single architectural masterpiece.

Spend the afternoon walking around the Old Town to do some shopping and taking photos of the beautiful bridge. There are so many places to take picturesque photos of the bridge. If you are lucky or at the right time of year, you will be able to witness the Mostar Bridge divers dive into the river below. Don't forget to also cross over the Crooked Bridge - which is a smaller version of the Mostar Stari Most.

Pro tips:

• In 2019 we only visited Mostar for a few hours and it left us feeling overwhelmed - there were so many tourists in such a small area. But when we returned in 2025, we booked a 2-night stay in the old town. This allowed us to truly experience and explore Mostar at night and early in the morning before all the tourists arrived.

• There is wonderful souvenir shopping in Mostar - but you will need cash in most stores.

• For lunch we highly recommend eating at Restoran Babilon - it has a beautiful terrace overlooking the Stari Most and the food is wonderful. It is popular, so try to get there early to grab a table with a good view! But remember - cash only.

  

  View from Restoran Babilon

For the ultimate view of Mostar take the drive up Fortica Hill.

Day 3 - Day trip from Mostar - Blagaj, Medjugorje and Kravica Waterfalls

Blagaj

Recommend leaving Mostar early in the morning and drive 20 minutes to Blagaj to beat the tourists. At the town centre, follow the signs to the Dervish House or Tekke. Parking is about 4BAM paid in cash.

As you walk in along the river you will first notice some touristy shops and then a small bridge that takes you to some restaurants. On the other side of the restaurants there is a small, unmarked walking trail that leads you to the best views of the monastery.

The Ottoman-era building sits at the base of an enormous cliff, where the Buna river seeps out from a mysterious cave and over a small crescent waterfall as it courses towards the larger Neretva River. The monastery itself was built in 1520 by the Dervish, a mystic branch of Sufi Islam known for rituals that involve various forms of whirling. The monastery was considered a tekija or tekke, or a place of spiritual retreat and reflection.

From Blagaj we drove approximately 30 mins to Počitelj for a quick bite to eat. Note that there is a parking fee of 5BAM - to be paid in cash.

Kravica Waterfall

From here drive 30 minutes to Kravica Waterfalls. When we visited in May 2025, parking was free, but it looked like they were installing paid parking arrangements. The fee for the three of us to enter was 50BAM (20BAM for adults and 10 for a child). They did accept credit card as payment for the tickets when we visited.

Unlike other waterfalls (such as Plitvice and Krka in Croatia) we didn't think that the entrance fee was worth it. We didn't spend the whole day here, but if you want to spend the day here swimming and hiking, then it might be worth it. You can also hire a boat and row up close to the waterfalls. But saying that, we were still amazed by the beauty of the waterfalls. The walk to the waterfall was only about 10 mins and it was uphill on the way back.

Medjugorje

In 2019 we visited Medjugorje. Medjugorje is a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It’s been an unofficial place of Catholic pilgrimage since the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared on Apparition Hill in 1981. Apparition Hill itself is rather difficult to climb and only Marcus was able to climb all the way to the top (we did try to climb in summer in the middle of the day). Plan to allow at least an hour. The climb includes steep inclines and the fact that you need to walk over and on top of large rocks.

Day 4 - Drive to Sarajevo (approximately 2 hours)

We weren't sure what to expect by Sarajevo but by the end of our visit we were in love with Sarajevo. The city offers a mix of cultures, an interesting history, amazing choice of food and great shopping - but the city left us wanting to see more and it was so safe and clean!

Accommodation: Hotel Sahat.

We highly recommend this hotel as it is literally in the Old Town near the bazaars and close to so many restaurants. They offer a wonderful breakfast and the hotel offers free parking (but parking spaces are very limited so need to book in advance).

Once we had arrived at the hotel and parked our car we set off to explore the Old Town and bazaars. Bascarsija is the old bazaar and cultural heart of Sarajevo. In many ways, this part of town resembles Istanbul, with its architecture, mosques, and shops filled with merchandise similar to what you would see in the Grand Bazaar. You can buy good quality leather handbags, scarfs, copper coffee sets, so bring your cash and enjoy shopping! We really enjoyed shopping at the various Bosnian sweet shops as well.

My husband was keen to try his hand at copper art, so we booked a Copper Handicraft Workshop (this tour), which included a visit to Kazandziluk coppersmith's market, to explore the city's old blacksmiths’ street. Here he was able to visit a coppersmith workshop to craft his own small copper souvenir to keep. He decided to create a Sarajevo magnet out of copper.

Other Sarajevo city sights include:

• Sebjilj fountain

• The eternal flame

• The Orthodox Cathedral

• Gazi Husrev Bey's Mosque and Clock Tower - this clock shows lunar time and every day before sunset the clock is adjusted to ensure it shows the right time for call to prayer.

• The Town Hall - make sure you buy tickets to take a look inside. The architecture is amazing.

• Gallery 11/07/95 or the Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide

• Historical Museum of Sarajevo and the Latin Bridge - here you can learn more about the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia

• National Museum - here you can see the Sarajevo Haggadah, which is a very important piece of Jewish history. The Haggadah is a written guide to the Passover seder. There are many versions of Haggadot (the plural of Haggadah), but the Sarajevo Haggadah is believed to be the oldest version in the world. It was written in Barcelona in 1350 and then brought to Sarajevo in 1894.

• Cable Car to Trebevic

  

  
  

Day 5 - Explore Sarajevo and its history

We wanted to learn more about the Sarajevo siege and war, so we booked this all inclusive tour. It went for about 3 hours and our tour guide picked us up at our hotel at 9am. Our guide had grown up in Sarajevo and provided fascinating, first-hand insight into the history of Sarajevo during the war. Our guide drove us to the War Tunnel Museum and sites associated with the Siege of Sarajevo and Sniper Alley. Next, he drove us to visit the history-shrouded mountain of Trebević, and enjoy panoramic city views from the summit. We would recommend doing a tour such as this to truly appreciate what life was like during this time.

In the afternoon once back at your hotel, you can continue to explore the 'new' part of Sarajevo and the many sights listed above.

If you are looking for a restaurant to try the delicious Burek then head towards Buregdzinica Sac - but be prepared it gets busy!

Day 6 - Drive to Visegrad (2hrs from Sarajevo)

Leaving Sarajevo we headed towards Visegrad. Visegrad has a sad history and is known for its famous bridge. Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge – Or Bridge over River Drina was commissioned by Grand Vizier Mehmed Pasha Sokolović and built by Mimar Sinan, one of the greatest architects of that period. It took him six years, from 1571 to 1577 to finish this art of work. The bridge was the inspiration for the historical novel written by Nobel Price winner, Ivo Andric 'The Bridge on the Drina'.

We sat and enjoyed beautiful views of the bridge with lunch at the Visegrad Hotel.

We weren't aware of the history of this beautiful and peaceful town until we did some research. Apparently, this town housed rape camps and was the site of ethnic cleansing during the 1990s.

Cruising on the river Drina is also popular or if warm enough, swimming at Jaz Beach.

If you are planning a trip to Europe then highly recommend visiting the Balkans and especially including Bosnia and Herzegovina to your holiday plans. This is definitely Europe's 'Best Kept Secret'!

If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to us.

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