Travel report: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Country ranking by area: #126
Country ranking by population: #133

Date of visit: June 2017

Surprising a friend

It was in early 2017, when Jasmin texted me that she wants to surprise her fiancée and my travel competitor Tobi. They were both saving all their money for a world trip and gave up short trips therefore. Apparently, Tobi was frustrated with this situation. Perhaps, he was even more frustrated because I almost equalised the score of our bet. I was only three or four countries behind and it was obvious that I would overtake soon. He did not expect me to travel to so many countries in only a year, and now he knew that I was serious.

Jasmin informed me about her plans. She wanted to surprise her future husband by giving him a long weekend trip together with me as a present. “Why won’t you travel with him instead of me?” I asked. I wish that I still knew her answer to my question, but my old brain forgot why she thought that he would have more fun with me instead of with her. Never mind, I was happy with that. It was our second trip together after travelling to Palestine and Israel in September 2016. Jasmin said that I could choose the destination for the new trip, the only two conditions were that A) it had to be a new country for Tobi and B) he would not have to take more than three days off from work.

I checked out several options. My first idea was a combination of Helsinki and Tallinn, but I was also thinking about leaving Europe (I did the Finland-trip together with Tobi AND Jasmin in June 2018 by the way). Either Senegal or Sudan were my ideas for Africa, and Tobi would have been the right man for this trip. I was also thinking about Iceland, but the total cost for four days in Reykjavik would have been more than 2’000 Euros – too much for a short trip! I finally ended up with a Balkan road-trip: Bosnia and Herzegovina as the starting and ending point, and Montenegro in between. We had six days in total from Friday evening until Wednesday afternoon.

I remember that Jasmin invited me to dinner at their apartment when we told Tobi about the surprise. To be honest, I think he was rather shocked in the beginning that we used his vacation days without asking him. But after a few days, he was even more motivated for this trip than I was. Travelling to the Balkans turned out to be a great decision. It was one of my best trips in 2017.

First stop: Sarajevo

The reason why I have chosen Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro was that the Balkan countries are in my opinion one of the best and most underrated travel destinations in Europe. I have been to Croatia, Slovenia and Serbia before, and travelling in ex-Yugoslavia has become one of my favourite activities. It is cheap, the food is great, the landscapes are beautiful and the cities vibrant. Plus the warm-hearted people make your trip unforgettable.

We didn’t decide what route we would take until three or four weeks before the trip. The original idea was driving from Sarajevo to Mostar, from Mostar to Dubrovnik, and visiting Kotor in Montenegro on a day trip from Dubrovnik. We skipped this idea though. Dubrovnik seemed to be too overcrowded and also more expensive than Kotor so that we opted for the latter. However, it was clear that the main focus would be on Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the end, we spent two nights in Sarajevo at the beginning and one night at the end with two nights in Montenegro in between.

We landed in Sarajevo in the evening around 7 PM. My Bosnian friends advised to book a hotel room in old town and we followed that suggestion. Sarajevo’s old town is like a narrow strip and not like a circle or whatever, and it takes approximately 15 minutes to go from one end to the other by foot. Our hotel was located at one end of old town near Bascarsija Square. This location turned out to be perfect.

I cannot say the same thing about our hotel. It was very basic. Just a small room with two beds, and I had to duck my head on one side of the room. Tobi was more than happy with the room, as he usually prefers cheap prices over comfort. In the end, we only paid 25 Dollars per person per night so that I should not complain.

Ramadan in Bosnia and Herzegovina

We didn’t stay long in our hotel room anyway. On our way to a restaurant we got our first impressions of Sarajevo’s old town. People were sitting outside, having dinner or watching football. It seemed to be a very lively city in the evenings. The city got empty after midnight, although it was Friday night. The reason for that was Ramadan.

I did not think about Ramadan when I booked the flights to Sarajevo. Bosnia and Herzegovina is the only ex-Yugoslavian country (together with Kosovo, which is not a fully recognised country though), in which the majority of the people are Muslims. I have not been to a Muslim country during Ramadan yet, and I honestly did not know what to expect. That’s why I asked a friend if that would have an impact on our trip. I have read about certain cities that are deserted during the Muslim month of fasting. My friend claimed that everything would be more or less as always though. The only difference seemed to be that nightlife was non-existent.

We used the next day to explore Sarajevo. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina is not big, and most of the interesting things are in or near old town. It is also a city where different cultures meet. When you look at the architecture you will see a mix of the Austrian-Hungarian, the Ottoman and the Sovjet style. I do not think that you can see something like that anywhere else in Europe. For me personally, Sarajevo is probably the best city to see how the Eastern and the Western cultures merge.

Sarajevo is also a city with huge historical importance, and I am not even talking about the Winter Olympics in 1984. Franz Ferdinand was assassinated here, what led to the first World War. The bridge he was shot is called Latin Bridge. It is not far from old town, maybe a 5 minute walk from Bascarsija Square. Although the bridge itself is nothing too special, it is a must visit site in Sarajevo.

Another must do when in Sarajevo is visiting the Yellow Fortress. Not because of the fortress itself but because of the beautiful view you get up there. It is a short hike to the fortress but even doable for people with zero stamina. The Yellow Fortress also has a café so that you can spend some time up there, enjoying the view and having a good cup of Turkish coffee. Unsurprisingly, we did not see many tourists in Sarajevo. Most of the visitors are most probably Bosnians who live abroad. But we indeed saw three Swiss tourists in the Yellow Fortress. “F*ck Paris or London,” Tobi said. “Sarajevo is the real deal.”

Interestingly, many ex-Yugoslavian countries do not have a lot of international fast food chains or fashion stores. I have seen one McDonald’s in Sarajevo but that’s it. Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia are different, as you can find your Starbucks or Burger King in any major city there. Personally, I prefer cities that are not full of brands that you can see everywhere in the world. Most city centres look too similar in Europe. H&M on the left, Costa Coffee to the right. Therefore, being in a city without these shops was a welcome change.

However, who wants to eat in a McDonald’s if you have Burek, Cevapcici or Ajvar? Balkan food is outstanding in my opinion, and it costs nothing. The price for 500g of Burek is usually less than 2 Euros. Cevapcici does not cost more. Bosnia and Herzegovina is generally very budget-friendly, and the capital among the cheapest cities in Europe.

Another good example for the cheap prices was our night out later. Despite Ramadan, we thought that the city might be more crowded on a Saturday night, but the bars were as empty as the night before. Being on a vacation without having a few drinks is only half the fun though unless you are in Saudi Arabia. That’s why we went to a bar called Hacienda which was recommended to us by our Bosnian friends. Although there were only 10 people inside the bar, we had a good time, possibly because of the 7-8 drinks we each had in there. We had to pay 50 Euros in the end, and it was high-quality liquor we had. Ridiculous.

Our first two days in Sarajevo came to an end the day after. It was Sunday and we should come back the next Tuesday in the evening. I really liked Sarajevo. It is a unique city in Europe with all the good things you need for a nice city trip: it is beautiful, it has some interesting sights, it is one of the cheapest cities in Europe and the people are nice.

Sarajevo is also the most Islamic capital city in Europe (no, Istanbul is not the capital of Turkey) and the Ottoman influence is omnipresent. Not only that you will see many mosques in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is also the food, the shops and of course the coffee that remind you of Turkey. It does not come as a surprise that Turkish is the second language they use for announcements at the airport.

Road to Mostar

We took our rental car from the airport and headed towards Mostar in the afternoon. Mostar was our next stop in Bosnia and Herzegovina and on our way to Montenegro. We did not want to skip this picturesque city.

It takes a little bit more than two hours from the capital city to Mostar, and as soon as you leave the city centre of Sarajevo you will see that the outskirts do not have the charm of old town anymore. Ugly Sovjet style buildings dominate the city image here. Moreover, infrastructure got weaker the further we moved away from Sarajevo. Friendly spoken, the roads in this region are not the best. Neither is the traffic. The highway in the Balkans is like a lawless place sometimes. The worst roads were still to come though.

Without having an accident we happily arrived in Mostar in the afternoon. It is quite easy to find the city centre, as you just have to follow the Stari Most signs. You cannot miss it. Stari Most is the main landmark of Mostar, an Ottoman bridge built a few centuries ago, which was destroyed in the Bosnian War in 1993. The Bosnian War was part of the breakup of former Yugoslavia, and a war between Bosnians, Serbs and Croats. It was also a war that resulted in ethnic cleansing and people still talk about the Srebrenica massacre nowadays.

Fortunately, the bridge was rebuilt after the war. It is definitely one of the most beautiful landmarks I have seen in the Balkans yet. You can even go down to the banks of the river and dive into the water. Stari Most is not the only thing you can see in Mostar though. The city has a very charming old town with narrow streets and stalls. I was a bit surprised however about the size of Mostar. The city centre is very small and it did not take us longer than 30 minutes to see all of it.

We stayed in Mostar for a few hours and it was absolutely worth it. This picturesque city was a real highlight of the trip and every traveller who visits Bosnia and Herzegovina should add Mostar to the itinerary.

We continued our road-trip to Montenegro later in the afternoon. Two things I noticed in the next two or three hours are worth mentioning. First, the nature in Bosnia and Herzegovina is breath-taking. We drove along turquoise rivers and lakes, bright green fields and dark green forests. It reminded me of Switzerland sometimes.

Second, the roads became more and more terrible the closer we got to the border of Montenegro. Seriously, I have never seen so awful roads. Well, in Africa maybe. The amount of potholes we saw was ridiculous.

Finally, we arrived at the border of Montenegro. It was my country number 54, where we spent the next two days. And it was completely different there than in Bosnia and Herzegovina… (read: Travel report: Montenegro).

Tobi and I got back to Sarajevo on a Tuesday evening. We did not do much anymore that night so that this was the end of a fantastic trip to the Balkans.

Is Bosnia and Herzegovina worth a trip?

I have visited all countries of former Yugoslavia and cannot stop telling people how amazing this region is. These countries provide the best value for money in Europe and are also great travel destinations for other reasons. I couldn’t say whether I liked Bosnia and Herzegovina more or less than Montenegro, Macedonia or any other ex-Yugoslavian country. All of these countries are different, but all of them are definitely worth a trip.

Sarajevo is an interesting city and an ideal weekend trip destination. However, it would be a pity to visit only the capital and skip the rest of the country. Because what surprised me the most was the incredible nature we saw on our way from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro. It was the same surprise I got in Croatia, but contrary to the white, blue and golden landscapes in Croatia, the colours green, brown and turquoise describe the nature in Bosnia in Herzegovina the best.

If I had to give someone the advise about an itinerary in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I would recommend visiting Sarajevo for two days and explore the Southern part of the country for another one or two days. Two days are actually enough for Sarajevo, as you can see all the sights in one day. It would even be possible to visit the South of the country in one day. It would be a long day though, but it is absolutely doable. In sum, Bosnia and Herzegovina is definitely worth a trip. Do not miss it.

Find the travel reports of the other countries I’ve visited here!