Bosnia and Herzegovina holidays

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the Balkans' most-evocative country — a mixed-religion mountain nation where Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Yugoslav and post-war heritage layer visibly across the same streets. The headline experiences: Sarajevo (the capital where Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, Catholic, Orthodox and Jewish quarters meet within five minutes' walking distance — the Baščaršija Ottoman bazaar, the Latin Bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated triggering WWI, the 1984 Winter Olympics venues, the haunting Tunnel Museum from the 1990s siege, the City Hall Vijećnica reopened after wartime destruction); the UNESCO-listed Old Bridge of Mostar (Stari Most, the iconic Ottoman bridge over the Neretva River destroyed in the 1993 war and meticulously rebuilt using original techniques in 2004 — the bridge-divers leap from it as summer entertainment); the dervish monastery of Blagaj at the source of the Buna River; the Una River canyon and Bihać; the Sutjeska National Park's Maglić mountain (Bosnia's highest peak); and the village of Mostar's nearby Počitelj UNESCO Ottoman village.

A 7-10 day Bosnia trip: Sarajevo (3-4 nights — Baščaršija bazaar walking, the Eternal Flame, the Sebilj fountain, ćevapi at Željo, Tunnel Museum visit, Jewish Museum, the Trebević cable car for war-era views, Yellow Fortress sunset, the Vijećnica City Hall, optional Jahorina or Bjelašnica day-trip for the 1984 Olympics venues) → drive south via Konjic to Mostar (2-3 nights — Stari Most bridge at sunset, the Crooked Bridge, the Karadjozbeg Mosque, the Tabhana cafe terrace, day-trip to Blagaj dervish monastery and Počitelj UNESCO village) → optional Sutjeska National Park and Tjentište for the WWII memorial and the Perućica primeval forest (1-2 nights) → optional Banja Luka or the Una National Park in the north-west for river-rafting and waterfalls (2 nights).