View of Sarajevo from the Yellow Bastion
Bosnia & Herzegovina Europe Travel Diary

RTW Week 14: Bosnia & Herzegovina

This weekly wrap-up covers our journey from July 7 to July 13. We took a bus from Mostar to Sarajevo on Sunday, then split the week between Sarajevo and Jeleč, a mountain town about halfway between Sarajevo and the Montenegro border. On Saturday, we took a private transfer from Sarajevo to Belgrade (more info below).

Favorite thing we ate: We had a delicious dinner at Inat Kuća along the river in Sarajevo [pictured above]. Also called Spite House, this restaurant has a unique history: When the Austro-Hungarians began building a new city hall in Sarajevo in the late 19th century, one Bosnian man refused to allow his home to be demolished for the construction, despite being offered a lot of money. He finally agreed to an extravagant price, but only if the Austro-Hungarians moved his house brick by brick and rebuilt it across the river. They did! It has been a restaurant since 1997. We recommend the Bosnian pot: a delicious stew of meat and vegetables, best eaten with bread to sop up the juices. We had two glasses of wine, two entrees, two servings of rakija (Balkan brandy) and a dessert to share, all for about $35 USD.

Bosnian coffee sets in Coppersmith Alley, Sarajevo
Bosnian coffee sets for sale in Baščaršija, the old Turkish quarter of Sarajevo.

Favorite thing we drank: That rakija I mentioned above? Woo! Probably won’t order that again haha. But wanted to try it for a cultural experience. 😉 Jonathan has continued his daily habit of Bosnian coffee and a Radler in the afternoon; Megan has also been enjoying the wonderful coffee culture in Bosnia, and she tried her first salep–a hot milk drink with cinnamon–at a Turkish café in Sarajevo.

Lake Orlovačko in Sutjeska National Park, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Favorite thing we did: We loved staying in Jeleč, a small mountain village near Sutjeska National Park. Jonathan’s favorite activity of the week was driving to and hiking around Lake Orlovačko [pictured above]. Megan loved exploring the old quarter of Sarajevo and learning more about Bosnian history; Sarajevo is one of her overall favorite cities of this trip so far!

Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge over the Drina River in Višegrad, Bosnia

Biggest splurge: Instead of taking another long-haul bus to get to Serbia, we splurged for a private transfer from Sarajevo to Belgrade, which made several tourist stops along the way. We saw a famous bridge over the Drina River in Višegrad, Bosnia [pictured above]; rode a narrow-gauge railway in Mokra Gora, Serbia; visited a wooden village called Drvengrad in Serbia; and enjoyed a pretty drive through parts of Tara National Park.

natural springs at Vrelo Bosne, the source of the Bosna River
Jonathan inspecting the natural springs at Vrelo Bosne, the source of the Bosna River.

Best deal: We’ve mentioned before that Jonathan’s best friend is Bosnian, and we were very fortunate that his family allowed us to stay at their homes for free during this entire week, including an apartment in Sarajevo and a house in Jeleč. Thank you, Berber family!

Biggest oops: Several guidebooks mention Google Maps navigation is “not available” in Bosnia. This wasn’t our experience … except in Jeleč, when what we thought was going to be a 30-minute drive to a hike turned into more than two hours. Each way. Oops! At least we got to enjoy some beautiful scenery along the way [pictured above]!

A Problem from Hell by Samantha Power on Kindle

What we’re reading: Jonathan felt like rage-listening a little more, so he’s following up Black Edge with Dark Money by Jane Mayer on audio. He is also reading The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. Megan read The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai for her book club and started A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide by journalist Samantha Power.

Viewpoint of countryside in Western Serbia
View of Western Serbia along our drive from Sarajevo to Belgrade.

Total walking distance: 27.38 miles

Up next: We’re in Belgrade for the next few days; then we’ll see…. There is so much to see in Eastern Europe. It’s hard to decide where to go next!

Megan

Megan is a librarian by training, currently on a journey around the world with her husband, Jonathan. She enjoys visiting bookstores, libraries and coffeeshops while traveling.

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