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Bosnia Travel Guide: Sarajevo, Livno, & Mostar
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items A 2026 guide to Bosnia and Herzegovina. To recreate a similar 4-days around this Balkans gem, fly in and out of Sarajevo, hitting the historic Ottoman capital, Livno for wild horses, and Mostar with the infamous Stari Most in the south 🇧🇦
Sections
3
sarajevo
livno
mostar
sarajevo
within bosnia under the governing federation of bih, the bosniak muslim capital has time and time again served as a major geopolitical crossroads between east and west
sarajevo’s oldest bakery, with traditional bosnian pastries like meat-filled burek served fresh from the oven 🥖
Pekara Imaret
the most historically significant mosque in bih, originally completed in 1531 during the ottoman era. cover shoulders and knees, with women expected to wear headscarves inside the prayer area—scarves are provided on-site if you don’t have one on hand...
Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
this adjacent museum provides context on the historical significance of the mosque and gazi husrev-beg, the ottoman governor and benefactor whose charitable endowment–a waqf–shaped much of sarajevo’s old town 📜
Gazi Husrev-beg Medresa
historic coppersmith street where centuries-old craftsmanship of cezve–aka traditional copper coffee pots–is practiced by generations of metalworkers 🏺
Kazandžiluk
if you want an authentic souvenir, avoid storefronts with any kind of colorful bakarni set or engraved serving trays–i bought mine here. anyone hammering away at a new piece inside their shop is another good sign that the wares are actually handmade ...
Kazandžija Sakib Baščaušević
i’m not obsessed with ćevapi, but everyone says you have to have it at least once–just be sure to get kajmak on top so the dish isn’t too dry. ćevabdžinica željo and ćevabdžinica nune are other highly rated options 🍖
Ćevabdžinica Petica Ferhatović
traditional bosnian coffee is the menu item to order. the strong, dark brew is served in a cezve on a copper plate, with grounds still settled in the bottom–so don’t pour the entirety of the liquid out, otherwise you’ll be drinking espresso sludge. r...
Slatko ćoše
there’s no better source for a realistic picture of the state of things than a walking tour led by a local. we joined meet bosnia for their free 3:00 PM tour–primarily of the old bazaar–where in addition to the previous stops we visited the sarajevo ...
Baščaršija Free Walking Tour
a preserved caravanserai or ottoman inn for traveling merchants. today a restaurant named after the historic home and various artisanal shops sit inside the open plaza 🪔
Morića Han
where the 1914 assassination of archduke franz ferdinand by a black hand-backed bosnian serb sparked world war I 🔫
Latin Bridge
the main catholic cathedral with one of the roses of sarajevo out front ⛪
Sacred Heart Cathedral
lasting reminders of the siege of sarajevo, with concrete scars left by mortar shell explosions painted red to memorialize civilians killed in the attacks 🥀
Roses of Sarajevo
where ottoman and austro-hungarian sarajevo intersect 🧭
Sarajevo Meeting Of Cultures
i initially debated between the yellow and white fortresses for sunset, but one is a well-kept site with a café whereas the other is basically just ruins, so there’s a clear winner. the walk is steeply uphill across slippery polished stones–wear shoe...
Yellow Fortress
highly rated on tripadvisor (#10 out of 487) as a local, family-owned gem with traditional bites–but thankfully plenty of dishes beyond ćevapi. the homemade bread was the major winner, in addition to our first taste of the local red variety, with the...
Dveri
this 2d café is clearly catered towards tourists with plenty of iced latte flavors and traditional breakfast options–but hey, i’m never going to say no to a croissant sandwich for breakfast 🥐
Brunch Sarajevo
take this up to trebević mountain to explore the bobsled track yourself for 30 km roundtrip. finding the cement luge is fairly self-explanatory with plenty of signage around the peak. a sequential line-up of 5 cars on the line match the olympic rings...
on your way out of the base station, continue down the steps to find a magnet vending machine featuring the 1984 mascot–vučko the friendly wolf–and a cable car in the olympic color of your choice 🐺
on your way out of the base station, continue down the steps to find a magnet vending machine featuring the 1984 mascot–vučko the friendly wolf–and a cable car in the olympic color of your choice 🐺
Sarajevo Cable Car
while our guide from the bosnian olympic team was regrettably injured, you can ride down the original–now abandoned and covered in graffiti–1984 olympic bobsled track 🛷
2-Hour 1984 Luge Experience
there’s a host of winter olympic memorabilia up here including an old ‘84 branded cable car ⛰️
Trebević Mountain
this working brewery and associated museum continued producing beer during the siege of sarajevo, when its water source was one of the few safe supplies. closed on sundays, it costs 5 km to enter 🍻
Sarajevo Brewery
austro-hungarian building later turned national library, the exquisite neo-moorish interior can’t be missed. costing 10 km to enter, the hall houses an exhibition on the icty who prosecuted war criminals following the atrocities of the yugoslav wars....
Sarajevo City Hall
a continually burning ww2 memorial commemorating sarajevo’s liberation 🔥
Eternal Flame
inside the mandić villa, this 12 km museum displays artifacts from the monumental '84 games, the first ever held in both a socialist state and slavic country. from vintage gear and posters to memorabilia produced for fans and athletes alike, the exhi...
Olympic Museum
the main serbian orthodox cathedral, rounding out sarajevo’s four major religious landmarks ☦️
Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos
a covered ottoman stone market tied to historic silk road trade routes, i wasn’t particularly enthralled by any of the faux designer bags or costume jewelry sold inside 🪨
Gazi Husrev-beg's Bezistan
since discovering the best dessert the world has to offer during my time in split, i’ve made it my personal mission to visit each of the four dutch poffertjes franchises around the world. last summer i also made it to the flagship in ljubljana, makin...
Puffy Lil' Pancakes
this was by far the most traditional bosnian coffee spot we hit (smoking inside included). the eclectic, cozy interior embodies the bosnian concept of “ćejf” which essentially means a small moment of joy taken for oneself–like sitting down for a coff...
Ministry of Ćejf
livno
this small mountainside town sits in the catholic, bosnian croat region of western bih and is on the map for one thing: a herd of 700+ wild horses living on the kruzi plateau
stays open late–which i’m under the impression is one of the few places in town to do so, considering several members of our wild horse tour were also grubbing here with us the night before 🍕
Pizzeria Pinocchio
i initially debated between an open-air jeep tour or atvs to reach the plateau, and in retrospect am so glad i chose the former. it’s a steep, bumpy, dusty ride up to the top. continental adventure's package includes transportation as well as profess...
upon reaching the plateau, we had total free rein to explore and attempt to bond with the herd as we pleased. to make matters even better, visiting in the spring meant there were a ton of pregnant mares, baby foals and feisty stallions–so many that I...
after experiencing spirit: stallion of the cimarron irl, we headed to a viewpoint to drink honey-flavored rakija, or medovača, admiring the valley below with the rest of our tour group 🐎
upon reaching the plateau, we had total free rein to explore and attempt to bond with the herd as we pleased. to make matters even better, visiting in the spring meant there were a ton of pregnant mares, baby foals and feisty stallions–so many that I...
after experiencing spirit: stallion of the cimarron irl, we headed to a viewpoint to drink honey-flavored rakija, or medovača, admiring the valley below with the rest of our tour group 🐎
Wild Horse Tour
an abandoned mill perched beside a babbling spring emerging from the mountainside, all framed by staggering cliffs in the background 🏞️
Duman
for lunch, livno cheese is the name of the game, best washed down with a locally brewed pale ale here 🧀
Pivnica Livno
mostar
within southern herzegovina, mostar has distinctly bosniak muslim and catholic croat sides, divided by the emerald neretva river and connected by the infamous stari most
79-foot ottoman bridge built in 1566 under suleiman the magnificent, replacing an older wooden crossing as an engineering marvel of the empire. destroyed by shell fire during the bosnian war, it was later reconstructed using traditional techniques.
today, it's the defining landmark where professional divers known as mostari leap into the freezing river below after collecting enough cash from passerbys 🏊♀️
today, it's the defining landmark where professional divers known as mostari leap into the freezing river below after collecting enough cash from passerbys 🏊♀️
Stari Most
run by a 9th generation member of the family, one of two remaining authentic examples of traditional ottoman architecture and interiors in mostar—including the very room we slept in.
breakfast and a private tour of the property are included in styas, and upon our late arrival we were greeted with complimentary juice and an exceptionally kind owner 🏰
breakfast and a private tour of the property are included in styas, and upon our late arrival we were greeted with complimentary juice and an exceptionally kind owner 🏰
Muslibegovic House
If you don’t stay at muslibegovic house or want to explore more preserved ottoman interiors, this is the other historic home open to the public 🏡
Kajtaz's House
the main commercial street on the bosniak side of the river, where the bazaar-like atmosphere is filled with artisan workshops and galleries. plenty of painters work here from more modern specialists to those capturing the stari most in oils and wate...
Bazar Kujundžiluk
by far the coolest coppersmith shop i encountered. we watched the husband-and-wife duo engraving copper plates in real time while shopping instead for their speckled rectangular wall hangings ⛏️
Art Studio Pandur
if you’re planning to grab coffee here, just don’t. it appears permanently closed despite still showing as operational online 💢
Terasa
an immaculate lunch with the perfect riverside view of the stari most. the terrace is hidden from street-level–and you can’t just sit and order drinks; food is required, but that’s fair enough since the policy keeps the atmosphere peaceful. the beef ...
Urban - Taste of Orient
a more traditional, lowkey lunch–think another round of ćevapi. this large riverside terrace with red-and-white checkered tables is where i ate during my first day trip to mostar, complete with friendly service, shockingly nice marble bathrooms (good...
Labirint
another bosnian war exhibition costing 10 km to enter, this one focuses specifically on the experiences of victims and families during the yugoslav conflicts. the interior is lined with quotes from those affected, sharing their harrowing firsthand ac...
Museum of War and Genocide Victims 1992-1995
a smaller ottoman stone bridge on the other side of the river widely believed to have served as a test run for the engineering and arch design later used for stari most 👷
Crooked Bridge
the most authentic bosnian coffee i’ve yet to taste. known for roasting and preparing their own coffee, the family-run joint walks you step-by-step through the traditional bosnian coffee ritual, including the initial spoonful of cold water used to he...
Café de Alma
named after mimar hayruddin, the ottoman architect credited with designing the bridge, this national bosnian steakhouse is comparable in quality to urban. i tried klepe–minced meat-filled dumplings served in a rich cream sauce 🥟
Mimar