Bosnia and Herzegovina Archives

The city of Mostar is split in half by the Neretva River and is most famous for the picturesque bridge that joins the two parts of the old city together, which is one of the top highlights of any Balkan holiday. The Mostar bridge is called Stari Most, which simply translates to Old Bridge. It reminded us of amazing Lake Bled in the way it is one of those rare famous tourist attractions that somehow manage to be even more impressive than you expected. It is absolutely worth coming to Mostar for the Old Bridge alone, and every visitor should take the time to see it from every viewpoint. We spent almost 24 hours doing exactly that. History of the Mostar bridge During the period of Ottoman rule from 1482 to 1878, the town became very important and many impressive Islamic monuments were built including the Mostar bridge, considered a…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Balkan Holiday Planning Guide

By Dean Johnston November 23, 2020

The Balkans are nearly the perfect holiday destination. Wonderfully scenic, with a fascinating (although often brutal) history, this loose collection of countries tucked away in Southeastern Europe are easy to get to, extremely affordable and, for the most part, not nearly as touristy as comparable destinations in Western Europe. They offer extraordinary geographic diversity – from gorgeous Mediterranean beaches to spectacular alpine mountain ranges to lush valleys with crystal clear rivers cascading down the middle. The historical variations are endless, with a rich variety of castles, palaces, forts and bridges to explore. Culturally, this broadly defined region offers a diversity that seems almost implausible at times, with stark societal, political, religious and linguistical differences not only between nations, but often even neighbouring villages. So, the hard part isn’t deciding on a Balkan holiday for your next trip. It is deciding exactly where to go and what to do. Alexander Nevsky…

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Things to do in Sarajevo

By Dean Johnston November 22, 2020

Before coming to the Balkans we had heard plenty about the famous Mostar Bridge but didn’t know much about Sarajevo. Then, once we started planning our tour of Balkan highlights bthe more we read about it the more interested we were. The city has a scenic location divided by a river with neighborhoods crawling up the undulating surrounding hills which you really notice as you walk the city. After spending four days exploring, we made a list of the top things to do in Sarajevo. Sarajevo city is the capital in Bosnia. And Herzegovina, of course. The official name is Bosnia and Herzegovina, or BiH, and I only just learned that the “i” simply means “and” in Bosnian. Like all the countries in this area, it used to be part of Yugoslavia but achieved independence in the big restructuring of the early 1990’s, also known as some pretty horrific wars.…