1 Week Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary With Public Transport + Map
TL;DR
Backpack one week in Bosnia and Herzegovina and visit Mostar, Jajce, and Sarajevo without a car!
Backpacking in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this country completely blew us away with its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and delicious food.
Our one week Bosnia and Herzegovina itinerary with public transport forms a triangle making it easy to start at either of the the three endpoints:
- Mostar
- Sarajevo
- Jajce
Like all of our travel itineraries, it is fast-paced and has no fluff bringing you to all the highlights as well as some hidden gems.
- Bosnia Backpacking
- Day 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Mostar
- Day 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Kravice Waterfalls, Blagaj, Počitelj
- Day 3 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Jajce
- Day 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Pliva Lakes & Watermills
- Day 5 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Sarajevo
- Day 6 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Sarajevo
- Day 7 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Yellow Fortress, Tunnel of Hope, Olympic Bobsleigh Track, Gallery 11/07/95
Bosnia Backpacking
While most tourist seems to rent a car, it is absolutely possible to go backpacking in Bosnia and Herzegovina without a car. Buses between the main destinations run frequently and at an affordable price. You can check busticket4.me and getbybus.com for schedules and if you want to buy online tickets – just make absolutely sure that you print them!
You can check train schedules at zfbh.ba.
Destinations without public transport like the Kravice Waterfalls can be conveniently reached by tour.
Day 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Mostar
How to Get From Sarajevo to Mostar
Let’s assume you start your Bosnia itinerary in the capital Sarajevo which has a lot of international bus and flight connections.
Train from Sarajevo to Mostar
The train is the most scenic way to go from Sarajevo to Mostar. Currently, there are two trains per day, one in the morning and one in the evening. They take around 2 hours and cost around 7€.
Bus from Sarajevo to Mostar
Buses from Sarajevo to Mostar run more often. On the downside, they take a bit longer and cost a bit more.
Optional: Stop in Konjic
If you have the energy, you can break up the journey in Konjic. Like Mostar, the town is located on the banks of the Neretva River and features an Ottoman bridge – with the bonus of much fewer tourists. In addition to the Ottoman old town, Konjic is famous for Titos Bunker as well as rafting on the Neretva River.
Where to Stay in Mostar on a Budget
We stayed at Apartments Carina (I feel like as a Carina I had to). The location is crazy good – super close to the bus station and within easy walking distance to the city centre. Value for money was simply amazing.
What to See in Mostar in One Day
Mostar is a small city so one day is enough to explore the highlights.
If you know us, you know that we are suckers for free walking tours and we loved the one by Sheva.
Of course, the highlight of Mostar is the Ottoman Bridge. We suggest relaxing in one of the plenty cafes view a bridge view with a traditional Bosnian coffee and wait for a bridge diver to jump.
Other great things to do in Mostar are
- Wandering around the alleys.
- Finding Crooked Bridge.
- Hunt for street art at Alekse Šantića Street.
- Try Cevapi – Rota does them best.
Day 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Kravice Waterfalls, Blagaj, Počitelj
The three undisputed highlights of the Mostar area are:
- Kravice Waterfalls.
- Blagaj.
- Počitelj.
While you can reach all of them with public transport (and taxis), you absolutely cannot do it in one day. Recently, we became huge fans of tours to save a lot of time. The Discover Herzegovina Tour was our favourite tour of this trip.
Additionally to the three highlights, you’ll get a panoramic view of Mostar from the Mostar Skywalk and visit Buna Channel which we thought to be unexpectedly cool.
We liked the Discover Herzegovina Tour so much that we wrote a whole blogpost about it.
Day 3 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Jajce
How to Get From Mostar to Jajce
There is one direct bus from Mostar to Jajce. It leaves at 12:25 p.m., takes around 5 hours, and costs around 15€. We took it and have 0 complaints.
Where to Stay in Jajce on a Budget
We stayed at MIMA and can 100% recommend it. The location is almost at the fortress (be prepared to walk up some stairs) and the hospitality of the owners is amazing.
What to See in Jajce in One Day
Jajce has two highlights:
- Pliva waterfall.
- The fortress.
Other nice things to do in Jajce are:
- Walking within the city walls. Banja Luka Gate is the most impressive gate.
- St. Mary’s Church with St. Luke’s belfry.
- Esma Sultana Mosque.
- Sinan-Bey Mosque.
- The catacombs (we didn’t pay to get inside).
- Main Street or Hrvoj Vukčic Hrvatinic Street with many restaurants and cafes.
Day 4 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Pliva Lakes & Watermills
Do not miss the watermills when you’re in Jajce! The old wooden watermills are located between Large and Small Pliva Lakes.
If you don’t have a car, you have two options to get to the watermills:
- A rather expensive taxi.
- Walking.
We opted for walking. The walk is a bit more than 1 hour each way. Walking has the advantage that you can stop at some nice places along the way like Konoba Slapovi and Lover’s Bridge. Lovers Bridge sounds unassuming but the bridge across the waterfall was pretty cool.
The watermills themselves are super picturesque and absolutely worth a visit.
Day 5 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Sarajevo
How to Get From Jajce to Sarajevo
Direct buses from Jajce to Sarajevo run in the morning and in the evening. The ride takes less than 4 hours and costs less than 20€.
Optional: Stop in Travnik
If you have the energy, you can break the bus journey up in Travnik. Travnik is one of the oldest towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The highlights of Travnik are
- the old town (Stari Grad).
- the castle ruins.
- the only painted mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Ivo Andric’s House.
- the Blue Water (Plava Voda) Spring.
Where to Stay in Sarajevo on a Budget
We stayed at Hostel Vagabond. The location and the value for money were amazing!
Day 6 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Sarajevo
What to See in Sarajevo in One Day
Honestly, Sarajevo was such a pleasant surprise for us that we wonder why not more people go for a European city break…
Like everywhere we go, we like to start with a free walking tour and we thoroughly enjoyed the one by Meet Bosnia.
Other things we enjoyed doing in Sarajevo are:
- Wandering through the Austro-Hungarian and the Ottoman parts and note the differences.
- Visit the Orthodox and Catholic Cathedrals as well as the Bey's Mosque to learn why Sarajevo is also dubbed the Jerusalem of Europe.
- Taking a picture of the Sarajevo sign in front of the town hall.
- Stroll through Markale Market.
- Have a traditional Bosnian coffee at Cafe Divan.
- Have a Burek at Buregdžinica Bosna.
- Enjoy Cevapi at Ćevabdžinica Nune.
- Have a draft beer at Sarajevo Brewery.
- Enjoy a rooftop drink at Hotel Hecco Deluxe.
We have written a whole blogpost about Sarajevo:
Day 7 Bosnia and Herzegovina Itinerary – Yellow Fortress, Tunnel of Hope, Olympic Bobsleigh Track, Gallery 11/07/95
Today is the day you’ll learn more about former Yugoslavia. One of the best places to do so is the Sarajevo War Tunnel or Tunnel of Hope. While you can reach it by taxi or a combination of public transport and walking, the easiest and most time-efficient way to visit is a guided tour. We opted for the Fall of Yugoslavia Tour by Meet Bosnia because we went on their free walking tour and enjoyed it a lot. The tour is the most convenient way to visit three major sights:
- The Yellow Fortress with a great view over Sarajevo.
- The Tunnel of Hope.
- The old Sarajevo Olympic Bobsleigh Track.
As this is a half-day tour, you have time to learn more about the history of former Yugoslavia in the afternoon. We suggest that you visit the Gallery 11/07/95. This art gallery is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Srebrenica genocide.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission. You would help us a lot if you do so. Thanks.