The capital
Almost every trip starts in Sarajevo, a valley city where the Ottoman bazaar of Baščaršija meets Austro-Hungarian avenues, and where the story of the 1990s siege is told with honesty in museums and the Tunnel of Hope. It is also the base for the Olympic mountains of Bjelašnica and Jahorina and the old shepherd village of Lukomir.
Herzegovina
Two to three hours south through the Neretva canyon, Mostar is famous for its rebuilt Old Bridge and the young men who dive from it. It is the best base for the Blagaj dervish house, the stone village of Počitelj and the Kravica waterfalls. Further south, Trebinje is a sunny, relaxed town of plane trees, wine cellars and monasteries, close to Dubrovnik and the Montenegrin coast.
The green north and west
In central Bosnia, Jajce is the old royal town where a waterfall drops right into the centre, with wooden watermills on the Pliva lakes nearby. In the far northwest, Una National Park protects an emerald river of cascades and rafting runs around Bihać and Martin Brod.
How to combine them
With a week, spend three nights in Sarajevo and three in Mostar, with day trips from each. With ten days, add Jajce on the way to or from the north, or Trebinje if you are continuing to Dubrovnik or Montenegro. With two weeks you can loop through all five. Use the free trip planner to shape a route that fits your pace.
Before you choose
Herzegovina is very hot in July and August, the mountains are cold and snowy in winter, and Sarajevo can have poor air in winter when the valley traps smoke. Spring and early autumn suit almost every destination. For restaurants, cafés and sights around each base, browse places to visit.