Things to do in Bosnia & Hercegovina
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Stari Most (Old Bridge)
Originally built in 1556, Stari Most was named 'petrified moon' on account of its elegant beauty. It took nine years to build with local Tenelija stone, which is very pale and appears to change colour depending on the position and strength of the sun. Recently rebuilt using the original 16th century methods, the new bridge resembles the old in minute detail.
The Old Bridge stood for 427 years before it was destroyed by bombing in November 1993. Quite apart from the expectations of Mostar's citizens, the reconstruction challenge was overwhelming. As it was such an important symbol, the new bridge had to be identical to the Old Bridge. It was decided to rebuild it without…
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Latin Bridge
Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie paused at the National Library (then the town hall) on that fateful day in 1914. Despite an earlier unsuccessful assassination attempt that day, they rode west along the riverside in an open car to the Latin Bridge. It was here that Gavrilo Princip stepped forward to fire his pistol, killing them both and sparking off war between Austria-Hungary and Serbia. Thanks to a series of European alliances, this escalated into WWI.
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Sarajevo Brewery
Above the river on the south bank stands a large red-and-cream edifice with fat copper drainpipes, this is Sarajevo's famous brewery. Part of it has been converted into a cavernous bar, all dark stained wood and brass railings, serving the brewery's draft draught plus a very pleasant dark beer that slips down easily. Meals are also available.
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Sarajevo Roses
Look for the infamous Sarajevo roses on the pavements in central Sarajevo. These are flower shape indentations where a shell has exploded and some have been symbolically filled in with red cement.
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Turkish House
Between Stari Most's two mosques is the 350-year-old Turkish House furnished for a Bosnian family of some stature. The symbolism of the courtyard is intriguing: the ground is decorated with circles of pebbles divided into five sectors denoting the number of times a good Muslim must pray each day. The fountain has 12 spouts for the months, filling four watering pots for the seasons.
Surrounding the fountain are three stone globes, one for the day we were born, the second facing Mecca for the life we lead, and the third for inevitable death that will greet us.
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To Be or Not to Be
Somewhat similar in style to the Dveri, To Be or Not to Be offers grills, generous salads and tangy seafood dishes in its cosy dining room. We ended up with a whale of a fish and more veggies on one plate than we've ever seen in a Balkan restaurant. If you look at the signboard outside you'll notice that the words 'or not' have been crossed out; this alteration was made during the siege when the owners wanted to present a far more positive message.
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Tunnel Museum
The tunnel that saved Sarajevo! Most of the 800m-stretch under the airport has collapsed, but the Tunnel Museum, on the southwestern side of the airport, gives visitors just a glimpse of its hopes and horrors: the hopes of people surviving with the food it brought in and of the injured it took out, and the horrors from the pounding overhead artillery and sniper fire during the long hours of waiting to go through.
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Zlatna Ribica
A collision of aesthetics as baroque, fin-de-siècle Paris and Vienna, and Art Deco crash together in this warmly lit bar. Nature abhors a vacuum and so does the owner who has filled every nook and cranny with period knick-knacks; it's a visual feast. Drinks come with a side plate of complimentary nuts and dried figs, and the music is blues and early rock'n'roll.
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Dveri
A tiny restaurant-in-hiding, which could just pass as someone's kitchen laid out to receive family guests. Try one of their home-made brandies (quince, walnut?) while you watch the cook prepare your meal in surroundings hung with strings of garlic, chillies and corncobs.
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Gymnasium
A once-stately building is the now damaged 1896 Gymnasium, a solid piece of Austro-Hungarian architecture softened up by Moorish flourishes.
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Eternal Flame
At the western end of the city centre is the Eternal flame, which commemorates the sacrifices of WWII.
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National Museum
Housed in an impressive Romanesque building, the National museum is a good place to catch up on the country's history, and displays include items from the Neolithic era; Roman findings; Bosniak, Croat and Serb traditional wear; and the Jewish Haggadah - the holy codex brought here by Sephardic Jews.
The relaxing gardens behind the museum contain a botanical collection.
The adjacent History Museum adds the more recent history, displaying old photographs of Bosnia and Hercegovina. The outstanding item is a room of harrowing exhibits from the 1990s war; many are personal belongings that bear some imprint of the siege.
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Restaurant Jež
A mood of intimacy is felt from the moment you walk into the warmly lit antiques arcade leading into this basement restaurant. Bring the love of your life for that 'heads together, rest of the world doesn't exist' meal. If solo, then fill those noneating moments checking the grandmother clocks on the wall - how many tell the correct time?
The cuisine is typical Bosnian tinged with international extras. Our waiter offered a surprise meal, which revealed itself as steak à la chef, served on a wooden platter surrounded by a dam of mash potato to retain the Camembert sauce.
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Tavola
A simple, elegant, old-fashioned restaurant where frequent customers are greeted like old friends. Voices here will tend to be non-Bosnian as it's popular with expats, who have the time and networks to discover the best a town has to offer. Parting guests have left messages written on muslin pieces, which have been framed, backlit and hung on the wall.
If you're on the lower level, you can see right into the kitchen and watch your meal as a work in progress. Superb pasta, especially the salmon, but memo to the chef: a little less salt please.
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Museum of Hercegovina
The Museum of Hercegovina is the former house of Džemal Bijedić, who was the ex-head of the Yugoslav government and died in mysterious circumstances in 1978. Now a small museum, that's dedicated more to Mostar than him, it has as its prize exhibit a 10-minute film on how Mostar used, before 1990, the bridge-jumping competition and the actual destruction of the bridge.
At the bottom of the hill below the museum is a telling graveyard where all the headstones share the same date of death.
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Inat Kuća
The restaurant was once on the other side of the river, but when the authorities wanted to demolish this traditional Bosnian house to build the town hall the owner insisted it be reconstructed here - hence the name. Offerings range from snacks, a sticky baklava, a bowl of chips and beer to a full-blown grill. In warm weather the riverside terrace is the spot for a bit of afternoon relaxation and reading. The service is a bit casual, so keep them on their toes.
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Morića Han
Morića Han was a tavern when Sarajevo was a caravan stopover on the ancient trading route between East and West. Wicker chairs for coffee drinkers have now replaced plain benches for weary travellers and a carpet shop with waist-high stacks of rugs fills the former stables. The han (tavern) has been burnt down several times, with the latest reincarnation dating from the 1970s.
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Liquid Lounge
Ultracool hang-out bar decorated in mauves, blues and greens to sink you into an ocean of languor. When you can't focus on the fish swimming along the front of the bar (it's an aquarium), you've had too many of the 150 cocktails on offer. Appropriately they play lounge music during the day but swing into house and R'n'B when guest DJs spin the discs at the weekends.
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Restaurant Taurus
In an old mill down below Oneščukova, the Taurus comes with ancient smoke-stained beams and a large log fire for winter; a roofed terrace looks out onto the river. Risotto is a good test of a restaurant's capabilities; too often it comes as a tasteless sludge but not here, where our tasty seafood dinner came in a 'shouldn't have had lunch' portion.
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Karadjozbeg Mosque
Mostar's most important mosque was built in 1557 but its minaret and other parts were heavily damaged during the war. Now completely renovated, the mosque is open to visitors. A man will let you climb the minaret too. Behind the mosque is the old Muslim graveyard, the oldest in town, with beautiful grey turbe (tombstones) standing in the grass.
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Morića Han
Come for the history, stay for the coffee. This cafe was once a tavern when Sarajevo was a stopover on the ancient crossroads between East and West. Although wickerwork chairs for coffee drinkers have replaced benches for weary travellers and a carpet shop with waist-high stacks of rugs fill former stables, a historic ambience still permeates the place.
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Green Visions
An active ecotourism organisation that promotes and lobbies for the preservation of the country's pristine upland environment. It runs hiking treks, (snowshoes in winter), mountain biking and rafting events as well as visits to traditional Bosnian villages. It takes zero risks with mines and operates in places that were never areas of conflict.
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Koski Mehmed Paša Mosque
Along the eastern side of Kujundžiluk is the 1618 Koski Mehmed Paša Mosque with a commanding view of Stari Most from its minaret. Within the mosque, lit by an immense chandelier plus natural light filtered through coloured glass, is some beautiful linear design work outlining the interior architectural shapes and mihrab.
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Orthodox Church
In the same road as the Jewish Museum and Catholic Church is the old Orthodox Church, which is medieval (last rebuilt in 1740) and predates the yellow-and-brown Orthodox cathedral in Zelenih Beretki. Inside the church don't miss the museum, which showcases Russian, Greek and local icons, as well as tapestries and old manuscripts.
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Orthodox Church of Christ Saviour
Selectively photographed, the fine buildings within a block of Trg Srpskikh Vladaraz could make the folks at home believe that Banja Luka was actually beautiful. The centrepiece is an iconic Orthodox Church of Christ Saviour with a gilded dome and brick bell tower that looks like a Moroccan minaret on Viagara.
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