5 Days in Bosnia: Sarajevo, Mostar and Herzegovina

Five days works well for a first trip to Bosnia that is not squeezed into a stopover, or for a longer visit to the Balkans that gives Bosnia a proper share of the time rather than a single overnight in Mostar. It suits travellers who want the two main cities plus a real taste of Herzegovina's countryside, without stretching all the way to the national parks in the north or far southeast.

If you want the fuller version of this same shape, the 7 day itinerary adds two more nights in Herzegovina and a cleaner exit south. If five days still feels long for your trip, see 3 days in Bosnia.

1. Days 1 to 2

   Sarajevo

   Day one covers Bascarsija and the walk to the Austro-Hungarian centre, with coffee stops built in rather than rushed. Day two is for the Tunnel of Hope museum and the Trebevic cable car, or a half day trip into the surrounding mountains if you would rather trade a museum for scenery.

2. Day 3

   To Mostar via the Neretva

   Travel south by car or bus, roughly two hours. If driving, stop at a viewpoint over the Neretva canyon before dropping into Mostar. Spend the afternoon around the Old Bridge and the old town, staying into the evening once the day trip groups have left.

3. Day 4

   Blagaj and Pocitelj

   A half day is enough for Blagaj, where a Sufi dervish house sits built into the rock at the source of the Buna river, and Pocitelj, an Ottoman hillside village a short drive south. Both are close enough to Mostar to visit without changing accommodation.

4. Day 5

   Trebinje or Kravice, then depart

   Choose between Trebinje, a stone old town near the Montenegrin and Croatian borders with a slower, Mediterranean feel, or Kravice waterfalls if it is warm enough to swim. Either works as a loop back toward Mostar for departure, or a step toward Dubrovnik if that is your next stop.

• Sarajevo to Mostar: bus or train, around two hours, or drive yourself in about the same time.
• Mostar to Blagaj and Pocitelj: both are a short drive or organised day trip from Mostar, roughly 15 to 30 minutes each way, and a car makes the day noticeably easier since there are two stops.
• Mostar to Trebinje: about an hour and a half by car, longer by bus. If you continue to Dubrovnik afterward, Trebinje sits conveniently on the way.
• A car is genuinely useful for this itinerary because Blagaj, Pocitelj, Kravice and Trebinje are all reachable by organised transport but far easier and faster with your own vehicle.

• Sarajevo: Bascarsija or the centre around Ferhadija.
• Mostar: the old town near the bridge, or a short walk from it for a quieter base for two nights.
• Trebinje, if you stay overnight: the old town square area, small and easy to walk from end to end.

See the Sarajevo, Mostar and Trebinje guides for neighbourhood level detail.

To shorten this to four days, combine Blagaj, Pocitelj and Kravice into a single busy day rather than splitting them across two, or drop Trebinje and depart from Mostar directly. To extend it toward the full week, the 7 day itinerary adds a second Herzegovina base and more time around Mostar, and beyond that the 10 day itinerary reaches north to Una or Sutjeska National Park.