October 6, 2024
When we planned our Via Francigena hiking break our hope was to use it as a time to rest and recover after reaching the halfway point of our trek from Lake Geneva to Rome. During the first part of our three-week Balkans journey, we visited Albania, North Macedonia, and southern Montenegro.
While we took time to rest and relax, we were also fascinated by the history and culture of each place, as well as the beauty of the rivers, lakes, and coastline that we saw. And we had a few more destinations left to visit in northern Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia before we would say a fond farewell to the region.
Map of our Balkans Journey: Blue – Ferry; Brown – Bus and Taxi; Gold: Train
Discovering Kotor by Mountain and Bay
We left the city of Bar by bus to journey up Montenegro’s coastline to the town of Kotor. Looking out the bus window, we had nice views of the Adriatic coast.
Coastal views from the bus window
Kotor is located on the Bay of Kotor, which is a fjord-like indentation of the Adriatic Sea. The mountains rise abruptly from the water, making for spectacular scenery. It also has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the region.
Surrounded by fortifications built during its Venetian rule, the old town has several gate entrances, winding streets, ancient churches, and quaint squares. The city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We quickly fell in love with both the historic old town and the mountain vistas. Looking up, we could see a wall snaking up the side of the mountain to the San Giovanni fortress at the top.
Exploring the cobblestone streets and squares were great fun. We could even walk on the city walls, and used the route as a shortcut to get across town when it was crowded with other tourists.
Kotor old town
Kotor is known for its cat population, and there seemed to be cats around every corner. Historically, they were brought in by sailors on their ships. The cats also helped to reduce the mice, rat, and snake populations. They are cared for by the community, and early one morning we even saw raw shrimp that had been left out for the cats to eat.
For better views of the town and bay, we hiked up the Ladder of Kotor path to an overlook. The trail, slightly over a mile each way, ascended on a series of rocky switchbacks, gaining about 800 feet in elevation.
As we ascended, we could see the fortress above us.
We arrived at a cheese shop at the overlook and found a hiking tour occupying all the tables. Deciding to return after they left, we descended on a path to view the remains of St. Juraj Church.
When we saw the hiking group approach us, we retraced our steps back up to the shop. Now, with the place almost to ourselves, we could savor the view of the city and bay below. And the view was incredible. We ordered sparkling water and fresh pomegranate juice and took in the moment.
View from the cheese shop; enjoying our sparkling water and pomegranate juice
Fully satisfied with our outing, we hiked downhill on the same set of switchbacks to return to the old town area.
The next morning we booked a local motorboat tour to a couple of sites around the Bay of Kotor. There were seven people, including ourselves, on the two-hour tour.
There are two small islands in the bay with churches, and our first stop was at the Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Rocks.
According to a legend, 15th century fishermen who were shipwrecked in the area found a religious icon and vowed to build a church at the location. An artificial island was created with piles of boulders and by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks.
Interior and front of the Church of Our Lady of the Rocks
Back in the motorboat, we passed the Saint George Benedictine monastery on the other island. It was constructed in the 12th century.
We then rode a short distance away to the ancient town of Perast. Similar to Kotor, it had an old town area with narrow streets.
The old town area was smaller than in Kotor, but we found it very charming. We used a staircase to take us above the city for views of the buildings and bay below.
The tour was a great opportunity to explore other areas of the bay away from Kotor.
A Busy Border Crossing to Bosnia and Herzegovina
The fourth country on our journey was Bosnia and Herzegovina. To travel to Sarajevo would take us on our longest bus trip yet for a total of six hours.
Our bus journey began with a traverse all the way around the Bay of Kotor. As we got closer to the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the road climbed into the mountains.
Bus view of the Bay of Kotor; mountains near the Bosnia and Herzegovina border
At the Montenegro side of the border there was a long line of cars ahead of us on a Saturday morning.
Similar to our other border crossings, we first needed to disembark from the bus and present our passports to an immigration agent to exit the country. We then reboarded the bus, and it drove a short distance to repeat the same process to enter the new nation. At a couple of crossings the bus driver just collected our passports, and we didn’t need to exit the vehicle.
In the case of this crossing, it took us over an hour to complete the immigration process on both sides. We ended up arriving in Sarajevo almost two hours late.
Exploring Sarajevo’s Layers of History
Bosnia and Herzegovina was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from 1463 until 1878, when it became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It declared its independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. The current population is about 3.2 million people in an area slightly smaller than the state of West Virginia.
Sarajevo is its capital and largest city. After arriving by bus, we walked on avenues with both modern buildings and those constructed during the Austro-Hungarian period.
Sarajevo city hall; Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina building
Passing a line marking the “Meeting of Cultures,” the streets changed to a narrow maze of Ottoman Empire cobblestone alleyways in the Bascarsija old town area.
As we explored Sarajevo, we marveled at the city’s array of historical influences and variety of religions. With a significant percentage of Islam, Eastern Orthodox, and Catholics residing in the city, Sarajevo is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of the Balkans.” Looking down one long street we could see a mosque, Eastern Orthodox church, and Catholic cathedral.
Bascarsija Mosque, Orthodox Church of the Nativity of the Theotokos, and Sacred Heart Cathedral
We spent much of our time in the old town and kept discovering new streets and alleyways. Lined with cafes and shops, this historic area dates back to the 16th century.
A few of the streets in the old town
Sebilj, a wooden fountain built in the 18th century, unofficially marks the old city center.
Sarajevo was the site of the 1914 assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which sparked the beginning of World War I. There is a plaque marking the spot near the stone Latin Bridge.
There are many monuments in the city and one of the most significant is the Vjeca Vatra memorial. An eternal flame burns to remember the fallen soldiers and civilians who fought for the city during World War II.
During the Bosnian War, the city was under siege for 1,425 days, from April 1992 to February 1996. Concrete scars caused by mortar shell explosions during the siege left marks that were filled with red resin. This created floral patterns, which led to them being called “Sarajevo Roses.”
On our last morning we climbed up a hill to a couple of viewpoints with a nice vista of the city below.
Overall, we found our time in Sarajevo to be fascinating, as we explored its many layers of history and culture.
A Fairy Tale Setting in Mostar
Our second destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina was the city of Mostar. It is located on the Neretva River and is the fifth-largest city in the country. Mostar was named after the bridge keepers (known as mostari) who guarded the Stari Most (Old Bridge) during the city’s Ottoman rule. The stone bridge was built in 1566 and was considered a great architectural feat at the time.
The bridge was destroyed during the Bosnian War in 1993. Following the efforts of several countries and such organizations as the World Bank and UNESCO, the bridge was reconstructed and reopened in 2004. Today’s bridge is 92 feet long and 66 feet high above the river. The bridge and the surrounding old town are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We arrived in Mostar by train in the early evening and walked to our old town guesthouse. When we reached the narrow cobblestone streets, we had trouble finding our way around in the dark. Eventually, we located the staircase to take us down to our accommodation. But even in the dark, we were in awe of the scene around us.
The old town area was very crowded with tour groups, so we timed our sightseeing for early or late in the day.
Walking around the old town streets in the early morning
There were many places to take bridge photos, and we enjoyed viewing the different perspectives.
Near our guesthouse was another single arch stone bridge over a creek. This smaller Kriva Cuprija (Sloping Bridge), was erected in 1558. It was possibly built as a test before the construction of the larger Stari Most a few years later. Weakened by the Bosnian War, the Kriva Cuprija was destroyed by a flood in 2000 and reconstructed soon after.
We found Mostar to be a fairy tale place with its quaint narrow streets and magical bridge views.
Trying the Local Bosnian Cuisine
While in Sarajevo and Mostar, we had several opportunities to try local Bosnian cuisine. We especially loved cevapi (ground meat sausages) served with bread and chopped onion and accompanied by yogurt, as well as burek (flaky pastry with meat or potato fillings).
On another occasion we ordered klepe, or Bosnian dumplings, which are comprised of soft dough similar to ravioli. They are filled with spiced minced beef, garlic, and onions. We also enjoyed eating traditional dolmas at one meal. It consists of grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, vegetables, and rice. It was served with yogurt on top.
Bosnian cuisine (clockwise from upper left): cevapi, burek, klepe, and dolmas
Both Sarajevo and Mostar had local breweries, so we also tried their beers.
Local beers from Sarajevo and Mostar
There were many sweet shops serving various types of baklava. In Sarajevo we went to the same shop on multiple days to try several different baklava types.
One morning in Mostar we ordered Bosnian coffee at a restaurant. It is somewhat similar to Turkish coffee, but brewed in a slightly different way. Bosnian coffee is served in a small copper pot (džezva) on a round iron tray with a traditional ceramic cup (fildžan). It is accompanied by a small bowl of sugar cubes and a piece of rahat lokum, similar to Turkish delight.
To drink it, you leave the coffee in the džezva for several minutes before pouring it into the ceramic fildžan. While the coffee settles there, you eat the rahat lokum. The coffee was strong, but very good.
Drinking Bosnian coffee at the restaurant
A Palatial Ending in Split, Croatia
The final stop on our three-week trip through the Balkans was Split, Croatia. It is the second-largest city in the country. We spent a week in Croatia 12 years ago, but this was our first time in Split.
The city was founded as a Greek colony in the 3rd or 2nd century BC. At the end of the 3rd century AD a palace was built as a retirement residence for the Roman emperor Diocletian. This structure forms about half of today’s UNESCO World Heritage Site’s old town.
The palace structure actually resembles a large fort. Only half of it was for Diocletian’s personal use, and a military garrison lived in the remainder. There were four gate entrances into the palace, with the Bronze Gate originally accessible by sea.
Today, there are about 220 buildings within the palace, with about 3,000 people living there. There are also many restaurants, hotels, and shops.
Our main motivation for traveling to Split was to catch the ferry back to Italy. So we only allotted one whole day there. We used our limited time to briefly tour the palace, using our hotel inside the walls as a base.
The four palace gates (clockwise from upper left): Bronze Gate (south); Silver Gate (east); Iron Gate (west); Golden Gate (north)
We were impressed by the size and scale of the palace as we explored it.
Streets inside the palace
Our favorite place outside the palace walls was the Republic Square. It was constructed in the late 19th century to resemble Venetian architecture.
Unbeknownst to us when we booked our Split visit, there was also a big running event scheduled. While the race was taking place, we left the palace area and walked out to the Forest Park Marjan, which had some hiking trails, viewpoints, and a beach. It was a nice warm-up for our resumption of trekking.
Trail and water view in the park
Late in the afternoon, we checked in for our overnight ferry trip to Ancona, Italy.
As we ended our time in the Balkans, we looked back at all we had seen and experienced over the past three weeks. Our 1,042-mile overland journey ended up being so much more satisfying than we could have imagined. The rich history and diverse culture, as well as the stunning beauty of each of our stops, made each day feel exciting and fulfilling.
We were very grateful for the break and looked forward to our return to Italy and the Via Francigena trek.