Duration: 7 days
Pace: Balanced
Car-free: Yes
Family friendly: Yes
Season: May to October best, year-round workable
Budget: €75 to €130 per day, indicative
First-time visitors who want a full week of city history, Herzegovina stone towns, a national park day, and a Central Bosnia loop, with guided transfers where useful.
Sarajevo core → Trebević cable car and museum corridor → Mostar and Blagaj day → Trebinje bridges and Vjetrenica or wine → Sutjeska lakes and memorial → Travnik and Jajce day → Sarajevo cafés and slow finish.
~14 to 18 hours across seven days, including three longer days.
On foot and tram in cities, cable car to Trebević, guided transfers for long days; self-drive optional.
Day
Walk Baščaršija Old Bazaar for copper lanes and kahva (Bosnian coffee) sets, step into the Gazi Husrev-beg complex courtyard, and cross to Vijećnica for a bright atrium and quick exhibition rooms. Loop to the Latin Bridge corner.
Café pause on Ferhadija or Maršala Tita. If rain sets in, add the War Childhood Museum for a focused hour.
Ride the Trebević cable car. Follow signed woodland paths to safe bobsleigh track viewpoints; avoid high banks.
Dusk colour by the river, then a calm lane loop.
Keep ground-level terrace views; add a short riverside stop.
Old-town cobbles and short steps; cable-car stations are step-free with staff help.
Day
Visit the Tunnel of Hope museum for film, objects, and the preserved corridor. Book a timed slot or guided transfer.
Simple lunch near the river, then walk to the museum pair.
Choose two:
Boulevards cafés and an easy loop back through the centre.
Swap one museum for Vrelo Bosne if children need a reset.
Tunnel corridor has low ceilings and uneven floors; closed shoes help.
Day
In Mostar, use the Stari Most terraces and steps for clean frames. If you like narrow stairs, take the Koski Mehmed Paša minaret view; otherwise stick to the east-bank terraces.
Lane loop and a shaded lunch near the river.
Transfer to Blagaj Tekija for courtyard calm beside the Buna spring. Dress modestly for interiors. Return to Sarajevo by early evening.
Notes This is a long day with two to two and a half hours each way. Guided transfers keep timing simple.
Herzegovina day:
Skip the minaret; keep terrace views with rails.
Old stones and short steps in Mostar; Blagaj paths are level.
Day
Drive or take a guided day to Trebinje. Walk the Arslanagića Bridge, then pause under the plane trees in the old town.
Vjetrenica Cave Cool, steady air and a lit route through halls and pools. Closed shoes recommended; no flash.
Wine tasting Stone-cool Tvrdoš cellars or a hill winery for Žilavka and Blatina. Drivers do not drink.
Choose the cave option; keep bridge time short and shaded.
Bridge parapets are low; cave route is steady with handrails.
Day
Short paths to a Zelengora lake viewpoint in Sutjeska National Park. Big scenery for little effort.
Visit the Tjentište memorial and museum for valley context. Notes The Perućica edge is ranger-authorised only; stay behind rails.
Keep lake paths short; add a picnic stop.
Uneven tracks near viewpoints; wear shoes with grip.
Day
In Travnik, climb to Travnik Castle for ridge views, then drop to Plava Voda for streamside coffee.
Drive to Jajce for fenced decks at the Pliva Waterfall and boardwalks at the Pliva lakes and mills. Return to Sarajevo.
Central Bosnia loop:
Use decks and boardwalks; keep children within rail lines.
Travnik has steps; Jajce decks are level with rails.
Day
Choose a favourite café, then step into Svrzo House or Despić House for cool rooms and woodwork.
Free time for shopping or a second river loop. If you prefer a guided hour, add a short street-food walk.
Early dinner and a last look at the river façades.
Pick the house museum with fewer stairs; add park time on Vilsonovo.
House museums have low thresholds and short stairs.
Walk everywhere, morning lanes, and easy café returns.
Tram links and simple taxi hops to the museum corridor.
If you prefer, stay in Mostar after Day 3 or Trebinje after Day 4 and return the next morning.
Trams and taxis in cities; cable car for Trebević; guided transfers for long days. Self-drive helps but is not required.
Book the Tunnel of Hope slot and long-day tours in advance; cable car is best late afternoon for light. Museums may have shorter winter hours.
The budget chip is per person, excluding accommodation; guided days add value on longer transfers.
Quiet voices in memorial rooms; phones on silent; no flash; no drones in old towns or over rivers; keep back from low parapets and soft banks.
Shorten museum time on Day 2, keep terrace views on Day 3, and choose lake viewpoints in Sutjeska with picnic stops.
Run Days 3 to 6 as guided tours with hotel pickup; the rest is on foot, tram, taxi, and cable car.
Swap Lukomir-style ridge ideas for Igman snowshoe or an extra museum block; Sutjeska runs on clear days only.
Add a Čitluk tasting on the Mostar day if you stay the night; add Tvrdoš on the Trebinje day.
Extra day in Una National Park for Štrbački Buk decks and a soft-rafting run.
Drop Day 7 or compress Days 1 and 2.
June and September balance open tracks, warm rivers, and lighter crowds. Winter versions focus on museums and short snow days.
Yes. Use guided transfers for Days 3 to 6. City days are on foot, tram, taxi, and cable car.
Yes as a long day with two to two and a half hours each way. Stay one night if you want a slower pace.
Sutjeska suits lake views and the memorial; Lukomir suits shorter transfers and a village feel. Both run late spring to autumn.
Yes with rests. Keep children inside rail lines at decks and bridges, and use shaded breaks in summer.
