Hi, a friend and I (two over-40 females) plan to rent a car in Belgrade, see as many interesting things as possible, and return the car 10 days later in Sarajevo. We don%26#39;t care at all about partying or night life. We%26#39;re interested in history and meeting %26amp; talking to people. Let me hear your itinerary ideas (where, how many days, how many hours driving, safety issues etc)! Much thanks, Jan
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Hi, Jan!
I travel a lot myself and rely on feedback available here on TripAdviser. Tonight I was just curious what people travelling to MY country can read here and that%26#39;s how I found your message.
So here is my modest but first-hand input :)
Belgrade is great and there are lots of things to see and do, but I%26#39;ll focus on the part when you leave from BG to SA. It is a 5hrs straight drive, first cca 80km are highway. I%26#39;d suggest you drive to Croatian%26#39;s entry point Zupanja and then cross in Orasje (BiH) as it is easier for someone first time in the area. You can also choose to leave the highway at Bijeljina (BiH). I rarely use it because there are many local not so well marked roads around it.
From Orasje to Tuzla (the only mineral salt mine in the Balkans, Tuz meaning %26#39;salt%26#39; in Turkish, 4th biggest town in BiH) is cca 70km of quite congested road (noooo highway for sure). If you choose to stop in Tuzla, you can visit the Pannonica Lake, man-made salt lake in the centre of town. Tuzla takes pride in multiethnic history, even the most recent one.
From Tuzla to Sarajevo is another looong 120km, but the scenery is at minimum interesting. You%26#39;d actually see terrain rising as you travel south over mountains (caution if you are coming in winter time, make sure you have good winter tires and snow chains. But if there is trouble, you can ALWAYS rely on other drivers, just step out and wave. Language should not be problem, but mimics help too.
Wow, Sarajevo - congratulations to Trip Advisor and Destination Expert! All major museums are covered - National Museum, Svrzo%26#39;s house, City Library, Tunnel,...Once I pretended to be a tourist and entered a Tourist Office downtown. May sound weird, I know, but take it as some sort of patriotic concern :) Anyway, what I got was a very honest and helpful advice, no rip-off offers and Q%26amp;A service on the spot, depending on individual interest. So yes, I can recommend even Tourist Offices. If you are interested in gastronomy, Trip Advisor covered it all. Chevapy (kebab), pita (pastry) and traditional cakes (baklava, tufahija…) are recommended and all available at Bashcharshija (old part of Sarajevo). Meeting and talking to people - well just start talking and see who is in the mood to talk (in restaurant, cafe, street, market...) or you can check out another unlisted place - called Fenix Bookclub at Vratnik. A Bosnian married a British and they built a house in old Bosnian style and opened a pub :) Very nice people and very unique atmosphere.
From Sarajevo to Mostar is another two hours. When in that area you may be interested in Medjugorje, Catholic pilgrimage, or Hutovo Blato, national park, or in Pocitelj, town-museum. All info available at web (in many languages)
Dubrovnik (in Croatia) is 2hrs drive from Mostar. You%26#39;ve heard of Dubrovnik, haven%26#39;t you? Coming all the way from the States, would be a pity not to see it too.
This is tough - centuries of history in a 10-day-itinerary!
Safety - much better than in Brussels, I can say from my own experience (my car was robbed the first day in Brussels, in the very center). It%26#39;s really ok, don%26#39;t trust everything you hear-read about the Balkans.
I would also reconsider your plan about renting a car - no GPS, no signs in English, car is not needed for sightseeing in old town Sarajevo... If you are ok with public transport, buses in particular - well covered for all the above destinations (Belgrade-Tuzla, Tuzla-Sarajevo, Sarajevo-Mostar, Dubrovnik...). There is also an option to hire a car and a guide-driver here, as a more comfortable option.
Welcome to the Balkans, especially to Bosnia and Herzegovina :)
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I will just make a comment that if driving from Serbia to Sarajevo I would consider the Belgrade - Zvornik - Sarajevo route versus the Zupanja route as the it is more scenic. Or even consider going via Visegrad and seeing the Drine river, going through Tara mountains in Serbia. That is the road we are taking this summer from Belgrade to Dubrovnik (also coming from the US, btw).
10 days is a lot of time for the region, I suggest at least 3 in Belgrade, 2 in Sarajevo, 1-2 Dubrovnik, 2 Zagreb, maybe even the islands depending on what is your cup of tea.
Besides Sarajevo - in Bosnia the other places are really a half a day to a day visit.
Lots of outdoor mountain climbing and hiking stuff there too, if that is your cup of tea.
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