I’ve been there twice. Absolutely love it. Felt MUCH safer than any city I’ve ever been to in the US, or most of the rest of Europe for that matter.

Here’s some Sarajevo pics

http://www.flickr.co…

Here’s a Sarajevo Trip Report I wrote up…

http://www.eurotrek….

As far as the travel warning – it’s absurd. Basically it’s a political statement against the government of Bosnia who hasn’t been as helpful as the US would like in the capture of Karadazic and other war criminals.

As a "normal tourist" you would never have to worry about the "organized crime" that the warning purports is so frequent in Sarajevo.

Feel free to contact me if you have more questions on Sarajevo….

thats a great trip report on sarajevo auher..thanks
we are looking to enter b/h but have been told that we cant travel with croatian numberplates..that our best bet is to hire a car from slovenia…what do u think??
have u been to mostar? kotor?
i was told by a croatian that mostar is not worth the day trip…as he put it: ‘bridge was built ..bridge was blown up..bridge built again…the end’ …im sure hes missing something !
would love to know what else u have seen in b/h thats in direct contrast to croatia…
have u been to medjegornia btw? ( forgive spelling..but u know the place of apparition hill?..worth a visit u think>>?)
i also heard that really the only parts that are off limits are right up the top in croatia..the border towns of the interior..
have heard not to go off the beaten track cos of landmines..but then plitvice lakes district is supposedly still got hidden dangers too and we are certainly going there
thanks for any advice!

you shouldn’t have any problems. just be careful driving as we got ticketed for speeding a couple times….. We rented our car in Croatia and didn’t have any problems in Bosnia or Montenegro (except for the tickets

Mostar is definitely worth a trip. You will see some devastation but the rebuilt bridge and the old part of town is lovely. The old town in Kotor, Montenegro is also spectacular.

If you are travelling through Croatia, drop by our friends in Dubrovnik or Korcula. They have a wraps and smoothies bar called Fresh. Here is the link:

http://www.igotfresh.com

Site also includes info about travel in Croatia if you need it.

Have fun!

have u been to mostar? kotor?

Yep – been to both. Loved Kotor, it’s beautiful, but I’d do it as a day trip from Herceg-Novi, which I think has a more authentic feeling – not to mention better hotels!

Mostar is definitly a sight to see. It’s almost "disneyesque" which is weird given the recent destruction waged on it’s historic bridge by the Croatians – thus the reason that the Croatian told you that – there are still a lot of ethnic hatreds (not that this would effect you – just so you know). I wouldn’t stay TOO long – as there isn’t that much to see out of the main bridge and small old town section – but it’s worth the trip!

have u been to medjegornia btw? ( forgive spelling..but u know the place of apparition hill?..worth a visit u think>>?)

I haven’t been. I’d like to see it – and maybe in the future I will – but I didn’t have the time. I think you can get there just as easy from Croatia as well.

As far as landmines – as long as you use common sense – you should be O.K. If you tend to get VERY off the beaten track, then you should watch out, but if you are going places most tourists go, I think you are definitly OK. I know that Kolby (www.kahunna.net) has been to Plitivice, and I’m sure you could contact him through his site, or through Eurotrek – take your pick.

Have an awesome trip – you will LOVE it!

-A

hey thanks Francis…will check ‘fresh’ out in dubrovnik if i stumble upon it..always good to know wher4e its nice to snack along the way …
thanks for ur input again auher…mostar has always called to me..just love the look of that bridge and the colour of the water i hear is really gorgeous…
have u heard of some restaurant in a converted windmill with a river view in mostar ? we arent really into the food scene or fine dining..we usually grab what we can and keep moving but a day trip to mostar might be a nice chance to have a longer lunch…
any cafes etc u can remember anywhere?
anyone else know of good cafes/ restaurants in dubrovnik split trogir or on the islands of hvar brac mjlet?
id like to eat local fare…which i gather would be a lot of seafood round the dalmatian coast
thanks again!

This is Sara from Sarajevo. As far as those accusations about the city being unsafe…I can PROMISE you that it is safe as…cannot compare! You can go out at night as much as you want to, stay till 7 am if you feel like it!!!!
Concerning those plates from Croatia, the only trouble that can happen is if you leave your car on some dark spot, maybe they will break to glass so that they can steal something from your car (CD player and stuff like that if it is left in the car). We have a lot of parking lots in the city, so those places are the best for leaving the car, one hour costs about 1 $. There is a guard that will keep an eye on your vehicle.
About Mostar, it is situated something like 2 hours from Sarajevo, very preety, but visit it during Maj, June, July, August, when it is sunny. Beacuse if it is cold, Mostar looks preety ugly, but which city doesn’t in that weather
Any informations you need, you can contact me on sara_charlie40@yahoo.com, just write in the subject questions about Sarajevo, so that I know that it isn’t spam.
I will love to help you. And once again, trust me, it is very very very safe!!!!!!!!!!

Something more to say…As someone mentioned, we still have mines, but you will not find them in the urban areas. i wouldn’t recomend walking or hiking by your own instinct. Most of the mined areas have been marked, and you can definitely see them, but there are some places that are not demined yet, and those are mostly up in the hills, where people usually don’t go. Mostar is worth a day, maybe two days trip, very safe, there are so many tourists dusring the summer so you won’t feel as a tourist yourself. I recomend visiting Pocitelj, that is a small village, famous by its colony of artist (painters) and it is preety authentic. You can continue down to Neum, there is a border to Craotia, visit Dubrovnik. You will be stunned. The stay can be preety expensive, since they have many tourists, but you can stay in some cities nearby, and commute during the day. I strongly recomend the island Lokrum, it has a botanical garden and a small inner part of the sea called Dead sea, and it is near Dubrovnik, 5 minutes by a small boat.

I’ve been to Plitvice and generally, trails are well marked/obvious. In the region of the lakes, you’ll have no problem. I suppose it’s possible that in outlying areas there may be problems, but I never heard any warnings while I was there.

Thanks for all the input. That is really helpful. My next question is about places to stay in Sarajevo. We are looking to stay somewhere fairly cheap. Does anyone have experience with private rooms in Sarajevo?

I’ve stayed at the Guesthouse Halvat twice and loved it. I paid 45 / euro for a private "apartment" which included breakfast. Yeah – I’m sure you could do cheaper, but Halvat is such a friendly place – with wonderful owners, that I think it’s worth the price. Also, the location is amazing – it’s near close to the Basarcija.

There is supposed to be a hostel in the same area, actually there are two. One is newer, and I’ve heard good things about it. The older one I haven’t heard the best stuff about….. I’m sure someone will elaborate on this….

As far as great cafe’s in Dubrovnik – check out the Buza Bar, located in the walls of the city. It’s hard to explain where the hell it is, but you can google it – and you’ll find a map or something…..

You’re going to have an awesome trip!!!

We "accidentally" went into Bosnia on our way to Dubrovnik about 2 weeks ago… it was pretty funny because we had no idea that Bosnia actually touched the adriatic coast on that route. From what I’ve heard the only thing you have to fear is land mines and thats minimal unless you like wandering off in the middle of nowhere…

Those are great pictures!!! The pictures of the cats cracked me up… you see them everywhere in Croatia! Especially Dubrovnik it seemed… I have some pictures and movies and stuff like that up on my travel site at http://www.tylernofziger.com/messageboard/index.php?c=5

I’m updating it as I go and am into day 25 of a 101 day trip.

I think that the hostels are not something that you woul be thrilled with, but that rates of hotels are about 45 $ per night, in the center of the city

Hey Sara – are you a Sarajevo resident? Are you from there (Bosnian) or are you working there?

True on the hotels – there aren’t alot of cheap deals to be had. I’d suggest dropping the Halvat an email and seeing what rate they can do on their &quotrivate Accomodation." You have to ask specifically, but sometimes their rate is better than their hotel rate.

I am from Sarajevo. I think that on the spot you can get a better deal.

quote:
have u been to medjegornia btw? ( forgive spelling..but u know the place of apparition hill?..worth a visit u think>>?)

Auher, a small tip, it’s Meðugorje or Medjugorje(written in the western way but also OK).

Here some links:
http://www.medjugorj…
http://medjugorje.hr…

Speaking about Sarajevo – Auher said correctly, despite the political struggle to show Bosnia as a threat or a dangerous place trust me that you have more chances to have trouble in Venice.
If we speak about landmines it’s enough the common sense not to search for trouble around "strange" places. The old town despite all the destroyings it’s great! It’s the real european melting pot. Enjoy this unique city and don’t be afraid taste some local specialities.

One useful tip: Avoid to speak about the war unless you’r some kind of an expert, but even than just forget it….. Bosnia & Hercegovina is much much more

Uhhhh… I miss Burek!!!!!!!

For sure – great point on the the food, Appis.

Be sure to try Cevapi. Cevapi (commonly referred to as Cevap (chee-vap)) are skinless sausages that are served in a soft pita bread along with a delicious youghurt sauce and onions. Mmmm. If you are in Sarajevo – head to Zeljo’s for the most authentic (and best) Cevap. Anyone in the Basarcija should be able to point you in the direction of Zeljo’s, it’s sort of a local landmark!

-A

www.eurotrek.net

Unless you are Bosnian refuge, Albanian or Serb coming back, it is fine. However, I hardly think it merits the rave reviews i see here. There is still political violence in Bosnia and Kosovo, but it is not directed at Western tourists. You should of course stay away from mine fields and not venture into the S border areas alone or with people you do not know personally. The border along Croatia is peaceful.

What didn’t you like about it Frihed? Just curious, as most I’ve know who have been really find the people, and the city as a whole charming.