Bosnia and Herzegovina itineraries: 1 week, 2 weeks and 3 weeks

Pick the length first, then the month, then the transport. The table below is the short version; the sections after it explain each route and what to drop when time runs short.

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The 7-day route works because it uses one train and two short bus hops. Sarajevo gets 3 nights: the bazaar, the Habsburg streets, the Tunnel of Hope and one mountain half-day. Take the daytime train to Mostar — the line follows the Neretva through gorges and is the single best travel hour in the country. Mostar gets 2 nights, with one full day for the Herzegovina loop (Blagaj, Počitelj, Kravice). Finish with 2 nights in Trebinje, which is quiet, wine-focused and 30 km from Dubrovnik, so you can exit toward Croatia without backtracking.

If you only have 5 days, cut Trebinje and fly out of Sarajevo. If you have 7 days but no interest in Herzegovina's day-trip loop, swap one Mostar night for a second Sarajevo night and do Lukomir or Trebević instead.

With 14 days you can enter from Dubrovnik and leave from Belgrade, which avoids a loop. Trebinje 2 nights, Mostar 3, Sarajevo 4, then east to Višegrad for 1 night and on to Belgrade for 4. The Sarajevo–Višegrad road is slow and scenic; the bus continues toward Serbia, so this is a one-way route rather than a day trip.

The alternative 10-day version stays inside the country: Sarajevo 3, Jajce 1, Una National Park (Bihać) 2, Mostar 3, Blagaj 1. The weak point is the Bihać–Mostar drive at about 5 hours; break it in Livno if you are the only driver.

Three weeks lets you keep the 14-day spine and add the parts that need a car or a long bus: Sutjeska National Park (2 nights) for Maglić and Perućica, Višegrad if you skipped it, and Banja Luka (2 nights) with rafting on the Vrbas. Una National Park in the north-west is the other obvious add-on, best in May–September.

This is the version where a rental car pays for itself. Public transport reaches all the main towns, but the national parks and Lukomir need either a tour or your own wheels. Do not try to add both Sutjeska and Una in the same week without a rest day between them.

The most common error is treating the country as a day trip from Croatia. Sarajevo and Mostar alone need five nights to feel unhurried, and the train between them is the reason to slow down rather than drive.

Second: underestimating distances. Roads are mountainous and a 150 km leg can take three hours. Third: arriving in Mostar at midday in July, when the bridge is packed; go early or late. Fourth: assuming cards work everywhere — carry some cash for small towns, markets and rural guesthouses. Fifth: skipping travel insurance that covers hiking if you plan Sutjeska or Lukomir.