Bosnia and Herzegovina: UNESCO Culture and Great Nature

Culture and History

The UNESCO World Heritage Sites include the Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge in Višegrad, the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar and the Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards. The Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe are also among the natural UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vjetrenica Cave in Ravno was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2024.

Sevdalinka, a traditional urban folk song, is part of the intangible cultural heritage and was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2024. The Zmijanje embroidery has been included in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2014.

Počitelj preserves a fortified urban complex with medieval and Ottoman building phases. The historic urban ensemble has been preserved in its original form. In Jajce, the natural and architectural ensemble includes a fortress, city walls and towers on a rocky slope. This slope is bordered to the southwest by the riverbed of the Pliva and to the southeast and east by the Vrbas.

Nature and Mountains

Sutjeska National Park is located in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the border with Montenegro. It covers 16,052.34 hectares; more than 66 percent of its area is forested. The national park includes Maglić, which at 2,386 metres is considered the highest peak in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Skakavac waterfall, which is 76 metres high, is located in the Perućica area of the national park.

Una National Park is located in the west of the country on the border with Croatia. The park covers 19,800 hectares and includes canyon sections of the Una and Unac rivers. There, the Una, Unac and Krka rivers feature cascades, rapids, waterfalls, tufa caves, tufa islands and canyon gorges. Martin Brod comprises a 800-metre-long sequence of waterfalls and cascades with a difference in elevation of 54 metres; the complex is considered the largest and longest waterfall complex in Una National Park.

Drina National Park is located along the middle course of the Drina in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. It protects the Pančić spruce, an endemic tertiary relict species. Blidinje Lake is located at an altitude of 1,182 metres in Blidinje Nature Park. With an area of around 3 square kilometres, it is Bosnia and Herzegovina's largest mountain lake by surface area. The Diva Grabovica Gorge in the Cvrsnica mountain range is approximately 6 kilometres long and 1,200 to 1,500 metres deep.

Rivers, Caves and Water Landscapes

Una National Park combines different types of landscape with a wide range of activities: rafting, kayaking, canoeing, canyoning, hiking, mountain biking, as well as sport and recreational fly-fishing are offered there. Hutovo Blato is another water landscape. The water route consists of a three-hour guided boat trip from Karaotok through the Sun Canal, the Krupa River, Lake Deransko and canals to Lakes Oraha and Drijena.

Srednja-Bijambarska Cave is equipped, illuminated and open to visitors. The visitor route leads through four chambers decorated with cave formations and is approximately 500 metres long. In the protected Bijambare landscape area, a tourist train runs from the entrance to the central area.

Routes and Regional Perspectives

At Vjetrenica Cave, a guided 10-kilometre circular cycling tour is offered along the Ćiro railway line and the paths in Popovo Polje. The Via Dinarica route BH-W-06 is available for mountain hikes: it is a mountain route that crosses Prenj from west to south and crosses the summit of Zelena Glava at 2,155 metres.

The three regional destinations Brčko District, Republika Srpska, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina complement the geographical classification of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For the overarching travel overview: Europe.

More Destinations

More places under the same destination:

Serbia, Malta, Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg.