Trebinje: Bosnia and Herzegovina Off the Beaten Path
Everybody has heard of Dubrovnik, the stunning but impossibly overcrowded Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea, and quite a few people will know about Mostar, the most important cultural city in the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), just across the border. Indeed the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Stari Most (Old Bridge) in Mostar is probably the most iconic historical landmark in the entire country.
Mention the town of Trebinje however and it’s safe to assume that most people will draw a blank, us included until we decided to visit BiH during our travels through the Balkans.
Trebinje, the southernmost town in BiH, is only 28km from Dubrovnik but tourist-wise it is a world apart from its more famous neighbour and an excellent place to break the journey if travelling between Dubrovnik and Mostar. We arrived on the daily bus (see Getting there and away below) at around 2.30pm and headed to the nearby tourist board to pick up a map. The young guy behind the counter was extremely enthusiastic about his town, friendly and spoke very good English. We had already booked a hotel but he pointed us in the right direction and highlighted the interesting things to see and do in and around the town.
By 3pm (Trebinje is small) we were out and about, camera in hand and ready to explore. We started with a hike up to Arhangel Mihailo Church, a brand new church with excellent views back over the town and the surrounding hills.
Arhangel Mihailo Church
We then walked along the Trebišnjica River to get to the double-backed Arslanagic Bridge, Trebinje’s most famous landmark.
Arslanagic Bridge
By the late afternoon the light was perfect so after photographing the bridge we climbed up Hercegovacka Gracanica hilltop for yet more great views and to see the imposing Presvete Bogorodice Church.
Presvete Bogorodice Church
The view of Trebinje from Hercegovacka Gracanica hill
The walk up and down Hercegovacka Gracanica was a bit tedious (we could have done with transport) but as it didn’t get dark until 8.30pm, we still had time to look around the Old Town, relax with a beer or two and eat a yummy kebab before calling it a day.
Old Town
The next morning we spent a couple more hours wandering through the Old Town (and giving our (positive) feedback to the nice man at the tourist board) before catching the 10am bus to Mostar. We felt that we did Trebinje justice in the short time we were there but if we had known it was such a nice place, we would possibly have had one night less in Dubrovnik and another one in Trebinje and relaxed our pace a little.
Old Town
Old Town
All in all, though, we would highly recommend an overnight stay in Trebinje and for us, it was a great way to start our time in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Trebinje: Getting There and Away
There is only one daily 16-seater bus between Dubrovnik and Trebinje that leaves at 1.30pm and takes approximately 1 hour including formalities at the border (*). On the return journey, the bus leaves Trebinje at 10am. Note there is no Sunday service. The journey travels through some superb craggy mountain scenery, a characteristic we were to experience throughout southern BiH.
There are three daily buses from Trebinje to Mostar (6.15am, 10am and 2.30pm) and the journey takes approximately 3 hours.
Alternatively, there are three daily buses between Dubrovnik and Mostar via the more direct, partly coastal route.
(*) Annoyance of the day. When you travel as much as we do, every bit of space in your passport is precious. Up until this point in Europe we hadn’t received one stamp in our passports and we were very happy about this but when we left Croatia, the border official stamped a completely clean page in both of them and to make things even worse the BiH official did exactly the same thing. I was livid (Kirsty doesn’t really do livid!), especially as the Croatian official didn’t even need to stamp our passports (Croatia is EU, BiH is not).
Where to Stay in Trebinje
We stayed at the newly opened Motel San (address; Popi 4, 89101 Trebinje). Located near the hospital and €25 per room per night (including a big breakfast), it was perfect for our needs. It was quiet, the staff were friendly, the room was big and we had a private bathroom.
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beautiful post! This town will always be in my heart. I was born there in 1988, and was only 4 when the war started and had to leave. I went back here 20 years later with my mum, and she showed me the park i played in, the hospital i was born in and our old home. Its a beautiful town, and despite having a good life in Australia, i always wonder what would have it been like to grow up here.
Ariana Kajic
thebosnianaussie.com
That must have been quite an emotional trip for both you and your mum. But also fascinating to learn about your roots. It’s a fascinating region to travel through and so beautiful! Stay tuned … we’ve got more posts on the Balkans coming soon including Sarajevo.
The photos on your posts are brilliant, they really convey the feel of the place. I’m doing a Balkans trip this summer so will be looking at all your posts to get inspiration. Have a great day.
Conor
Thank you! Let us know if you have any questions – we just got back from a second trip to the Balkans but it may take a bit of time before all the posts are up! 🙂
Hi,
Its really nice to read about Trebinje. I was visiting Bosnia last year and was in Trebinje for a week. It is such a beautiful place. Still so old school and charming in its own way. I hardly spoke serbian but managed pretty well. The whole town is completely walkable and its great to visit sea side in Croatia and Montenegro by car. One must spend time at the square and try the bosnian coffee.
Thanks for your comment. We agree – we don’t speak more than a few words of Serbian but got by just fine. And yes … coffee in the square is a must all over the region! 🙂
Hey, nice tips about Trebinje. I’m planning on stopping there in August, between Mostar and Podgorica, I think I’ll have a great time.
Just one thing though, they actually had to stamp your passport in Croatia. It’s part of the EU, but not of Schengen Area (like the UK and Ireland).
Thanks Julia.
What passport do you hold? For us, being from the UK, Schengen doesn’t apply, so as far as I know we shouldn’t need to get stamps from EU countries.
Enjoy your trip – we love this region! 🙂
Hey, nice tips about Trebinje. I’m planning on stopping there in August, between Mostar and Podgorica, I think I’ll have a great time.
Just one thing though, they actually had to stamp your passport in Croatia. It’s part of the EU, but not of Schengen Area (like the UK and Ireland).
Beautiful pictures of Trebinje! IT has gorgeous architecture. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂
Thanks for the article. I was in Trebinje in 2012 it was a major hazard to find a way how to get there from Dubrovnik. Croats really don’t want people to go Trebinje, for obvious historical reasons. But I did it and I am not planning a return, in May.
There is a distinct lack of buses between Croatia and BiH (as you say, for historical reasons) but it is possible now, although the one we went on was pretty old in contrast to all the other shiny buses you see at Dubrovnik bus station!
Oh but it was possible by then too… still a hazard. Girl in the reception of the hostel: “Trebinje? No idea, sorry”. Lady in the tourism office: “Trebinje? No, we don’t have any information about it”. Meanwhile I found out about a bus going everyday around noon. Went to the bus station. Lady: “Trebinje? No bus today”. “What do you mean, no bus today?”; “Ah sometimes it comes, sometimes not, not today”. “Ah OK, a ticket to Mostar then”.
I am waiting outside, canceling my booking in Trebinje and checking where to stay in Mostar, an old man taps my shoulder: “Hey, Portuguese, bus to Trebinje”. And he points and I can’t believe it… the bus was there. So I go to the ticket office, not happy (also I had to exchange money three times because of the mess, losing in the process). The ladies still made me pay a penalty for changing the ticket!
What a pain! We didn’t find people quite that obstructive we were definitely made to feel like maybe we shouldn’t be rushing off to BiH!
Amy info about the price of the bus Trebinje – Mostar?
We don’t have very clear notes, but I believe we paid about 10 Euros for the bus from Trebinje to Mostar.
Great story. Thanks for sharing.
No problem, glad you enjoyed it!!
My wife (Svetlana) and I (Marc) are Swiss tourists and visit Trebinje on a
regular basis. We think this region has a lots of unexploited potential.
The historic inheritance combined with the geographic attractions – near the Mediterrean Sea, close to Montenegro and surrounded by beautiful mountains, a picturesque river valley – make Trebinije a unique destination particulary for tourists appreciating the authenticity of a holiday destination.
To exploit the full potential of this region and make it popular around the world Trebinje must upgrade its infrastructure, the quality (accomodation and food) and frequency of services (transport) and last but not least revive its inheritance (for example – the Napoleon route or the old rail tracks). Benchmark for the quality level of Trebinje’s tourist industry should be Austria in our opinion. We know this sounds ambitious but with full commitment from all for the same vision it is possible.
But there is also low hanging fruit to harvest. By cleaning the river sidewalks, keeping the traffic outside the old town, upgrading hiking trails, promoting the region for unique green sport activities (hiking, biking, canoeing) Trebinje could become one of the most promising hotspots of tourism for the next decades.
All responsible authorities should get it together, develop a masterplan for the region, start looking for investors sharing the common vision and setting timetables and benchmarks for the objectives to be achieved or in a nutshell do whatever is necessary to let the wonderful seeds of Trebinje and its surroundings flourish.
Thank you very much for all the efforts in the future and the payback will be plentiful. We are highly convinced.
Sincerely yours
Svetlana and Marc
Thank you for your comments. We couldn’t agree more! You are right that it is a beautiful part of the world and are happy if our article encourages people to visit. As you say, tourism is very under developed and that goes to the entire region (with the exception of Croatia) but we think that is part of its charm. Having said that, it would be very beneficial for the local economy if tourism could be boosted!