A 10-Day Trip through Bosnia-Herzegovina (with an optional 1-day extension)
April 7-17 (or 18), 2019
(Organized by the University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies, a Title VI, U.S. Department of Education-designated National Resource Center on the Middle East)
Would you like to travel to beautiful, fascinating Bosnia-Herzegovina (with a side trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia)? CMES is organizing a public trip, open to any adult interested in a fun and educational travel experience. You will be led by a Balkan historian and local guides, visit museums and historical sites (from Bogomil tombs to Ottoman monuments to sites from three major wars in the 20th century), explore cultural places (including a private viewing of the Sarajevo Haggadah and institutions of the region's 4 religious communities), visit places of local interest (a winery, the Croatian world heritage city of Dubrovnik), and lots more. You will also have the option of an additional day-trip to the Srebrenica genocide site/museum. You will stay in 4-star hotels, feast on the excellent local cuisine, have the opportunity to attend performances or participate in a cooking demonstration - all in a short period of time!
Schedule:
Sunday, April 7 – Day 0
- Catch flight from the U.S.
Monday, April 8 - Day 1
Sarajevo
- Arrive in Sarajevo
- Time to settle in and then a brief overview of the city
- Opening dinner
- Overnight in Sarajevo
Tuesday, April 9 - Day 2
Sarajevo
- Walking tour of the city (site of assassination of Franz Ferdinand, variety of mosques, churches, synogogue, and other cultural sites)
- Lunch
- Free time in the afternoon - with options for further sightseeing
- Dinner
- Overnight in Sarjevo
Wednesday, April 10 - Day 3
Sarajevo
- Visit the Yellow Fortress (great views)
- Experience the Tunnel museum, a fascinating testimony to resistance during “the last war.”
- Lunch in Vrelo Bosne, a nature park
- Visit the Old Jewish Cemetery
- Get a spectacular view of the city from the Avaz Twist tower.
- Free time in the late afternoon.
- Dinner
- Overnight in Sarajevo
Thursday, April 11 - Day 4
Travel to Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Visit the National Museum of BiH to see the original Sarajevo Haggadah.
- Visit the Jablanica Museum, a Partisan World War II site
- Lunch in a fish restuarant along the river in Blagaj
- Visit the Sufi "tekija" in scenic Blagaj
- See the Bogomil necropolis in Stolac
- Visit the Tvrdos Monastery in Trebinje
- Arrive in Dubrovnik, a UNESCO World Heritage city, in the evening before dinner.
- Dinner
- Overnight in Dubrovnik.
Friday, April 12 - Day 5
Dubrovnik
- City tour in the morning
- Free time for leisure and exploring in the afternoon
- Dinner
- Overnight in Dubrovnik.
Saturday, April 13 - Day 6
Travel (short distance) to Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina:
- Stop off in Ston to see the 14th century walls
- Take a quick photo safari of the delta of the Neretva river
- Lunch
- Stop off in Počitelj, a beautiful medieval town/fortress
- Tour the lovely city of Mostar .
- Dinner
- Overnight in Mostar.
Sunday, April 14 - Day 7
Mostar
- Day trip to Herzegovina Wine Route
- Visit Kravice Waterfall
- Visit the Humac Monastery museum.
- Lunch and visit one of the wineries
- Ethno Villiage Herceg
- Medjugorje
- Return to Mostar
- Dinner
- Overnight in Mostar
Monday, April 15 - Day 8
Return to Sarajevo
- Drive from Mostar to Sarajevo
- Stop en route to visit Konjic (Ottoman bridge, Tito's nuclear tunnel museum)
- Lunch
- Free afternoon in Sarajevo
- Dinner
- Visit National Theatre Sarajevo
- Overnight in Sarajevo
Tuesday, April 16 - Day 9
Sarajevo - Day trip to Vlasic and Travnik
- Visit Kraljeva Sutjeska Monastery
- Go to Mt. Vlasic- lunch in the Ethno house there and a cooking class
- Stop in Travnik to visit the Ivo Andric house/museum
- Dinner in Sarajevo
- Overnight in Sarajevo
Wednesday, April 17 - Day 10
Sarajevo
- Free day (many possible activities/sites)
- Closing dinner
- Overnight in Sarajevo
Thursday, April 18 - Leave-Taking - transfer to the airport - OR (Optional) Day 11/Trip to the Srebrenica Genocide Site on Apr. 18, leaving Friday, April 19
Price/What Is Included How to Register for the Trip Trip Leader's Bio More Travel Information
For more information, contact Julie Ellison-Speight - jellison@arizona.edu or 520-621-7904
