Travnik and Jajce Tour from Sarajevo

Travnik and Jajce tour 1st stop: Travnik- vizier city

In the first place, on the road towards the west, we will go to Travnik, which for many years, served as the capital of Bosnian eyalet and was known as Vizier City. In the Ottoman Empire, the Grand Vizier was the prime minister of the Ottoman Sultan.

This enchanting town is also the birthplace of Ivo Andric, a Yugoslav novelist, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Travnik is one of the best-preserved cities from Ottoman times. There are 28 protected cultural and historical buildings in this area.

Definitely, the most important of them is the medieval fortress, built in the 15th century, Jeni mosque, which is the oldest building from the Ottoman period, Sulejmanija or Šarena mosque, Jesuit Grammar School and Elči Ibrahim-Pasha madrassa – Muslim school that is still used today. Moreover, there are also two clock towers built in the 18th century, as well as a sundial, built-in 1886.

In addition, this charming town has a lovely small river that we call Plava Voda or Blue Water located right in the city centre. A nice and iconic café is near the river where they serve the best Bosnian coffee you can taste.

At the same place, Franz Joseph tasted his best coffee paying for it with a golden coin. Likewise, in the mountains above the town locals make the famous Travnik cheese.

All over Travnik, you can see traditional Bosnian houses as well as a medieval fortress overlooking the city.

Travnik and Jajce tour 2nd stop: Jajce

After visiting Travnik we will continue to Jajce, the capital of the independent medieval Kingdom of Bosnia. The medieval stone smiths built the royal castle, town-museum under the open sky, on the banks of the rivers Pliva and Vrbas.

Once you are there, you get the feeling of the mysterious history of the place and you will rush to get to know it better. The old city of Jajce is a candidate for a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Our guide will show you the most prominent part of the city, its trademark, magnificent, 18-meter high waterfall. It’s a place where the river Pliva tumbles abruptly into the Vrbas river.

Jajce waterfall dominates the centre of the Old Town, which makes this place unique. For sure it will take your breath away. If you are a bit luckier you can visit during the Summer Festival when a diving competition takes place next to Jajce waterfalls.

This small space enables you to glance at four empires: Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian, three kingdoms: Bosnian, Hungarian and Yugoslav, three world monotheistic religions: Christianity (Orthodoxy and Catholicism), Islam and Judaism, and different architectural styles.

Jajce Fortress with its long defensive walls was the stronghold of the city, a former royal capital and the last territorial possession of the Kingdom of Bosnia. It’s one of the most recognizable symbols of Jajce built back in the 13th century. Today the fortress provides breath-taking views of the surroundings and pleasant walks along the ramparts.

Travnik and Jajce tour 3rd stop: Jajce – the capital of Bosnian Medieval Kingdom

Located inside the defensive city walls of Jajce are the medieval Catacombs, a monument of particular value and importance. At the end of the 14th century, when the town was experiencing major political and cultural development, the mighty Bosnian duke ordered that these catacombs be built in the granite rocks as a place of the last residence for himself and the ducal family.

Josip Broz Tito stayed and worked in the catacombs during a short period of WWII. In 2003, the Commission for the Protection of National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina registered the Catacombs as a national monument.

Jajce is an important city in Yugoslav history since The Second Conference of Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) was held there. Also, we will visit as well the symbol of coexistence in Jajce, the Church of St. Mary or the Sultan Suleyman II Mosque. Today, only the walls remain. Throughout history, people have used this object both as a church and as a mosque.

There are still visible reminders of different religions within this object: mihrab and the entrance to the mosque at one side and the entrance to the church at the other side. From the northeast side, there is the tower of St. Luke. The bell tower of St. Luke represents the only surviving medieval tower in the continental part of Balkan. In 1892, the Austro-Hungarian government declared these objects as a cultural heritage. 

Travnik and Jajce tour 4th stop: Pliva Lakes and Watermills in Jajce

Pliva Lakes and Watermills are located only a few kilometres away from Jajce. The lakes are good for many recreational activities: fishing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, playing volleyball, biking and walking. It was here that the wooden watermills were built during the Middle Ages. You will see how we used water power in old times in order to produce flour for bread.

Due to the historical, architectural, and geological value of the Pliva lakes and watermills, the Bosnian government declared them to be “National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina” in 2009.

In short, Travnik and Jajce, two small but very beautiful, historically very important towns will certainly charm you and won’t let you forget Bosnia.

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