Travnik & Jajce
The Ottoman-era capital of Bosnia, with a painted mosque and a castle, plus the town waterfall and water mills of Jajce to the west.
Travnik and Jajce lie in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 50 km apart, and are often visited together. Travnik sits in the Lašva Valley. From 1699 to 1850 it was the seat of the Ottoman governor (vizier) of Bosnia, earning it the nickname 'City of the Viziers'. The Nobel Prize-winning writer Ivo Andrić was born here, and his Bosnian Chronicle is set in the town. The town has a 15th-century fortress, the Painted Mosque, a vizier's tombs complex and the Plava Voda spring. Behind it rises Vlašić Mountain, where you can ski in winter. The mountain is also the source of the famous Travnik white cheese. Jajce was the last capital of the medieval Bosnian kingdom. Its old town walls surround a hilltop, and the Pliva River flows into the Vrbas at the foot of the town, forming an urban waterfall about 20 m high. Within the town are an underground crypt church, a Mithraeum (temple of Mithras) and the AVNOJ Museum, at the site where Yugoslavia's wartime founding council (AVNOJ) met in 1943. West of town are Pliva Lake and a row of wooden water mills. The best season is May to October. The waterfall carries the most water in spring, and autumn brings the finest mountain colours. In winter you can go skiing on Vlašić. Buses from Sarajevo to Travnik take about 2 hours, and it is about another hour from Travnik to Jajce. The town is also often a stopover on the route from Sarajevo to Banja Luka or Mostar. Allow one to two days and spend a night in each town. The local currency is the convertible mark (KM), and most small attractions take only cash.
Top sights
- Pliva Waterfall – The Pliva River plunges into the Vrbas River at the foot of Jajce's old town. This roughly 20-meter waterfall within the town is one of Bos…
- Jajce Fortress – A hilltop castle that was the last capital of the medieval Kingdom of Bosnia. Its gate bears the royal crest, and its walls overlook the co…
- Pliva Watermills – More than twenty wooden watermills built over the rapids between the Great and Little Pliva lakes, the most photogenic vernacular architect…
- Travnik Fortress – A 15th-century castle on the hillside of the Lašva valley, with well-preserved walls and a polygonal main tower. Climbing the tower gives a…
- Pliva Lakes – Two high mountain lakes west of Jajce, with trails, boardwalks, and boat docks along their shores. The large lake once hosted the World Row…
- Jajce Catacombs – An underground church and family tombs carved into rock in the early 15th century by Duke Hrvoje, with crosses, suns, and crescents carved…
- Jajce Mithraeum – Ruins of a 4th-century Roman Mithraeum, with its bull-slaying relief preserved in situ. It is one of the most complete sites of its kind in…
- AVNOJ Museum – The venue of the Second Session of the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) in 1943, regarded as the birt…
- Saint Mary's Church & St Luke's Bell Tower – Medieval church ruins and a stone bell tower. Tradition holds that the last king was crowned here, and the tower once housed relics of St L…
- Šarena Mosque (Sulejmanija) – An 18th-century mosque with walls painted with floral motifs, built above a historic covered market. It is a landmark of Travnik.
- Plava Voda – A bright blue spring gushing out at the foot of the fortress, with footbridges, wooden-hut restaurants, and old cafés. It is a good place f…
- Ivo Andrić Birth House – A memorial at the birthplace of Nobel Prize-winning writer Ivo Andrić, rebuilt in the style of a 19th-century Bosnian house, with displays…
- Vizier's Tombs – A group of Ottoman governors' turbe tombs and a graveyard along the main street, where the viziers and officials who governed Travnik rest…
- Vlašić Mountain – A highland mountain behind Travnik. Babanovac ski resort is one of the main ski areas in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the region is the home…
- Guča Gora Franciscan Monastery – A 19th-century Franciscan monastery and church on the northeast hillside of Travnik, overlooking the village landscape of the Lašva valley.
Where to eat
- Ćevabdžinica Hari – A family grill house in Travnik's old town, operating since 1989, which many diners rate as better than the ćevapi in S…
- Kristal – A family restaurant by the fountain in Jajce's old town, with well-liked grilled trout and ćevapi, generous portions an…
- Konoba Slapovi – A family tavern by Lake Pliva, near the Mlinčići watermills, known for Jajce trout and the fried dough prevrta.