Blagaj

Blagaj is probably 15-25 miles outside of Mostar, and worth visiting to see the Dervish House. The village itself is small and not particularly touristy, which is a welcome respite from the nearby city and crush of tourists in Mostar.

I got here by city bus from Mostar which was an adventure in itself – it can be very difficult for someone who doesn’t speak Bosnian to figure out the bus schedule (bus stops are largely unposted and written schedules are scarce) and it took almost two hours of waiting and asking to find the right one. The ride itself was only about 30 minutes, and the scenery is nice. But be sure to get return information from more than one source – the bus driver gave me the wrong information about return times, and a British bloke I met while waiting for it and I compared notes and realized we were in for a two hour wait to return to Mostar.

But that just gave us an opportunity to walk a bit more and chat over beers in a nice little cafe. Travel in Bosnia can be a bit challenging, but as long as you’re in no hurry, visiting places like Blagaj are well worth the effort!