Anyone ever been to Bosnia?

Is this the Empires of the Mediterranean cruise?
I am taking that cruise a few weeks after you.

But no, I haven’t been to Bosnia.

We are staying in Greece for a few days before the cruise and in Venice for a few days after.

Yes.
Looks like an outstanding trip.
But I made the mistake of telling my wife to look up the Viking Star on YouTube.

CORRECTION
It is the Viking Sky you don't want to YouTube.

I flew into Sarajevo then used Daytrip.com to make a huge loop to hit Belgrade, Timisoara, Sofia, Skopje, Prizren, Shkoder, & Dubrovnik. It was pretty seamless and allowed for “tour” stops along the way.

We were recently in Montenegro but only stepped into Bosnia when our whitewater raft pulled over to a Bosnian riverside bar.

I suspect Bosnia will feel like northern Montenegro did to us: great natural beauty and friendly people, with towns that look like they are still in Soviet era Yugoslavia.

Kotor and Dubrovnik are beautiful. Make sure you are on deck when you come into the Bay of Kotor.

I've been. Bosnia is a beautiful but troubled country. 3 different presidents from 3 different ethnic religious groups means nothing ever gets done.

We traveled through Mostar on the way to Sarajevo. We spent about 3 days in Sarajevo and felt that was plenty. So if you go, you don't need to dedicate a week to just Bosnia. I'm glad we went, but I wouldn't go back. We left with a feeling that there will be war again there in our lifetimes. In Sarajevo they have locals that give free tours, highly recommended!

Thanks! Any suggestions on where to visit? I assume not many Americans go.

Excellent thread!

Your thoughts on driving there?

Have you considered Railjet (train) to Zagreb, and then renting a car after that? It looks like it's under 3 hours for the rail, unless you were planning on messing around in Slovenia again. I looked at flights, and every flight to Sarajevo is going to connect somewhere else, for over 6 hours of travel time. At the very least doing the train for 1/2 the journey might give you some time to relax on the way.

I did car trip from Dubrovnik to Mostar as well. Easy driving. Agree with others who said much still showed effects from the war. They are not on the Euro and their economy is suffering The border crossings are the real deal though. Plenty of non-English speaking armed guys. Had no issues but they didn’t look like folks that would tolerate any tomfoolery. Mostar was fantastic but I don’t know - that is a long way from Venice. It was one of the most “foreign” feeling places I’ve been. Hard to believe it is in Europe. Minarets everywhere. Would have spent 1 night if possible but probably not any longer unless I was exploring the natural areas around. Eat at Mimar on the river with a view overlooking bridge. Here’s an alternative to going all the way to Mostar or a good stopover from Venice. I stopped here randomly on the way to Venice from Slovenia (thanks again for your posts). Check out Palmanova in Italy. I would go back here in a heartbeat.

I can add when I drive from Zagreb to Plitvice Lakes (Croatia) the countryside there was some of the most beautiful in all of Europe. It was only a stones throw away from the border, but it makes me curious what Bosnia is like. Of course further south you have Mostar, and that area is way more arid. Would be interested in your recap if you make a trip out there