Zenica is the largest, most industrial town in central Bosnia and is the political, administrative and cultural centre of the Zenica-Doboj Canton. Peeling back the socialist layer of crude architecture and bulky industry reveals the old Zenica and the true heart of the city - a quaint downtown district with mosques, Catholic and Orthodox churches, and a Jewish synagogue.

Travnik, the Ottoman Viziers (Governors) capital of Bosnia for 150 years (1697 to 1850), was once called the European Istanbul. Today, located 90 kilometres (56 miles) to the northeast of Sarajevo, the town attracts visitors to its historical centre, an open museum of Ottoman architecture. A city’s heart and soul usually lies in the historical districts where streets and buildings resist change. Travnik’s Stari Grad has an Ottoman centre with mosques, centuries-old buildings, and Bosnia’s only sundial.

Inhabiting high, isolated areas was the tradition of the first settlers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vlasic was not only home to old Illyrian highlanders and followers of the medieval Bosnian Church but also to a large shepherd community that continues to live off the fertile lands across the vast plateau of Vlasic Mountain. 

Mostar is one of the most frequented attractions in Bosnia, thanks to its outstanding natural beauty, architecture, and, of course, its famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Stari Most. It is full of quintessential Ottoman architecture, with plenty of traditional restaurants, market stalls, mosques and other historic buildings. It is also surrounded by stunning landscape waiting to be explored.

One of Mostar’s and also Bosnia’s most famous sites is the Stari Most, or ‘Old Bridge’. The bridge was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century and is exemplary of typical Islamic architecture and fine engineering. It crosses over the beautiful turquoise Neretva river, and is at the heart of Mostar’s historic Old Town. During the civil war, however, the bridge was destroyed by Croat forces but it has since been rebuilt to its exact original specifications. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, having received this status in 2005 soon after it was rebuilt, and it attracts thousands of tourists to Mostar every year.

South of Mostar is the small village of Blagaj. Within Blagaj is the famous tekija, or monastery, which was founded by Dervish monks in the 16th century. The monastery is nestled at the foot of a cliff face, looking over a beautiful pool, and exemplifies classic Ottoman architecture, with its wooden window frames and overhanging roof. Today, the monastery houses a restaurant with tables looking out over the water