Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mostar is built around a single, unmistakable landmark: Stari Most, the Old Bridge, a steep stone arch that spans the Neretva river and has come to stand for the city as a whole. The bridge divides two historic banks lined with Ottoman-era stone houses, and Kujundziluk, the old coppersmiths' street on the eastern side, still runs with small workshops and stalls much as it has for generations. Locals have jumped from the bridge into the river below as a local tradition long predating organised tourism, and watching from the bank on a warm afternoon is one of the simplest ways to feel the rhythm of the place rather than just photograph it. Away from the bridge itself, the old town's narrow lanes climb gently toward minarets and bell towers that mark the city's mixed religious history, and a short walk in either direction from the water trades the crowds near the bridge for quieter streets with the same stone architecture. Where to base a stay in Mostar comes down to a simple trade-off: staying within a few minutes' walk of the bridge puts everything in reach on foot but means dealing with the busiest hours of the day, while a slightly longer walk or short taxi ride trades that convenience for a calmer stay and, usually, a lower price. A single day covers the old town's core comfortably; a second day gives room for the surrounding streets and a slower pace around the river.

Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it opens this collection for the obvious reason: it is the city most first trips are built around. The place to start is Bascarsija, the old Ottoman bazaar at the heart of the city, where narrow stone lanes still hold copper workshops, small coffeehouses and traders' stalls much as they have for centuries. Walk a few minutes in any direction from there and you cross paths of faith rather than just streets: a mosque, a Catholic cathedral, an Orthodox church and a synagogue all sit within a short stroll of one another, which is why Sarajevo has long been described as a meeting point rather than a single-tradition city. The Miljacka river runs along the southern edge of the old town, and the Latin Bridge crossing it marks the spot where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot, an event that still draws a steady stream of visitors off their planned route to see it for themselves. Above the rooftops, the wooded slopes of Trebevic rise on the city's southern flank and give the clearest sense of how tightly Sarajevo is packed into its valley. A first visit works best split across two rhythms: a slow morning in Bascarsija followed by an afternoon spent walking the riverside and the streets around the cathedral and synagogue, rather than trying to force both into a single rushed loop. Two days cover the essentials comfortably; a third adds room for the hillside views and a longer, unplanned wander through the old quarter's side streets, which is usually what people remember most.