Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hours)—less than a 10-minute walk from the Old Bridge. Be warned that signage is poor; if
you get lost, try asking for directions to “Stari Most” (STAH-ree most)—the Old Bridge.
Rugged-but-Scenic Backcountry Journey Through Serb Herzegovina
While the coastal route outlined above is the most common way to connect Dubrovnik to
Mostar,Ienjoy getting outofthe tourist rutbytwisting upthe mountains behind Dubrovnik
and cutting across the scenic middle of Herzegovina. (If you're traveling by road between
Dubrovnik and Split at another point in your trip, you'll see the coastal road anyway—so
thisalternative helpsyouavoidthererun.)Thisroutefeelsmuchmoreremote,buttheroads
are good and the occasional gas station and restaurant break up the journey. I find this route
particularly interesting because it offers an easily digestible taste of the
Republika Srpska
part of Herzegovina—controlled by the country's Serb minority, rather than its Bosniak and
Croat majority. You'll see Orthodox churches and monasteries, the Cyrillic alphabet, and
various symbols of the defiantly proud Serb culture (such as the red, white, and blue flag
withthefourgoldenC's).Youcan'tgetacompletepictureoftheformerYugoslaviawithout
sampling at least a sliver of Serb culture. (Because this road goes through the Serbian part
of Herzegovina, it's not popular among Bosniaks or Croats—in fact, locals might tell you
this road “does not exist.” It does.) If you want a little taste of Republika Srpska, consider
just day-tripping into Trebinje—especially on Saturday, when the produce market is at its
liveliest.
The first step is to climb up into the mountains and the charming market town of Trebin-
je. From there, two different roads lead to Mostar: via Stolac or via Nevesinje. If you take
the Stolac route, the whole journey from Dubrovnik to Mostar takes about as long as the
coastal road (and potentially even faster, thanks to the light traffic and lack of an extra bor-
der). The Nevesinje route takes a good hour longer than the Stolac route, and immerses you
in an even more remote landscape.
Dubrovnik to Trebinje:
From Dubrovnik, head south toward Cavtat, the airport, and
Montenegro.ShortlyafterleavingDubrovnik,watchfor—andfollow—signsontheleftdir-
ecting you to
Brgat Gornji.
(Signage completely ignores the large Serb town of Trebinje,
just past this obscure border village.) As you drive through the border into Bosnia-
Herzegovina,noticethefaintremainsofalong-abandonedoldraillinecuttingsharpswitch-
backsupthehill.ThisonceconnectedDubrovniktoMostarandSarajevo.Thecharredtrees
you may see are not from the war, but from more recent forest fires.
Carry on across the plateau, where you may begin to notice Cyrillic lettering on signs:
You've crossed into the Republika Srpska. About 20 minutes after the border, you'll come
upon
Trebinje
(
Tpeбињe
)—a pleasant and relatively affluent town that's a good place to
stretchyourlegs,getsomeConvertibleMarks(ATMsarescatteredaroundthetowncenter),
andmaybenurseacoffeewhilepeople-watchingonthebig,leafy,invitingmainsquare.Out
