Jajce and Travnik Travel Guide: Central Bosnia's Heart

The Pliva Waterfall is what makes Jajce distinctive: the Pliva River drops roughly 22 metres into the Vrbas right inside the town. A waterfall of this height so close to a town centre is rare in Europe. The water curves down below the fortress and the old houses; the finest view is from the opposite bank, where the falls, castle and rooftops sit in one frame. Flow changes noticeably with rain and season. Entry fees, maintenance closures and current opening hours are not stated without source-based verification; for missing details we say we don't know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Jajce was the capital of the medieval Bosnian kingdom; its name first appears in written sources in 1396. The hilltop fortress was founded by Hrvoje Vukčić Hrvatinić, and the catacombs below the town are a rock-cut underground church that served as his tomb. The last Bosnian king, Stjepan Tomašević, was crowned here and executed by the Ottomans in 1463; the town fell definitively under Ottoman rule in 1527. The walls open onto wide views over town and valley. Entry fees and visiting hours are not stated without source-based verification; for missing details we say we don't know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

A few kilometres upstream from town, the Pliva widens into the Big and Small Pliva Lakes. Along the channel linking the two, a row of tiny wooden watermills (mlinčići) forms the area's most photographed scene and frames a calm spot for swimming, fishing and camping. The trip from Jajce is short, but connections without your own car shift with the season. Bus schedules, boat or camping fees and facility opening hours are not stated without source-based verification; for missing details we say we don't know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Travnik was the residence of Bosnia's Ottoman governors (viziers) from 1699 to 1850, which is why it is called the vizier town. The Coloured Mosque (Sulejmanija) in the heart of the bazaar takes its name from the colourful plant motifs on its facade and is a rare piece of Ottoman architecture, with a bezistan of shops built beneath it. The present building dates from after 1815 and carries the name of Sulejman-pasha. The old bazaar at the foot of the fortress is walkable. Visiting hours and prayer-time restrictions are not stated without source-based verification; for missing details we say we don't know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

Travnik is the birthplace of the writer Ivo Andrić, born here in 1892 and awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961; his celebrated novel Bosnian Chronicle (The Days of the Consuls) is set in this town. His birth house is now a museum devoted to him. Jajce's medieval royal legacy and Travnik's vizier-era bazaar sit as two nearby stops in central Bosnia that can be joined on one route. Travel between the towns runs by road. Museum and bus times, tickets and current opening hours are not stated without source-based verification; for missing details we say we don't know. (Source: Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)