Travel to Peaceful Trebinje - Beyond These Borders

Trebinje is the southern-most city in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a region known for lots of vineyards. The population is only around 30,000 so it has a peaceful small town atmosphere that we really enjoyed. Trebinje has quite a few tourist-worthy sites to visit, but not the crowds and over-touristed feeling that so many destinations come with.

Below are the things I thought worth checking out in Trebinje. A couple days in this small town would be enough to see it all, but we think it’s a great place to stay longer and just enjoy the slower, quieter pace here.

Old Town

The small Old Town of Trebinje dates back to the 18th century Ottoman period. It is surrounded by an old stone city wall. There are a couple mosques, an old clock tower, and a number of other old stone buildings. Despite or maybe because of its small size it has a nice, lively atmosphere. Little cafes spill out onto the pedestrian streets and seem to always have locals hanging out enjoying a coffee, beer, or wine.

^{Emperor’s Mosque in Old Town Trebinje}

^{Old Town Trebinje is filled with local cafes}

^{Lots of old stone buildings in Old Town Trebinje}

Arslanagić Bridge

The Arslanagić Bridge is considered the most beautiful Ottoman bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was originally constructed in 1574 further north of town. When a hydroelectric dam was built in 1965, the area flooded and submerged the bridge under the newly created reservoir lake. The Arslanagić Bridge was dismantled and reassembled closer to town in 1966 to preserve it.

Hercegovačka Gračanica Monastery

The Hercegovačka Gračanica Monastery overlooks the city of Trebinje from a high hill. This Serbian Orthodox monastery was built according to the last wish of a famous Serbian poet and diplomat named Jovan Dučić. He stated that he wanted to be buried on a hill over Trebinje in a church like “the one in Kosovo”. The church in Kosovo that the Hercegovačka Gračanica was designed after is the Gračanica Church which has strong religious importance to Orthodox Christian Serbs. Although Jovan Dučić died in 1943, construction on the church didn’t begin until 1999 and was finished in 2000 at which time his remains were transferred here. Inside the church, most of the pillars are square but one is round. This round pillar contains one stone from the Gračanica Church in Kosovo at its base, bringing the spirit of “old home” to “new home”.

This hilltop location offers a nice view of Trebinje filled with orange roofed buildings. You can easily spot the Arslanagić Bridge spanning the Trebišnjica River.

^{The view over Trebinje from Hercegovačka Gračanica}

Temple of Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord

The Temple of Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord is another Orthodox Church that was built from 1888-1908. This tall, white stone church is located in the center of town next to a park. It’s an easy spot to check out while walking around Trebinje.

Trebišnjica River / Walking Path

The Trebišnjica River cuts through the city. Each day we saw locals rowing down the river in long skinny kayaks. A lovely pedestrian pathway hugs the river banks, perfect for a morning walk. This pathway has nice views of the river, the surrounding hills, and leads out of town to the Arslanagić Bridge.

^{Locals kayaking down the Trebišnjica River in Trebinje}

^{A nice pedestrian walkway follows the Trebišnjica River in Trebinje}

Bazen Bregovi

The Bazen Bregovi is a swimming area in town created by filtering river water into a large cement-bottom base. Sadly, while we were there they had drained the swimming hole for maintenance. I had been really excited to swim in the Bazen Bregovi as it looks really nice in photographs. We are hoping we find ourselves passing through the area in the future to enjoy this cool feature.

Tvrdoš Monastery / Winery

The Tvrdoš Monastery is located about 5 kilometers southwest of the center of Trebinje. Although not that far away, there isn’t a path to walk there so a car or taxi is required to visit.

The monastery was founded in the 15th century. It was damaged during the Turkish-Venetian War in 1694 but renovation on the entire complex began in 1955. Inside the renovated church, the 4th century foundations of the first Roman church on the site are visible through glass on the floor.

^{Stone buildings of the Tvrdoš Monastery. This is where the wine tasting is found.}
^{Vines are growing around the property.}

Surprise, this monastery is also a winery! The monks produce wine on the grounds using old wine making methods which date back to the 15th century. The monastery has 2 cellars. The old stone cellar is where the Vranac wine matures in centuries-old oak barrels. The second is a new cellar with modern wine-making technology.

^{The old cellar} ^{at Tvrdoš Monastery. This is where the traditional Vranac is aged.}

We had a hard time figuring out where to taste the wine as there were no signs. Tastings are located in the building connected to the tallest stone tower, through the large arched wooden door. Once seated inside, we tasted the most popular wine varieties in the region: the Vranac (red wine) and the Žilavka (white wine). I would have tasted a couple more, but the man serving was needed elsewhere and decided to close up, so no more wine for us. We really enjoyed both wines and even chose to purchase a bottle of the Žilavka.

^{The large wooden door the man is locking up in this stone building is where the wine tasting at Tvrdoš Monastery} ^occurs.

^{We tasted the Vranac (a red wine) and the Žilavka (a white wine).}

Time to Leave

We were a little sad to leave Trebinje and hope to come back someday. It was time to move on to our next country. Next we take a bus across the border into Montenegro and our first stop will be Herceg Novi just 40 km away!

If you enjoyed this post and want to hear about our other stops in Bosnia and Herzegovina, check out my other 2 blogs: Travel to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Top Sites in Mostar.