24 Hours in Trebinje
Trebinje. Bosnia and Herzegovina // © Alexsandr Medvedkov / Shutterstock
Okay, Trebinje, 24 hours, let's see what we can do. I mean, not 24 hours exactly because you aren’t going to be starting this at 00:00. If you are, you’ll be disappointed by the set-up, unfortunately, because you ain’t getting coffee in the middle of the night. Anyway, you know what a 24 hours thing is, so here we go.
Trebinje’s gorgeous old town // © Jovan Vidikovac / Shutterstock
Morning
Where to go for a morning coffee? Part of me wants to rush ahead and say Platani, so you can enjoy the hustle and bustle of Trebinje’s main square first thing in the morning, but Botanik is so far ahead of everywhere else in the centre when it comes to coffee quality that you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t make a beeline for it first thing. Besides, if you get here early enough and devour that delicious espresso you can see the throngs moving into the Church of Holy Transfiguration, Trebinje’s main building of worship and one worth checking out for its mixture of frescoes inside. Is that you Mihailo Pupin? Yes, yes it is.
The old town is next door, so head beyond the walls and see how things were long long ago. Trebinje’s old town is small but perfectly formed (apologies), made up of a handful of streets that don’t have much on them but can still impress with aesthetics. The Herzegovina Museum is here, and it is well worth a look, as any museum covering five floors of history, culture and art should be. You will find a decent amount of English dotted around the place, although this lessens the higher up you get. Still, images tell a pretty solid story, and this is one of the best museums in Herzegovina.
The magnificent monastery above Trebinje // © ollirg / Shutterstock
Afternoon
A double whammy of walking here, so maybe get your lunch from Porto Bello in the old town. Friendly people, gorgeous location, excellent grilled meat, homemade rakija. I’m not sure what else you could want? This should give you all the power you need to wander out towards the Arslanagić Bridge, one of the finest Ottoman-era stone bridges in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Stop for a moment and think of the ground that covers. Okay, it isn’t the Stari Most, it isn’t the bridge made famous by Ivo Andrić, but it is a damn nice bridge built during the Ottoman era that still stands today. Stop and take it in, because you’ve got a 20-minute walk ahead of you that will take your breath away.
Literally, figuratively, all of the above. The Hercegovačka Gračanica stands tall over Trebinje, essentially the architectural demand of Jovan Dučić, home to the poet’s remains and objectively the best view of Trebinje that you are going to get. The walk up is a tough one but absolutely worth it, and if I can do it then you can certainly do it. The views are worth the panting, and that is without mentioning the church itself! I say “church”, I mean “monastery”, based on the famous Gračanica Monastery in Kosovo. There is a cafe up here too, which means you can get yourself a kisela voda before you wander back down the hill towards town.
Trebinje by night // © Slavenko / Shutterstock
Evening
Truth be told, you’ve ticked all of the boxes by this point. If you’re here in summer, labour a little longer in the museum and at the bridge, saving the walk for the post-afternoon heat. But hey, that says “evening”, and evening means food and drink. Food-wise, Restoran MG always ticks my boxes, I like the service, the food is ace, and it gives you more of a calming feel than some of the old town options.
As for the drinking side of it all, the pandemic sort of ruined that, because The Brick has come and gone. That means that OZ Craft Pivo has also come and gone, which is more bad news. Where to go now? Kenjac seems to have abandoned its craft beer options, but it is still named after the word for ‘donkey’, so I can’t dismiss it entirely. The best option? Porto Gallo, and you can get some decent food there too. Friendly people, good beer, and a big ol’ chicken mural. What’s not to love? You’ll find it on the path to the bridge, very early on, close to Sesto Senso hotel and restaurant.
Sleeping
Trebinje has plenty of hotels, but give me the comfortable beds and friendly service of Sesto Senso any day. What more could one want? You want to sleep well, and you want to be greeted cheerily in the morning. Oh, breakfast? Yeah, excellent breakfast too.
