- Height of the Pliva waterfall
- 22 m
- Second AVNOJ session held here
- 29 November 1943
- To Pliva lake, up the river
- About 5 km
A waterfall in the middle of a town
In Jajce the waterfall is in the town itself. The Pliva river meets the Vrbas here and falls 22 m (Wikipedia), and the photograph above shows the water going over the rock into the pool below. Viewing the waterfall from above is free. Wikivoyage mentions paid viewpoints as well, without giving a price.
The town is in central Bosnia and is not a stop on most Mostar trips. It is worth knowing about if you are building a longer route through the country.
Is it a day trip from Mostar?
No. We have no verified distance or driving time from Mostar, and Wikipedia and Wikivoyage give none either. What the geography shows is that Jajce lies in central Bosnia, well north of Mostar and the Herzegovina region around it. Reaching it and getting back would take most of a day in the car, and you would see little.
It works better as part of a longer trip, for example on a route north towards Banja Luka or a journey that includes Sarajevo. Wikivoyage gives Banja Luka as about 1.5 hours from Jajce, and says buses on the Banja Luka to Sarajevo line stop here. See Sarajevo to Mostar for the trains and buses on the southern section, and car hire and driving if you plan to drive.
The old town and fortress
Jajce is a walled town with a citadel and gates, dating to the fourteenth century. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Bosnia, which is why it matters in the country’s history. It is on UNESCO’s Tentative List but has not been inscribed.
The fortress carries a fee, and so do the catacombs. Wikivoyage gives no figures, so ask locally.
The AVNOJ museum
The AVNOJ Museum is in a 1934 building by the architect Momir Korunović. The second AVNOJ session was held in this building on 29 November 1943. That session set up federal Yugoslavia. The museum is worth a stop if you want the twentieth-century political history, which our war history page also touches on in the context of Mostar.
We could not verify opening hours or entry prices for the museum, so check before you go.
Catacombs and the Mithraeum
There are catacombs in the town. A second-century Mithraeum, a temple of the god Mithras, can be seen through glass. Wikivoyage says a visit needs advance notice to the Ethnological Museum, so do not turn up expecting it to be open.
Pliva lakes and the watermills
About 5 km up the Pliva river lies Pliva lake. Wikivoyage mentions small watermills, swimming, fishing and camping there. We have no details on how to get there, or when the swimming is practical, so treat it as an idea to research on the day. It is a quieter place than the waterfall in town.
Fitting Jajce into a trip
If you are already travelling through central Bosnia, Jajce takes a few hours for the waterfall, the old town and the museum, or an evening and a morning if you add the lake. A rough shape for a longer route:
- Start in Mostar. The Mostar itinerary covers the town and the trips to Blagaj and Kravice.
- Go on to Sarajevo, which has its own page.
- Continue north to Jajce by bus or car, then on to Banja Luka if your route goes that way.
For a trip with only a few days around Mostar, Jajce is not the place to spend them. The day trips overview shows what fits better.
