There are cities that win you over at first sight, already at the first walk through its streets. Trebinje is just such a city. It is visited by many: families with children, adventurers, believers, mountaineers, lovers of culture and history, retirees... All of them will agree on one thing, that Trebinje was created for enjoyment, a real city for hedonists. Everyone will take away the most beautiful memories from it and look forward to visiting it again at the first opportunity and returning to its tastes and smells.

The coffee you drink in the famous garden under the plane trees, in the shade of their centuries-old canopies, will definitely have a special taste because of this beautiful environment. While enjoying the forest of sycamore leaves and the murmur of passers-by, you will notice that they are not in a hurry, that they are relaxed and smiling. Such are the people of Trebinje. Everything slowly and with a smile.

This easy rhythm of life is noticeable above all in gastronomy, where "slow food" is the expression that can best describe the way it is enjoyed at the table here. With all senses and slowly. Everything you try in one of the many restaurants will be homemade, grown in ethnic households in this area and extremely tasty. And the ambiance of the restaurant will be special whether you decide to go to one of the restaurants in the Old Town, by the river or in the surroundings of Trebinje.

What to eat in Trebinje?

The gastronomic offer is really wide and will satisfy even the most picky eaters.

Let me start with breakfast. Order priganice or nibbles, you can also add cheese, cheese made from oil, mixed cheese, cream... and maybe honey. Cicvara is made from cottage cheese cream and corn flour. A dish similar to gibnica but without the crust, it is made from eggs, cheese, milk and flour called prijesnac. And definitely prosciutto. I may get tired from listing, but you certainly won't from eating. You will eat even if you are not hungry.

For lunch, you can try lamb on a spit or under a sach, veal with potatoes under a sach, crispy bread baked on a stone slab or proja, smoked cheese, brook trout, various types of salads. It would be a sin not to try one of the famous Herzegovina wines because Trebinje is a city of sun, wine and plane trees. The tradition of producing quality wines began here in the 15th century, and today there are as many as twenty wineries. Žilavka is an autochthonous variety of these regions, so you should try it.

For good digestion, it is best to take a leisurely walk through the park, where you will rest your eyes on the lush greenery, enjoy the forest of fountains and the smell of flowers and herbs. You might smell the sea. Although Trebinje is not on the sea, it is there, close, behind the hill, as it were, only 25 km from the Adriatic coast. And the scents of Mediterranean herbs, lavender and immortelle can contribute to that impression. The fact is that Trebinje exudes the spirit of the Mediterranean and its architecture makes you feel like you are in a city by the sea.

The pleasure of visiting Trebinje would not be complete without visiting the famous Green Market, which is also a kind of tourist attraction. It is located in the shade on the central Freedom Square. Extremely pleasant sellers offer the best products from Herzegovina. Do not miss to buy cheese, honey, wine, olive oil, pomegranate, figs and take them home as the best souvenir from Trebinje. At the end of the square there is a closed City Market where you can also buy similar products in a slightly different setting.

If you miss the opening hours of the market, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., don't despair because you can find all these local products in Hercegovačka House, a unique organic food store that has the best offer of everything this region has to offer. In addition to food products, you will also find organic cosmetics, various salves and herbal preparations. All of this is very nicely packaged and can be a wonderful gift and souvenir from Trebinje.

On the way back home, we stop because cows, a local variety, are slowly crossing the road. The best cheeses are made from the milk of these cows. I open my bag to take out my camera to take a picture and the car is filled with the smell of lavender. Two or three expertly picked on a walk smell wonderful. We wait patiently for the cows to run their course. We are not in a hurry because we should enjoy every moment of the trip, just like true hedonists do.

Our gourmet enjoyment does not end yet, because ten kilometers from Trebinje, in the village of Mosko, we decide to have dinner and try the lamb from the spit. I'm sorry I can't describe the taste. It simply has to be experienced. We liked it so much that we also order takeout. Have a good trip and see you soon, says the friendly waitress because she knows that guests always come back here. We put the lamb in the trunk, to be safe, because if it also smells like lavender, it won't make it home.

Now you must be wondering how much this hedonism costs. I will just say that you will be pleasantly surprised and your wallet will enjoy it too. All the more reason for Trebinje to be your destination for hedonism