'''Tuzla''' is the third largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, located in one of the most important industrial Bosnian regions. The city was hardly directly targeted by the war, except for an incident near the end of the war, when 72 people were killed by a shell fired into the Old Town during the evening. Nowadays, the city_fs economy is still predominantly based around industry, alhoug there has been significant developement in turism during last 10 years.
Get in
Travelling to Tuzla is easy from the south, less so from the Republica Srbska or Serbia. Do not trust the bus timetable on the black board in the main bus station, as these times were universally inaccurate!
By Bus
Buses travel regularly, about one an hour, from Sarajevo, a journey which takes three hours.
There is a regular bus from Split in Croatia, leaving Split at 8am, travelling via Livno, and taking about nine hours to make the journey. Buses also operate north to Osijek daily, for which there are onwards connections to Hungary and Austria. A bus also travels direct from Dubrovnik.
To travel from Banja Luka, change at Doboj.
There are direct buses from Belgrade. A journey takes four hours, runing three times a day.
By Train
Although Tuzla has a train station, trains run only twice daily to Doboj, twice to Brcko, once to Vinkovci in Croatia and one a day to Bos. Bijela. Rail infrastructure was heavily damaged in the recent conflict in Bosnia and Hercegovina in the 1990s and services (whilst starting to return to pre-war levels) are slow and often infrequent.
By Air
Tuzla has an airport [http://www.tuzla-airport.ba/] which at present does not have any scheduled flights.
See
Bosnia has beautiful countryside. The best place to travel is to Osman's old house. It is wonderful.
The first place to visit is the square at the center of the old town. This is the site of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuzla_massacre Tuzla Massacre],
where 72 young people were killed in 1995. Ask a local to translate the poem carved into the monument. Then walk over to the park where the 72 young people are buried. The old town is very nice and the park is very beautiful, and you will be extremely depressed.
You should also visit the Pannonica Lakes, whose water is directly supplied from the local wells of salt water. Tuzla's salt has been exploited for centuries and you should visit the Salt square dedicated to this aspect of Tuzla's history.
If you are interested in art, visit some of Tuzla's beautiful art galleries. If you are interested in history, you should see the model of ancient village set near the Pannonica.
Do
Buy
Locally produced wicker craft like baskets or furniture.
Eat
All the usual Bosnian dishes are available throughout the town, but international cuisine does not have a high presence.
A good place for eating is <eat name="Biblioteka 45" alt="" address="K. Krekovica 7" directions="" phone="+387-(035) 266362" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="10 euros"></eat>
Drink
The Old Town has numerous cafes and bars.
Sleep
You can choose between three hotels, Tuzla, Bristol and Dom Penzionera, and numerous pansions. Motel Rudar, across the street from the fire station is also a good choice for about 20? a night.
Get out
Buses run very regularly to Lukavac, about 20 minutes away. From here, a ten minute taxi takes you to Lake Modrac, a large lake with a few restaurants. Due to industrial pollution, however, it is not safe to swim in the lake.
A more promising destination is Lake Bisterac. Take a local (stopping) bus towards Lukavac, and get off just before the town. Up a hill lies a clean freshwater lake. There is a minimal entry charge, with a small extra charge for use of the slide into the lake. Stalls and a restaurant serve food.
Kladanj, about 90 minutes away by bus towards Sarajevo, is a small, attractive town with many little restaurants, and small ski-resort nearby.