Planning & Information – Bosnia & Herzegovina

Where: Sarajevo, Jajce, Travnik, Mostar, Blagaj, Počitelj, Međugorje, Kravica waterfalls, Koćuša Waterfalls
Transport: Airlines, Car
Who: One backpacker
Currency: Bosnian Mark (BAM)
 

Orientation
This itinerary takes you through some of the best places around mid and south Bosnia & Herzegovina for five days, but if you have a few days more then include some of the other wonders of the country as well, especially other towns like Višegrad, Trebinje and Banja Luka.

Visa
Make sure to check if you need a visa to travel to Bosnia & Herzegovina. We did not require to get a visa prior to our trip, so it was a breeze going through the immigration at Sarajevo airport.
 

Here are some tips that I experienced on my trip to Bosnia & Herzegovina:

• Cash or cards – Credit cards are not widely used in Bosnia & Herzegovina but ATMs and currency exchange centers are located almost everywhere in the big cities. Most restaurants, cafes, tourist sites will expect cash, and the option to use credit cards might not be available.
• Transportation – Taxis are not expensive and Uber is not available. Public buses run across the country and driving is also great in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
   

  Sarajevo airport to city center (and back) Centrotrans Eurolines airport buses are running every hour during the day, and less often at night. Most of the departures of buses are aligned with the arriving flights at Sarajevo airport. The bus travel time from Sarajevo airport to Sarajevo city center is around 30 minutes. Just leave the arrivals area of the airport, and walk straight across beyond the parking lot to the bus stop (look for yellow sign saying “Bus” marked on the road itself; or ask anyone). One way fare costs BAM 5 ($2.50) for a single ticket and BAM 8 ($4) for a return ticket. You must buy the tickets on the bus with cash in their local currency. There are exchange offices in the airport and ATMs available. The route from Sarajevo Airport is – Airport – Kurta Schorka – Aleja Bosne Srebrene – Dr. Silve Rizvanbegovic – Avaz – Nedzarici – Alipasino Polje – RTV dom – Alipasin Most – Otoka – Cengic Vila – D.Malta – Socijalno – Pofalici – UNI Campus – Muzeji – Marijin Dvor, Skenderija – Posta (Post Office) – Drvenija – Latinska Cuprija (Latin Bridge) – Vijecnica (City Hall) – Bentbasa. Public Buses from Sarajevo Airport to city center Trolleybus 103 The buses are running every 5-10 minutes from the district of Dobrinja going to Austrijski Trg (Austria Square) in Sarajevo city center. To reach to the bus stop in Dobrinja you will have to walk 10 minutes from the terminal to this location (43.829740025382094, 18.340802650996494) from where you can catch the bus. The bus travel time is around 30 minutes and the bus fare is BAM 1.80 payable in cash and local currency only. Bus from Sarajevo city center to Sarajevo Airport Trolleybus 103 The buses are running every 5-10 minutes from Austrijski Trg (Austria Square) in Sarajevo city center to the district of Dobrinja. To reach to the airport, you will have to get down at the bus stop in Dobrinja (ask the bus driver where to get down) and walk 10 minutes from the terminal to this location. The bus travel time is around 30 minutes and the bus fare is BAM 1.80 payable in cash and local currency only.

   

  Driving in Bosnia & Herzegovina With a great network of highways and paved roads in the country, driving in Bosnia & Herzegovina is a breeze. Other than the main A1 highway, all other highways are two lanes (single lane on each side) with a speed limit of 80 kmph max. The main highway A1 is a toll-highway so depending on your entry and exit points your toll amount will differ. The speed limit on main A1 highway is 130 kmph. Passing (overtaking) is common on highways with clear markings of go and no-go zones. The traffic across the main A1 highway was pretty empty, but the other highways (especially Sarajevo-Mostar connection) is heavy with cars, with a few trucks passing through.

   

• Water – Tap water is safe to drink. One liter bottle of water from a local market will cost BAM 3 (approx $1.55).
• Wi-fi – Available in most hotels and cafes in cities.

SIM Card in Bosnia & Herzegovina Company: The tourist SIM card from BH Telecom is available all across the country (at least on our trip). You do not need to show any ID to get a SIM card; just walk to the store, pay the money and get the SIM card. Cost: There are two types of cards: BAM 20 for 15GB, and BAM 40 for 30GB; including 100 local calls. Where to get: You can get BH Telecom SIM card at any market store or any place across Bosnia. You can also get at the BH Telecom kiosk at Sarajevo airport. Upon exiting the secure area, turn right (at the arrivals hall) and you will find the ‘shop’ on your right side. Activation: The SIM card is activated as soon as you put it in your phone. The SIM card comes locked and the PIN number is mentioned on the package, but is usually 0000. We were told by the staff at the airport kiosk that Android users do not need to add any extra APN settings (please make sure to confirm with the staff person at the store), but for iOS users you need to add these APN settings: 1. Select Settings > Cellular. 2. For iOS devices with eSIM and physical SIM, Select your Cellular plan (usually Primary is the eSIM you’re already using, and Secondary will be the physical BH SIM. But if you’re replacing your existing SIM with the BH SIM, then you can skip this step). 3. Select Cellular Data Network. 4. Set your APN settings to: Cellular Data > APN: active.bhmobile.ba (Leave the username and password blank). If you have any updates, please leave in the comments below.

I booked hotels before traveling to Bosnia & Herzegovina. These were booked after reviewing them on Google, TripAdvisor, booking.com and WikiTravel.

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = BAM 1.90 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult.