Bosnia and Herzegovina: Traveling

Entry Requirements

Passport and Visa Service: Visa requirements overview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Diplomatic Representations: List of the diplomatic representations of Bosnia - Herzegovina

For visa requirements and health advices based on your personal details and itinerary, check IATA Travel Website.

Organizing Your Trip

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation: In cities it is the best option to take a taxi since there is no underground or similar efficient public transport (for foreigners) available.
Maps of Urban Networks

Airlines

Name	Type	Domestic Flights	International Flights
B&H Airlines	Low cost

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling By Yourself

Recommendation: Road and railway transportation through Bosnia and Herzegovina is slow since there is almost no highways yet and the roads and railway are meandering all the time. Due to slow and winding roads without good traffic signs one should consider also rather taking a taxi to go to another city than to drive on your own but negotiating for a price in advance is highly recommended.
Road Maps: Sarajevo map
Find an Itinerary: Via Michelin Route Planner

Visiting

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical: The majority of the most important historical monuments in Bosnia and Herzegovina is originating from the times of Ottoman's Empire. One of the major historical tourist attractions in this style is definitely Sarajevo's Old Town called Bascarsija. Another one is the 16th century dervish order monastery at Blagaj on the river Buna which is also submitted to the Tentative List of of UNESCO's World Heritage as a natural and architectural ensemble of Blagaj. One of more recent important historical events took place in the Bosnian city of Jajce in 1943 where all the interested parties met to set the foundation of the new 2nd Yugoslavia as a socialist and federal republic headed by the president Tito.
Cultural: At least three of the cultural treasures of Bosnia and Herzegovina are linked with rivers and bridges: two are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge in Visegrad and Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar. However, the most known cultural phenomenom in the world is probably the capital city of Sarajevo itself which is inscribed on the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage as a unique symbol of universal multiculture - continual open city. Sarajevo is also hosting the leading film festival in the Balkans (Sarajevo Film Festival) , founded in 1995 during the war siege of Sarajevo and bringing international celebrities every year since then (like twice-Oscar-awarded Kevin Spacey in 2008).
Nature: Hiking and walking through the highlands .
One of the Bosnia and Herzegovina oldest parks is Sutjeska . This park is home to Bosnia's highest peak (Maglic Mt. 2,386 m).
Some of other sites of natural beauty are also submitted to the Tentative List of UNESCO's World Heritage: The natural and architectural ensemble of Blidinje, and The natural monument Vjetrenica cave with architectural ensamble of village Zavala (heavily damaged by the war in 1991).
Religious: Even though it is officially still not recognized by the Pope, millions of Catholics visit the tiny village of Medjugorje where Mother Mary in 1981 appeared and spoke to six teenagers.
Thermal: Bosnia and Herzegovina is blessed with a great abundance of crystal clear mountain rivers and with high quality thermal springs as well.
Beach: Bosnia and Herzegovina has an only 22 km long coastline along the Adriatic sea. Tourism has returned to this place and scuba-diving, parasailing, boating and jet skiing can all readily be arranged in any of the major hotels. It is cheaper than in Croatia. During the season, it is wise to book in advance.
Winter Sports: In 1984 the Winter Olympic Games were held in Sarajevo and all the slopes are still there. Ski lifts and other infrastructure were renovated after damages in the civil war in the 1990s so that the nearby Olympic mountain of Bjelasnica offers now by far the most challenging ski trails in the country as well as the mount of Jahorina has made a great comeback as southeast Europe's best ski resort.
Outdoor Activities: Walking/hiking, whitewater rafting and kayaking, skiing, fishing and hunting, mountain biking, paragliding.

Top Highlights in the Main Cities
Bascarsija - The Old Town
The Old Town Hall of Sarajevo
Latin Bridge or "Princip Bridge" over the river Miljacka
Svrzo's House - an authentic Bosnian house built during the Ottoman period in 18th century
Skenderija - sports and cultural centre with a shopping mall
Gazi Husrev-beg's Mosque
Orthodox church
Jesus Heart catholic Cathedral
Synagogue
Spring of the river Bosnia (Vrelo Bosne, in local language)

Top Highlights of the Country
Sarajevo
Mostar - The old bridge is perhaps the finest example of Ottoman ingenuity and Dalmatian masonry in the western Balkans
Travnik - the native town of Nobel literature winner Ivo Andric and the capital city of the governors of Bosnia from 1686 to 1850
Sutjeska - the oldest national park in Bosnia, famous not only by the park, river and village of the same name but also by the WWII battle and film (of the battle)
Humac Franciscan Monastery - The oldest museum in Bosnia at the town of Ljubuski - and nearby Kravica waterfalls
Jajce - the last Bosnian fortress to fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1528 and the place of the foundation of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1943
Rafting in the canyons of rivers Neretva, Drina, Una, Pliva ...
Mountaineering
Medjugorje pilgrimage
Skiing and Snowboarding on the Olympic slopes
Hunting and fishing

Tourism Organizations: Tourism Community of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Internet guide to Bosnia and Herzegovina for tourism promotion

Living Conditions

Health and Safety

Health Precautions: No specific vaccination is required.

Emergency Numbers

Emergency-Ambulance	124
Police	122
Fire department	123
Emergency-natural and other disasters	121
Road assistance in Muslim-Croat Federation	1282
Road assistance in Republic of Srpska	1285

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference: It is %T:%M %A In Sarajevo (GMT+1 in winter and GMT+2 in summer)
Summer Time Period: Last Sunday of March – Last Sunday of October

Map of the Time Zone

Fuseau(x) horaire

Type of Climate: Dominated by mountainous and hilly terrain, and drained by major rivers to the north (Sava) and east (Drina), Bosnia and Herzegovina has a climate that is very variable, with moderate continental climatic conditions generally the norm (very cold winters and hot summers).
The best time to visit is May-October, as it's warmest and driest then. A sweater will be needed in the evenings, even in summer. The weather in Bosnia resembles that of the southern Austrian highlands—generally mild, though apt to be bitterly cold in winter.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's climate is different for each province: Herzegovina and the southern area has a modified Mediterranean climate with an average annual precipitation of 600 to 800 mm while the central and northern area of Bosnia has a modified Pannonian or Alpine climate with an average annual precipitation of 1,500 to 2,500 mm. Average temperature ranges in Sarajevo are from -0.5 degrees Celsius in January to 19.6 degrees Celsius in July.
For Further Information: List of weather conditions and forecasts for major cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Weather Underground global weather portal
Weather and Climate Agency of the Muslim-Croat Federation of the Bosnia and Herzegovina

Average Annual Temperatures and Rainfall

Climate

Eating

Food Specialties: Even though there is a lot of meat in Bosnian dishes, they are fully natural with vegetables, fruits and milk products, such as spinach, tomatoes, courgettes, dried beans, fresh beans, onions, carrots, peppers, plums, milk and cream. Bosnian cuisine is a very little spiced or not at all cuisine, there are no special sauces that come with the dishes. Bosnian cuisine shares things like pita bread, feta cheese, and the use of flaky phyllo dough with its neighbors around the Mediterranean. When travelling across the country, you should definitely try the following: cevapcici, Bosanski lonac (Bosnian Pot), and the whole range of sweets: baklava, tufahija. Bosnian cuisine also has kebabs and sarma, which sound exactly like Greek dolmades wrapped in grape leaves.
The best wines come from the Herzegovina part of the country.
Drinks: Coffee drinking is a favourite Bosnian pastime and part of the culture one should definitely try. There are good local beers (try Sarajevsko pivo) and wines to accompany meals. In simple straight Muslim restaurants it is difficult to get an alcoholic drink which is not at all the case in upper class restaurants or bars - also Muslims can be quite flexible in this respect.
Dietary Restrictions: In Muslim restaurants you will not be able to get pork meat while on the other side, pork meat can be also heavily advertised in front of Srbian restaurants showing not only a culinary orientation but also the ethnic and religion one.

Paying

Domestic Currency: Bosnian Mark
ISO Code: BAM
To Obtain Domestic Currency: The easiest way to get the national currency is at ATMs. Their number is increasing. Otherwise foreign currency can be changed at the banks or in hotels but in many cases Euros are also accepted .
Possible Means of Payment: Bosnia and Herzegovina is generally a "cash-only" economy and traveller's cheques are exchanged only at banks. The Euro and US Dollar are the preferred foreign currencies and Euro banknotes or coins are also widely accepted.

Speaking

Official Language: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian
Other Languages Spoken: Romani (Vlax) is a language of Bosnian gypses.
Business Language: English
Getting Some Knowledge: Languages spoken in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian - are all Slavic, almost the same and mutual understandable. However, each ethnicity takes pride in speaking its own language. Therefore it is advisable to know your busines partner's ethnicity, religion and language. But when necessary in a conversation, it is most practical to refer to the language as "the local language". To learn Bosnian, explore the following link here. To learn Serbian, explore the following link here. To learn Croatian, explore the following link here.
Free Translation Tools: Ectaco : Online dictionary and basic translations
Korlex : Online Bosnian-English and English-Bosnian dictionary
Lexicool.com : A list of Bosnian online dictionaries

Useful Resources

To Find an Apartment: Prostor real estate agency
To Find a Job: Posao.ba is leading website for employment
Profil Group is a consultancy company for executive search and selection services in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Srbia and Macedonia
PosaoMarket.net is a job portal for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro.

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