Are you planning a Bosnia Road Trip? Bosnia and Hercegovina is the heart of the Balkans – the centre of the former Yugoslavia, and truly a place where east meets west.
With beautiful medieval towns, vibrant cities like Sarajevo and Mostar, rivers that have carved canyons through the stunning mountain scenery, Bosnia and Hercegovina is the perfect country for a road trip.
We spent six weeks travelling around Bosnia by campervan in the summer of 2025. We found it to be very affordable, with good infrastructure for tourists and especially road trippers.
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This Bosnia Travel Guide includes everything you need to start planning your own trip. We’ll share our favourite destinations, practical tips for getting around, and links to our detailed travel guides and adventure travel films. Whether you’re driving through the country as part of a longer European road trip or coming here for a local adventure, Bosnia will surprise you.
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Bosnia Road Trip Travel Guides
As we travelled through Bosnia and Hercegovina, we produced travel vlogs for our YouTube Channel, and written Travel Guides for this blog.
A brief history of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia’s culture has been shaped by it’s history, from Illyrians and Romans, to the Ottoman occupation from 1463 to the late 19th century. In 1878 Bosnia became part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the spark that ignited World War 1 was lit in Bosnia’s capital, Sarajevo.
In the 20th century, Bosnia was part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and then the Socialist Republic under Tito. During the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s Bosnia was the site of a bitter war between ethnic Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks.
This war saw the capital Sarajevo under siege for 1425 days, the longest siege in modern history. Sadly, it was during the Bosnian War that over 8000 men and boys were killed in the Srebrenica genocide.
But the people of Bosnia have come out of that horror time with their warmth, welcoming nature and kindness in tact. We found the locals to be friendly and kind, and we were often given gifts of food by people we met along the way.
A special note about the current political situation in Bosnia & Hercegovina
The Bosnian war was ended in 1995 with the signing of the Dayton Accords. Since then, Bosnia has been split into two administrative entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina and the Republic of Srpska. The majority population in the Federation is Bosniaks (mainly Muslim) and Croats (mainly Catholic). The population of Srpska is mainly ethnic Serbs (Serbian Orthodox religion).
Bosnia and Hercegovina has THREE presidents, who are elected from these ethnic groups (one each), for a period of four years. The presidents rule on an 8 month rotating basis.
While the war is long over, there are still tensions simmering below the surface, and as you travel around Bosnia you’ll see evidence – Srpska (and indeed Serbian) flags flying throughout the Republic, and road signs with either the Cyrillic or Latin letter crossed out (depending on which part of the country you are in).
Despite these tensions, which do hit the news from time to time, we didn’t notice any disturbances in the six weeks we were in the country (August – September 2025). We felt safe wherever we travelled.
How to get to Bosnia and Hercegovina
Bosnia and Hercegovina is a small (almost) land-locked country in the Balkans. It is bordered to the north and west by Croatia, the East by Serbia and the south by Montenegro.
By Air
Bosnia has four international airports. The main airport is just outside the capital of Sarajevo, and there are also international airports at Banja Luka, Tuzla and Mostar.
Be aware that taxis from Sarajevo airport are notorious for overcharging! Nigel was charged 50 KM (€25) to travel from the airport to Camping Sarajevo. I travelled from just outside the airport to the campsite for just 10 KM.
When my son Luke visited us in Sarajevo, I booked him a private driver named Muhamed who picked him up inside the terminal (at 11pm) and took him to his hotel in the centre of Sarajevo for €30. You can book Muhamed via WhatsApp (or Viber) on +387 644 338 510.
By Car
I (Sue) entered Bosnia from Montenegro near Durmitor National Park. I think this is one of the lesser visited border crossings, however, there is a single lane bridge in the No-Mans Land between the two border posts, and I was waiting on the Montenegro side for almost 2 hours.
Bosnia is not in the Schengen Zone so if you are crossing to and from Croatia, the wait may also be long.
We left Bosnia via a small border post to Serbia…
By Public Transport
There are currently no international trains coming into Bosnia and Hercegovina, but you can catch a bus from Croatia, Serbia or Montenegro (check Omio.com for timetables and to book).
Getting around Bosnia and Herzegovina
Driving around Bosnia and Herzegovina
We spent around a month on our Bosnia Road Trip, and admittedly we didn’t see all of the country. We focussed on the south, entering from Montenegro, visiting Sarajevo, driving north to Jajce before heading back down to Mostar. We then visted several medieval villages in the south and headed up to Serbia via Srebrenica.
The road conditions really varied. I (Sue) drove into Bosnia from Montenegro at the Hum border. The road along the Drina River was terrible! To the point I wondered if I had somehow strayed onto a local track.
And then, we drove on beautiful two lane motorways between Sarajevo and Travnik.
Tolls are charged on the motorways, depending on the distance driven.
Fuel
We found fuel to be very reasonably priced in Bosnia – at around 230 KM (€1.15) per litre for diesel.
Public Transport in Bosnia and Hercegovina
Buses run frequently between the main towns, and there are a couple of passenger train lines running. The most notable being the journey between Sarajevo and Mostar, which is said to be one of the most beautiful train journeys in Europe.
We caught local trains and trams in Sarajevo – the tickets were 2.20KM per ride and you will need cash for the ticket. On the train a conductor will come and sell you a ticket, and on the tram you pay the driver.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Road Trip Essential Information
Language
Bosnian is the official language here, which is very closely related to the other Slavic languages, Croatian, Serbian, Montenegrin and even Slovenian. In the Federation they use the Latin Alphabet, but in the Srpska they primarily use the Cyrillic Alphabet, though many signs will also be printed in Latin letters.
We found that English was quite widely spoken, especially amongst young people. German is also widely spoken, especially by middle aged and older people. Many people of our generation left Bosnia during the 90s and lived in Germany while the war was going on.
Currency
The official currency of Bosnia and Hercegovina is the Convertible Mark. You’ll find this written as either KM or BAM. The Bosnian Mark is pegged against the Euro at around 1.95.
You’ll find many prices listed in Euros (especially around Mostar and Blagaj, where people often come on a day tour from Dubrovnik in Croatia). Euros are accepted in many places and your change may be given in Euros or Marks.
The Bosnian Mark is a closed currency, meaning you can’t exchange it outside the country. We would recommend you arrive with some Euros in cash, and then withdraw Marks at an ATM.
However, be warned that the ATM will charge you a fee. We had been told that the Addiko Bank was fee free, but every time we withdrew money there we were charged 15 marks. We were also charged 15 marks withdrawing from Sparkasse ATM. The 15 marks is a flat fee, not dependent on how much you are withdrawing.
Credit and debit cards are generally accepted in larger supermarkets, some restaurants, and some museums. Taxis and public transport only accept cash.
Visa and Entry requirements
Bosnia and Hercegovina is NOT part of the Schengen Agreement. This makes the country very attractive for non-European passport holders looking to sit out their 90 days outside the Schengen Zone.
Australian, NZ, UK, USA and Canadian passport holders can stay in Bosnia for 90 days in a 180-day period. As always, check the Bosnian immigration regulations for your own entry requirements.
Phone and Internet
Mobile coverage is very good throughout Bosnia; the only time we lost service was in the mountains around Sutjeska National Park.
As Bosnia is not part of the EU, if you have a European (or UK) phone with European Roaming, it won’t be valid in Bosnia.
We use and recommend Holafly eSIMs which have unlimited data. Use this link and the code NIGELANDSUE for an exclusive discount.
FAQs
When is the best time to visit Bosnia and Hercegovina?
Summer is the busiest time, as other Europeans are on their long holidays. However, summers here are HOT. Most days are over 30 C (85F) and we found it to be quite humid.
Winters can be very cold, with snow in Sarajevo and of course the mountains. We visited Sarajevo and Mostar in March 2018 and although it was cold, there were way less tourists around.
We would recommend visiting Bosnia during late spring or early autumn. We can only imagine how beautiful the drives through the mountains would be as the leaves are changing.
Is it safe to travel in Bosnia?
While you may read news reports about political tensions in Bosnia and Hercegovina, we didn’t see any evidence of this and we felt safe travelling throughout the country.
I (Sue) spent a month alone in Sarajevo while Nigel was away at work, and caught the train into the city several times. In my experience, Bosnia is fine for solo female travellers.
While we were travelling throughout the country we did see warnings about landmine areas, (leftover from the war in the 1990s). If you are hiking or exploring be sure to stay on marked trails.
Interestingly, we noticed a lot of graffiti around Mostar for “Red Army Mostar 1981” – initially we thought this was a political statement, but later learned it was graffiti in support of the Mostar football club Velez!
How long do you need to visit Bosnia and Hercegovina?
We spent just over three weeks on our Bosnia Road Trip (and Sue spent an additional month in Sarajevo). We did just visit the south and east of the country.
We would suggest that 2-4 weeks is a good amount of time to explore and really get a feel for Bosnia. You’ll have time to explore the cities and small medieval villages and also get out into the countryside for hiking or river rafting.
What is the food like?
Like most of the Balkans, the Bosnians love their meat! The national dish is probably cevapi, small sausage shaped rissoles, served with flatbread and raw onions. Grilled meats and local trout fish are also popular. We did notice several fish pens in the rivers (especially around Blagaj) so the fish is likely farmed and not wild caught.
In every bakery (Pekara) you can get Burek – flaky pastry stuffed with meat. Sue loved the cheese version (Sirnice), and they also have spinach or potato versions too.
What is Bosnia like for vegetarians?
We were actually surprised to notice that fresh vegetables are not as readily available in Bosnia as in some other countries we’ve visited (like Albania). In fact, in some of the supermarkets the vegetable section was quite sad. We only saw broccoli once in the whole time we were here.
We figure that most of the fruit and vegetables is locally grown (and organic!) which is a good thing, but we definitely didn’t see the variety we are used to.
Many restaurants will serve a “vegetarian plate” – especially in Sarajevo or Mostar, which consists of grilled vegetables, cheese and rice. I did visit a vegan felafal café in Sarajevo which was very good.
Can you drink the water in Bosnia?
In many places the tap water is supposedly safe to drink, but you should check whether it’s town water or spring water “straight off the mountains”
Bottled water is readily available and inexpensive in the supermarkets.
Is Bosnia affordable for tourists?
Compared to Australia, the UK or Western Europe, Bosnia is definitely more affordable for tourists. However, if, like us, you’re coming from the southern Balkans, you will probably find Bosnia more expensive.
We found prices in Mostar to be the most expensive in the country, and we figure that is probably due to the large numbers of day-trippers coming from Dubrovnik.
Watch our Bosnia Travel Films
We loved our time in Bosnia, and we hope you’ll enjoy watching our travel films from this beautiful country. You can head over to YouTube to watch the full playlist.