General Information

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country which lies in a central part of South East Europe. The capital is Sarajevo. It borders with Monte Negro, Croatia and Serbia. Considering its administrative structure the country is divided into two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska. The entity Federation consists of 10 Cantons and the entity Republic of Srpska is administratively divided into regions and municipalities. The territory of the town called Brčko is a separate district under the authority of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The currency in BiH is Konvertibilna marka (the common abbreviation is KM, but the International Banking Code is BAM). The currency is fixed with the exchange rate 1,95 KM for 1 EURO. On some places EURO is accepted (except for EURO and EURO Cents coins which are not accepted).

Travel

The easiest way to arrive to BiH would be to travel directly to the capital. The capital Sarajevo is easily accessible by air, bus, or train from any major European destination. The airport is only 20 minutes away from the city centre with regular flights to many European capitals.

Mostar is based in southern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. It has its airport, train station and two bus stations. Mostar is well connected with Sarajevo via daily bus lines but also train, twice a day. Small Mostar airport is generally little used for international flights (direct flights are organized only for Istanbul, Stuttgart and Zagreb) so it is better to plan landing on Sarajevo International airport or one of the two neighbouring airports in Republic of Croatia Dubrovnik and Split.

By train:

Coming to Sarajevo by train can last a little longer than using another kind of transportation, but on the other hand is quite comfortable. Unfortunately there are only three routes leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina, and only one passing through Mostar.

• Sarajevo – Zenica - Banja Luka - Zagreb route leaves Sarajevo for Zagreb twice a day at 10.27 and 21.20 and leaves Zagreb for Sarajevo at 08.57 and 20.49, every day. The ride usually lasts for 9 hours. One-way trip costs 52.60 KM and double 74 KM.
• Route to Budapest goes via Tuzla. The train leaves Sarajevo at 07.14 and leaves to Sarajevo at 09.30 every day. The ride lasts for 12 hours. One-way trip costs 97,20 and double 98,40 KM.
• Route towards the Adriatic coast is Sarajevo - Ploče and passes through Konjic, Jablanica, Mostar and Čapljina. Train leaves Sarajevo everyday at 6.45, 18.18, Ploče for Sarajevo at 06.05 and 17.00. Tickets for oneway trip costs 21,90 and for double 35 KM.

By plane:

If you decide to come by plain there are two optional airports you can use. One is the Sarajevo airport, located at the base of Mount Igman.

The airport is 12 km from the capital centre. There are no shuttle buses to and from the airport. Instead you can use taxis which will take you to town for around 20 KM. In the cold months, early-morning flights may be delayed or cancelled as the area is sometimes covered in fog.

There are daily direct flights to Munich, Budapest, Vienna, Zagreb, Belgrade, Ljubljana, Istanbul and Ancona. And less then daily to Skopje, Frankfurt, London, Köln, Mostar, Banja Luka and Zurich. It is evident that with these flights Sarajevo is indirectly connected to other airports in Europe and wider. If you are headed to Mostar you can rent a car after landing, or have a taxi to take you to the bus or railway station.

The second optional airport is Airport Mostar. Unfortunately small Mostar airport is not used enough for international flights (direct flights are organized only for Istanbul, Stuttgart and Zagreb) so it is better to plan landing on Sarajevo International airport or one of the two neighbouring airports in Republic of Croatia Dubrovnik and Split.

By car:

Road conditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina have improved in the past year making driving throughout BiH safer. Considering BiH mountainous landscape it is needless to mention that motorways are quite curvy. On the other hand you will find yourself enjoying wonderful landscape while driving through many Bosnian roads. Gas stations are often located at the road, as well as restaurants. Please do not forget that you should always have a road map with you, since in some areas road signs can be very rare, confusing or written in Cyrillic. In the winter period, snow chains are proscribed by law.

By bus:

The bus system of Bosnia and Herzegovina functions well. There is a wide range of bus companies driving to many locations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are daily bus routes from Croatia and Serbia. At the smaller stations, you can pay when you get on the bus. At the main bus stations, you need to buy your ticket at the ticket booth. Usually there is an extra charge of 1 to 3 KM for each bigger bag you carry with you. Bus stations do not have lockers or temporary luggage storage places.

Visas information

On its way to European integrations, Bosnia and Herzegovina is obliged to harmonize its visa policy with EU members. This means that so the list of visa regime countries is very similar to EU countries with few exceptions. For detailed information about visa regime policy please visit official web site of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.