Bosnia and Hercegovina might be the most difficult place we travelled through in Europe. Just because it is very different from our cultures being Swedish and British. It took us a little bit of time to understand certain things and to not misinterpret situations. BUT both of us absolutely fell in love with this beautiful country. So here is our little with survival guide for Bosnia-Hercegovina so you don’t have to go through the same rough beginning as we did.
Is Bosnia safe to travel in?
We were asked many times whether Bosnia and Herzegovina was safe to visit, often by people who still associated the country with its past. In reality, we felt very safe throughout our trip and never experienced any problems.
The people we met were incredibly friendly, welcoming and helpful, and Bosnia ended up feeling far calmer and more relaxed than many people seem to expect. Like anywhere, it’s always good to use normal common sense while travelling, but overall we found Bosnia and Herzegovina to be a safe and rewarding country to explore.
People might seem hard at first
This was probably the biggest issues for me in the beginning. People looked very hard, and didn’t smile and was very short with us. But we quickly realised that you just need to give them a moment to warm up to you and then you will meet the friendliest people and be welcomed with open arms.
Language
English is not widely spoken (except for Mostar and Sarajevo), but people will be more than happy to speak with you anyway, in Bosnian. They will also help you even if they can’t express themselves in English. Most people do speak German, especially in the north and central parts of Bosnia. We don’t speak German, but if you do it will make your travels easier. Make sure to try to learn a few phrases in Bosnian as this will be very positively received and people will warm up to you quicker, even if it’s just a Dobar dan (Hello) and Hvala (Thank you).
Food
We found the food in Bosnia-Hercegovina amazing. However, we did not eat many vegetables during our month there. We took vitamin supplement in Bosnia as we ate so few vegetables. The food is also very meat heavy so if you’re a vegetarian you might have issues. Especially outside big cities. Mostar was the only place we saw advertising vegetarian food. Food is also seasonal, so if you visit during spring or summer there may be more vegetables, but as we visited in October we didn’t see a lot of fresh vegetables.
Ask the locals for the best food
Ask local people about recommendations for restaurants. There’s not a lot on the internet and the locals always knows best.
Bakeries
For the cheapest lunch, go to any bakery and get a burek. Bakeries are also open late, so you can always get one.
How to travel around Bosnia
Bus is king in Bosnia-Hercegovina. So if you’re going from A to B take the bus. It’s super easy and cheap. We loved going by bus in Bosnia, it was just an amazing experience. If there is no bus to where you’re going you can get a car, it was affordable compared to western Europe. Prices start at 1.80km + 1km per km (2018). If traveling long distances you can make a deal.
Bus schedules and tickets
Don’t try to check bus schedules online. They will most likely not exist and if they do, they might be old. Just head to the bus station or call them to get the times. We always made sure to take a photo of the timetable when we arrived to a bus station. We never bought a bus ticket in advance, the only time we tried they told us to come back just half an hour before the bus is supposed to depart. But if you really want to make sure you get on that bus, buy them the day before.
How expensive is Bosnia-Hercegovina?
Prices are in general much cheaper to western Europe and neighbouring country Croatia and Montenegro. You can always judge prices of a place by checking the price of cevapi and coffee, the cheapest cevapi we had was 4.50km and about 7km in Sarajevo and Mostar. Coffee (espresso) should be maximum 2km – but we usually paid 1 (October 2018).
We found Mostar and Sarajevo more expensive than the rest of the country, probably because Mostar is a popular tourist destination, and Sarajevo being the capital. The cheapest areas we visited was for north and central Bosnia.
Get a Bosnian simcard
As Bosnia-Hercegovina is not part of EU, we got a Bosnian simcard when we arrived. Just head to one of the small kiosks in the city you’re in and they will most likely help you set it up, try to go to one where they speak English. It was also very affordable so it won’t burst your budget, we paid 3.5KM for 1GB data (in 2018) for a week and free calls and texts within Bosnia. If you’re traveling through the country or to different areas, make sure to get a sim card that will work in the entire country, we used M Tel and never had any issues.
Alcohol
Alcohol is very cheap in Bosnia-Hercegovina (especially compared to Sweden and UK) and the drinking culture is big. Beers and Soft drinks are usually the same price, or sometimes beer is even cheaper. You will find people drinking early mornings and on their lunch breaks, especially in smaller places. There is also a big Rakija (local homemade spirits) culture, and everywhere we stayed there was a bottle of Rakija waiting for us, or we were welcomed with a shot – even if we arrived at 10am.
Ask for tap water
If you don’t ask for tap water they will bring bottled water. However tap water is always free and safe to drink. Better for the planet and your wallet.
Ask people for help
If you have any issues, just ask someone around you. We found people being super helpful and wanting to give us the best experience possible in their country.
Make sure to head out to nature
Bosnia-Hercegovina has some of the most beautiful nature. It also feels very untouched and diverse, with mountains, forests, lakes, rivers etc. We headed out to a small village by Pliva river, which was just beautiful.
Be prepared for staring
Bosnia-Hercegovina doesn’t see many tourists, except for Mostar and maybe Sarajevo. So people will stare a bit at you. Some will also come up to you and ask where you’re from and why you’re here etc. But it’s all in a very nice way. We never felt uncomfortable.