Tips

One of the biggest surprises during our month in Bosnia and Herzegovina was just how good the food was. Before arriving, we knew very little about Bosnian cuisine, but it quickly became one of our favourite food destinations in the Balkans.

Traditional Bosnian food is hearty, filling and often centred around meat, slow-cooked stews and freshly baked bread. Meals are typically made from local and seasonal ingredients and generous portions are the norm. You’ll also notice influences from both the Ottoman Empire and neighbouring Balkan countries throughout the cuisine.

We also loved the café culture. Whether it was strong Bosnian coffee served with Turkish delight, a cold local beer or a glass of homemade rakija, food and drink seemed to play a central role in everyday life.

There are countless dishes worth trying, but these were some of our favourites from our month travelling around Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with where we enjoyed them most.

1. Ćevapi

Bosnia and Herzegovina is the land of ćevapi, and trying them is practically mandatory while visiting the country. These small grilled sausages are usually served inside soft flatbread with a generous helping of raw onions, although some places also offer ajvar or a yoghurt-based sauce.

During our month in Bosnia, we ate more ćevapi than we care to admit, and after plenty of research, we finally found our favourite. That honour goes to Haris in Travnik. In fact, several locals in Sarajevo told us that Haris in Travnik was the place to go for the best ćevapi in Bosnia, and after trying them ourselves, we completely agree. They were juicy, full of flavour and easily the best we had during our trip.

2. Mućkalica

Mućkalica is a rich meat stew cooked in a tomato-based sauce and one of our favourite dishes we tried in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While it originates from Serbia, you’ll find plenty of Serbian influences in the cuisine of Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in the Republika Srpska region.

The dish consists of tender pieces of meat cooked in a flavourful tomato-based sauce and is the perfect comfort food after a day of exploring.

The best version we had was in Sarajevo at a small restaurant with one very unusual feature for Bosnia: it was completely non-smoking (October 2018). The tiny kitchen at the back was constantly buzzing with activity as the cooks prepared everything from scratch.

The restaurant was popular with both locals and visitors, so we’d recommend booking a table in advance. The staff spoke excellent English and were incredibly welcoming. While the mućkalica was the highlight for us, the homemade bread crown and excellent steaks were also worth mentioning.

3. Bosanski Lonac

Bosanski Lonac quickly became Livia’s favourite dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This traditional slow-cooked stew is typically made with meat, cabbage, carrots, onions and other vegetables, all cooked together for hours until the flavours combine into something wonderfully rich and comforting.

The best version we tried was at Kod Asima in Jajce, located above the entrance to the old town (Update May 2026: we can’t find this restaurant on Google Maps anymore). The interior is a little dated and dark, but there is also a pleasant rooftop terrace if the weather is nice.

What made this Lonac so memorable was the texture. It was thick, rich and packed with flavour, unlike some of the thinner versions we encountered elsewhere. We ended up talking about this meal long after leaving Jajce.

One interesting thing we noticed during our travels was that Bosanski Lonac seemed much more common in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We don’t remember seeing it on menus during our time in Republika Srpska, although that may simply have been the places we visited.

4. Mix grill

Grilled meat is a huge part of Bosnian cuisine, and you’ll find mixed grill platters on menus all over the country. We ordered them more times than we can remember during our month in Bosnia, and rarely had a bad meal.

One of the best mixed grills we found was at Irma in Mostar‘s Old Town. Everything is cooked over a charcoal grill, and watching the chef work is almost as entertaining as the meal itself. At one point she was pulling meat from the flames with her bare hands before piling it onto enormous platters.

We ordered the mixed grill for two and were genuinely shocked when it arrived. For around 30 KM (October 2018), we received a mountain of grilled meat, vegetables, ajvar, bread, cream cheese and, of course, a generous helping of raw onions. It was a mountain of joy. If you visit Mostar, arrive hungry. We made the mistake of eating earlier in the day and quickly realised that was a rookie error.

5. Burek

Burek is one of the most popular snacks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and you’ll find it everywhere. Made from thin layers of pastry and filled with different ingredients, it’s the perfect quick meal whether you’re grabbing breakfast, lunch or a late-night snack.

Our favourite version was the traditional meat-filled burek, although you’ll also find varieties filled with cheese, spinach and potatoes. Most bakeries (pekara) sell fresh burek throughout the day, and many stay open late into the evening, making it one of the easiest foods to find when travelling around the country.

The best burek we had was in Travnik, but honestly, we don’t remember ever having a bad one. If you’re visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, eating burek at least once is practically a requirement. 

6. Bosnian Coffee

No visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina would be complete without trying Bosnian coffee. Strong, rich and traditionally served in a small copper pot alongside a cup and often a piece of Turkish delight, drinking coffee here is as much about the experience as the coffee itself.

We quickly fell in love with Bosnia’s café culture. No matter where we went, cafés were full of people chatting, reading the newspaper or simply watching the world go by. Unlike many countries where coffee is something you drink quickly before moving on, in Bosnia it is often something to be enjoyed slowly.

Some of our favourite coffee experiences came from the smaller towns. In Jajce, a café owner even brought us cushions to sit on while we enjoyed our coffee in the autumn sunshine. Moments like these became some of our favourite memories from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Whether you drink it with sugar, Turkish delight or a glass of water on the side, Bosnian coffee is a must-try experience while travelling through the country.

7. Biftek

While biftek isn’t a traditional Bosnian dish in the same way as ćevapi or burek, Bosnia and Herzegovina is known for its excellent meat, making a good steak well worth trying.

We didn’t order biftek too often, mainly because it was usually one of the more expensive items on the menu, but whenever we did, we were rarely disappointed. The quality of the meat was consistently excellent and portions were generous.

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.