Eastern Europe - Travel To Bosnia Herzegovina

 

Once known for tragic reasons, Bosnia and Hercegovina now features in travel plans as people realise what this country has to offer: age-old cultures, stunning mountain landscapes, access to the great outdoors and a sense of adventure. This most easterly point of the West and the most westerly point of the East bears the imprint of two great empires. Five hundred years of domination, first by the Turks and then briefly by the Austria-Hungarians, have inexorably influenced the culture and architecture of this land.

In Sarajevo, minarets, onion-shaped domes and campaniles jostle for the sky in a town where Muslims, Jews, Orthodox Christians and Catholics once lived in harmony. Alluring Baščaršija is a jumble of cobbled laneways spanning centuries of activity. Here workshops for ancient crafts are mixed in with cafés, souvenir shops, and trendy bars. There’s also plenty to lure visitors away from the capital. Mostar’s Old Bridge has been rebuilt and daring young men now plunge from its heights to amuse the tourists. Small Jajce delights with its medieval citadel and waterfall while Međugorje attracts thousands to its Virgin Mary apparition site.

Most likely it’ll be in adventure sports where Bosnia and Hercegovina will make its name. Already its major rivers are rafted and kayaked and its mountains are skied, climbed and hiked over, and as more out-of-the-way areas are made safe this country could easily become the year-round adventure centre of Eastern Europe.

Best time to find the cheapest flights to Bosnia

Bosnia and Hercegovina has a mix of Mediterranean and central European climates: it gets hot in summer but quite chilly in winter, especially at elevations where snowfall can last until April.

The best time to visit is from May to September; skiers should come between December and February. Sarajevo temperatures range from minus 2°C in winter up to 27°C in July and August. Temperatures in the south will be several degrees warmer.

Navigating Bosnia

Bosnia and Hercegovina’s bus network is comprehensive and reliable, although some buses verge on the decrepit. Some services between distant towns may be limited. As in other matters, the Federation and RS run separate services. Stowing luggage usually costs up to 2KM per item, depending on the route. Buses usually run on time, although they are slow due to winding roads and occasional stops for drivers and passengers to eat and smoke.
Narrow roads, hills and bends in the countryside slow down car driving and make for challenging motorcycling. Some drivers believe they’re immortal and drive like maniacs, overtaking on sharp curves, but vigilant roadside police with speed cameras often catch them.
Only adventurous foreigners cycle out into the countryside, where the roads can be very hilly. Do not venture off established concrete or asphalt surfaces because of the risk of mines. There is a core of cyclists in Sarajevo but, again, they tend to be foreigners.

Facts about Bosnia

For some, the name Bosnia & Herzegovina remains synonymous with the Yugoslav wars that ravaged the Balkan region in the 1990s. The country still bears the legacy of this, having a fractured infrastructure and a countryside that remains littered with mines in some regions.

Lush landscape
It's easy for even the casual visitor to quickly move beyond this prejudiced viewpoint and to appreciate the country's undeniable charms, most notably its lush, mountainous landscape, best seen from the vantage point of one of the national parks. There are plenty of positives to take from Bosnia & Herzegovina's urban centres too, especially the cosmopolitan capital of Sarajevo with its Turkish heritage and lively cafe scene.

Fortresses, mosques and monasteries
Elsewhere there are historic fortresses, splendid old mosques, monasteries and Catholic shrines to enjoy. But perhaps above all else, it is the reconstructed Ottoman bridge at Mostar that symbolises both the past and a positive new beginning for the country.

Bosnia & Hercegovina Airports

Bosnia and Hercegovina’s main airport is located at Sarajevo, with others at Mostar and Banja Luka.

Visa/Passport requirements

Following a decision by Bosnia and Hercegovina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in December 2008, the list of nationalities that don't need a visa to enter the country for a stay of up to 90 days has increased considerably. The full list can be found on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website.

Citizens of countries not on this list must apply for a visa; forms can be obtained from Bosnia and Hercegovina consular offices. An application for a private-visit visa must be accompanied by a letter of invitation from a citizen of the country, while a tourist-visa application must be accompanied by a voucher from the tourist agency organising the visit.

The cost of a single entry visa is €31

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