Getting There
Bosnia and Herzegovina is easily accessible by air, road or train. Major airport in Sarajevo is only 20 minutes away from the city centre and has direct flights to many European capitals and thus indirect flights to everywhere else. Many local and international bus lines depart from the centre of town. The train schedule is less extensive, but does offer a few really good trips in comfortable trains at very modest prices.
Travel by air
In June 2006, Bosnia and Herzegovina was awarded control of its airspace for the first time in more than a decade. There are airports at Sarajevo, Mostar and Banja Luka but commercial service is limited to Sarajevo and Mostar.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is well connected to European cities with flights to Sarajevo. Adria Airlines, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, Croatia Airlines CSA Czech Airlines, JAT, Lufthansa, Malev and Turkish Airlines are among the major airlines flying into Sarajevo . British Airways will commence flights to Sarajevo from London Gatwick in March 2007.
Croatia Airlines flies to Mostar, via Zagreb. National airline BH Airlines has direct flights to Cologne/Bonn, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Stuttgart, Zagreb and Zurich. Southern part of the country, Herzegovina is easily accessible from Split in Croatia served by flights from the UK by British Airways, Croatia Airlines, easyJet and Wizz Air.
Sarajevo International Airport is located 12km to the south-west of Sarajevo city centre in the district of Dobrinja. It has both a passenger and a cargo terminal. There is an information desk in the entry hall, tel. +387 (0)33 289 100. Severe weather conditions in Sarajevo can cause serious disruption to schedule services during the winter months. The airport offers services that would be expected - taxis into the city, shops and other amenities. There are no shuttle buses or bus routes into the city centre. Some hotels offer airport pick-up and drop-off for a charge. Otherwise, there is a taxi rank in front of the terminal. Prices are set by the individual taxi companies. There are supplements for night-time journeys (2200 – 0500) as well as for journeys on Sundays and public holidays. For more info check www.sarajevotaxi.com.ba, tel: (033) 230 666, (033) 230 970. Car rental company Sixt has a desk at the airport.
Travel by road
Bosnia and Herzegovina can be entered by road from road borders in Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. A standard EU licence is required alongside an International Driving Permit, and third party insurance must be purchased for the duration of the stay in the country. Border crossing points contain insurance brokers making the process simpler. You don't need this insurance if you have a Green Card that covers Bosnia and Herzegovina. Car hire is available, although the locals aren't the world's most cautious drivers. There are few dual carriageways, but the main roads are satisfactory. Link roads are poorly maintained and usually in bad condition. Due to the mountainous nature of BiH, it is advisable to allow plenty of time for journeys. Construction of the Pan-European Corridor Vc Motorway, Budapest - Osijek - Sarajevo - Ploce, is one of the most significant infrastructure projects for the country. Apart from a needed access to the port of Ploce , the project will connect Bosnia and Herzegovina to main European traffic network and benefit regional economy.
Regular coach services are operating from and within the country. Centrotrans is a Eurolines member and runs regular buses from many European destinations to Sarajevo, including London. Bus schedules, on-line reservations and main European office addresses can be found on the website.
Local bus system functions well. Centrotrans and a range of smaller bus companies have reliable bus routes to and from all towns and many villages. Every city and town has a bus station with the daily departure and arrival times posted in local language on the station's wall. Bus travel is reasonably priced and a one-way ticket to the furthest in-country destination from Sarajevo will not cost more than 30 KM. At the smaller stations, you can buy ticket on the bus, whereas at the main bus stations you are meant to buy ticket at the ticket booth, but can normally get it on the bus as well. Usually there is an extra charge of 1 or 2 KM for each sizeable bag you carry with you.
Travel by rail
The railway system was badly damaged during the war but restoration is underway. Rail services now link Sarajevo, Mostar, Doboj and Banja Luka to Zagreb, Belgrade, Budapest, Ljubljana and Ploce. However, services are slow - the Sarajevo-Zagreb journey takes around nine hours. Train schedule can be found on Croatian Railways website.
There are now only three routes that originate in Sarajevo: the Sarajevo-Zenica-Banja Luka-Zagreb route takes about ten hours from start to finish, the northern route to Budapest goes via Tuzla and the southern route towards the Adriatic coast is Konjic-Jablanica-Mostar-Capljina-Ploce ( Croatia ). This last route goes through the Neretva Canyon and is particularly scenic. Even on these three routes, trains do not go quite as frequently as the buses do.