Is the bus the main way to travel between towns?

Yes. Outside the Sarajevo–Mostar railway, intercity buses do most of the work, and long-distance coaches continue to neighbouring capitals such as Belgrade. Carry some cash, as tickets at smaller stations are often sold for cash only.

What do I need to know about driving in winter?

Use tyres marked M+S with the snowflake symbol and adequate tread, carry snow chains and fit them where signs require, and allow for conditions that can worsen quickly once you leave the main towns. BIHAMK roadside assistance is on 1282.

Why does the Dubrovnik coast road pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Because the country's short stretch of coastline, around Neum, sits between the Dubrovnik region and the rest of Croatia. The coast road crosses it, so drivers make two border crossings within a few kilometres — or avoid them by taking the Pelješac Bridge route on the Croatian side.

Getting around

Getting Around Bosnia and Herzegovina: Train, Bus and Car

Q: Is there a train between Sarajevo and Mostar?

Yes. The line follows the Neretva canyon between the Prenj and Čvrsnica mountains, and the journey takes roughly two to two and a half hours. Services are few each day, so check the current timetable before building a day around it.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a mountain country, and its transport follows from that. One rail journey stands out for travellers — Sarajevo to Mostar through the Neretva canyon — while buses and cars cover almost everything else, on roads that are good between the big towns and slower once they climb. The country sits outside the European Union and the Schengen area, so every arrival from a neighbour is a real border crossing.

Updated 2026-09-19

The Sarajevo–Mostar train through the Neretva canyon

The railway between Sarajevo and Mostar follows the Neretva for much of the way, through its canyon between the Prenj and Čvrsnica mountains, crossing viaducts and running through tunnels on the way down to Herzegovina. It is operated by the railway company of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the journey takes roughly two to two and a half hours, and there are only a few services a day, so the current timetable decides the plan rather than the other way round.

Buses for the rest of the country

Intercity buses are the everyday way to travel wherever no train fits the route, and they also cover the Sarajevo–Mostar road, in about two hours. Long-distance coaches also link Sarajevo with neighbouring capitals, Belgrade among them. Bus tickets at smaller stations are often sold for cash only, so carry convertible marks for the fare.

Driving: right-hand traffic, mountain roads and winter rules

Traffic drives on the right. Roads between the major cities are generally good, but mountain roads can be narrow and winding, and journey times on them are longer than the distance on a map suggests.

Winter changes the rules. Tyres should carry the M+S marking with a snowflake symbol and keep a minimum tread depth, snow chains should be carried and fitted wherever signs require them, and conditions outside the main towns can worsen quickly. The national automobile club, BIHAMK, runs roadside assistance on 1282.

Borders, the coast and the airport

Bosnia and Herzegovina shares land borders with Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, and because it is outside the EU and Schengen, every crossing means a passport or ID check on both sides. Make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit, because the stamps are how border police count a visitor's days. Which document gets you across depends on your nationality, under Bosnia and Herzegovina's entry rules.

The country's only stretch of sea coast is around Neum, which the Croatian coast road passes through on its way to Dubrovnik, so drivers heading along the Adriatic cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina and out again within a few kilometres, unless they take the Pelješac Bridge route on the Croatian side, which bypasses it. Most international flights arrive at Sarajevo International Airport, which makes the capital the natural start or end point of a route that begins or finishes on the Croatian coast.

This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.