Trip Planning
The TakeYourBackpack guidebooks are your all-in-one travel companion, featuring the best cities, national parks, hikes, beaches, and unique sites, along with essential tips on when to go, how to get around, exchanging money, and even local phrases to get you started — everything you need for a smooth, unforgettable backpacking adventure.
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Planning a backpacking route through Bosnia and Herzegovina can be tricky — you need to balance must-see places, travel times, budget, and how long to stay in each destination. Our free personalized Bosnia and Herzegovina itinerary planner creates a route based on your travel style, trip duration, and interests, so you can spend less time researching and more time exploring.
Personal tip: I normally search on good rating for atmosphere (for meeting people) and location (for easy exploring). Cleanliness as a bonus.
Travel Essentials
No vaccinations are required to enter Bosnia and Herzegovina, but make sure your routine shots (MMR, tetanus-diphtheria, polio) are up to date. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are commonly recommended for travelers. If you plan to spend a lot of time hiking or camping in forested mountains from spring to autumn, consider the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine. Rabies vaccination is worth considering for long trips or if you will be around animals in remote areas.
vaccination requirementsWhen I first started traveling, I often spent part of my first day in a new country hunting for a local SIM card. While this can still be slightly cheaper, it also takes time and planning.
These days, it's much simpler to install an eSIM before leaving home. Once you arrive in Bosnia and Herzegovina, you can activate it immediately and have mobile data from the moment you land — which is especially useful for ordering transport or navigating away from busy airports.
There are many providers nowadays, and price differences are usually small. I personally go with
Holafly, as it offers excellent network coverage throughout the country and strong global coverage, so you can manage multiple countries from a single app.
HolaFly eSimCulture & Customs
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, coffee is a social ritual: if someone invites you for a Bosnian coffee, accept and take your time, because rushing it is considered rude. Take off your shoes when entering someone’s home, and bring a small gift such as sweets if you are invited for a meal. Cover your shoulders and knees when visiting mosques, churches and monasteries, remove your shoes inside mosques, and women should cover their hair in mosques. Avoid bringing up the 1990s war, ethnic divisions or politics unless your host starts the conversation, and never label people by ethnicity or assume everyone shares the same views. During Ramadan, be discreet about eating, drinking and smoking in public in Muslim-majority areas. Same-sex couples should be cautious with public affection, especially outside Sarajevo.
Trying traditional food is always a great way to experience the culture. Here are some must-try dishes for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Ćevapi: Small grilled minced-meat sausages served in a fluffy somun flatbread with raw onion and kajmak (a clotted cream). They are the country’s signature street food, and Sarajevo’s ćevabdžinicas argue endlessly over who makes them best.
- Burek and pita: Flaky coiled phyllo pastry baked in round pans. In Bosnia, “burek” means the meat version only, while the others are pita: sirnica (cheese), zeljanica (spinach) and krompiruša (potato). It is the standard breakfast, and the bakeries open early.
- Begova čorba: “Bey’s soup” is a thick, creamy chicken and okra soup from Ottoman times, once served to the nobility. Today it is a classic starter in traditional restaurants.
- Bosanski lonac: A slow-cooked stew of layered meat, cabbage, potatoes and vegetables, traditionally made in a clay pot. This is hearty home cooking, especially loved in winter.
- Sarma and dolma: Cabbage leaves (sarma) or peppers and onions (dolma) stuffed with minced meat and rice, then simmered slowly. They are a staple at family gatherings and Bajram feasts.
- Klepe: Small meat-filled dumplings topped with garlic yogurt and paprika butter, a cousin of Turkish mantı. You will find them in old-town eateries in Sarajevo.
- Tufahija: A whole apple poached in sugar syrup, stuffed with walnuts and topped with whipped cream. This Ottoman-era dessert is usually eaten with a Bosnian coffee.
Tap water in Bosnia and Herzegovina is generally safe to drink in Sarajevo, Mostar and other cities, and locals drink it straight from the tap and from public fountains like the Sebilj in Baščaršija. Most travelers can drink it without problems, so a refillable bottle saves money and plastic. In remote villages or after heavy flooding, stick to bottled or filtered water.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has 3 official languages: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina,
English is widely spoken in Sarajevo and Mostar, especially by people under 40, hostel staff and anyone working in tourism. Older people and those in rural villages often speak little or none. German is the most useful second language, thanks to decades of family ties and work in Germany and Austria. Download Google Translate with the Croatian or Serbian offline pack, which works fine for Bosnian, and learn “hvala” (thank you) and “molim” (please), which get a warm reaction everywhere.
Money & Payments
The local currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina is BAM (KM).
Bosnia and Herzegovina uses the convertible mark (KM or BAM), pegged to the euro at 1.95583 KM per euro, with roughly 1.7 KM per US dollar. ATMs are easy to find in every town, but many charge foreign cards a fee of 3 to 10 KM per withdrawal, so take out larger amounts at once, avoid standalone Euronet machines and always decline the ATM’s offer to convert into your home currency. Cards are accepted in most hotels, supermarkets and city restaurants, while bakeries, small cafés, bus stations, markets and rural guesthouses often take cash only. Euros are the best foreign currency to bring and are often accepted directly in Mostar and Međugorje, though usually at a rounded 2 KM per euro and with change given in marks. Exchange money at banks or licensed exchange offices (mjenjačnica) in town centers, never with people offering rates on the street.
Tipping in Bosnia and Herzegovina is appreciated but not mandatory. In cafés and casual eateries, locals usually round up the bill, while in sit-down restaurants around 10% is a generous tip for good service. Tip in cash, round up taxi fares, and give a few KM to tour guides and hotel porters.
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Over the years, I've learned the importance of packing minimally. It's so much easier to jump on the back of a truck or squeeze yourself into the last spot of a minibus without that supersized backpack. If you're headed to a warm destination, leave your winter jacket at home; for colder regions, opt for thin thermal underlayers. Instead of packing your entire wardrobe, bring just three sets of clothes, as laundry facilities are available everywhere.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past 3 decades, I’ve backpacked through 90+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.