The perfect road trip through Bosnia: a 5-day itinerary

Bosnia is an incredible and diverse country – and the best way to explore it fully is by doing a road trip. During our latest Balkan adventure, we have crafted the perfect 5-day road trip itinerary through Bosnia, with the ideal balance of city hopping and nature sites.

In this post, we will share it all with you, along with additional tips on other places you can visit if you have some extra time on your hands.

PS: This Bosnia itinerary fits perfectly if you will be traveling by car, but you may need to adjust the schedule if you will be traveling with the public transport system.

Bosnia road trip itinerary – Day 1 & 2: Sarajevo

If you really want to get to know Bosnia, there is no better place to start your road trip than Sarajevo. 

Sarajevo is one of our favorite cities in the Balkan region because it is so lively. The city breathes history and culture. It is the city where the East and West meet, resulting in a unique mix of cultures.

There are many other websites sharing travel itineraries through Bosnia that recommend staying in Sarajevo for one day only, but that is a mistake. Sarajevo is quite a large city and there is a lot to see. We recommend spending at least 2 days in town to be able to visit the most important sites (in fact, even if you stay longer, you will not run out of things to see and do).

Some of the most important things to see in Sarajevo are:

• Sarajevo’s Old Town and the Baščaršija region
• Sebilj and the Bazaar
• Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque
• The Sarajevo Tunnel Museum
• Latin Bridge
• Yellow Fortress & the Martyrs’ Cemetery Kovači
• Sarajevo Brewery

Bosnia road trip itinerary – Day 3: Mostar

The next destination for this Bosnia road trip is Mostar, but getting there is also part of the fun. The drive from Sarajevo to Mostar is one of the most beautiful in the country. You will be driving by the river and through the mountains, having some amazing landscapes along the way.

If you have time, you can make a stop at Lake Jablanica and at the Neretva Bridge along the way.

You should be arriving in Mostar just before lunchtime, which gives you almost the entire day to explore the city. Unlike Sarajevo, Mostar is small and one day is enough to visit its most important sites.

When most people think of Mostar, they get the image of the Old Bridge, but Mostar is much more than this unique landmark. Don’t get me wrong, Mostar’s Old Bridge is indeed impressive, but the entire Old Town has such a unique character that it would be a pity to not mention it.

We recommend getting accommodation in Mostar where you can stay for 3 nights, as the destinations recommended on the next day of the Bosnia road trip itinerary are located close by and can be explored in a day trip.

Bosnia road trip itinerary – Day 4: Kravice Waterfalls & Blagaj

Next on the list of this 5-day Bosnia itinerary is one of my favorite natural sites in the country: the Kravice Waterfalls.

The Kravice Waterfalls are located a short drive away from Mostar. We recommend heading there in the morning so you can enjoy the place before it gets too crowded (trust me, in the summer, it does get very busy). The waterfalls are quite impressive and you can spend a few hours here swimming, sunbathing and just admiring nature.

After spending the first part of the day at Kravice, you can make your way to Blagaj which is another great site on the outskirts of Mostar.

The Blagaj Monastery is a special place. It is built in a natural cave, next to the spring of the Buna River. The monastery is still operational, but you can visit it outside of events or prayers because it works as a museum.

Once you have explored both places, it’s time to make your way back to Mostar and enjoy dinner in town.

Bosnia road trip itinerary – Day 5: Pocitelj & Medjugorje

To wrap up this Bosnia road trip itinerary, we recommend visiting two cities that are located close to Mostar: Pocitelj and Medjugorje.

Pocitelj is a very picturesque medieval town located on a hill, with its most important landmark being the Old Town and citadel. It is worth taking the time to walk around its narrow streets and take some pictures.

Medjugorje is another popular destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina because of its religious importance. It is believed that Virgin Mary appeared here, so the place has become a pilgrimage site for many people.

We hope you have enjoyed this 5-day road trip itinerary through Bosnia. If you follow our recommendations on this post, you will have visited some of the most important and beautiful sites in the country. But Bosnia has so much more to offer that we simply could not fit in this itinerary alone.

Continue reading for additional tips on places to visit if you will have more days.

Places to visit in Bosnia if you will be staying longer than 5 days

If you will have more than 5 days for your road trip to Bosnia, here are some places you can add to your itinerary:

• Srebrenica
• Jajce and the Pliva waterfall
• Una National Park
• Rakitnica Canyon

Renting a car in Bosnia for your road trip

We did the Bosnia road trip in our own car because we live in Slovenia and it was only a short distance to go. If you will be coming from further away and cannot do it in your own vehicle, then renting a car is the next best option for your trip.

If you will be arriving at one of Bosnia’s international airports, the most practical thing to do is rent the car directly at the airport. All the international airports in Bosnia have rental car companies in the terminal.

We always use Discover Cars for renting when we travel abroad.

Read also: All you need to know before renting a car in Bosnia

Need to rent a car for your trip?
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How is it to drive in Bosnia?

Driving in Bosnia and Herzegovina can have quite a bad reputation when looking at forums online, but it is not as scary as people make it seem. In Bosnia, there are very few highways and toll roads – most of the time during your road trip, you will be driving on small local roads. We recommend sticking to the main paths as, in most cases, these roads are in good condition because of the volume of daily drivers.

The “secondary” roads or alternative paths can end up in local roads that have quite low conditions, with a lot of holes and not good signaling.

The most important thing to do is drive slowly and with caution. Make sure you follow the driving rules (especially the speed limits) and you should have no problems.

Read more about how it is to drive in Bosnia as a foreigner.

What to know before traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Here is some basic information that will help your road trip to Bosnia:

Money

The official currency in Bosnia is the Bosnian Marka (KM), which is approximately 2:1 with the Euro. Make sure you always carry cash with you. Not all establishments let you pay with a card, so it is good to make sure you always have some cash with you.

In fact, we would even go a step further and recommend that you always have small bills with you when driving around Bosnia in case you are pulled over.

Hiking

If you are planning to go on any hikes, whether in the National Parks or outside, don’t leave the marked paths. There are quite some places in the country that are not entirely cleared of landmines.

Phone

Since Bosnia is not part of the EU, your European mobile phone will not work. We recommend getting a local SIM card or buying an eSIM for your trip. See our guide on the best SIM cards in Bosnia.

We found that most restaurants and public places had wifi available for free, which was quite helpful.

Visa

Bosnia is not part of the EU or the Schengen Area. Therefore, they have their own set of rules about which nationalities require a visa, so you will have to check for your own case.

• EU nationals do not need a visa to travel to Bosnia (up to 30 days).
• American citizens do not need a visa for traveling to Bosnia (up to 90 days).

Language

Bosnia has three official languages: Bosnian, Serbian, and Croatian. For this reason, you will see that most signs are written in two different ways: with Latin and Cyrillic alphabets.

Even though I speak Bosnian fluently, Fe and her family don’t and they said that it was quite ok to travel through Bosnia speaking only English. We followed this exact road trip itinerary for our Bosnia trip, which means that we were sticking to the most visited towns. In those places, most people in restaurants and hotels, etc., spoke at least basic English so they always managed to communicate.

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A road trip through Bosnia and Herzegovina is an unforgettable experience. We hope this guide has helped you with ideas on the best places to visit during your 5-day Bosnia road trip. Enjoy your time in Bosnia!