Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina layers Ottoman bazaars, Austro-Hungarian boulevards and medieval stećci tombstones across a country of limestone canyons and fast green rivers. Sarajevo and Mostar carry the history most visibly; the Neretva, Una and Drina valleys carry the landscape. It has 20 km of coast at Neum, but its water is really about rivers and waterfalls.

Capital

Sarajevo

Population

3.2M

Area

51,209 km²

Currency

Convertible mark (BAM)

Language

Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian

Time zone

CET (UTC+1) / CEST (UTC+2)

• 
  01

  Sarajevo

  Ottoman bazaar, Austro-Hungarian avenues, mountain rim

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  02

  Herzegovina

  Stari Most, karst rivers, sun-baked stone towns

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  03

  Central Bosnia

  Vizier towns, Jajce waterfall, medieval royal seats

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  04

  Northeast Bosnia (Tuzla & Posavina)

  Salt lakes, river plains, Ottoman fortresses

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  05

  Bosanska Krajina (Banja Luka)

  Vrbas canyon, Kastel fortress, Kozara forests

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  06

  Una-Sana

  Turquoise Una river, waterfalls, riverside castles

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  07

  Drina Valley & Eastern Bosnia

  Višegrad bridge, Sutjeska wilderness, deep canyons

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  08

  West Bosnia (Livno & Kupres)

  Wild horses, high karst fields, alpine plateaus

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• 

  Church

  Arie Livne Jewish Cultural Center

  The Arie Livne Jewish cultural center is a cultural center in the town of Banja Luka in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Inaugurated in 2014, it is the only such facility built after the Second World War in the Balkans.

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  Church

  Arnaudija Mosque

  The Arnaudija Mosque is a large mosque in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The mosque was destroyed by the Army of Republika Srpska in 1993 but was rebuilt and reopened in 2024.

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  City

  Banja Luka

  Banja Luka or Banjaluka is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the most populous in Republika Srpska. It is Republika Srpska's main economic, political, and administrative center.

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  Bridge

  Bosanska Krajina

  Krajina is a geographical region, a subregion of Bosnia, in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is enclosed by several rivers, namely the Sava (north), Glina (northwest), Vrbanja and Vrbas (east and southeast, respectively).

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  Cathedral

  Cathedral of Saint Bonaventure, Banja Luka

  The Cathedral of Saint Bonaventure in Banja Luka is one of four Roman Catholic cathedrals in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the seat of the Banja Luka Bishopric.

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  Church

  Church of the Holy Trinity, Banja Luka

  The Church of the Holy Trinity is a Serbian Orthodox church located in Banja Luka, de facto capital of the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dedicated to Holy Trinity, it was constructed in 1969.

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  Mountain

  Dinaric Alps

  The Dinaric Alps, also Dinarides, are a mountain range in Southern and South-Central Europe, separating the continental Balkan Peninsula from the Adriatic Sea. They stretch from Italy in the northwest through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo and North Macedonia to Albania in the sou

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  Church

  Ferhat Pasha Mosque (Banja Luka)

  Ferhat Pasha Mosque, also known as the Ferhadija Mosque, is a mosque in the city of Banja Luka and one of the greatest achievements of Bosnia and Herzegovina's 16th century Ottoman Islamic architecture. The mosque was demolished in 1993 at the order of the authorities of Republika Srpska as part of an ethnic cleansing

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  City

  Gornji Šeher

  Srpske Toplice, Gornji Šeher (transl. Upper Šeher) before the 1990s, is a local community and a spa town in the area of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

• Sarajevo

  Baščaršija bazaar, Habsburg facades and a valley ringed by mountains.

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• Mostar

  Stari Most arching over the emerald Neretva.

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• Banja Luka

  Green riverside capital of Republika Srpska.

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• Trebinje

  Herzegovinian wine town of plane trees and an Ottoman bridge.

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• Jajce

  Fortress town with a waterfall in its centre.

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• Počitelj

  Stone Ottoman village stacked on a Neretva hillside.

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• Una

  Travertine cascades and rafting water in the far northwest.

• Sutjeska

  Perućica primeval forest and Maglić, the country's highest peak.

• Kozara

  Forested hills and a WWII memorial above the Sava plain.

• Blidinje Nature Park

  High karst plateau between Čvrsnica and Vran.

• Hutovo Blato

  Mediterranean wetland reserve for migrating birds.

• Neum

  The country's only stretch of Adriatic coast.

• Boračko Lake

  Glacial lake near Konjic with swimming shores.

• Pliva Lakes

  Jajce's watermill lakes, good for a summer dip.

• Maglić

  Highest peak at 2,386 m, on the Montenegrin border.

• Bjelašnica

  1984 Olympic downhill mountain above Sarajevo.

• Jahorina

  The other Olympic mountain, now the biggest ski area.

• Čvrsnica

  Herzegovinian massif above the Diva Grabovica canyon.

• Prenj

  The 'Bosnian Himalaya' rising over the Neretva.

• Ćevapi

  Grilled minced-meat fingers in somun flatbread with onion.

• Burek

  Rolled meat pie from under the sač; cheese versions are sirnica.

• Begova čorba

  Thick 'bey's soup' of chicken, okra and vegetables.

• Japrak

  Vine or chard leaves rolled around rice and meat.

• Tufahija

  Poached apple stuffed with walnuts under whipped cream.

• Bosnian coffee

  Served in a džezva with rahat lokum and a sugar cube.

• 01

  The convertible mark (BAM) is pegged to the euro; cash is still king outside cities.

• 02

  Buses connect most towns; trains are scenic but slow and sparse.

• 03

  Stick to marked paths in rural areas — some regions still have landmine warnings.

• 04

  Mostar and Sarajevo are an easy 2.5-hour ride apart along the Neretva.

• 05

  Ask before photographing people in religious quarters.