A country where East and West meet on every corner: Sarajevo with its mosques and Turkish cafés, the Mostar bridge over an emerald river, and mountain scenery that still feels untouched. Bosnia and Herzegovina means intense history, low prices and a hospitality you won't forget.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most intense and affordable destinations in Europe, and Latin American travellers have the advantage of entering visa-free for up to 90 days. It's the place where East and West literally touch: in Sarajevo you can cross a street and go from the Ottoman quarter with its mosques and Turkish cafés to the Austro-Hungarian quarter with its Viennese architecture. It's a country marked by the war of the 1990s, whose history you can still feel, but it's also surprisingly lively, hospitable, and full of mountain scenery that feels untouched.
The country is small and can be covered well in 4 to 7 days. The two big draws are Sarajevo, the capital with a multicultural soul, and Mostar, with its iconic Ottoman bridge over the emerald Neretva river. Around them is a string of quieter gems: the Blagaj dervish monastery, the Kravice waterfalls, the Ottoman village of Počitelj, and the green north with Jajce and its waterfalls right in the town centre. The south (Herzegovina) is drier and Mediterranean; the centre and north are more mountainous and forested.
The best thing about Bosnia is its authenticity and its people: they'll invite you for a coffee even if you don't speak the same language. What surprises and moves you is how present the war still is (buildings with bullet marks, huge cemeteries), told without any filter. It's a trip that moves you, teaches you a lot and costs very little money.
The currency is the convertible mark (BAM), which is pegged to the euro (1 EUR ≈ 1,96 BAM). It's best to carry cash: many restaurants, taxis and small shops don't take cards, especially outside Sarajevo and Mostar. There are ATMs everywhere, and some tourist spots accept euros, though at a worse rate.
Full converter for BAM →Sarajevo airport (SJJ) is small and has flights from Istanbul, Vienna, Munich and Zagreb, so from Latin America you'll arrive with two stopovers. Many travellers come in overland from Croatia (Dubrovnik and Split are a few hours from Mostar) or from Serbia. Buses are the main way to get between cities: Sarajevo–Mostar takes about two and a half hours, with several departures a day. The Sarajevo–Mostar–Čapljina train runs through the Neretva canyon and is one of the most beautiful rides in the Balkans, although it has few departures and it's worth checking that it's running. In Sarajevo, the tram runs the length of the main axis from end to end.
The best time to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina is from May to September, when the weather is warm and settled, ideal for exploring cities, swimming at the Kravice waterfalls and hiking in the mountains. July and August are the hottest months (especially in Mostar and the Herzegovina region, which is Mediterranean and dry, with temperatures above 35 °C) and also the busiest. May, June and September are perhaps the sweet spot: good weather, everything open and fewer crowds.
Autumn (October) brings golden forest landscapes in the centre and north of the country, and it's still nice for the cities. Winter is cold and snowy, especially in Sarajevo and the surrounding mountains, which hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics: if you like skiing, resorts such as Jahorina and Bjelašnica are very cheap compared with the Alps. Apart from that, winter isn't the best season for the classic circuit of cities and nature.
Bosnian food is hearty, tasty and clearly Ottoman in heritage. The star dish is ćevapi (small minced-meat sausages served in fluffy somun bread with onion and ajvar, a red pepper spread), which you'll find everywhere and are delicious. Also try burek/pita (rolled filo pastry filled with meat, cheese (sirnica), spinach (zeljanica) or potato), begova čorba (the bey's thick soup with chicken and vegetables), sarma (stuffed cabbage) and dolma. For dessert, baklava and tufahija (apple stuffed with walnuts).
All this goes with the essential Bosnian coffee and, for those who drink, rakija (fruit brandy). Eating out is very cheap: a portion of burek from a bakery costs 2 to 3 dollars, a plate of ćevapi is around 4 to 7 dollars, and a full restaurant dinner with a drink is around 15 to 22 dollars (verified July 2026). Bosnian coffee costs just over 1 dollar. The usual tip is to round up or leave about 10%.
Bosnia and Herzegovina is a safe country for tourists, with low crime levels and very hospitable people; violent crime against travellers is rare. The usual precautions apply: watch out for pickpockets in busy areas of Sarajevo and for taxis that start without the meter running (ask them to turn it on or agree on the price beforehand). One specific and serious warning: in remote rural areas there may still be uncleared landmines from the 1990s war, so stick to marked trails, respect danger signs and don't head off-trail on your own.
No special vaccinations are required to enter; it's a good idea to have your routine shots up to date and to discuss hepatitis A and tetanus with your doctor. Tap water is considered safe to drink in the cities, although many travellers prefer bottled water in rural areas. The health system has shortcomings, so travel insurance covering private care and repatriation is highly recommended. The general emergency number is 112 (also 122 for police, 124 for ambulance), verified July 2026.
Bosnia is one of the cheapest countries in Europe, quite a bit cheaper than neighbouring Croatia, which makes it ideal for a Latin American budget. A frugal backpacker gets by on about 30 to 40 dollars a day, a mid-range budget is around 45 to 60 dollars, and with 70 to 90 you travel comfortably (verified July 2026). For concrete reference: a hostel dorm bed in Sarajevo or Mostar costs between 10 and 18 dollars, a plate of ćevapi 4 to 7 dollars, a Bosnian coffee just over 1 dollar, and intercity buses are very cheap. A week travelling backpacker-style can cost between 350 and 450 dollars.
The currency is the convertible mark (BAM), pegged to the euro at 1 EUR ≈ 1,96 BAM, which keeps prices stable. It's best to carry cash: many restaurants, taxis and small shops don't take cards, especially outside Sarajevo and Mostar. There are ATMs everywhere. All figures are guidelines and may vary by season (verified July 2026).
Bosnia speaks Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian, which are basically the same Slavic language with different names depending on the community; it's written in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets (Cyrillic is more common in Republika Srpska). Young people and those working in tourism speak English well, but don't expect everyone to; Spanish is hardly ever heard. A sign of respect that opens doors is learning to say 'hvala' (thank you). The country is multi-ethnic and multi-faith, with Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats living side by side, so people's identities are a sensitive matter.
Dress normally; to enter mosques, cover up a little (women should cover their heads) and take your shoes off. Plugs are European type C/F with two round pins at 230V, so bring an adapter. For connectivity, buy a local SIM (BH Telecom, m:tel, HT Eronet) for very little or use an eSIM; 4G works well in cities. Two practical tips: join the coffee ritual without rushing, as it's the gateway to the people, and be tactful when talking about the war: ask respectfully and listen, because almost everyone has a personal story.
Few countries tell their history in stone the way Bosnia and Herzegovina does. In a single valley you can see the stećci, those medieval tombstones carved by a Christian church that answered neither to Rome nor to Constantinople; the Stari Most in Mostar, a 16th-century Ottoman bridge; an Orthodox church, a Catholic church and a synagogue just metres from a mosque; and, a few blocks further on, the scars left by bullets and mortars from a war that ended in 1995. All of that fits into a territory the size of a small Argentine province.
A crossroads between East and West, between the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires, between the three great religious traditions of the Balkans, Bosnia was for centuries a place where Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats lived side by side. That coexistence produced an extraordinarily rich culture and also, at the worst moment of the 20th century, one of the cruellest wars in post-war Europe. This is the story of how the country took shape, how it came close to disappearing and how it is still searching for its place, now with its sights set on the European Union.
Read the full history of Bosnia and Herzegovina →Pick a region and open each destination to see what to do, prices and how to get there.
These are the sources we cite most across this country's guides, with how many times each appears. Hard data —tickets, opening hours, requirements, transport— comes from the official source and carries the date we checked it. Restaurant and hotel picks come from guides and reviews, and we say so on each page.
