Bosnia & Serbia

Piriz

Hi,

I'm visiting these two countries this July with my girlfriend. We arrive in Dubrovnic first and will make our way into Bosnia as soon as possible.

We are seeking any advice, recommendations or stories about your experiences with these countries.

So far we intend to visit Mostar, Sarajevo, (seeking suggestions for Bosnia), Belgrade, Novi Sad, (seeking suggestions for Serbia).

Is the public transport systems good?

Any tips on safety too please...

many thanks,

keithclancy

Can only speak for Belgrade

Great city, no different to other places imo, just use common sense.

Taxis are meant to be a bit dodgy for ripping you off but this can happen anywhere that you are not a local.

gypsy79

Piriz wrote: »

Hi,

I'm visiting these two countries this July with my girlfriend. We arrive in Dubrovnic first and will make our way into Bosnia as soon as possible.

We are seeking any advice, recommendations or stories about your experiences with these countries.

So far we intend to visit Mostar, Sarajevo, (seeking suggestions for Bosnia), Belgrade, Novi Sad, (seeking suggestions for Serbia).

Is the public transport systems good?

Any tips on safety too please...

many thanks,

Expect LONG bus journeys. Roads are very good but it is a very mountaineous region.

Belgrade is a nice cosmopolitian city. Their is a lovely lake just outside the centre which is a hive of activity during the summer

If you can fit in Lake Plitvice in Croatia I would highly recomend

Reputable Rog

Piriz wrote: »

Hi,

I'm visiting these two countries this July with my girlfriend. We arrive in Dubrovnic first and will make our way into Bosnia as soon as possible.

We are seeking any advice, recommendations or stories about your experiences with these countries.

So far we intend to visit Mostar, Sarajevo, (seeking suggestions for Bosnia), Belgrade, Novi Sad, (seeking suggestions for Serbia).

Is the public transport systems good?

Any tips on safety too please...

many thanks,

First of all you need to get a bus to Ploce where you can get a train to Mostar.
Mostar is a medium size city, think Limerick in Irish terms. Beautiful city and the locals are very friendly, I stayed in a small Pension in the muslim part of the city, very cheap and good.
Nightlife is mainly bars and restaurants around the old town, again very cheap and friendly.
Public transport is slow but fairly reliable and affordable.
Sarajevo is a great city, good nightlife and goodish restaurants ( food is not spectacular in Yugoslavia in general). Try and get a war tour of the city and surrounds, the concierge or bus boy in your hotel can arrange one for you with a local cab driver.
We got a great tour for 4 hours for €60 and covered a huge area.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn which is about 2km from the city centre , but this was mainly for the historic value.
The local brown beer Saravesko Tamno is very good, the brewery now has a restaurant which apparently is worth a visit.
The best way to get from Sarajevo to Belgrade we found was by train as the summer heat is oppressive and we didn't fancy a long coach journey.
Train journeys in Bosnia are very scenic and have a hilarity factor in that they keep changing staff depending on what part of the country your in (BiH Federation or Republika Srpksa).
Belgrade is a kip, the locals are not nice and the food is very poor, saying that it has some good bars and I recommend the Beer hall in the Hotel Kasina, again the local dark beers are very good. Stayed in the Hotel Prag, again stay away.
Never made it to Novi Sad, couldnt face another train journey in the heat.
For currency, the Euro is accepted everywhere in Bosnia, the local currency is the KM, and is set at 2 for 1 euro.
In Serbia its the Dinar which usually trades around 80 for 1 Euro.

Piriz

Really great info Reputable Rog, thanks for taking the time...

Reputable Rog

Piriz wrote: »

Really great info Reputable Rog, thanks for taking the time...

No bother. I forgot to mention that is extremely safe everywhere. No gangs of scobes like here.
If hiking in the bosnian countryside beware of the possibility of land mines, the areas are well posted however.
A few minor irritants with gypsies and beggars, thats about it.
Its a few years since I was there but I know that 3g didnt work on phones in Serbia and Bosnia, and when I got back into Croatia when travelling between Sarajevo and Belgrade I got an avalance of emails and other data.

gypsy79

Not sure about no scobes?? I was there for the "Free Radovan Karadžić" march and it had some of the scariest people I have ever seen

It ineveitably ended in a massive riot

Piriz

bump.:)

Piriz

does anyone know if the busses for long journeys have toilets? (pregnant girlfriend)

Reputable Rog

Piriz wrote: »

does anyone know if the busses for long journeys have toilets? (pregnant girlfriend)

I generally went everywhere by train except between Sarajevo and Mostar. The bus we went on would be like the late 90's BE fleet, not sure about toilets on board.
The train toilets are best avoided, the joy of 3 different operators on one train means the jacks don't get cleaned.
Be careful of the heat especially in Mostar which was the most unpleasant I ever encountered especially with a pregnant companion.
Mostar is probably Europes best or worst sun trap, opening the front door of the apartment in the morning was the closest outdoor experience I have had to a roasting hot oven outdoors, the blast of heat is incredible.
Your best bet for decent buses is the ling distance ones that go to Graz, Vienna and Munich, as far as I know they stop in Zagreb where you can get a decent train to Belgrade.
Customs are quite slow so I would recommend the train, at least you can get up and walk about.

keithclancy

Piriz wrote: »

does anyone know if the busses for long journeys have toilets? (pregnant girlfriend)

No way, a journey by bus is rough enough as it, the train is much better especially if pregnant. Bring a pillow for her lower back as well.

Reputable Rog

I see the train connections between Sarajevo and Belgrade have become totally messed up.
There used to be a train via Banja Luka to STRIZIVOJNA-VROLJE where you could catch the connecting train from Budapest to Belgrade.
Now you have to go to Zagreb and take a train that takes 5.5 hours.
The combined journey is 19.5 hours.

Piriz

Reputable Rog wrote: »

I see the train connections between Sarajevo and Belgrade have become totally messed up.
There used to be a train via Banja Luka to STRIZIVOJNA-VROLJE where you could catch the connecting train from Budapest to Belgrade.
Now you have to go to Zagreb and take a train that takes 5.5 hours.
The combined journey is 19.5 hours.

thanks again Reputable Rog. How did you figure this out? how can we look this up?

Reputable Rog

Piriz wrote: »

thanks again Reputable Rog. How did you figure this out? how can we look this up?

Bahn.de and Rome2Rio.com. An alternative I know not ideal for you but probably the best option available and a great price is this http://www.geatours.rs/eng/sarajevo.htm.
You could fly but it's pricey and your missing out on some fantastic scenery.

Reputable Rog

How was the trip ?

HeidiHeidi

Reputable Rog wrote: »

I generally went everywhere by train except between Sarajevo and Mostar. The bus we went on would be like the late 90's BE fleet, not sure about toilets on board.
The train toilets are best avoided, the joy of 3 different operators on one train means the jacks don't get cleaned.
Be careful of the heat especially in Mostar which was the most unpleasant I ever encountered especially with a pregnant companion.
Mostar is probably Europes best or worst sun trap, opening the front door of the apartment in the morning was the closest outdoor experience I have had to a roasting hot oven outdoors, the blast of heat is incredible.
Your best bet for decent buses is the ling distance ones that go to Graz, Vienna and Munich, as far as I know they stop in Zagreb where you can get a decent train to Belgrade.
Customs are quite slow so I would recommend the train, at least you can get up and walk about.

I gather it's too late for the OP, but just wanted to agree with this.

Mostar (nearly 15 years ago now) was the hottest, most humid place I have ever been in, EVER :eek: And that includes Thailand in monsoon season. I thought it was a once-off, but maybe not. The heat in inland Bosnia during the summer was bad enough, but Mostar was completely unbearable.

Still my favourite place in the country though! Must visit again sometime in a cooler season.

Would be very interested to hear how the trip went - I haven't been there since 2002 and I'm sure it's come on in leaps and bounds since then.

Piriz

Hi all, thanks again for the input
its funny you should ask reputable rog, we arrived in mostar yesterday about 4.30pm, we traveled by bus from Dubrovnik, when i
stood off the bus i thought the heat was from the engine but no it was simply the heat from the sun but i think also combined with the tarmac at the bus station which is quite dark.. however there is a constant breeze so i find it bareable (for the record im fair hair and blue eyes so im not particularly suited for this, nevertheless im reasonable well traveled and got a base tan in ibiza withthe lads a few weeks ago) the internet said it was 41 degrees at 6pm and the taxi driver said it was 50 earlier in the day..ill take that witha pinch of salt..

mostar is lovely, the bridge seems to be the draw for tourists and its beautiful, i want to jump off it but i enquired and got the impression that having no diving experience means im at greater risk, the grilfriend asked me not to do it so the idea is somewhat dead in the water (better the idea than me) still im a bit disappointed. .

today we did a day trip via our hostel,

Piriz

We visited a few places like a large shelter for storing planes during the war, it was built into the mountain etc. but the best place was Kravica a large lake with large waterfalls feeding in to it, check google images as a picture tells a thousand words and im typing on a phone...
i did manage to do a 7 or 8 meter dive in kravica so im happy with that but still wanna do the bridge.. the tour today was great for meeting a few other people, gona meet them again tonight at the bridge and go for food and drinks..

the redbull diving from the bridge will take place on 15th August so keep an eye out for it on t.v..
tomorrow we leave to go to Sarajevo, will do some tours and spend three nights there... i will also re read this thread to see if there is suggestions that we can include..

Ive just been informed by the girlfriend that it will be only 34 degrees in Sarajevo tomorrow..thankfully we both brought hoodies..

Piriz

Just an attachment to add from my point of view the heat is bearable and should not put anyone off visiting this area..

Reputable Rog

Piriz wrote: »

Just an attachment to add from my point of view the heat is bearable and should not put anyone off visiting this area..

Glad your enjoying it, humidity seems low there at the mo so that may help matters.
Nothing like a Croatia v Turkey game to heat things up there.
The Celtic bar in Sarajevo is a good spot and fur the record not one bit Irish.
You may get a hiding if you dive off the bridge uninvited. Usually full of posers looking for cash to jump.

imme

I found Belgrade to be not too interesting, just a big city.

It was raining during all my time there so that might have something to do with it

It has a reputation as a thriving nightlife place. Sadly didn't experience that.

Might give Belgrade another shot in the future.

Sarajevo is a popular spot on the tourist and backpacker route.

There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to chose from in Sarajevo.
There are a couple of sites and museums to do with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand before World War 1.

There are a couple of sites related to the Yugoslav Wars, particularly the Tunnel Museum on the outskirts of the city that have to be visited.

There's also a very good museum in the city centre, close to the US Embassy as far as I remember which is unmissable. It deals with the war and the siege of Sarajevo.


Local men seem to socialise together in Bosnia and Kosovo, or the Muslim dominated parts of them.

They'll be sitting at cafes drinking tea all together. It can look a bit odd.
Prizren, the second city of Kosovo, reminded me a lot of Sarajevo, on a smaller scale.

One day walking around I was walking through the cafe area, all little tea houses and cafes. Gangs of men were all together sitting outside on the fine day.

Not a sight of a single woman.
Levels of unemployment and different working lives might explain the reason, along with the Islamic separation of the sexes.

Either way it was a surprising sight.

Back to Bosnia and Herz. Mostar was an interesting enough place to visit.
There is a famously reconstructed famous old bridge in the centre of the olde worlde city.

The cobble streeted centre is quaint.

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes.

There is an old monument to the Yugoslav partisans which is interesting, on the outskirts of town.
The partisans fought the Nazis in WW2. The monument is in the form of a park, which has been let go back to nature and is a bit un-cared for.

Reputable Rog

imme wrote: »

I found Belgrade to be not too interesting, just a big city.

It was raining during all my time there so that might have something to do with it

It has a reputation as a thriving nightlife place. Sadly didn't experience that.

Might give Belgrade another shot in the future.

Sarajevo is a popular spot on the tourist and backpacker route.

There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to chose from in Sarajevo.
There are a couple of sites and museums to do with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand before World War 1.

There are a couple of sites related to the Yugoslav Wars, particularly the Tunnel Museum on the outskirts of the city that have to be visited.

There's also a very good museum in the city centre, close to the US Embassy as far as I remember which is unmissable. It deals with the war and the siege of Sarajevo.


Local men seem to socialise together in Bosnia and Kosovo, or the Muslim dominated parts of them.

They'll be sitting at cafes drinking tea all together. It can look a bit odd.
Prizren, the second city of Kosovo, reminded me a lot of Sarajevo, on a smaller scale.

One day walking around I was walking through the cafe area, all little tea houses and cafes. Gangs of men were all together sitting outside on the fine day.

Not a sight of a single woman.
Levels of unemployment and different working lives might explain the reason, along with the Islamic separation of the sexes.

Either way it was a surprising sight.

Back to Bosnia and Herz. Mostar was an interesting enough place to visit.
There is a famously reconstructed famous old bridge in the centre of the olde worlde city.

The cobble streeted centre is quaint.

There are plenty of restaurants and cafes.

There is an old monument to the Yugoslav partisans which is interesting, on the outskirts of town.
The partisans fought the Nazis in WW2. The monument is in the form of a park, which has been let go back to nature and is a bit un-cared for.

Plastic muslims at best, Bosniaks are muslim only in name. They all drink, smoke and gamble. I saw no seperation of the sexes when I was there.

keithclancy

imme wrote: »

I found Belgrade to be not too interesting, just a big city.

It was raining during all my time there so that might have something to do with it

It has a reputation as a thriving nightlife place. Sadly didn't experience that.

I went out in Belgrade ... got home at 6am after going to party barge.

Check Facebook events when you are there to find the interesting stuff.