Travellers usefull tips

Things to know about Bosnia and Herzegovina

Capital: Sarajevo

Religion: the country provides freedom of religion. There are many followers of Islam, as well as Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Jews and Protestants.

Language
The country has three official languages: Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian.

Climate: Bosnia and Herzegovina has three climate zones. In the south, the climate is warm Mediterranean – temperatures can reach +30˚C. In the north, the climate is temperate continental. The mountain area has alpine climate. Snow remains there until the summer. The average temperature of Bosnia and Herzegovina is +12˚C. In summer, it is +21˚C, the winter temperature ranges from −2˚C to +2˚C.

Currency: Bosnian convertible mark. International code – BAM. Bosnian Mark, a so-called convertible mark, consists of 100 fenings. Circulated banknotes are in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and coins of 10, 20, 50 fenings, and also 1, 2 convertible marks.

Means of payment: credit cards aren’t accepted everywhere; however, in large department stores, such cards as Maestro, Master Card and Visa are acceptable. Nevertheless, you’d better pay for purchases in cash, but for living in hotel – by card. You can withdraw your money from a card in banks, hotels, and post offices located in the capital city and in Medjugorje. You can also use ATM cash machines, which are located mainly in big cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, only Maestro and Visa cards are acceptable there. In big cities and summer resorts, you’ll pay in American dollars and Euros. On the border with Croatia, Croatian Kuna is accepted, with Serbia – Serbian Dinar.

Currency exchange
You are advised to convert currency on arrival – in banks, special exchange offices or hotels. All cheques and coupons should be saved for reverse exchange, when you leave the country. During workdays, all banks work from 8:00am to 7:00pm.

Calls to Bosnia and Herzegovina from other countries: country code +387. To make a call, dial an international access code – 8, then – 10, and then dial the country code of Bosnia and Herzegovina +387, then – a dialling code and a phone number itself.

Calls from Bosnia and Herzegovina to other countries: to call from a public phone box either within the country, or abroad, it is necessary to have a phone card. You can buy it at post offices and kiosks. They are made for 50, 100 and 200 minutes, which cost 5, 8 and 15 convertible marks, respectively.

Mobile communication in Bosnia and Herzegovina has standard GSM 900. It works very well throughout the country. There you can buy a sim-card of such companies as: BH Telecom, Eronet Mobile Communications and RS Telecommunications JSC Banja Luka.

Useful phone numbers in Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Emergency service – 112
Ambulance – 124
Fire Department – 123
Police – 122

Time zone: UTC (GMT) +1
Time zone in summer: UTC+2
Daylight saving time in summer: the last Sunday of March at 2:00am (one hour forward)
Daylight saving time in winter: the last Sunday of October at 3:00am (back one hour)

Floor numbering
Bosnia and Herzegovina has a special system of the floor numbering. The ground floor is marked as “zero”, the next – “A”, the next floor up is assigned number 1 and so on.

Customs
You can bring into Bosnia and Herzegovina duty-free:
* up to 200 cigarettes, 20 cigars or 200 grams of tobacco,
* up to 1 litre of alcohol beverage,
* up to1 bottle of perfume or cologne
* goods, which are worth up to €76,
The amount of foreign currency you can bring into Bosnia and Herzegovina is unlimited. However the foreign currency, jewellery and golden products must be declared. You can bring into the country up to 200 convertible marks (national currency), which must be declared. If you want to bring into the country animals, you must show a certificate from a veterinarian and a vaccination certificate.

You must declare foreign currency when you leave the country. As for national currency, you are allowed to export only 200 convertible marks that must be declared too.

Shopping
In order to make shopping, you are advised to visit city markets. The markets usually start working at sunrise and finish at 4:00pm or 5:00 pm. There you can buy ćilim – a national carpet, which is weaved by hand and decorated according to the national design. Pillows, bags and blankets are decorated according to national traditions with oriental elements. There you can also find textile goods, accessories, mantles and shawls. Besides, in small shops, you can buy beautiful painted dinner sets, tea sets, decorated with copper and silver. Shopping season lasts from June to November.

Transport

1) Public transport

1. Buses
Among all kinds of transport, the bus system is best developed. As a rule, the trip by public transport is unimpeded only within national enclaves. For example, if you want to get to the Muslim shop area from Serbia, you should transfer to another bus or walk a neutral part. The fare of public transport is about 1.6 convertible marks.

2. Bicycle
Many cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina have bad road conditions. That’s why the best way for transportation around the city is by bicycle. You can rent it in hotels, shops or on the streets at specially constructed kiosks. Duration of renting can be either several hours or several days. The value of rental is 10 American dollars per day.

3. Taxi
If you need to get quickly to a hotel or an airport at night, you’d better order a taxi. It’s the most expensive kind of transport in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Initial tariff entry is 1.5 convertible marks, further you should pay 1 convertible mark per kilometre. However, if you need to get to the city centre from Sarajevo Airport, it’ll cost €15.

b) Long-distance transport

1. Train
Railway system of passenger transportation is well-developed. There are two railway companies in Republika Srpska and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which service two important railway lines. The first line is Ploče - Mostar - Sarajevo - Zenica - Doboj - Brod - Vinkovci, and the second one - Bihać - Prijedor - Bosanski Novi - Banja Luka - Doboj - Tuzla - Zvornik.

2. Bus
Bus transportation has its own settled schedule, routs and price list.
Sarajevo – Mostar – about 12 convertible marks
Mostar – Jajce – about 16 convertible marks
Jajce – Banja Luka – about 7.5 convertible marks
Banja Luka – Novi Sad – about 38 convertible marks
Service charge will cost you about 1-2 convertible marks.

3. Flights
The main airport of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located 6 km far from Sarajevo, in the suburb of Butmir. The airport provides regular and seasonal flights, as well as freight services. To visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, you usually need to transfer in neighbour Croatia, Serbia or Montenegro. Domestic flights in Bosnia and Herzegovina are provided between airports of Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar and Tuzla.

Car rental in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Car rental system isn’t well-developed in the country. However, if you want to travel in Bosnia and Herzegovina by car, you should know traffic rules and speed limits. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, you must wear seat belts while driving. It’s forbidden to speak on cell phone, while you are driving. Be careful, if you are driving at night, because some roads have very poor lighting, or they even don’t have it. To rent a car, you need to show both your national driving license and international license.

Hotels
The country has only 11 hotels. One of them is located in Banja Luka, two are in Mostar. Another eight hotels are concentrated in Sarajevo. Suburban hotels are in special demand, because they offer good service and more reasonable prices than hotels in the cities.

Tipping
Tip is usually given in taxis, hotels and restaurants. It’s 10% of the total bill. In a taxi you should discuss your route and fare in advance.

National holidays in Bosnia and Herzegovina
1-2 January – New Year
6-7 January – Orthodox Christmas
9 January – Republic Day in Serbian part of the country
14-15 January – Orthodox Old New Year
27 January – St Sava Day
2 February – Eid al-Adha
1 March – Independence day
5 April – National Holiday
15 April – Army Day
In April-May – Easter
1 May – International Labour Day
9 May – Victory Day
15 August – Assumption of Mary
1 November – All Saints Day
25 November – Statehood Day
25 December – Catholic Christmas
During these holidays, state and commercial institutions don’t work.

Behaviour rules in Bosnia and Herzegovina
If you are going to Bosnia and Herzegovina, you need to learn some traditions and behaviour rules there. When you visit somebody, it’s a rule to give presents. Person’s communicative ability is appreciated. According to etiquette, you need to wear a long dress, trousers and a long-sleeved shirt for official events and in restaurants. It’s forbidden to make photos of transport vehicles, naval and other kinds of infrastructure.

Electricity: Mains voltage – 220V and frequency – 50Hz. Types of plugs and sockets, which are used in hotels, have European standards C and F.

Health Care in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Be careful while you are visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, because level of health care isn’t high. Besides, sometimes you may not find necessary medicine at chemist’s shops.

Visa
Visa is not required for citizens of such countries: Albania, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Brunei, the UK, Colombia, Georgia, Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Namibia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Russian Federation, the Republic of El Salvador, the Seychelles, Serbia, Slovenia, the USA, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Montenegro, Sweden, Ecuador, Japan.