Travelling to Bosnia & Herzegovina

[alex397]

I am planning to visit Bosnia & Herzegovina this summer, hopefully. I see there is a direct WizzAir flight from London Luton to Sarajevo which I will probably use. The flight times are not ideal (very early from both London and return from Sarajevo), so I’m wondering if there are different ways to travel there which you have experienced?

Such as using Eurostar etc to another European airport then flying to Sarajevo from there, or flying from the UK to a country nearby, then a train/coach to B&H (although likely a coach seeing as there seems to be no international train connections into B&H). I feel like there is probably something interesting I could add to my trip rather than just flying to/from Sarajevo.

 

[Geochemwill]

I reached Sarajevo by coach from Dubrovnik (via a couple of days in Mostar) and then visited Travnik before heading to Split. I believe Split and Dubrovnik have far more flights from UK compared with Sarajevo.

 

[ivorytoast28]

Probably not that *interesting* but it seems flight times are more in the middle of the day from Dortmund to Sarajevo still with wizz air, not that Dortmund is overly easy to get to, you'd need Eurostar to Brussels then ICE/Thalys to Cologne then a local Regiobahn to Holzwikede where there's a 5 min bus to the airport. The trains and airport within Germany would come under the 9EUR ticket. ofc that is a 7hr journey so you'd still want to stay overnight en-route to avoid an equally early start

There are also evening flights from "brussels" charleroi airport on Thursdays which is quicker accessed from the UK via eurostar and an hour train to Chaeroi then a 20 min train or a bus direct from Brussels midi

 

[rvdborgt]

not that Dortmund is overly easy to get to, you'd need Eurostar to Brussels then ICE/Thalys to Cologne then a local Regiobahn to Holzwikede where there's a 5 min bus to the airport.

Can also be done on foot from Holzwickede, it's about 1600 m. That can be quicker than the bus, depending on how long you have to wait for it. Was no problem with my backpack. There's also an hourly direct bus from Dortmund Hbf.

 

[MarcVD]

You can also travel by train almost all the way...

 

[181]

You can also travel by train almost all the way...

See https://www.seat61.com/Bosnia.htm and https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/zagreb-to-sarajevo-by-train.htm.

Unfortunately the trains between Banja Luka and Sarajevo, which form the only rail connection between the two parts of Bosnia, are still shown as suspended in the summer edition of the European Rail Timetable.

More positively, the ERT does show a small revival of cross-border trains in that, from 1st July to 28 August only, there is due to be a daily train in each direction between Sarajevo and Ploče on the Croatian coast. Ploče has no other trains, but can be reached by bus from Split (2 hours to 2 hours 50 min according to the ERT, although it gives no further details) or Dubrovnik (2 hours to 2 hours 20). My vague recollection from when I did Ploče-Split by bus in 2012 is that there were a few departures per day.

Ploče-Sarjevo is a very scenic train journey, but note that the northbound train dosn't reach Sarajevo until nearly 10 p.m., so you'd need to travel north-to-south to see it all in daylight.

I believe Split and Dubrovnik have far more flights from UK compared with Sarajevo.

And ferries from Italy if that's of interest to you.

 

[Cloud Strife]

The Sarajevo-Ploče connection has been restored? That's a small piece of good news, as there were a lot of suggestions that it was gone for good. I suspect that it's probably partially financed by Croatia, at least between Mostar and Ploče.

My vague recollection from when I did Ploče-Split by bus in 2012 is that there were a few departures per day.

Yes, there are quite a few departures in summer. Ploče caters to people coming from/going to Pelješac, and there are timetables here for buses at the bus station: https://ak.ploce.hr/vozni-red/

Having said that, if I were in that direction, I'd be tempted to go Ploče-Trpanj on the ferry, then Trpanj-Orebić by local transport. From Orebić, it's a short hop over to Korcula, which is well worth an overnight stay. From there, you've got the ferry to Split via Hvar Town and Bol, and there are stunning views along the way.

IMO, it's better to fly into Split, then do some island hopping on the way to BiH. There are flights on Easyjet to Split for around 60 quid, arriving at 9:25am. Something like this is doable and worthwhile:

Arrive Split Airport: 9:25am
Transfer to the Port of Split, arrive roughly 11:00am
Spend time in Split (the city centre is next to the port)
Split-Hvar-Korcula ferry: depart 3:30pm, arrive 7:10pm

Night in Korcula.

From there, you can make your way peacefully towards Ploče for the train to Sarajevo.

 

[alex397]

Probably not that *interesting* but it seems flight times are more in the middle of the day from Dortmund to Sarajevo still with wizz air, not that Dortmund is overly easy to get to, you'd need Eurostar to Brussels then ICE/Thalys to Cologne then a local Regiobahn to Holzwikede where there's a 5 min bus to the airport. The trains and airport within Germany would come under the 9EUR ticket. ofc that is a 7hr journey so you'd still want to stay overnight en-route to avoid an equally early start

There are also evening flights from "brussels" charleroi airport on Thursdays which is quicker accessed from the UK via eurostar and an hour train to Chaeroi then a 20 min train or a bus direct from Brussels midi

Thank you for those suggestions. That is something I could consider. Although I’m not sure how much more convenient it would be than going from Luton. The flight times arn’t hugely ideal from Brussels (well, Charleroi!). But it’s something I could tie in with a Belgium trip.

You can also travel by train almost all the way...

That doesn’t look particularly easy to be honest! It becomes complicated once you reach Croatia. Man in Seat 61 suggests quite a long taxi ride over the border, and then the Banja Luka train does not appear to be running. I could further investigate coaches from Zagreb (or elsewhere) into Bosnia though .

More positively, the ERT does show a small revival of cross-border trains in that, from 1st July to 28 August only, there is due to be a daily train in each direction between Sarajevo and Ploče on the Croatian coast. Ploče has no other trains, but can be reached by bus from Split (2 hours to 2 hours 50 min according to the ERT, although it gives no further details) or Dubrovnik (2 hours to 2 hours 20). My vague recollection from when I did Ploče-Split by bus in 2012 is that there were a few departures per day.

Ploče-Sarjevo is a very scenic train journey, but note that the northbound train dosn't reach Sarajevo until nearly 10 p.m., so you'd need to travel north-to-south to see it all in daylight.

Now that is very intriguing. I had no idea this was being reintroduced (although looking on Twitter a few prominent names have tweeted about it, but I must have missed it).
This is certainly something I will consider. Interestingly, the times are already available to see on the Google Maps journey planner (from 1st July).
However, I’m not sure how much I want to rely on a once a day journey at weekends in an area of the world not exactly known for railway reliability. Especially as Ploce doesn’t seem to be the busiest place in the world!

Yes, there are quite a few departures in summer. Ploče caters to people coming from/going to Pelješac, and there are timetables here for buses at the bus station: https://ak.ploce.hr/vozni-red/

Having said that, if I were in that direction, I'd be tempted to go Ploče-Trpanj on the ferry, then Trpanj-Orebić by local transport. From Orebić, it's a short hop over to Korcula, which is well worth an overnight stay. From there, you've got the ferry to Split via Hvar Town and Bol, and there are stunning views along the way.

IMO, it's better to fly into Split, then do some island hopping on the way to BiH. There are flights on Easyjet to Split for around 60 quid, arriving at 9:25am. Something like this is doable and worthwhile:

Arrive Split Airport: 9:25am
Transfer to the Port of Split, arrive roughly 11:00am
Spend time in Split (the city centre is next to the port)
Split-Hvar-Korcula ferry: depart 3:30pm, arrive 7:10pm

Night in Korcula.

From there, you can make your way peacefully towards Ploče for the train to Sarajevo.

Intriguing! Is it fairly easy to island hop around there? Korcula looks like two different ferry rides to get to Ploce. Might be a bit ambitious for me!

Thanks for these responses so far everyone. They have given me a few more ideas. I kind of wish I was someone who could just pack a bag and just turn up somewhere and sort out hotels and further travel once I’m there!

I’ve solo travelled around Western Europe, and also Poland and Czechia, but not sure if the Balkans might be too much for me. Especially with the poor reputation of transport reliability (the reputation of friendly, hospitable people is a plus though). But maybe I should just take the plunge!

 

[181]

Man in Seat 61 suggests quite a long taxi ride over the border, and then the Banja Luka train does not appear to be running.

I've had another look at table 1350 in the ERT. Even with the current service suspensions, it appears to be at least theoretically possible to get from Zagreb to Sarajevo mostly by train with significantly less taxi mileage than Seat61 suggests, but you'd need to be quite determined, and it can't be done in a day. (If the suspended trains were to be restored, it would become rather easier, but the long taxi ride as suggested by Seat61 would still be the only way to do it in a day). Using trains currently shown as operating, the itinerary would be as follows:

Travel from Zagreb to Kostajnica and cross the border as suggested by Seat61, but instead of getting a taxi all the way to Banja Luka, get one just as far as Dobrljin, about 11 km from the border crossing. From there, a train departs at 14.56 for Banja Luka, arriving at 17.09; another train leaves Banja Luka at 19.30 for Doboj which it reaches at 21.38. Doboj is a reasonable-sized town which presumably has overnight accommodation and taxis.

From there there is a gap of 23 km to Maglaj which would currently have to be covered by road transport. If you could somehow get to Maglaj by 06.01 the next morning there is a fast(ish) train that gets to Sarajevo at 08.43. With a probably more feasible 09.25 departure from Maglaj, you would arrive at Zenica at 10.59, wait there until 15.28 and eventually get to Sarajevo at 17.39.

However, I’m not sure how much I want to rely on a once a day journey at weekends in an area of the world not exactly known for railway reliability.

For what it's worth, my experience in 2012 and again in 2013 was that although timekeeping wasn't always great on long-distance trains, all trains turned up (except for one being replaced by a bus for the first hour or so out of Zagreb due to planned engineering works) and got me to my destination eventually. I'm glad though that I visited while the Zagreb-Sarajevo train was still running!

 

[Richard Scott]

Doboj is a reasonable-sized town which presumably has overnight accommodation and taxis.

Was in Doboj last year, Station appeared to be nowhere near the town and didn't see any taxis nearby so wouldn't rely on that one. To be honest didn't appear to be much of a place at all. Ok for sitting on the station watching freight trains and waiting for a 661 to work a unit vice passenger train but that was it!!!

 

[181]

Was in Doboj last year, Station appeared to be nowhere near the town and didn't see any taxis nearby so wouldn't rely on that one. To be honest didn't appear to be much of a place at all. Ok for sitting on the station watching freight trains and waiting for a 661 to work a unit vice passenger train but that was it!!!

The station is the other side of the river from the town, but less than a mile away, I think, which to anyone prepared to make the journey as outlined in my previous post would probably be a minor obstacle. It's a place of some local importance, and not devoid of interest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doboj. The 4-hour wait in grimy Zenica might require more patience, now that there's no longer (as far as I know) a working steam locomotive at the coal mine, although again the mindset required for that kind of journey might find it interesting (and Wikipedia indicates that even Zenica isn't entirely grime and industry).

 

[Cloud Strife]

Intriguing! Is it fairly easy to island hop around there? Korcula looks like two different ferry rides to get to Ploce. Might be a bit ambitious for me!

It's very easy and painless in summer. The ferries don't need to be reserved (except the catamaran), but the only question is the Orebić-Trpanj bus. Apparently a bus runs that connects to the Ploce ferry, but I can't confirm that as fact. However, usually in Croatia, the buses do connect to the ferries like that, so it would be surprising if it wasn't the same case there.

The 4-hour wait in grimy Zenica might require more patience

Zenica is a fine place to spend 4 hours. It's an easy 15 minute walk to the centre from the station, and you can easily spend 3 hours there drinking, eating and looking around.

 

[181]

Zenica is a fine place to spend 4 hours. It's an easy 15 minute walk to the centre from the station, and you can easily spend 3 hours there drinking, eating and looking around.

My apologies to Zenica -- I didn't see the centre, just the bit between the station and the coal mine.

 

[alex397]

I've had another look at table 1350 in the ERT. Even with the current service suspensions, it appears to be at least theoretically possible to get from Zagreb to Sarajevo mostly by train with significantly less taxi mileage than Seat61 suggests, but you'd need to be quite determined, and it can't be done in a day. (If the suspended trains were to be restored, it would become rather easier, but the long taxi ride as suggested by Seat61 would still be the only way to do it in a day). Using trains currently shown as operating, the itinerary would be as follows:

Travel from Zagreb to Kostajnica and cross the border as suggested by Seat61, but instead of getting a taxi all the way to Banja Luka, get one just as far as Dobrljin, about 11 km from the border crossing. From there, a train departs at 14.56 for Banja Luka, arriving at 17.09; another train leaves Banja Luka at 19.30 for Doboj which it reaches at 21.38. Doboj is a reasonable-sized town which presumably has overnight accommodation and taxis.

From there there is a gap of 23 km to Maglaj which would currently have to be covered by road transport. If you could somehow get to Maglaj by 06.01 the next morning there is a fast(ish) train that gets to Sarajevo at 08.43. With a probably more feasible 09.25 departure from Maglaj, you would arrive at Zenica at 10.59, wait there until 15.28 and eventually get to Sarajevo at 17.39.

Thank you for this detailed information. It would be a good way to see more of B&H, but as you say I think I'd have to be very determined to make that work! What a shame the railways in B&H appear to have such poor connectivity. There is clearly so much potential in the country. I can see more international trains being popular with travellers, but it appears its difficult enough just connecting national regions of B&H.
However, your info has given me food for thought for further trips to Bosnia if I go there another time.

For what it's worth, my experience in 2012 and again in 2013 was that although timekeeping wasn't always great on long-distance trains, all trains turned up (except for one being replaced by a bus for the first hour or so out of Zagreb due to planned engineering works) and got me to my destination eventually. I'm glad though that I visited while the Zagreb-Sarajevo train was still running!

Thanks for this. Timekeeping isn't hugely important for this trip, as long as it turns up!

It's very easy and painless in summer. The ferries don't need to be reserved (except the catamaran), but the only question is the Orebić-Trpanj bus. Apparently a bus runs that connects to the Ploce ferry, but I can't confirm that as fact. However, usually in Croatia, the buses do connect to the ferries like that, so it would be surprising if it wasn't the same case there.

Having a quick look at the ferries, they seem more frequent than I thought they would be (in the summer anyway, certainly not in the winter!). I can't seem to find any info about transport between Orebić-Trpanj yet, but i'm sure there will be something. I'll do some more digging.
The catamaran from Split looks like it will only cost under £20 so not bad at all! Hopefully it will be easy to get a place on the catamaran.

Having said that, if I were in that direction, I'd be tempted to go Ploče-Trpanj on the ferry, then Trpanj-Orebić by local transport. From Orebić, it's a short hop over to Korcula, which is well worth an overnight stay. From there, you've got the ferry to Split via Hvar Town and Bol, and there are stunning views along the way.

IMO, it's better to fly into Split, then do some island hopping on the way to BiH. There are flights on Easyjet to Split for around 60 quid, arriving at 9:25am. Something like this is doable and worthwhile:

Arrive Split Airport: 9:25am
Transfer to the Port of Split, arrive roughly 11:00am
Spend time in Split (the city centre is next to the port)
Split-Hvar-Korcula ferry: depart 3:30pm, arrive 7:10pm

Night in Korcula.

From there, you can make your way peacefully towards Ploče for the train to Sarajevo.

I've done a bit of research for this part of my (potential) trip. Personally, I think i'd prefer to start in Sarajevo, then end up in Split, as I think the stunning islands could be a good end to the trip - Sarajevo is relatively beautiful, but not quite the same as the islands. Out of interest, what is the reason you think it might be better the other way around? Is it easier, or just personal preference?

I might overnight in Mostar, as I don't think I can just pass that town without stopping. I'd get the 09.05 to Ploče (interestingly this train is just the existing Sarajevo to Čapljina journey, extended to Ploče, rather than a completely new journey), arriving 10.36.
Then ferry 633 from Ploče to Trpanj (13.15-14.15)
Then it seems there are only 3 buses a day from Trpanj to Orebic (and the first two are pre-7am!), with a bus at 16.15, arriving 16.50. I'm sure I'll have plenty to do in two hours on a stunning island, but i'm disappointed there are so few public transport options here.
Then ferry 614 from Orebic to Korcula (17.30-17.45).
While this is not a journey I want to rush, so I can take in the scenery, I didn't expect the journey from Ploce to Korcula to take quite so long.
After a night in Korcula, I will probably get the 13.00 catamaran, arriving Split at 15.35. Then one or two nights there, and fly back to London.

 

[Richard Scott]

I might overnight in Mostar, as I don't think I can just pass that town without stopping. I'd get the 09.05 to Ploče (interestingly this train is just the existing Sarajevo to Čapljina journey, extended to Ploče, rather than a completely new journey), arriving 10.36.
Then ferry 633 from Ploče to Trpanj (13.15-14.15)
Then it seems there are only 3 buses a day from Trpanj to Orebic (and the first two are pre-7am!), with a bus at 16.15, arriving 16.50. I'm sure I'll have plenty to do in two hours on a stunning island, but i'm disappointed there are so few public transport options here.

Mostar is a must, went last year. We found timekeeping of trains pretty good but low line speed and lack of other trains generally helped. Talgo stock decent so long journeys aren't an issue, buffet car cheap too. Worth paying the extra for first class.
We hired a car as wanted to try and see remains of working Steam, worth doing if you have time.

 

[alex397]

We hired a car as wanted to try and see remains of working Steam, worth doing if you have time.

I’d certainly like to see some of the remaining steam, but as I’ve read on this forum before it is very difficult to go and see by public transport.
I’m quite a novice driver and used to an automatic, so not sure I’d be comfortable driving around Bosnia (a friend of mine did it across the Balkans, and said he experienced quite a few near misses!).

 

[Richard Scott]

I’d certainly like to see some of the remaining steam, but as I’ve read on this forum before it is very difficult to go and see by public transport.
I’m quite a novice driver and used to an automatic, so not sure I’d be comfortable driving around Bosnia (a friend of mine did it across the Balkans, and said he experienced quite a few near misses!).

The steam is worth seeing but would be nigh on impossible on public transport. The standards of driving are quite poor and almost all single carriageway roads so can be tedious.

 

[181]

I’d certainly like to see some of the remaining steam, but as I’ve read on this forum before it is very difficult to go and see by public transport.

The steam is worth seeing but would be nigh on impossible on public transport.

We disagreed about this a few months ago. It can (or at least could) be done -- I've done it, and among the various reports at https://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/europe.htm#Bosnia there are a few from other people who have done the same. It's not entirely straightforward, and you can't visit multiple steam locations on the same day, but I wouldn't go as far as to say 'very difficult' -- if you can get to Tuzla the remaining steam locations are within range of local bus routes, and if you're willing and able to walk a few miles that would, although taking time, reduce your dependence on the buses.

(As everywhere, seeing 'real' steam activity requires some patience and luck however you travel).

Since I visited, the main changes that I'm aware of are that there is less steam activity (which on the one hand means there's more risk of not finding any, but on the other hand reduces the number of places that you might want to get to), and that you can't get to Tuzla by train any more (I'm sure there must be buses, though). Of course there's no guarantee that local buses around Tuzla will be the same as they were 10 years ago, but I'd be surprised if there had been major cutbacks.

For longer-distance travel, this website appears to have quite a lot of bus times for that part of the world (it shows multiple buses per day between Sarajevo and Tuzla). (But note that all I know about it is from what I've seen since I found it via Google earlier thisevening, so I'm not guaranteeing anything).

 

[alex397]

Thanks for the recommendations 181. I would only be in Bosnia a few days, and there would be a few other things I’d like to do (and not all transport related), so I doubt I’ll want to spend a lot of time travelling about hoping to find a steam train, as appealing as it is. If I was there a week or two, I’d definitely be attempting to find some.

With my Croatian island hopping plan after Ploce (thanks to Cloud Strife), there is a bit of a sticking point. Firstly, the train from Sarajevo arrives at Ploce at 10.36, missing the Trpanj ferry by 16 mins. Next one is at 13.15. Once at Trpanj, it is not clear how to get to Orebic. There is just one available Arriva Autotrans bus at 16.15, and that’s it. And it doesn’t appear on Google Maps like other Arriva Autotrans routes, and one website says timetables frequently change, so not sure I want to rely on it. Especially with Arriva being involved!

I’m wondering if there are other options that might not be obvious? Do these islands have bus services that are not advertised online or are a bit more unofficial? Are taxis relatively easy and affordable to use?

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

It’s such a shame that a lot of the Balkans has been closed off rail-wise due to covid.
Serbia is one huge example - last time I checked, none of their international trains were running - which screwed up my plan to get from the Austrian GP to Kosovo…
I would definitely suggest a diversion to Mostar to see the famous bridge - but anywhere you go really is quite stunning.

 

[Fragezeichnen]

I’d certainly like to see some of the remaining steam, but as I’ve read on this forum before it is very difficult to go and see by public transport.
I’m quite a novice driver and used to an automatic, so not sure I’d be comfortable driving around Bosnia (a friend of mine did it across the Balkans, and said he experienced quite a few near misses!).

At least when I went there a few years ago prices were so astoundingly cheap compared to the UK, that even when travelling on a tight budget, hiring a taxi for a day to act as your chauffeur is realistic option(and the only option if you want to visit anything outside of cities and can't/won't drive, due to lack of public transport and tourism services). In Mostar I met a girl who despite backpacking and staying in hostels, had hired a taxi to visit some waterfalls nearby.

I'd get the 09.05 to Ploče (interestingly this train is just the existing Sarajevo to Čapljina journey, extended to Ploče, rather than a completely new journey), arriving 10.36.

It always used to run to Ploce, until a few years back the Croatians carried out a cull of international trains and cut both that and both the day and night Zagreb trains.

 

[alex397]

At least when I went there a few years ago prices were so astoundingly cheap compared to the UK, that even when travelling on a tight budget, hiring a taxi for a day to act as your chauffeur is realistic option(and the only option if you want to visit anything outside of cities and can't/won't drive, due to lack of public transport and tourism services). In Mostar I met a girl who despite backpacking and staying in hostels, had hired a taxi to visit some waterfalls nearby.

I shall take that into consideration, thank you. I’m often quite weary about using taxis (especially as I’m travelling solo), but that’s mostly because I’m just not used to using them.

It always used to run to Ploce, until a few years back the Croatians carried out a cull of international trains and cut both that and both the day and night Zagreb trains.

Thought that might be the case.
Such a shame really, as there is a lot of potential for rail routes in the Balkans. I’m sure there are lots of tourists who would prefer using the train rather than a coach, which is the main transport in the Balkans. Bosnia seems to be gradually becoming more popular with tourists, so hopefully as demand increases there will be more pressure to open rail routes, and as long as Bosnia stays relatively stable politically (I’m aware of the increasing tensions).

 

[181]

It always used to run to Ploce, until a few years back the Croatians carried out a cull of international trains and cut both that and both the day and night Zagreb trains.

Probably not relevant to the OP, but being pedantic for the sake of accuracy, Bosnia's cross-border trains disappeared in in more than one stage. The Belgrade and Budapest trains, the overnight Zagreb and one train to Ploče went between my two visits in 2012 and 2013 -- I read somewhere that, as you say, this was part of wider Croatian cuts to international trains -- and the other Ploče train appears to have been withdrawn not long afterwards; but the Zagreb day train lasted a few more years -- Seat61 says that it ceased in 2016 due to lack of agreement about running the new Talgo trains into Croatia.

(Being even more pedantic, the Sargan Eight tourist railway crosses into Bosnia, and the Belgrade-Bar line passes through it for a few miles, but neither is much use for getting to the rest of Bosnia).

 

[alex397]

(Being even more pedantic, the Sargan Eight tourist railway crosses into Bosnia, and the Belgrade-Bar line passes through it for a few miles, but neither is much use for getting to the rest of Bosnia).

That is very intriguing. For a part of Europe where crossing borders is relatively difficult, it’s interesting that the first international heritage railway I’ve heard of is in Serbia/Bosnia! A bit OT I know, but how does passport control work?

Another question I have is about getting a Bosnian SIM card. I keep reading on various sources of people doing this, but no where have they explained why. I’m just used to travelling in the EU where I can (well, not for much longer) just use my regular data and minutes (the only non-EU place I’ve been in recent years is Serbia, but can’t recall having any phone issues). As long as I can message relatives and use some WiFi at the hotel I will be fine. I’ve tried looking online for an answer but can’t seem to find anything. As a novice, what am I missing?

 

[181]

That is very intriguing. For a part of Europe where crossing borders is relatively difficult, it’s interesting that the first international heritage railway I’ve heard of is in Serbia/Bosnia! A bit OT I know, but how does passport control work?

I can't shed any light on that, I'm afraid, as I haven't been there, and the amount of information available online seems to be limited. It appears though that the cross-border section is only used occasionally.

(Even more OT, as it's a few thousand miles away, but the White Pass and Yukon Railway crosses a border which is comparatively 'hard' by Western European standards; I don't know whether there are any other international heritage railways).

 

[Cloud Strife]

With my Croatian island hopping plan after Ploce (thanks to Cloud Strife), there is a bit of a sticking point. Firstly, the train from Sarajevo arrives at Ploce at 10.36, missing the Trpanj ferry by 16 mins. Next one is at 13.15. Once at Trpanj, it is not clear how to get to Orebic. There is just one available Arriva Autotrans bus at 16.15, and that’s it. And it doesn’t appear on Google Maps like other Arriva Autotrans routes, and one website says timetables frequently change, so not sure I want to rely on it. Especially with Arriva being involved!

I’m wondering if there are other options that might not be obvious? Do these islands have bus services that are not advertised online or are a bit more unofficial? Are taxis relatively easy and affordable to use?

The 16:15 is on Arriva's own site, and I would be pretty confident of it existing. From what I can see, it connects straight into the 17:00 sailing from Orebić to Korcula, and it also forms a connection with the 15:15 from Ploce. While I wouldn't risk the 15:15 from Ploce, Trpanj is a pleasant enough place to spend a couple of hours. It's also likely that the 17:00 from Orebić will be held to wait for the bus, although there are plenty of options from Orebic in summer.

The steam is worth seeing but would be nigh on impossible on public transport. The standards of driving are quite poor and almost all single carriageway roads so can be tedious.

What's funny to me is the perception that Balkan drivers are poor. I've been there more times than I care to count, and the driving standards are far better than in Poland! Agreed though, Bosnia is not a country to hurry through.

I’m wondering if there are other options that might not be obvious? Do these islands have bus services that are not advertised online or are a bit more unofficial? Are taxis relatively easy and affordable to use?

There are a lot of very informal agreements on Croatian islands, especially in Dalmatia. In general, if you find yourself stuck, go to the tourist board and they'll figure something out for you. In general though, you can normally get transport to somewhere for a reasonable fixed price. But yes, there can be random unadvertised buses running, but the main public transport is quite reliable as these are lifeline services.

==

As somewhat of an OT to anyone considering island hopping in Croatia, one thing to be careful of is that the local ferries mostly don't have fixed reservations for cars. This often catches people out on some routes such as Sucuraj (Hvar) to Drvenik, as they expect that their ticket is for a specific sailing. Instead, there, it's first come first served, although they also usually sail constantly in summer rather than keeping to the published schedule. It can happen that during peak times, you can be waiting 3-4 hours to board a ferry, especially as Jadrolinija tends to run smaller ferries to cater for the fact that traffic is non-existent on these routes in winter.

Why Jadrolinija stubbornly refuse to introduce reservations for all departures is entirely beyond me.

 

[Richard Scott]

What's funny to me is the perception that Balkan drivers are poor. I've been there more times than I care to count, and the driving standards are far better than in Poland! Agreed though, Bosnia is not a country to hurry through.

No, it's not a perception, based on my experiences driving there it's a fact. Ridiculous overtaking manoeuvres on blind bends were common.

 

[Cloud Strife]

That is very intriguing. For a part of Europe where crossing borders is relatively difficult, it’s interesting that the first international heritage railway I’ve heard of is in Serbia/Bosnia! A bit OT I know, but how does passport control work?

With these lines, normally there isn't any control as the trains don't stop. This, however, is the major issue with the line along the Una through Martin Brod, as the line crosses the Croatian border repeatedly, and there's no will on the part of the Bosnian or Croatian sides to find a solution there.

 

[alex397]

I’ve booked my trip to B&H now. It’s not as ambitious as I was hoping, as I’m just flying there and back using Wizz Air. I planned to return via Wizz to Cologne, then via Brussels to London on DB ICE/Eurostar, but it was just too expensive for me.

But I do plan to use the train down to Mostar, as well as the public transport in Sarajevo.

I’m not particularly looking forward to travelling to/from the airport. Lots of people have had difficulty using the taxis (getting conned etc), but I shall do some research to make sure I don’t. There is a Centrotrans bus, but it is very infrequent. My flight is due to arrive 12.15, and the next bus isn’t until 14.20. But, depending on flight delays and how long security takes, I may well end up using it. I’ve read Centrotrans are quite reliable compared to publically owned GRAS.

There’s also the option to walk into the suburb of Dobrinja by the airport to catch the 103 trolleybus. Does anyone have experience of doing it this way? I would have to have change though, and I’m not sure how safe I’d feel walking into this suburb as I’ll clearly look like a tourist with my bag. Bosnia is quite a safe country of course, but best to be careful when looking like a tourist anywhere!
I will definitely need a taxi to return though as the flight is at 6.15.

Any recommendations for the best way to use the local public transport would be most welcome. I’ve read you can get tickets from newspaper kiosks which could be a bit of a challenge! Especially when buying a day ticket which I don’t think is commonly sold. It is also not clear if a day ticket would cover tram, trolleybus and bus. I know you can’t use both Centrotrans and GRAS on the same ticket, but not sure if you can use the same ticket on a GRAS tram and a GRAS trolleybus).
It is also difficult trying to work out what the routes are. I’ve relied on information from enthusiast websites or third party apps, which all seem to have conflicting information. Does anyone know the most reliable website for up to date info for Sarajevo? It doesn’t matter too much but would be good to plan a few of my trips.

Anyway, thank you for all the recommendations in above posts. They will be very useful for planning future trips here, and for anyone else reading the thread.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Not exactly on topic, but I believe the Pelješac Bridge in Croatia is to open imminently.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelješac_Bridge

This new road bridge bypasses the 12km of BiH territory at Neum on the present Adriatic Highway, and will link Split/Ploče directly with Dubrovnik and the southern coast.
This is bound to change the transport connections in the area, and avoids 4 lots of border controls.
Apparently the bridge itself (Chinese-built) is complete, but work is still going on to upgrade the link roads on the previously remote Pelješac peninsula.
Neum is Bosnia's only outlet to the sea, a relic of Ottoman occupation.