Bosnia and Herzegovina

Is Bosnia and Herzegovina safe to visit?

Yes, for most travellers. Eurostat counted 33 homicide victims in 2024, about one per 100,000 people, a rate close to Serbia and well below Montenegro. Serious crime against tourists is rare. We score it 72: just below Montenegro (76), and held back by three things that do not show in the crime figures. Landmines are still buried in the countryside, the Serb-run entity has been in political crisis since 2025, and the roads are getting deadlier.

The US State Department rates the country Level 2, "exercise increased caution", for crime, landmines and terrorism. The UK FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary advises against travel to no part of it.

Landmines: the risk that is unique here

The 1992–1995 war left minefields along the former front lines, and some are still in place. The US says suspected areas are normally marked, but that explosions killed people as recently as August 2025. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says cities and main routes are largely clear and the risk is in less populated and rural areas.

The rule is simple: do not step off roads or paved areas without an experienced guide. The FCDO lists the places to be careful: the edges of roads, open countryside, untarred tracks, woods and orchards, neglected land, and destroyed or abandoned buildings, even in towns. Hikers in the mountains around Sarajevo, Konjic and the Neretva valley should use guides or well-used marked trails, and drivers should not pull over onto a verge to turn or picnic.

What is happening in Republika Srpska?

Bosnia is split into two entities, the Federation and Republika Srpska. Republika Srpska's long-time leader Milorad Dodik was convicted in February 2025 of defying the international envoy who oversees the 1995 peace accords. He got a one-year sentence and a six-year ban from office. The appeals court upheld the verdict on 1 August 2025, and the election commission removed him from office on 6 August, according to Al Jazeera. In February 2026 the commission confirmed his party's candidate, Siniša Karan, as winner of the repeat early election for the entity's president.

Bosnia then held general elections on 4 October 2026, with official results due by 20 November. Dodik has repeatedly called for Republika Srpska to break away, which keeps tension high in parliament and the media. For visitors the effect so far has been small. The US says the recent unrest has been political and has not affected tourists, though bystanders could be. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary notes anti-UK rhetoric from some Republika Srpska politicians. Avoid rallies and follow local news; Banja Luka and Trebinje remain ordinary, quiet places to visit.

How dangerous are the roads?

More dangerous than they were. The Transport Community counted 288 road deaths in 2025 (provisional), up from 222 in 2024 and 10.4% above 2019. That is 85 per million people, the same rate as Albania and almost twice the EU average of 43. WHO's model put the rate even higher, at 13.5 per 100,000 for 2019.

Most of the country is mountains, and there are few motorways. Roads such as the M17 down the Neretva canyon to Mostar and the routes to Jahorina and Bjelašnica are narrow and twisty, with tunnels, rockfalls and slow lorries. Between November and April you must have winter tyres and carry snow chains. Drive in daylight. If you rent a car in Bosnia, you also need the 1968 international driving permit.

Crime and petty theft

The US says Sarajevo has a high rate of property crime, including robberies and break-ins, and that most crime against foreigners is purse snatching and pickpocketing. Trams, Baščaršija and the old town in Mostar are where it happens. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary reports a rise in thefts from cars in tourist spots around Sarajevo, particularly on Mount Trebević, so leave nothing visible.

Official taxis are metered, but drivers at the Sarajevo airport rank may ask for a "fixed price" or a luggage fee. Agree the fare or book an established company. Organised crime groups do shoot at each other sometimes; the FCDO says visitors are unlikely to be targeted.

Health, air and weather

Medical care is limited outside Sarajevo and the main towns, and the UK GHIC is not valid, so travel insurance with evacuation cover matters. Winter air is the hidden health risk. Fine particle pollution averaged 26 µg/m³ in 2023 (World Bank), higher than Serbia (19) or Croatia (16), and Sarajevo's valley traps smoke from coal and wood stoves. People with asthma or heart conditions should check the air quality index before outdoor plans in December and January. CDC recommends hepatitis A and B vaccines.

Fog at Sarajevo airport delays and cancels flights in December and January. Flash floods and landslides follow heavy rain, and wildfires are possible from April to October.

How to stay safe in Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Stay on paved roads and marked paths outside towns, and hire a guide for hikes.
• Avoid political demonstrations, particularly around the 2026 election results.
• Drive in daylight and carry winter equipment from November to April.
• Leave the Mostar bridge jump to the local divers; the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary says it has killed people.
• Call 122 for police, 124 for an ambulance, 123 for fire.

How we scored it

Violent crime (86) is the strongest factor, with about one homicide per 100,000 people. Road safety (66) is the weakest, based on 8.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2025 and a rising trend. Conflict (68) reflects landmines, a terrorism warning and the Republika Srpska crisis. Confidence is medium because the 2025 road figures are provisional and political developments are moving fast.