I've recently returned for a 2 week, 3400 mile, trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), travelling as far as Srebrenica; I was last there 30 years ago. I was fortunate to have amazing weather, save for the odd shower and had a terrific time. This isn't intended to be a trip report as such, but rather to share some facts that may be of use to others thinking of travelling to this beautiful country. The history, the people, the landscape, the experience - put it on your list!
Outline route: Calais-Saarbruken-Fussen-Villach-Zagreb-Bihac-Travnik-Srebrenica-Sarajevo-Zagreb-Wurzburg-Calais.
Accommodation - I stayed in hotels, with the exception of Srebrenica when it was a homestay (think Airbnb). I used Booking.com throughout and, in the main, only booked hotels the previous day. May/June and Sep/Oct are the "shoulder" seasons so accommodation was readily available, even in Sarajevo.
Driving Licence - you'll need an International Driving Licence, available at the post office, and the 1968 version for BiH (see https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit for more info).
Bike Insurance - despite the government website (https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad) stating that your UK insurance provides a minimum of 3rd party liability in EU countries plus a few more (including BiH) this is not actually the case. As I'm sure you would, check with your insurer, mine (Bennetts) did not cover BiH. So the default option, from what I've read on here, seems to be to buy insurance at the border crossing. I wasn't over the moon with this idea and did a bit of digging and discovered Lobagola Insurance (http://www.lobagola-insurance.com and https://www.lobagola-mototours.com) based in Zagreb and owned by an amazingly helpful and talented chap called Dubravko Primorac (aka Dooby). Balkans 3rd party insurance cost 90 euros for 15 days, which I think is good value and moreover the product to be credible! I received a digital copy of the insurance certificate and had it printed out at a hotel.
Border crossings - I crossed into BiH at Izacic, just North West of Bihac, and other than my passport they wanted to see both V5 and insurance; all very straightforward and without problem. I had to detour off a route that had been suggested to me (Dooby) in order to enter the country at a manned checkpoint. It would be easy to unwittingly enter the country on an unmanned road, but there's a risk of a fine on exit and I doubt you'd be well placed if the event of a mishap.
Roads - Mainly fine, but don't be surprised to find a patchwork quilt of repairs in rural areas and some random scoring of the roads - shallow grooves running along the road (full width). I'm not sure of their purpose, perhaps to improve drainage, anyway all a little disconcerting, especially on bends. If you're tempted with remote, rural roads in the region (and why not) don't be surprised to find asphalt turning to gravel on some very minor roads. This happened on a couple of occasions, I turned back after 2 miles the first time and carried on (4 miles) the second time. Bear in mind my satnav considered these "paved" roads.
Money - BiH currency is the BAM (Bosnian Mark) and it has a very solid value against the Euro; 2 BAM = €1. The € is widely accepted, but many sellers will only accept € notes and expect your change to be in BAM. I only came across one instance of € not being accepted, but could have paid with a card. Of note I made regular use of my CHASE (ebank) debit card (no charges for non-sterling transactions), particularly when paying for hotels and ended up with a better deal/exchange rate than if I'd paid in €.
Fuel - readily available in every town/large village and great value at approx. £1.10/litre in BiH. The most I paid was £2.40/litre just North of Innsbruck!! And I don't know what its is about mainland European fuel, but my bike returned some great mpg!
So that's probably enough for now. If anyone would like specifics, feel free to get in touch.
Andy
A few pics to whet your appetite!
Football Ground - Srebrenica
Lake Bohinj - Slovenia
Sarajevo
Outline route: Calais-Saarbruken-Fussen-Villach-Zagreb-Bihac-Travnik-Srebrenica-Sarajevo-Zagreb-Wurzburg-Calais.
Accommodation - I stayed in hotels, with the exception of Srebrenica when it was a homestay (think Airbnb). I used Booking.com throughout and, in the main, only booked hotels the previous day. May/June and Sep/Oct are the "shoulder" seasons so accommodation was readily available, even in Sarajevo.
Driving Licence - you'll need an International Driving Licence, available at the post office, and the 1968 version for BiH (see https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad/international-driving-permit for more info).
Bike Insurance - despite the government website (https://www.gov.uk/driving-abroad) stating that your UK insurance provides a minimum of 3rd party liability in EU countries plus a few more (including BiH) this is not actually the case. As I'm sure you would, check with your insurer, mine (Bennetts) did not cover BiH. So the default option, from what I've read on here, seems to be to buy insurance at the border crossing. I wasn't over the moon with this idea and did a bit of digging and discovered Lobagola Insurance (http://www.lobagola-insurance.com and https://www.lobagola-mototours.com) based in Zagreb and owned by an amazingly helpful and talented chap called Dubravko Primorac (aka Dooby). Balkans 3rd party insurance cost 90 euros for 15 days, which I think is good value and moreover the product to be credible! I received a digital copy of the insurance certificate and had it printed out at a hotel.
Border crossings - I crossed into BiH at Izacic, just North West of Bihac, and other than my passport they wanted to see both V5 and insurance; all very straightforward and without problem. I had to detour off a route that had been suggested to me (Dooby) in order to enter the country at a manned checkpoint. It would be easy to unwittingly enter the country on an unmanned road, but there's a risk of a fine on exit and I doubt you'd be well placed if the event of a mishap.
Roads - Mainly fine, but don't be surprised to find a patchwork quilt of repairs in rural areas and some random scoring of the roads - shallow grooves running along the road (full width). I'm not sure of their purpose, perhaps to improve drainage, anyway all a little disconcerting, especially on bends. If you're tempted with remote, rural roads in the region (and why not) don't be surprised to find asphalt turning to gravel on some very minor roads. This happened on a couple of occasions, I turned back after 2 miles the first time and carried on (4 miles) the second time. Bear in mind my satnav considered these "paved" roads.
Money - BiH currency is the BAM (Bosnian Mark) and it has a very solid value against the Euro; 2 BAM = €1. The € is widely accepted, but many sellers will only accept € notes and expect your change to be in BAM. I only came across one instance of € not being accepted, but could have paid with a card. Of note I made regular use of my CHASE (ebank) debit card (no charges for non-sterling transactions), particularly when paying for hotels and ended up with a better deal/exchange rate than if I'd paid in €.
Fuel - readily available in every town/large village and great value at approx. £1.10/litre in BiH. The most I paid was £2.40/litre just North of Innsbruck!! And I don't know what its is about mainland European fuel, but my bike returned some great mpg!
So that's probably enough for now. If anyone would like specifics, feel free to get in touch.
Andy
A few pics to whet your appetite!
Football Ground - Srebrenica
Lake Bohinj - Slovenia
Sarajevo
