Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 523

up-to-date inform ation on the
current situation, as does the
UK Foreign Office.

ARRIVING BY AIR

Sarajevo International Airport,
12 km (7 miles) southwest of
the city, is the only interna-
tional airport with daily flights.
It is worth noting that the air-
port is prone to fog in winter,
which can cause flight cancell-
ations or delays at short notice.
Mostar’s air port has weekly
flights to Zagreb in Croatia.
Since Bosnia lacks its own
national carrier, Zagreb acts as
a hub for Croatian Airlines to
connect Sarajevo with regular
flights to major European
cities. British Airways has regu-
lar indirect flights from London
to Sarajevo, while Lufthansa,
Malév and Austrian Airlines
have direct flights from
Munich, Budapest and Vienna.

RAIL TRAVEL

Bosnia’s rail network suffered
severe damage during the
Bosnian Wars. Its services are
still limited and journeys are
slow, as the routes tend to be
circuitous. Mainline con nec-
tions with neighbour ing
capitals have been introduced

and overnight trains run north

from Sarajevo to Belgrade

(10hrs) and Budapest (12hrs),

and west to Zagreb (9hrs)

but there are no sleeper

carriages. The southern line

from Sarajevo via Mostar

to Ploče, in Croatia, is the

country’s most scenic route.

Bosnia is now accessible with

an InterRail ticket, but not

yet with Eurail. Sarajevo Train

Station is easily accessible

from the downtown area.

TRAVELLING BY BUS

The country has a reliable

bus network with daily

services covering the whole

country. International buses

run daily from Sarajevo to

Ljubljana, Kotor, Belgrade,

Zagreb and Dubrovnik.

Eurolines operates coaches

from Sarajevo to other

European cities through

the Bosnian bus company

Centrotrans. Reservations

can be made through

Eurolines offices abroad.

TRAVELLING BY CAR

Travelling by car is the most

convenient form of transport

in Bosnia. It is safe to drive all

around the country, although

DIRECTORY

EMBASSIES

United Kingdom

Tina Ujeviča 8, Sarajevo.

Tel (033) 282 200.

United States

Alipasina 43, Sarajevo.

Tel (033) 445 700.

VISITOR

INFORMATION

Mostar Tourist

Information Centre

Tel (036) 580 275.

http://www.visitmostar.net.

http://www.hercegovina.ba

Sarajevo Tourist

Information Centre

Tel (033) 250 200.

http://www.sarajevo-tourism.

com

EMERGENCY

NUMBERS

Ambulance

Tel 124.

Fire

Tel 123.

Police

Tel 122.

HEALTH AND

SECURITY

Clinical Hospital

Mostar

Tel (036) 336 500.

Emergency Medical

Service

Kolodvorska 14, Sarajevo.

Tel (033) 611 111.

LANDMINES

Mine Action Centre

http://www.bhmac.org

UK Foreign Office

http://www.fco.gov.uk

ARRIVING BY AIR

Austrian Airlines

http://www.aua.com

British Airways

http://www.britishairways.com

Lufthansa

http://www.lufthansa.com

Malév

http://www.malev.com

RAIL TRAVEL

Sarajevo Train

Station

Tel (033) 655 330.

TRAVELLING BY BUS

Centrotrans

Tel (033) 464 045.

http://www.eurolines.ba

TRAVELLING BY

CAR

Budget

Tel (033) 219 992.

http://www.budget.ba

Lami

Tel (061) 260 609.

Misag

Tel (033) 684 323.

http://www.misagbh.com

Thrifty

Tel (033) 760 645.

http://www.thrifty.ba

OUTDOOR

ACTIVITIES

Green Visions

http://www.greenvisions.ba

Encijan Mountain

Association

http://www.pkencijan.com

the usual landmine warnings

about not straying off the

road apply. Petrol stations

are plenti ful and often accept

credit cards. Major car rental

firms at Sarajevo Airport

include Budget and Thrifty,

while Misag and Lami offer

slightly older cars. Those

travelling in their own car

will need regis tration docu-

ments, Green Card insurance

and an EU or inter national

driving licence. Snow chains

are essential for winter travel.

Drivers should ensure that

they carry a dual language

road map as most of the road

signs in Republika Srpska –

one of the two main political

divisions of the country –

are in Cyrillic.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Before Bosnia’s natural beauty

was marred by landmines, it

was a paradise for hiking,

mountain biking, climbing and

rafting. None of these activities

are now recommended with-

out a local professional guide.

Both Green Visions and the

Encijan Mountain Association

provide inter nationally quali-

fied guides and run organized

wild erness trips in areas that

are clear of mines.