Are you thinking of travelling from Sarajevo to Belgrade by bus and not sure how?
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The easiest way to get between Bosnia and Herzegovina’s and Serbia’s respective capital cities is by bus. While backpacking the Balkans solo at the end of 2019, I wasn’t sure how easy public transport would be. It turned out to be easy, but this blog post is meant as extra reassurance and information for those who like to know what to expect. 🙂
NOTE FOR SOLO TRAVELLERS: I felt safe travelling solo across the Balkans, especially in daylight. The bus journeys were straightforward, and I wasn’t charged extra to the locals.
How to take the bus from Sarajevo to Belgrade
BUS TIMES FROM SARAJEVO TO BELGRADE
There are TWO different bus stations in Sarajevo with buses going to Belgrade.
- The earliest bus leaves at 0600 from Autobuska Stanica Sarajevo.
- Then there are buses every couple of hours until 12:30 from Istočno Sarajevo Bus Station.
The advantage of getting the 06:00 bus is that it is from the closest bus station to the city (Autobuska Stanica Sarajevo). Also, it arrives in Belgrade at 1:40 pm, giving you an extra half-day to explore!
Just make sure you arrive at the correct bus stop.
Autobuska Stanica Sarajevo is around a 35-minute walk or 25-minute tram from the town centre. Address: Put života 8, Sarajevo 71000, Bosnia & Herzegovina
Istočno Sarajevo Bus Station is around 45 minutes on public transport from the town centre. Address: Srpskih vladara 2, Lukavica 71123, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Tip for taking the tram in Sarajevo:
Tickets are 1.80KM. Be sure to punch the ticket in the small ticket machine immediately after buying it – ask the driver if you’re not sure how. Otherwise, ticket inspectors can fine you.
BUYING YOUR BUS TICKET
You can buy the bus ticket from the bus station or online.
Tickets for 6 am bus: https://getbybus.com/en/bus-sarajevo-to-belgrade
Tickets for other buses: https://busticket4.me/EN/1309-1213-132-0-0/0-1/Sarajevo-Belgrade/
Ticket cost: 20 euros. It’s very easy to buy a ticket in the station. English is quite good in Sarajevo, but any staff member will recognise ‘Belgrade’. Arrive around 30-minutes early to purchase from the station.
BEFORE DEPARTING THE BUS STATION
I arrived at Autobuska Stanica Sarajevo around 05:30. There were quite a few people around, although not much was open. There was a cafe selling drinks and hot food, but since it is a long journey, I would recommend bringing snacks and filling your water bottle before arriving if you might get hungry.
By 05:45 we had begun stowing luggage. By 5:55 we had all boarded, and we pulled out of the driveway at 5:59.
It is easy to find the ‘platform’ for your bus as the destination is written on the front of the bus. Also, the name of the bus company from whom you bought your ticket will be on the side of the bus.
The seats on this bus were very comfortable, with pockets on the back of the seats and reclining chairs.
THE SCENIC BUS JOURNEY FROM SARAJEVO TO BELGRADE
The bus journey from Sarajevo to Belgrade was scenic and enjoyable. The mountains of Bosnia and Herzegovina were absolutely stunning, and after crossing the border, I could observe traditional ways of life in the flat farmlands of Serbia.
Following the river along the border shortly before crossing the border into Serbia was particularly stunning. These photos were taken sitting on the right-hand side.
BORDER CROSSING (CROSSING THE SARAJEVO – BELGRADE BORDER)
Crossing the border into Serbia is very easy, and you don’t have to leave your seat – just have your passport ready. On my 06:00 journey, there were two checkpoints. We arrived at the first at 09:15. The police boarded the bus and checked our passports against our faces before taking them. We got them back and moved on after around 20 minutes.
Moments later, we arrived at the second checkpoint. This time, they again took our passports before handing them back shortly after. We left the second checkpoint around 10am.
BREAKS ON THE BUS JOURNEY
The rest of the bus ride from Sarajevo to Belgrade went smoothly. There were several very short breaks along the way, usually smoking breaks or just to let people on/off the bus.
We also had a 20-minute break at 11:45 at a small cafe (which had wifi, a bonus) where you could buy lunch. We could even use our Bosnian Marks there, which was helpful since we hadn’t passed any ATMs yet (that I noticed). I believe you could also pay with a card. I couldn’t find out what was veggie on the menu, so I just bought chips.
ARRIVAL IN BELGRADE
And finally, I arrived in Belgrade about 10 minutes after the specified time, at around 1:50pm. From there, I walked to my hostel to begin my stay in Serbia. That’s everything I can think of mentioning about my journey between Sarajevo and Belgrade. Please let me know if any other information you see here is outdated or incorrect.
And safe travels!
