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Zagreb to Sarajevo by train. On other pages |
No Zagreb-Sarajevo train at the moment
Until December 2016 there was a daily direct train between Zagreb and Sarajevo, a journey of some 496 km or 308 miles. It used some very old and basic communist-era carriages, but was just about to become a modern Bosnian Talgo train when a disagreement arose between Croatian and Bosnian railways. As a result of that disagreement there's currently no direct train at all between Zagreb & Sarajevo, until or unless those jokers at Croatian Railways get their act together. Bosnia is now cut off from the rest of the European rail network.
But here's the solution Update: Not running in 2024
However, you can travel from Zagreb to Sarajevo by train, with a 100km (63 mile) taxi ride between the Croatian border at Hrvatska Kostajnica and Banja Luka in Bosnia. It's cheap, scenic, and no prior reservation is needed, it cannot sell out, you can just up and go. I explain how to do it below.
With thanks to travellers Patricia Pater & Giles Baker. If you travel this way & have feedback or get any photos of Croatian or Bosnian trains or scenery, I'd love to hear from you.
IMPORTANT UPDATE 2024: Unfortunately, the Banja Luka to Sarajevo train was temporarily cancelled from 2020 until further notice due to the pandemic and has not resumed. It's still suspended in 2024. You can check the latest situation at www.zfbh.ba
Zagreb ► Sarajevo
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Step 1, travel from Zagreb to Hrvatska Kostajnica on the Bosnian border by local train, leaving Zagreb at 09:00, arriving Hrvatska Kostajnica at 10:43. 2nd class only, distance around 90 km.
You can check times for your date at the Croatian Railways website www.hzpp.hr.
The fare is around 57 kuna (€7.70). No reservation is necessary or possible, turn up, buy a ticket at the station and hop on, or you can buy an e-ticket online at www.hzpp.hr and either print it out or show the e-ticket on your phone. It cannot sell out!
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Step 2, walk across the border into Bosnia, 2.8km, 38 minutes or take a taxi, see walking map. If you find no taxis, ask the owner of the bar across the road and they may ask a customer to drive you there.
On the other side of the border, take a taxi 100km to Banja Luka, journey time 1h40. There aren't always taxis, so you could book Taxi Wolf in Novi Grad in advance, taxi-wolf.webs.com or call +387 65 653450. As a meeting point, you could suggest the Café Level (www.facebook.com/pg/levelcaffe) which has WiFi and the owner speaks English. To reach the Café Level, go to the main crossroads and turn right. You have plenty of time! Taxi cost around €50, further feedback appreciated!
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Step 3, travel from Banja Luka to Sarajevo by train. A comfortable modern Bosnian Railways Talgo train (train 713) leaves Banja Luka at 15:49 arriving Sarajevo station at 20:41. The line is very scenic, especially beyond Zenica.
You can check train times from Banja Luka to Sarajevo at the Bosnian Railways site www.zfbh.ba - look for the Timetable link.
Banja Luka to Sarajevo is 282 km and costs 25.70 BAM (about €13), buy at the station, cash accepted but not credit cards. It cannot and need not be booked online. There are always places available.
Sarajevo ► Zagreb
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Step 1, travel from Sarajevo to Banja Luka by train. A comfortable modern Talgo train leaves Sarajevo station at 10:18 arriving Banja Luka at 15:04. The line is very scenic, especially the part from Sarajevo to Zenica.
You can check train times from Sarajevo to Banja Luka at the Bosnian Railways site www.zfbh.ba - look for the Timetable link top left.
Sarajevo to Banja Luka is 282 km and costs 25.70 BAM (about €13), buy at the station, only cash accepted, no cards. It cannot and need not be booked online. There are always places available.
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Step 2, take a taxi from Banja Luka to Hrvatska Kostajnica, 100km, 1h40, taxi cost around €50. There aren't always taxis, so you could book Taxi Wolf in Novi Grad in advance, taxi-wolf.webs.com or call +387 65 653450. Then walk across the border to the Croatian side, see walking map.
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Step 3, travel from Hrvatska Kostajnica to Zagreb by train. A local train leaves Hrvatska Kostajnica at 19:17 arriving Zagreb at 21:01. 2nd class only. You can check times for your date at the Croatian Railways website www.hzpp.hr.
The fare is around 57 kuna (€7.70). No reservation necessary or possible, turn up, buy a ticket at the station and hop on, or you can buy an e-ticket online at www.hzpp.hr and either print it out or show it on your phone. It cannot sell out!
Route map
Complete train times between Banja Luka & Sarajevo
If you want to stop off in Banja Luka, no problem. Two modern Bosnian Talgo trains link Banja Luka & Doboj with Sarajevo every day. The timetable is shown below. You can check current times at the Bosnian Railways site www.zfbh.ba, look for the TRAIN TIMETABLE link at upper left.
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Banja Luka to Sarajevo costs 25.70 BAM one-way or 41 BAM round trip, plus a 2 BAM seat reservation per journey. €1 = approx 1.9 BAM.
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Buy tickets at the station, there are always places. There is no online booking.
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For onward trains to Mostar, see the Sarajevo to Mostar page.
The Banja Luka - Sarajevo Talgo train
After years of using ancient communist-era carriages, Bosnian Railways have invested in smart modern Spanish-designed Talgo trains. Hauled by a full-size electric locomotive, these excellent Talgos are a pleasure to travel in. Each car is significantly smaller than a conventional railway carriage and is articulated to the next car with just one axle (two wheels) beneath each articulation. Lightweight, with a low centre of gravity, these Talgo trains do less damage to the track, too. Photos in this section are courtesy of Steven Clays, Dominique McClean, Joe Grey, Krzysztof Sokol.
Sarajevo station
There is no bureau de change, ATM or left luggage facility at the station. However, there's a left luggage office inside the nearby bus station and an ATM outside the bus station. Left luggage costs 2 BAM per item for the first hour, 1 BAM per item for each following hour. To reach the bus station, walk out of the station and turn right, walk in front of the Post Office and turn right again, and there's the bus station in front of you. There is tram stop right outside the station, and tram number 1 runs in a loop to the centre of the old town and back, passing the Latin Bridge, site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Tickets are available from kiosks at the tram stop, and must be stamped when you board the tram. With thanks to traveller Ivor Morgan.
On other pages
Zagreb to other
European cities by train
Other European cities to Zagreb by train