Neum
©
Neum

Neum

Bosnia and Herzegovina's only Adriatic resort town, squeezed between Croatia and the Bay of Neum.

Neum is Bosnia and Herzegovina's small window onto the Adriatic, a short strip of coast wedged between two parts of Croatia. It is not the prettiest town on the sea, and it can feel crowded in summer, but the geography alone makes it interesting: this is the country's only practical seaside resort.

The town drops steeply from the main road to the water. Hotels, apartment blocks, concrete beaches, and cafe terraces line the Neum waterfront, while the Klek Peninsula shelters the bay from the open Adriatic. Offshore, the bare little islands of Mali Skolj and Veliki Skolj are more geographical curiosities than classic island escapes.

Use Neum pragmatically. It is a cheaper coastal base than much of neighbouring Croatia, a useful stop between Mostar, Dubrovnik, and the Peljesac peninsula, and a place to swim if you are travelling through Bosnia in high summer. For romance and old stone lanes, keep moving; for a Bosnian dip in the Adriatic, this is the place.

Guide

Beaches

Neum's beaches are mostly narrow, pebbly, and backed by hotels or apartment terraces. They are convenient rather than wild, and the best time to enjoy them is early morning before the summer crowds settle in. Water shoes help, as they do on much of this coast.

Guide

Getting There

Neum lies on the coastal road between the Dubrovnik area and the Neretva delta, with buses and private transfers linking it to Mostar, Dubrovnik, and Split. Border arrangements on this part of the coast have changed with the Peljesac Bridge, but travellers should still check current routing and documents before crossing between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.

Guide

Things to Do

Neum's pleasures are simple: swim, walk the waterfront, look across the bay, and understand the odd coastline that gives Bosnia and Herzegovina its only direct access to the Adriatic. The town has a resort feel rather than a historic core, so the surrounding bay and peninsula matter more than individual monuments.