Bosnia's only Adriatic coastal town — narrow strip between Dubrovnik and Split.
Neum is the only coastal town in Bosnia and Herzegovina — a 21-kilometre strip of Adriatic coastline squeezed between Croatian territory to the north (heading toward Split) and south (toward Dubrovnik). The Neum Corridor has existed since 1699, when the Treaty of Karlowitz gave the Ottoman Empire a buffer of coastline between the Venetian territories of Dalmatia and the Republic of Dubrovnik. The corridor is why every coastal traveller between Dubrovnik and Split crosses two international borders in under 30 minutes.
The town itself is compact — roughly 4,600 residents year-round, swelling several times over in summer. Building style is 1970s-80s Yugoslav concrete with a Mediterranean twist: white-painted blocks stacked up the hillside with sea-facing balconies. The waterfront promenade, the marina, and the pebbled beaches run the length of the town. Hotels here cost 30–50 percent less than equivalents in Dubrovnik during peak season.
For travellers on our Dubrovnik tour, Neum is a brief passage rather than a stop — the Kravica day trip from Dubrovnik passes through the Neum border crossing twice (once on the way north, once on return). Passport check times vary: 10–15 minutes outside peak season, sometimes 30 minutes on August afternoons. The crossing is straightforward for EU and most non-EU passports; we advise bringing your passport on the Dubrovnik tour even if you're just a day visitor.
What to see if you stop: the Neum beach promenade is ideal for a 30-minute coffee stop mid-drive. The Church of Our Lady of Health (Crkva Gospe od Zdravlja) on the hillside gives the best view of the bay. Several family-run fish restaurants specialise in Adriatic seafood — grilled squid, octopus salad, and fresh fish are standard. Note that Neum uses the Bosnian mark (KM) as official currency, though euros are widely accepted.
Cross-border logistics: Croatian highway (A1/D8) runs north of Neum; to reach the town you exit at the Bosnian border. The A1 Pelješac Bridge (opened 2022) now allows Croatia-to-Croatia travel without crossing the Neum corridor — this has reduced border queues but removed some stop-in traffic for Neum businesses. Our Dubrovnik tour intentionally goes through Neum rather than over Pelješac Bridge, because that's the road that continues inland to Kravica.
When to go: May–June and September offer the best balance of mild weather and fewer crowds. July and August are busy but warmer. Winter is quiet, with many seasonal restaurants closed.
