Sarajevo Destination Guide

Sarajevo is the capital city and an important urban centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  It is situated in the Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, by the picturesque Miljacka River.  The valley is surrounded by the craggy and thickly forested Dinaric Alps and is bordered by the Bjelasnica and Igman mountains in the southwest and by Trebevic in the southeast.  Sarajevo was once a green expanse, which rapidly changed into an urban area after the Second World War.

You can use our Sarajevo destination guide to give you ideas about some of the great things to see and do during your holiday in Sarajevo, while our Sarajevo tours page provides some fascinating tour options.  More general information about what there is to see & do in the rest of Bosnia-Herzegovina can be found in our Bosnia-Herzegovina Destination Guide. Our Bosnia-Herzegovina country guide contains helpful information to help plan your holiday.

Things to See & Do in Sarajevo

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The Old Town is considered as Sarajevo's ‘historical heart and cultural soul'. Way back in time when the city came into existence, it had a good water supply system, a public bath, closed market place, a mosque, hostel and a Governor's palace. The second governor to take over was Gazi Husrev-beg, who built the city's first library, madrasas, a school of Sufi philosophy, and the Sahat Kula clock tower.

The Latin bridge in Sarajevo Old Town has become famous in history as the scene of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which triggered off World War I. The bridge also had a memorial for the assassin Gavrilo Princip, but this was removed during the 1992 war as Princip was apparently a Serb.

The city of Sarajevo has had a violent and chequered past. The history of Sarajevo valley dates back to the Neolithic era of the history of man. The settlement that existed at that time was known as the Butmir culture, and was discovered as a result of several archaeological digs. The settlements which followed later were tribes and clans known as Illyrian, who were formidable groups until they were conquered by Rome in 9 CE. 

They called the town Aquae Sulphurae, meaning ‘sulphuric thermal spring', where the present day Sarajevo suburb of Ilidža is today.  Later, the Goths replaced the Romans, and in the 7^th century the Slavs came to occupy this region.
The Slavic settlement was centred in a citadel called Vrh-Bosna located in the valley and came into being in 1263.  The Slavs were in control until the Ottoman Empire conquered the land in 1429.  Isa-Beg Isakovic was the first Ottoman governor of Bosnia province; he established the city named Bosna-Saraj around the citadel in 1461. Sarajevo derives its name from the Turkish word meaning palace.

During the Great Turkish War of 1697, an invasion by Prince Eugene of Savoy of the Habsburg Monarchy against the Ottoman Empire, destroyed Sarajevo and left it plague infected.  The city never fully recovered from the destruction. However, the Ottoman Empire continued to use Sarajevo as an important administrative centre till 1850. In 1878, Sarajevo was taken over by the Austria-Hungarian Empire and Bosnia and Herzegovina were annexed in 1878 as part of the Treaty of Berlin. The rulers industrialised the city and Sarajevo became the testing ground for new inventions. For instance, the tramways were first tested in Sarajevo, before they were installed in Vienna.

Later, in 1914, Sarajevo became the reason for the start of World War I. When Gavrilo Princip, a Serb assassin, targeted Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, and killed them, it sparked off a series of wars. However, Sarajevo miraculously escaped widespread damage and destruction as most of the Balkan offensive occurred near Belgrade. After the war, the unification of the Balkans took place and the new area was called the kingdom of Yugoslavia.  Sarajevo was made the capital of the Drina Province.

However, Sarajevo was far from getting any peace. In 1941 Germany, led by the Nazis, bombarded Sarajevo. At that time the Jewish population in Sarajevo, which numbered approximately 10,500, as well as the Romany (gypsy) and Orthodox Serbians, were oppressed by the Croatian Ustaše government or transported to concentration camps. In 1945, Yugoslav Partisan resistance fighters (an anti-fascist resistance movement), led by Josip Broz Tito, liberated Sarajevo.

Post war, the city of Sarajevo expanded and developed rapidly and became an important industrial centre of Yugoslavia. As part of the General Town Development Plan of 1945, modern city blocks were built to the west of the Old City. The city also saw frenzied activity and rapid growth in the early eighties when it was the host for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics.

All this developmental work was unfortunately destroyed when the city came under the siege of the Yugoslav National Army and Bosnian Serb Army. The war, which started on April 6, 1992, lasted until October 1995. This long period of war resulted not only in large scale destruction but also dramatic population shifts.

The city of Sarajevo is filled with museums. Other than the Bosnian Historical Museum and the National Museum, the city also houses the Museum of Literature, Theatre Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ars Aevi Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Theatre of Bosnia and Herzegovina, established in 1919, and the Sarajevo Youth Theatre. 

A visit to the Bosniak Institute , a privately owned library, tells you all you may want to know about Bosniak history. Other museums and institutions you can go to include the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Centre for Sarajevo Culture and Sarajevo City Library.

The Bosnian Historical Museum in the Old Town is a grim reminder of the fall out of wars. Heartrending pictures of maimed and injured citizens, the shelling during war, pictures of UN armoured vehicles and snipers fill the museum.  There is also a display of pictures drawn by children, which are bound to touch your heart.

Visitors can also go to the National Museum , which is located in the centre of Sarajevo and has static displays of both the natural and human history of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Sarajevo Haggadah, an illuminated manuscript of the traditional Jewish Haggadah (scriptures), is also kept at the museum.

City Museum (Brusa Bezistan) is relatively new museum that was completed in 2004. It is situated right in the centre of town, in a beautiful six-dome Ottoman building. The collection - costumes, coins, tombstones and other items you would expect to find in a historical museum - is tastefully exhibited and accompanied with interesting texts in English.

When the Jews were expelled from Spain in the late 15th century it was the Ottoman Empire that welcomed them and placed them throughout the empire. The arrival, lifestyle and treatment of the Jews that settled in and around Sarajevo are told through Jewish Museum. The texts are in English and the material is exhibited tastefully, using each of the three floors of this renovated cobblestone building in the centre of town.

Visitors must also visit the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum, which was constructed by the Bosniaks who were under attack by Serbian forces. The tunnel formed a link from the city of Sarajevo, cut off by Serbian forces, to the supposedly neutral area at the Sarajevo airport set up by the United Nations.  Only 20 metres of tunnel are left today and form part of the museum in Sarajevo. The museum is open on all days of the week and the entrance fee is 5 KM.  Taxis to the museum from the city centre cost around 17 KM one way.

Performances, concerts and exhibitions are happening all over the city of Sarajevo.  We have listed the contact details of some of the many theatres, arts agencies and galleries you have to chose from.

The National Theatre Obala Kulina Bana 9, Tel:+387 (0)33 221 682

Chamber Theatre '55 M. Tita 54/II. Tel:+387 (0)33 216 873

Sarajevo Youth Theatre Kulovića br. 8, Tel/Fax:+387 (0)33 442 572 and +387 (0)33 205 799

Sarajevo War Theatre Gabelina 16, Tel.:+387 (0)33 665 189

Sarajevo Arts Agency Dalmatinska 2/I, Tel:+387 (0)33 207 929 / Fax: 207 972

Sarajevska Filharmonija Obala Kulina Bana 9, Tel:+387 (0)33 666 519, 666 520

B&H Art Gallery Zelenih beretki 8, Tel:+387 (0)33 266 550

Mak Gallery Sime Milutinovića Sarajlije 7, Tel:+387 (0)33 201 861

Collegium Artisticum Terezija bb, Tel:+387 (0)33 270 750

"Roman Petrović" Gallery ULUBiH, Maršala Tita 54, Tel:+387 (0)33 668 009 

Gallery Boris Smoje Radićeva 11, Tel:+387 (0)61 275 500

"Paleta" Gallery Hamdije Kreševljakovića 13, Tel:+387 (0)33 445 196

Modern Art ARS AEVI Zmaja od Bosne 5, Tel:+387 (0)33 210 416

Sarajevo's cinemas offer an interesting variety of films from regional gems to international blockbusters.

Apolo Mis Irbina 2, Tel:+387 (0)33 445 201

Cinema City Maršala Tita br. 26, Tel:+387 (0)33 567 230 

Kinoteka Ali-pašina 19, Tel:+387 (0)33 668 678

Meeting Point Hamdije Kreševljakovića 13, Tel:+387 (0)33 668 187

Sarajevo's nightlife offers variety of cafes, bars and clubs to go out.

City Pub, Despiceva bb (old town) - perhaps the most-happening place in town. It's a great lunch spot during the day and at night is quite packed with a good mix of foreign and local hipsters. City pub is the place where you can watch and listen different bands playing live from all over the world.

Buybook, Radiceva 4 (centre). This cafe, book and music store is where many of the local writers and artists hang out. It is a very laid-back place and you're more than welcome to grab a book and read while drinking your coffee.

Meeting Point, Hamdije Kresevljakovica 13 (centre). The main location during the Sarajevo Film Festival, it's a great local hangout, usually for 20-30 year olds.

Guinness Pub (old town). No town would be complete without an Irish Pub and the Guinness Pub is the best one in town. Located just off the Ferhadija walkaway, it serves many foreign beers and has Guinness, naturally, on tap.

Barhana, Djulagina Cikma 8 (old town). Set in a cobbled street in Bascarsija, this is one of the top five bars in the whole city. The key to its success: good music, great food, easily-affordable drinks, friendly service and the best of eighties music.

Sloga, Mehmeda Spahe 20 (centre). The "Mecca" of old school Sarajevo bars and clubs. With three floors you'll find a more folk and acoustic touch on the first floor; on floor number two is the concert hall and bar where local and foreign bands play every week. Latin Nights are held each Monday; the third floor (or Kod Reše) is dedicated to the Yugo-nostalgics. Cheap beer and old-school, simple service is what you'll get - an authentic taste of a pre-war bar in Sarajevo.

Zlatna Ribica, Kaptol 5 (centre). Just around the corner from Bennetton is one of the very popular bars in town. It's got a smooth and groovy blues feel to it and extremely interesting interior.

Rock Teatar, Cobanija 10 (centre). If you like sound of guitar and hard riffs, doesn't matter is it old Yugoslav Rock or Deep Purple, visit Rock Teatar. Generations of students grew up with this place. Big choice of beers and great service is making this place special and interesting destination.

Boemi, Valtera Perica 16 (centre). The late nightclub for dancing; they have theme nights as well including flamenco dancing. It's a popular place, which means it's crowded and smoky.

Jez, Zelenih beretki 14 (centre). A fantastic location in an old Austro-Hungarian-era cellar. There is often live jazz music and always a great atmosphere - very much a thirty-something crowd.

Caffe Tito, Zmaja od Bosne 5 (centre). If you are nostalgic for socialism times or you simply want to see some Tito's photos or just to have a coffe or beer, visit Tito caffe. The place is decorated with plans of battles from WWII, with many Tito's portraits and much more. You can even buy a T-shirt with Tito on it as a souvenir from Sarajevo.

Sarajevo has lately become a cultural hub and the premier film festival of the Balkan area, the Sarajevo Film Festival , established in 1995, is one of the biggest cultural festivals of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Sarajevo Winter Festival, established in 1984, is a meeting point of artists across the globe and is an integral part of Sarajevo. The Sarajevo Jazz Festival held every year in the month of November has popularised jazz to quite an extent in the city. The Baščaršija Nights, an annual event, is the biggest festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. People are treated to month-long performances of culture, music, dance and exhibitions.

Pop music is not far behind and there is also a Sarajevo school of pop rock which was started in the city in 1961, only to close abruptly during the war of the nineties.  After the war the music has revived again with the Irish rock band U2 coming to play in the city.

The Guide will provide you a possibility to learn about the most beautiful areas of Trebevic, Bukovik, Crepoljsko, Skakavac, Igman, Bjelasnica, Visocica, Rakitnica, Bitovnja, Bijambare, Bobovac, Jahorina, Romanija and Treskavica, and How to get to the old town.

The detailed descriptions are given for each of the proposed tours, with precise sections 1:25000 with marked trails, terrain profiles, lengthwise profiles of each tour, with 167 selected photographs which will motivate you to start on safe paths to the chosen goal.

Sarajevo is surrounded by five mountain peaks. The highest peak is Treskavica at 2,088 metres (6,850 ft) and the lowest is Igman at 1,502 metres (4,928 ft). The others are Bjelasnica at 2,067 metres (6,781 ft), Jahorina at 1,913 metres (6,276 ft), and Trebevic at 1,627 metres (5,338 ft).

Bjelasnica, Jahorina, Trebevic and Igman are also known as the Olympics mountains of Sarajevo.

The city itself has a hilly terrain and this evident in the steeply inclined streets. Some hilltops also have communities settled on them. The surrounding hills offer extraordinary views of the city, but visitors need to be careful as there are still remnants of landmines from the war. It is advisable that you stick to roads and sidewalks and not venture into thickly wooded areas.

A walking guide to Bosnia's peaks, called the Forgotten Beauty, can be purchased at Sarajevo's book shops and will aid you in your visit to the city. Another word of caution: watch out for stray - possibly rabid - dogs which may bother you outside the city.

Bjelasnica was home to the 1984 winter Olympics, but much of the infrastructure was subsequently destroyed in the recent war. While the national park designation of Igman and Bjelasnica is only in the planning stages, this area still offers perhaps some of the best and most varied mountain tourism in the country.

Bjelasnica and Igman mountain both have ski lifts and offer Olympic-style skiing. Igman has a great traditional restaurant and mini-lifts for children. Bjelašnica is for more experienced skiers: from the peak at 2,067 meters to Babin Do (1,200 meters) is a fast ten-minute ride.

As possibly the only one of its kind in southern Europe, a visit to the mediaeval village of Lukomir on Bjelašnica is highly recommended. Lukomir is the highest and most isolated village in BiH, at 1,469 meters above sea level, and offers the visitor a glimpse of life in medieval Europe. The village is accessible by car for only about six months out of the year – the other six you’ll need some skis or a good pair of snowshoes.

For places to stay in the Bjelašnica/Igman region, Maršal Hotel offers great new accommodation with ski rental, café bar, restaurant, disco club, and comfortable rooms all year round at affordable prices. Bjelašnica Mountain Associationcurrently operates more than ten huts and lodges that are open year round. The ancient highland villages of Umoljani, Sinanovići, and Šabići are starting to offer bed and breakfast type accommodations.

The Tourist Information Centre in downtown Sarajevo has all the information one needs on skiing in Bjelašnica/Igman. For biking, hiking, or village tourism there is Green Visions, and Bjelašnica Mountain Association. The roads to Bjelašnica/Igman are all well maintained and marked and it is about a 45-minute drive from the center of Sarajevo.

Jahorina is the mountain range to the southeast of Sarajevo. Its ideal geographical position more or less guarantees four months of good ski snow. Its highest peak reaches 1,910m. The ski lifts climb to 1,894m with fabulous views towards Sarajevo. The slopes of Jahorina are covered in tall pines up to the tree line at 1,500 meters. Jahorina has a considerable infrastructure and there are many places to eat and stay on the mountain. It is the countries most popular ski destination, so book ahead if thinking of coming for a ski holiday.

The north face mountain was home to many of the competitions of the 1984 Winter olympic Games. The resorts and infrastructure escaped the ravages of warand several new hotels have been erected in the past few years. Jahorina is the largest ski area in the country. It has 12 lifts all over the mountain that offer Olympic-style professional trails and novice trails for children and beginners.

The high season on Jahorina is mid December to late February. Around the new year it is almost impossible to get accommodation without advance reservations. Several hotels are right at the bottom of the ski trails, make sure you check out our Jahorina Hotels .

Vranica Mountain is central Bosnia's highest mountain at 2,112m. Like most of the ranges in the central part of the country, the slopes gently climb to great heights leaving much of the mountain accessible even by car. Vranica is located in between Gornji Vakuf and Fojnica. The easiest and most common access is from the eastern slopes near Fojnica. 

There is an 11km gravel road to the heart of Vranica at Prokosko Glacier Lake.  Famed for its endemic triton salamander, there have been a growing number of local scientists and ecologists calling for protection. The salamanders are gradually becoming an endangered species as the lake continues to shrink in size. The lake is also home to a large trout population that continues to thrive in these high mountain conditions. The lake formed as a result of melting glaciers from the high peaks of Vranica. As the glaciers continued to melt it carved out the mountain stream of Borovnica that flows into Fojnicka River in the valley below. The excess water collected in a karst sinkhole. As the glaciers retreated Borovnica River was reduced to a stream and the lake took on the form seen today.

For centuries highlanders have used Prokosko Lake as a summer shepherd settlement. The famous katuni (shepherds' huts) dot the countryside around the lake. Katunis are known for their wood shingles and steep roofs designed to keep the snow from accumulating. The interiors are usually rather primitive due to the fact that they were mainly used for summer grazing and most of the time was spent outdoors. Town dwellers soon caught on to the wonders of Prokosko Lake and began building weekend huts in the vicinity. Luckily the small valley at 1,635m will not allow for much more development and Prokosko will maintain its traditional look.

Vranica Mountain is a paradise for hiker and walkers. The landscape above the lake is rather bare, which makes it much easier to keep one's bearings. The hike to Locika Peak (2,108m) is only about an hour's hike from Prokosko. Central Herzegovina opens up from the top and the views of Cvrsnica, Prenj and Bjelasnica are amazing. You'll more than likely come across a herd of sheep, as well as many of the shepherds who gravitate to the sunny slopes of Locika. Bears, wolves, boars, deer, martens and the occasional chamois inhabit this mountain's pristine landscape.

Check out our Vranica Hotels and Accommodations .

One of Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest parks, Sutjeska, is famous for the Partisan's WWII victory over the Germans and is dotted with monuments; a tribute to the sacrifices made and homage to the event. Spread across 17,500 hectares of spectacular wilderness Sutjeska is host to Perućica, one of the last primeval forests in Europe.

Maglić the highest peak in Bosnia and Herzegovinia at over 2,386m is set within the parks boundaries offering experienced hikers with a challenging yet rewarding climb. Hiking through the park you will see Beech trees over 55 m high and the beautiful Skakavac waterfall can be seen from a look-out point. The stunning Sutjeska River divides the Zelengora (Green Peaks) Mountain from Maglić and Volujak Mountains, carving its way through the middle of the park.

You can enjoy a stay in the parks hotel located in Tjentište. The hotels café and restaurant are wonderful places to sit back and relax in the serenity of the park. You may even be lucky enough to site a wild goat, bear of wolf all of which are commonly seen within the park.

The park is unfortunately not well organised for human visitation with very little arranged in terms of marked paths, visitor information and park maps, though there are a number of mountain huts on the mountain that have been newly renovated.

Check out our Sarajevo Tours and Activities.