Introducing Sarajevo, perhaps the most charmingly decrepit balkan town there is.
A town whose contents tell stories of Ottoman,
Austro-Hungarian, and socialist conquest, the façades of which still speak volumes on
the siege of the early '90s and the political decay and corruption which continue to lay siege
today.
A town nested at the heart of a country whose rugged, empty, and stunningly beautiful landscapes
mirror the peaks and troughs of its history and
selflessly give themselves to hiking, swimming, and skiing, as well as touch of yugo-nostalgia here and there.
A town whose people breathe life into it with tired and smoke damaged lungs. A people who, for
the most part, reflect nostalgically on the days of Tito, lament the ineptitude of the
politicians their country continues to elect, speak proudly of their dark and battle hardened
sense of humour, boast about their exceptionally meat-heavy cuisine and their
famed hospitality, and whose youth flees to lands with better opportunities, while they slowly
sip Bosnian coffee and chain smoke their days
away.
Suffice to say, there are many reasons to visit Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This explains why tourists have been heading to the Bosnian capital in increasing numbers over recent years. In this City Guide, In and Around Sarajevo, we outline the essentials for you: history and culture, where to eat and drink, events and festivals, daytrips you can take from Sarajevo, and much more. We try to go beyond "10 best things to do in Sarajevo" or "10 best restaurants in Sarajevo" type lists and to provide an in-depth and complete overview of the best things you can see and do in Sarajevo.
Come explore this wonderful town and its surroundings.
The Sebilj fountain in Baščaršija square in Sarajevo
Whatever it is that you are into, there are plenty of historical and cultural things to see and
do during your stay in Sarajevo.
The town is steeped in history, both distant and near, and you can view it through glass with a
placard by its side in its many museums or up close in the streets - the town itself is a living
museum, a breathing testament to its past.
Better than this, the town is pocket sized and super easy to get around in a few days without stress, the chance of getting lost, or the need to navigate vast public transport systems.
Inside Kino Bosna, a classic Sarajevo nightspot on Mondays
From many perspectives, Sarajevo is a town, not a city. From others, the opposite is true. In
either case, you will find plenty of ways to fill your evenings over a long weekend or a short week.
Sarajevo offers a wide range of places to drink local varieties of beer, wine, and rakija. The
town also offers a number of places to dance and listen to music. Then, there are numerous
places to while an evening away smoking shisha.
The entrance to the national theatre in Sarajevo during the Sarajevo Film Festival
There are a good number of events happening in a given week in Sarajevo that you can attend, and we can point you to the best places to find these.
Sarajevo also has a very decent offering of festivals for a town of its size and these are
particularly good moments to visit. In particular, the world famous Sarajevo Film Festival.
Other festivals focus on music (including one in a stunning national park), theatre, and Bosnia's
own type of bull-fighting, which is described as 'less cruel'.
If you're in town for long enough you should definitely check out its surroundings. There is
something for all tastes and nothing is too far away if you have a couple of days to spare.
You can travel back into medieval Bosnia, visit remnants of Yugoslavia and the Cold War,
check-out mediterranean-esque wineries, or get active with outdoor sports and wild swimming.
You can rent a car or go by train or bus: the train network is relatively limited, but offers some fantstic views, especially the Sarajevo-Mostar route; the bus connections are reletively decent and well priced.
An unpaved road on the way to Lukomir: the road is often unpassable in winter
In town for a specific amount of time and you're struggling to process all of the information and take a decision about what to do and see?
Check out some of the itineraries we have put together. There are options for folks with different interests and depending on available time.
We have suggestions for 24 hour, 48 hour, and 72 hour stays in Sarajevo. You can of course also combine our suggestions and make your own itineraries for your Sarajevo visit.
Interested in the climate? Want to read up a bit before arriving? Wondering if there is anything
you should know before going? Wondering how much to budget? Feel you should know at least a little about the language?
Here we have a section which covers all the parts we couldn't fit eslewhere: shopping, climate,
books to read, more details on the types of food and wine you will find, and more.
Wherever possible we try to link out to websites who know topics best so you can get the best information for your trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
