Things to do in Sarajevo
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sarajevo
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best walking weather, open mountains and full restaurant life without peak crowds.
Best skiing on Jahorina and Bjelašnica, with the city as a bonus base.
Warmest and busiest, with Baščaršija Nights in July and the Film Festival in August, and heat in the valley.
Worst air quality from valley inversions and heating smoke, plus short daylight, unless you sleep on the ski mountains.
What's on
- Sarajevo Film Festival mid to late August
Southeast Europes leading film festival, with open air cinemas and pedestrianised party streets.
- Baščaršija Nights through July
A month of outdoor concerts, theatre and exhibitions in the old town squares.
- Sarajevo Jazz Festival early November
A respected international jazz week that gives November a reason.
- MESS International Theatre Festival late September to October
One of Europes older theatre festivals, across the city stages.
- Sarajevo Winter Festival early February to March
Seven weeks of concerts, exhibitions and performance through the ski season.
Best things to do in Sarajevo
Baščaršija
The Ottoman bazaar quarter of cobbled trade lanes, coffee houses and grills that is still the living heart of Sarajevo.
Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
The most important Ottoman mosque complex in Bosnia, a working courtyard of prayer, library and clock tower since 1531.
Sarajevo City Hall
The rebuilt Vijećnica, a painted Austro Hungarian palace burned in 1992 and reopened in 2014, best seen from inside.
Sarajevo War Tunnel
A preserved section of the hand dug tunnel that kept besieged Sarajevo supplied under the airport runway.
War Childhood Museum
War told through childrens kept objects and short first person texts, quiet and devastating without graphic imagery.
Gallery 11/07/95
A compact memorial gallery for Srebrenica where the audio guide gives the photography its essential context.
Yellow Fortress
The old town bastion where locals gather at sunset for the whole valley, minarets and mountains in one view.
Latin Bridge
A pretty Ottoman bridge beside the corner where the 1914 assassination set off the First World War.
Where to stay in Sarajevo
Baščaršija and Stari Grad
first trip, atmosphere, food
Walk to every main sight and eat late in the old town, at the cost of pedestrian lanes, stairs and summer noise.
Centar and Marijin Dvor
longer stays, quieter nights, chain standards
Boulevards, the National Museum and the tram spine, ten to twenty minutes walk west of the old town.
Ilidža
spa, families with a car, airport convenience
Large resort hotels by Vrelo Bosne and the thermal springs, about 12 km from the old town by tram.
Think twice about
- Steep hillside mahala streets above Baščaršija
Very steep and sometimes icy lanes, poor light in stretches and taxis cannot always reach the door. Hard with luggage or limited mobility.
- Far west tower block districts and airport sprawl
Not unsafe, but far and anonymous with few places to eat nearby, so every evening becomes a tram or taxi commute.
- Ilidža as an accidental old town base
Good for spa and car trips, disappointing if you expected to walk home from Baščaršija at night.
Best restaurants in Sarajevo
Mala Kuhinja
A small chef led kitchen with no fixed menu, cooking Balkan meets Asia sharing plates from what is in that day.
Park Prinčeva
The view dinner above the old town, Bosnian and European plates on terraces over the rooftops and minarets.
Dveri
A warm, plant filled Bosnian European restaurant by Baščaršija, loved for its bread, goulash and veal.
Klopa
A big lively central restaurant mixing Italian and international plates with a Bosnian grill heart.
Tavola
Sarajevos Italian table of choice downtown, for pasta, osso buco and a calm date night dining room.
Zara iz Duvara - The Singing Nettle
A plant led Bosnian kitchen built around nettles and wild local ingredients, the vegetarian friendly pick.
Ćevabdžinica Željo
One of Sarajevos defining ćevapi grills, serving the sausages in somun with onion and kajmak at local prices.
Ćevabdžinica Nune
The small Baščaršija grill that keeps topping ćevapi rankings, the essential second opinion to Željo.
Outdoor things to do in Sarajevo
Trebević
The closest Olympic mountain, reached by cable car and walked through forest to a 1629 metre summit ridge.
Skakavac Waterfall
Bosnias tallest waterfall at 98 metres, reached by a forest hike through a protected nature park.
Vrelo Bosne
The spring of the Bosna River in a landscaped park of streams, bridges and plane tree avenues in Ilidža.
Lukomir
Bosnias highest village, a stone settlement above the Rakitnica canyon reached by a guided high pasture hike.
Bjelašnica
The 1984 mens Olympic ski mountain, quieter and steeper than Jahorina, with hiking on the same ridges in summer.
Olympic Center Jahorina
Bosnias largest ski resort, the 1984 womens Olympic mountain with the most lifts, hotels and slope side life.
Sarajevo Golf Club
A small parkland golf club north of the centre, with a range, rental clubs, lessons and a restaurant.
Stari Most
Mostars rebuilt 16th century arch bridge over the Neretva, the centrepiece of a long day trip from Sarajevo.
Best hotels in Sarajevo
Hotel Europe
Sarajevos grand historic hotel since 1882, with a pool, spa and full service a short walk from Baščaršija.
Hotel President Sarajevo
A modern mid range hotel 100 metres from Latin Bridge, with river views, a terrace and old town access.
Hotel Old Sarajevo
An eight room heritage hotel inside the pedestrian old town on its main food street, steps from City Hall.
Swissôtel Sarajevo
A contemporary luxury tower with a pool and spa in Marijin Dvor, operating alcohol free.
Courtyard by Marriott Sarajevo
A reliable international mid range hotel with a rooftop bar, gym and predictable standards near the centre.
Hostel Franz Ferdinand
The guidebook favourite budget hostel in Centar, with airy dorms, private rooms and a sociable kitchen lounge.
Is Sarajevo expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | BAM 70 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | BAM 160 a person |
| Splurge | BAM 380 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Sarajevo War Tunnel: a few days ahead
- Lukomir: a few days ahead
- Sarajevo Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Rafting Club Canyon Neretva: a few days ahead
- Hotel Europe: weeks ahead
- Hotel Old Sarajevo: weeks ahead
- Swissôtel Sarajevo: weeks ahead
- Mala Kuhinja: a few days ahead
- Book accommodation months ahead for Sarajevo Film Festival week in August.
- Reserve Mala Kuhinja and Dveri for dinner in season and at weekends.
- Book siege, Mostar, Lukomir and rafting days with local operators days ahead in summer.
Is Sarajevo safe?
- Stay on marked trails in the hills because mined areas remain off path around former front lines.
- Watch bags in Baščaršija crowds and on busy trams where pickpockets and organised begging operate.
- Check winter air quality on inversion days in December and January if you have asthma. Emergency number 112.
Sarajevo travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Mostar at midday in August is crowded and hot, so go early or late.
- Buy copper in Kazandžiluk from working makers, not the souvenir windows nearest Sebilj.
- Do not stack four war museums in one day, and do not make the bobsleigh track a standalone trip.
Getting around Sarajevo: public transport and more
- Ride the tram spine from Baščaršija to Ilidža for cross city trips and walk the flat centre.
- Use taxis with the meter on or agree the fare before the door closes, especially from the airport.
- Take the cable car to Trebević, the train to Mostar, and a tour transfer or car for the Olympic mountains.
Who Sarajevo suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Sarajevo your trip
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