With 275 thousand inhabitants, Sarajevo is the largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina, besides being the capital of the country. The centre gives a feeling of an Arabic city because the buildings look similar and Islam is the most important religion. There are also many sights, some fun and some more rough, remembering the Yugoslavian war. We were here for 3 days and saw as much as possible. Here you will see what to do in Sarajevo:

Walk around Sarajevo Baščaršija

Sarajevo Baščaršija (Old Town) is the centre, where it all happens. This is the area you will pass most often, and that is an absolute treat. It feels like you can see Aladdin in every moment. There are many restaurants and shops in the small streets and squares. There are also mosques and beautiful buildings. This is the most important part of the city to see.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time: 5 hours

Be aware in Sniper Alley

Sniper Alley was the main street where people had to cross to get to other parts of the city during the Siege of Sarajevo. Snipers in the mountains could see people well and shoot on this boulevard. This was very dangerous to cross. Nowadays, there is not much to see besides bullet holes. It is more the feeling of standing there, which makes it interesting and rough.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 10 minutes

Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope

The Tunnel of Hope was the tunnel that provided the city with food and other supplies during the Siege of Sarajevo. The tunnel was built outside the city and came out in NATO territory, which was neutral, and the area could be shot at. This tunnel was literally the hope of many people to survive in these scary days. Nowadays, you can walk through a bit of a tunnel, read some information, and see a short film about this place. This is a must-do when in Sarajevo.

Price: 10 KM

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: Around 1 hour.

See the old Bobsleigh track

This is a very unusual thing to do. There were Winter Olympics in 1984 in Sarajevo, and this track was built. The track has not been used for a long time, and now it is a nice walking path on the Trebević mountain, which goes down to the city. You can come here by car or by cable car. There are great graffiti parts on this trail, and you can't miss them. From this part, people shot to Sniper Alley during the Siege.

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: 2 hours.

Find yourself at the Jewish cemetery

The Jewish cemetery in Sarajevo is the biggest Jewish cemetery in Europe, after the one in Prague. It was used from 1630 to 1966 and is now a place to visit. During the Yugoslavian War, it got a lot of damage (see picture above). There are still gorgeous gravestones to see, which are not damaged. The cemetery is free to visit.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 30 minutes

Have a view from the Yellow Fortress

The Yellow Fortress itself was not that impressive (still good to see), but the view made it a better point to visit. You can see most of Sarajevo, which gives you an amazing sight. This is not on top of my list, but a nice stop to have.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 15 minutes

Learn more with a Sarajevo war tour

A Sarajevo war tour may not be the first thing to think about, but this was my girlfriend's highlight of the whole former Yugoslavia, and I found it extremely interesting as well. You will see many highlights of the city; in our case, we saw Sniper Alley, the Tunnel of Hope, Bobsleigh Track, the Jewish cemetery, and the Yellow Fortress. Most are connected to the war, but sometimes less. The highlight of our tour was the tour guide, who experienced the Siege of Sarajevo himself (in most tours, this is the case).

What was also great was that the tour guide brought us to places that are not famous but were impacted by the war, such as a restaurant that was bombed and the former flags of Bosnia and Herzegovina (see pictures above). The tour guide explains a lot, and that adds a lot to the experience when at these locations. These stories are rough to listen to sometimes, but very informative.

Price: Depending on the tour, but mostly around 25 euros.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: Around half a day.

Get historical on The Latin Bridge

Although there is not much information shown (only one information board), this is a very important place in history. The Latin Bridge is the location of the start of the First World War. On this bridge, Prince Franz Ferdinand and his wife were murdered by Gavrilo Princip, and a war started. Today, you can stand on the pretty bridge, but the historical significance is not shown properly.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 15 minutes

Think back at the Second World War at the Ethernal Flame

This eternal flame always remembers the victims of the Second World War. So many wars can be commemorated in Sarajevo. Although this is a short stop, it is cool and respectful to have a small stop at the flame.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 5 minutes

See the city hall

The Sarajevo City Hall is a beautiful building from the outside, close to the Latin Bridge. The building also consists of the National Library and is a remarkable sight in Sarajevo. Don't stay too long, but it is a nice sight to see.

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 5 minutes

Look at the pigeons at Baščaršija square

The main square of the city is Baščaršija square in a gorgeous area (see sight number 1). It is almost impossible not to pass this square when in Sarajevo. The beautiful Sebilj fountain is the main attraction, besides the hundreds of pigeons flying around. The sight of the pigeons makes the square even more special. Have a great time here and stroll around.

Tourists occurrence: High

How much time needed: 30 minutes.

Try to find Sarajevo Roses

Sarajevo roses are found throughout the city. These are kinds of memorials where people were killed by mortars during the Siege. Afterwards, a red colour is added to remember what kind of heavy happenings occurred. These can be difficult to find.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: When you see one, a couple of minutes.

Stand still at the victims of Srebrenica at Gallery 11/07/1995

This gallery is an exhibition of the horrible days at Srebrenica in 1995. Take the audio tour, which gives a lot of information. First, you will be in a room with pictures of the victims of the dramatic happenings. There are also some computers, but they take a lot of time and are slow, so I recommend not staying too long. Afterwards, you will see beautiful but rough pictures with an explanation. At the end are 2 films, which are worth visiting. 

Price: 12 KM

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 2 hours, if you don't stay too long at the computers.

Have some local food, especially cevapi

Bosnian food may not be too famous, but it can be very tasty. Cevapi is a very simple dish, but it is very tasteful and classic Bosnian, although other surrounding countries have it a lot. In Baščaršija, you can get it everywhere in several forms. There are two restaurants I want to mention for other Bosnian food: Nanina Kuhinja is a family-run restaurant, and the atmosphere and service are fantastic. The food is amazing, and they work very hard. The other one is Ascinica Hadzibajric (see picture above), which is a very traditional restaurant. We tasted everything a bit, and it was all lovely. This is not touristy, and only Bosnian people were inside.

How much time needed: A couple of times a day ;).

Visit the Gazi Husrev-beg ‘Beys’ Mosque

The Gazi Husrev-beg ‘Beys’ Mosque is a scenic mosque in the middle of the Old Town. It is lovely to walk around and see the beauty of this religious building. The culture is fantastic to experience, and you can see the beauty of the city.

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 10 minutes

Things I have not done, but can be interesting

I think I covered the most important things in Sarajevo. An extra day could be nice to walk the whole bobsleigh track, have some more walking in Baščaršija, or see the other (less visited) parts of the city.

Final thought

Unfortunately, being a tourist in Sarajevo brings you to many places where war is the main attraction. These attractions are very cool to visit and absolute must-do's, but it feels rough because it is a bit of dark tourism. The city also has a fantastic Old Town, which is great to wander around. This is an amazing city to discover and absolutely worth going to.

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