When most individuals consider European journey, they image Parisian cafés or Tuscan villas. However what if we advised you some of the highly effective journey experiences we’ve ever had was in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia & Herzegovina?
Why Go to Bosnia and Herzegovina?
For highly effective historical past, resilient tradition, inexpensive journey, and unforgettable experiences in cities like Sarajevo and Mostar.
This nation is probably not on each traveler’s radar, nevertheless it must be. Bosnia & Herzegovina is a spot the place historical past isn’t simply advised, it’s felt. It’s the place war-torn buildings stand beside buzzing cafés, and the place the ache of the previous fuels the satisfaction of the current.
Sarajevo: Europe’s Most Resilient Capital
Welcome to Sarajevo, the center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and a must-see vacation spot for vacationers searching for extra than simply postcard views. It is a place that teaches you what conflict, peace, and resilience actually appear to be.
Sarajevo is a vibrant metropolis and the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo is not like anyplace else in Europe. Minarets rise beside cathedrals. Ottoman bazaars sit beside Austro-Hungarian buildings. Bullet holes scar house partitions. And but, Sarajevo pulses with life.
It is a metropolis the place mosques, church buildings, and synagogues share the identical skyline. The place Olympic desires and conflict nightmares occurred inside a decade of one another. And the place survival isn’t only a chapter in its historical past, it’s the theme.
Visiting Sarajevo Immediately: The place the Previous Meets the Current
Sarajevo should still carry the trauma of conflict, nevertheless it’s not caught in it. This compact metropolis is buzzing with life, colour, and coronary heart. From museums that share private tales of wartime survival to cafés that serve the most effective espresso in Southeast Europe, there’s no different place fairly prefer it. Let’s begin your Sarajevo journey information with the necessities.
Greatest Issues to Do in Sarajevo
1. The Tunnel of Hope
Begin your go to on the Tunnel of Hope, a hand-dug lifeline throughout the practically four-year Siege of Sarajevo. Positioned beneath the Sarajevo Airport, this 800-meter-long tunnel as soon as linked the besieged metropolis to free territory. It allowed civilians to move meals, medication, gas, and even electrical energy.
Strolling by the cramped tunnel offers you a chilling sense of how Bosnian Muslims risked every thing simply to outlive. It’s some of the necessary stops if you go to Sarajevo. This slender passage, now a part of a museum devoted to survival, allowed humanitarian assist, weapons, and other people to cross by when all different routes had been lower off. You possibly can e book excursions to the Tunnel of Hope from Sarajevo right here.
2. Sarajevo Roses
Scattered all through the town middle are red-painted craters known as Sarajevo Roses. Every one marks a spot the place a mortar shell killed civilians. These marks aren’t simply memorials, they’re a part of the sidewalk. You’ll stroll over them whereas shopping for espresso or ready for the tram. It’s one of many some ways Sarajevo wears its scars brazenly.
3. Struggle Museums That Inform the Reality
- Struggle Childhood Museum: This award-winning museum is among the most transferring in all of Europe. It showcases toys, diaries, and private belongings from youngsters who grew up throughout the Bosnian Struggle. Each merchandise tells a narrative you received’t overlook.
- Historic Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina: This cultural middle holds archives and exhibitions on trendy historical past, particularly the siege years. You’ll see burned-out automobiles, letters, and makeshift instruments individuals used simply to prepare dinner and survive.
- Museum of Crimes In opposition to Humanity and Genocide: Exhausting-hitting and important, this museum paperwork atrocities dedicated throughout the Bosnian Struggle, together with the Srebrenica genocide and Srebrenica bloodbath, the place greater than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims had been executed by Bosnian Serb forces.
- Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Housed in a Sixteenth-century synagogue, this museum is a testomony to Sarajevo’s lengthy and layered non secular range. From Sephardic Jews to Muslim Bosniaks, the town was as soon as generally known as “Little Jerusalem.”
4. Bascarsija and the Outdated City
The guts of Sarajevo is its Outdated City, the place slender streets wind previous copper outlets, mosques, and cafés that really feel lifted from one other century. In Bascarsija, you’ll discover the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, relationship to the Ottoman interval, nonetheless energetic and open to guests.
Sip Bosnian espresso at Veliki Park, watch pigeons swirl at Sebilj Fountain, and wander the stone-paved streets the place nationwide id was cast.
5. Latin Bridge & the Spot That Modified the World
Certainly one of Sarajevo’s most well-known cultural websites is the Latin Bridge. That is the place Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, igniting World Struggle I. Immediately, a small however highly effective exhibit beside the bridge walks you thru the occasion that reshaped the twentieth century.
6. Metropolis Corridor (Vijecnica)
As soon as the Nationwide Library, Sarajevo’s Metropolis Corridor was destroyed in 1992 by Bosnian Serb forces. Over two million irreplaceable texts had been misplaced. Immediately, the constructing has been restored and now hosts exhibitions about Sarajevo’s previous and future. It’s among the best examples of how this metropolis refuses to be outlined by destruction.
7. Free Strolling Excursions in Sarajevo
Among the finest methods to take pleasure in Sarajevo is by becoming a member of a free strolling tour. Educated native guides take you thru derelict buildings, conflict memorials, monuments devoted to resistance, and peaceable parks that had been as soon as battlegrounds.
You’ll stroll previous bullet holes that also scar façades and listen to private tales from survivors. These excursions are sometimes tip-based and price each mark.
8. Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral & the Spiritual Mosaic
Sarajevo is a uncommon European capital the place mosques, church buildings, and synagogues share area. Don’t miss the Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral, which sits within the Catholic quarter, and the Outdated Jewish Cemetery, one of many oldest within the Balkans. The town’s interfaith roots had been examined throughout conflict—however many Bosnian Serbs, Bosnian Muslims, and Croats nonetheless dwell aspect by aspect right here.
9. Exploring Sarajevo’s Metropolis Heart: The place Historical past Meets Each day Life
Some of the compelling elements of exploring Sarajevo is that its metropolis middle is as a lot a historic timeline as it’s a trendy hub. On this compact metropolis, you possibly can stand in a sq. the place emperors as soon as dominated, take pleasure in espresso simply steps from a constructing pocked with bullet holes, and stroll right into a museum that was a library.
All the pieces you wish to see is inside strolling distance. It’s what makes visiting Sarajevo so highly effective—you’re not simply seeing a metropolis; you’re residing its historical past.
10. The Nationwide Museum: Understanding Bosnia’s Id
No journey to Sarajevo is full with no go to to the Nationwide Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, positioned simply exterior the principle vacationer zone. This huge cultural advanced holds among the area’s most vital artifacts, together with the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, one of many world’s oldest Jewish manuscripts.
It additionally homes intensive exhibitions on trendy historical past, the Bosnian military, and the way Bosnian tradition developed by centuries of occupation and resistance. The museum is a cornerstone for anybody wanting to raised perceive the id and resilience of the Bosnian Muslims, Serbs, Croats, and Jews who name this nation house.
11. Sarajevo Cable Automobile & the Yellow Fortress: Viewpoints With a Story
For panoramic views of Sarajevo, experience the Sarajevo Cable Automobile as much as Mount Trebevi?. This space was as soon as utilized by snipers throughout the siege. The ruins of the 1984 Winter Olympic bobsled observe, now coated in graffiti, lie only a brief stroll from the summit.
One other must-see is the Yellow Fortress. Come right here at sundown to take pleasure in the most effective views of the town middle and the encircling hills. Locals collect right here to interrupt Ramadan fasts, {couples} picnic with cevapi, and the decision to prayer echoes throughout the valley. It’s stunning, humbling, and unforgettable.
12. Sarajevo’s Outdated Jewish Cemetery: A Silent Witness to Historical past
Excessive above the town, tucked into the encircling hills, lies the Outdated Jewish Cemetery, a quiet however highly effective place. Courting again to the Sixteenth century, it is among the largest and most vital Jewish cemeteries in Southeast Europe.
In the course of the Bosnian Struggle, this sacred web site was tragically utilized by snipers resulting from its strategic elevation. Immediately, it stays a testomony to the lengthy presence and persecution of the Jewish group in Sarajevo.
From the Ottoman Empire to Sniper Alley
Sarajevo’s historical past is layered with complexity. Over the centuries, it’s been dominated by the Ottoman Empire, formed by the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, and absorbed into Socialist Yugoslavia. It was right here that Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, sparking World Struggle I. And many years later, it grew to become the epicenter of one other world-changing battle, the Bosnian Struggle.
After Herzegovina declared independence in 1992, the town discovered itself underneath siege by Bosnian Serb forces. The Sarajevo siege grew to become the longest siege of a capital metropolis in trendy historical past, lasting practically 4 years.
For practically 1,400 days, Sarajevo’s compact metropolis middle was shelled from the encircling hills. Serbian forces, armed and supported by the Yugoslav Folks’s Military, focused residential blocks, hospitals, colleges, and markets. The town’s lifeline, the airport runway, was underneath worldwide management, reducing it off from the remainder of the world.
The worldwide group debated. Civilians had been left to dodge mortar shell explosions, sniper hearth, and starvation. And but, they endured. That’s why exploring Sarajevo right this moment is about greater than ticking off sights, it’s about strolling by survival.
A Forgotten Struggle, A Canadian Story
Between 1992 and 2004, over 40,000 Canadian troops served within the Balkans as United Nations peacekeepers. It was Canada’s largest navy deployment because the Korean Struggle. However this wasn’t peacekeeping as we often think about it. They had been underneath hearth. They confronted conflict crimes firsthand. And so they had been largely forgotten again house.
And but, again house, it barely registered. No embedded reporters. No front-page headlines. Simply background noise behind O.J. Simpson and Tonya Harding.
However right here in Bosnia & Herzegovina, these Canadians made a distinction. They patrolled ceasefires, protected assist convoys, and documented conflict crimes when others turned away. This journey introduced that forgotten story to life, and Sarajevo was the beating coronary heart of it.
In locations just like the Medak Pocket in 1993, they stood between civilians and violence. It marked a uncommon second when Canadian troops instantly engaged in fight whereas defending civilians. Their reviews, documenting conflict crimes and mass destruction, contributed to worldwide consciousness and eventual accountability.
Sarajevo and World Struggle II: A Metropolis Torn Twice
Whereas most individuals affiliate Sarajevo with the Bosnian Struggle, the town additionally performed a major function throughout World Struggle II. Underneath Nazi occupation, Sarajevo’s Jewish inhabitants was devastated, and resistance actions fashioned deep throughout the hills and tunnels of the area. The town fell underneath a fascist puppet regime, later liberated by partisans supported by Tito’s communist authorities, laying the groundwork for former Yugoslavia.
Strolling by Sarajevo’s Outdated City, you’ll nonetheless discover monuments and plaques marking these occasions, particularly close to the Jewish Cemetery and memorials devoted to fallen resistance fighters.
The Bosnian Struggle Ended, However the Story Continues
Whereas the Bosnian Struggle resulted in 1995 with the Dayton Accords, the aftershocks are nonetheless felt right this moment. The settlement break up the nation into two important entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, the place many Serbs dwell right this moment.
This division has created a fancy system of governance, typically paralyzing political progress. However on the bottom, in locations like Sarajevo, locals are selecting connection over separation. It’s this human spirit that defines Bosnian tradition right this moment.
Our Sarajevo Lodge Decide
We stayed at Lodge Boutique 36, simply steps from Sarajevo’s historic middle. With safe parking, snug rooms, and first-class service, it’s the proper base for exploring the town.
Day Journey to Mostar: Historical past in Stone
Only a two-hour drive from Sarajevo, the city of Mostar is among the greatest locations to go to in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Its well-known Outdated Bridge (Stari Most) was destroyed throughout the conflict, then rebuilt stone by stone in 2004. Immediately, it’s a logo of unity, resistance, and rebirth.
The enduring Stari Most (Outdated Bridge), initially constructed within the 1500s, was destroyed throughout the conflict and meticulously rebuilt in 2004. Immediately, native divers leap from it in a ritual that blends custom and adrenaline.
Wander by Mostar’s Ottoman-era streets, sip espresso by the Neretva River, and climb the minaret at Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque for a panoramic view. The town remains to be divided, Bosniaks on one aspect, Croats on the opposite, however tourism has turn out to be a quiet bridge between them.
Wander by the bazaar, sip espresso by the river, and don’t miss:
- Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque – Climb the minaret for gorgeous metropolis views.
- Struggle ruins and cultural museums – Providing context to Mostar’s previous.
- Lodge Sinan Han – An ideal place to remain, simply 100 meters from the bridge.
However Mostar remains to be divided—Bosniaks on one aspect, Croats on the opposite. Two colleges. Two realities. But, one shared skyline and a eager for unity.
The place to Keep in Mostar: We stayed at Lodge Sinan Han—trendy rooms, rooftop terrace, and simply 100 meters from the bridge.
Visiting Japanese Bosnia: Echoes of Struggle and Peace
Whereas Sarajevo anchors any itinerary, vacationers also needs to contemplate visiting Japanese Bosnia, the place cities like Srebrenica and Višegrad maintain darker, less-touristy chapters of the previous. These are areas most impacted by conflict crimes and ethnic cleaning throughout the Nineteen Nineties.
The drive from Sarajevo’s metropolis middle to Japanese Bosnia reveals one other aspect of the nation, extra rural, extra rugged, however equally wealthy in tales. You’ll acquire a greater appreciation for the complexity of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a nation nonetheless therapeutic.
Bosnia & Herzegovina Journey Suggestions
Planning your Bosnia & Herzegovina journey? Right here’s what to know:
- When to Go: Spring and fall are superb—gentle climate, fewer crowds.
- Foreign money: Bosnian Convertible Mark (BAM). Some locations settle for euros, however BAM is most popular.
- Transport: Renting a automobile is one of the best ways to discover each Sarajevo and Mostar. Roads are good and scenic.
- Security: We all the time felt protected. The individuals are welcoming, and hospitality is real.
- Prices: Bosnia & Herzegovina is extremely inexpensive. You possibly can journey properly right here on a modest price range.
Why You Ought to Go to Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2025
Bosnia & Herzegovina is among the most unforgettable locations we’ve visited. It’s emotional, academic, and deeply rewarding. Sarajevo, particularly, taught us that magnificence and devastation can coexist and that rebuilding is just not solely doable but in addition highly effective.
This nation was deserted by the West throughout its darkest hours. And nonetheless, individuals rebuilt. That’s why visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina is so highly effective. It’s not nearly historical past. It’s about what comes after.
It’s additionally about understanding our function, particularly as Canadians. Canadian peacekeepers had been right here earlier than NATO and earlier than the U.S. stepped in. Their contributions had been actual, and infrequently talked about. This isn’t only a vacation spot. It’s a narrative. One that also issues. One you’ll carry lengthy after you allow.
Bosnia & Herzegovina Will Keep With You
Bosnia and Herzegovina isn’t only a vacation spot, it’s a narrative. A warning. A celebration of survival. It calls for your consideration. And should you journey with an open coronary heart, it would reward you with unforgettable reminiscences, breathtaking landscapes, and a deeper understanding of what resilience actually seems like.
Let this be the journey that adjustments the way in which you see the world. As a result of Bosnia doesn’t whisper its previous, it speaks it. And should you pay attention, you’ll always remember it.
Plan Your Journey:
Prepared for a journey by Sarajevo and past? Bosnia & Herzegovina journey will change the way in which you see the world.
Uncover Sarajevo: A Balanced Information to Its Tradition and Historical past
Introduction to Sarajevo
- Sarajevo is a metropolis with a wealthy historical past and tradition, positioned within the coronary heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a singular mix of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and communist influences.
- The town has a fancy previous, having been besieged by Bosnian Serb forces throughout the Bosnian Struggle, which had a profound affect on its improvement and id.
- Sarajevo is a must-visit vacation spot for anybody excited by historical past, tradition, and resilience, with many cultural websites, historic museums, and conflict museums to discover.
- The town’s compact measurement and walkability make it straightforward to discover on foot, with many sights inside strolling distance, together with the Latin Bridge and the Outdated City.
Attending to Sarajevo
- The simplest strategy to get to Sarajevo is by flying into Sarajevo Worldwide Airport, which provides worldwide flights to many European cities, together with connections to different cities within the area.
- From the airport, you possibly can take a taxi or bus to the town middle, which is roughly 10-Quarter-hour away, relying on visitors.
- Alternatively, you should utilize Google Maps to search out the most effective path to your lodging, with many choices accessible, together with public transportation and ride-hailing providers.
- It’s additionally doable to take a bus or prepare from different cities within the area, together with Mostar and Belgrade, with common connections accessible.
Lodging
- Sarajevo has a variety of lodging choices, from budget-friendly hostels to luxurious lodges, together with the Lodge Hecco Deluxe, which provides gorgeous views of the town.
- The most effective space to remain in Sarajevo is the Outdated City, which is near many sights and has a vigorous environment, with many eating places, cafes, and outlets to discover.
- You can even contemplate staying within the surrounding hills, which supply gorgeous views of the town and are inside strolling distance to the town middle, with many choices accessible, together with residences and guesthouses.
- Reserving prematurely is beneficial, particularly throughout peak season, to make sure availability and the most effective costs.
Sarajevo’s Historical past
- Sarajevo has a fancy and tumultuous historical past, having been a part of the Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and former Yugoslavia, with many cultural and historic websites to discover.
- The town was besieged by Bosnian Serb forces throughout the Bosnian Struggle, which lasted from 1992 to 1995 and had a profound affect on its improvement and id.
- The conflict ended with the signing of the Dayton Accords, however the metropolis nonetheless bears the scars of the battle, with many derelict buildings and mortar shell explosions nonetheless seen.
- The town’s historical past remains to be seen in its structure, with many buildings from the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian durations nonetheless standing, together with the Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque and the Yellow Fortress.
Foremost Sights
- Sarajevo has many important sights, together with the Latin Bridge, the place Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking World Struggle I, and the Outdated City, which is stuffed with historic buildings and cultural websites.
- The town can also be house to many museums, together with the Historic Museum and the Struggle Childhood Museum, which supply a glimpse into the town’s advanced previous and the experiences of its residents throughout the conflict.
- The town’s environment are additionally value exploring, with many pure sights, together with the Trebevi? Mountain and the Veliki Park, which supply gorgeous views and alternatives for mountain climbing and out of doors actions.
- The town’s cable automobile can also be a well-liked attraction, providing gorgeous views of the town and the encircling hills.
Exploring the Metropolis
- One of the best ways to discover Sarajevo is on foot, with many sights inside strolling distance, together with the Outdated City and the Latin Bridge.
- The town has a complete public transportation system, together with buses and trams, which make it straightforward to get round, with many choices accessible, together with tickets and passes.
- You can even take a free strolling tour to study extra in regards to the metropolis’s historical past and tradition, with many guides accessible, together with native residents and consultants.
- The town’s slender streets and compact measurement make it straightforward to navigate, with many indicators and maps accessible that can assist you discover your manner.
Tradition and Heritage
- Sarajevo is a metropolis with a wealthy cultural heritage, with many cultural websites and historic museums to discover, together with the Nationwide Museum and the Jewish Museum.
- The town is house to many alternative ethnic and spiritual teams, together with Bosnian Muslims, Serbs, and Croats, with many cultural occasions and festivals going down all year long.
- The town’s cultural occasions, together with live shows and festivals, are a good way to expertise the native tradition and meet new individuals, with many choices accessible, together with conventional music and dance performances.
- The town’s cultural middle can also be value visiting, with many exhibitions and performances going down all year long, together with artwork, music, and theater.
Meals and Drink
- Sarajevo is thought for its scrumptious delicacies, which incorporates conventional dishes equivalent to ?evapi and burek, with many eating places and cafes to select from, together with the Lodge Hecco Deluxe.
- The town can also be well-known for its espresso tradition, with many cafes serving high-quality espresso, together with the standard Bosnian espresso, which is a vital a part of the native tradition.
- You can even attempt among the native drinks, equivalent to rakia and beer, that are common amongst locals and guests alike, with many choices accessible, together with conventional pubs and bars.
- The town’s meals market can also be value visiting, with many recent produce and native merchandise accessible, together with conventional meals and drinks.
Schooling and Group
- Sarajevo has a powerful sense of group, with many cultural occasions and festivals going down all year long, together with conventional music and dance performances.
- The town is house to many academic establishments, together with the College of Sarajevo, which is among the oldest and most prestigious universities within the area, with many applications accessible, together with language programs and cultural research.
- The town’s cultural middle can also be an excellent useful resource, with many exhibitions and performances going down all year long, together with artwork, music, and theater.
- The town’s group can also be very welcoming, with many locals keen to fulfill and work together with guests, together with language change applications and cultural occasions.
Reconstruction and Revitalization
- Sarajevo has undergone important reconstruction and revitalization efforts because the finish of the Bosnian Struggle, with many new buildings and infrastructure tasks accomplished, together with the reconstruction of the Outdated City and the Latin Bridge.
- The town’s historic middle has been restored to its former glory, with many historic buildings and cultural websites preserved, together with the Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque and the Yellow Fortress.
- The town’s environment are additionally being developed, with many new parks and inexperienced areas created, together with the Veliki Park and the Trebevi? Mountain.
- The town’s reconstruction and revitalization efforts are ongoing, with many new tasks and initiatives being applied, together with the event of recent cultural and vacationer sights.
Funds-Pleasant Choices
- Sarajevo is a budget-friendly vacation spot, with many inexpensive lodging choices, together with hostels and guesthouses, with costs ranging from round 20 BAM (€10) per evening.
- The town’s meals can also be inexpensive, with many conventional dishes accessible for round 10 BAM (€5), together with ?evapi and burek.
- The town’s public transportation system can also be inexpensive, with many choices accessible, together with buses and trams, with tickets ranging from round 1 BAM (€0.50).
- The town’s cultural occasions and sights are additionally inexpensive, with many free or low-cost choices accessible, together with guided excursions and exhibitions.
Hyperlinks to Different Cities
- Sarajevo is well-connected to different cities within the area, with many bus and prepare connections accessible, together with connections to Mostar and Belgrade.
- The town’s airport additionally provides worldwide flights to many European cities, with many choices accessible, together with connections to different cities within the area.
- The town’s tour operators provide many guided excursions and excursions to different cities and sights within the area, together with visits to the Srebrenica genocide memorial and the Struggle Childhood Museum.
- The town’s location makes it an excellent base for exploring the encircling area, with many pure sights and cultural websites to go to, together with the Dinaric Alps and the Neretva River.
