Bosnia and Herzegovina
Sarajevo
An Ottoman bazaar and a Habsburg boulevard meet on one street, a few blocks from where the First World War was set in motion.
Sarajevo fills a narrow valley ringed by mountains, and few European capitals change character so fast on foot. The Ottoman bazaar of Bascarsija, all copper workshops, mosques and coffee houses, gives way within a single street to Austro-Hungarian avenues, Catholic and Orthodox cathedrals and a synagogue. This is where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in 1914 and where the 1984 Winter Olympics were held, and the Olympic ski mountains are still under an hour away.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
Bosnian
Currency
BAM
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Sarajevo
Bascarsija the Ottoman bazaar of coppersmiths' lanes, the Sebilj fountain and the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, with the call to prayer drifting over coffee and pigeons
Four faiths, one walk a mosque, a Catholic cathedral, an Orthodox church and a synagogue stand within minutes of each other along Ferhadija
Coffee and cevapi Bosnian coffee poured from a copper dzezva with sugar and rahat lokum, and cevapi stuffed into soft somun bread
Mountains at the edge a cable car climbs Trebevic from the old town, and the Olympic slopes of Jahorina and Bjelasnica are under an hour away
Best time to visit
Apr-Oct
17-28° days
43.857° N, 18.413° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Sarajevo
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Weather & when to go to Sarajevo
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Apr-Oct
Snow prime Jan-Feb
Activity seasons none fair good prime
Watch for Dec-Feb smog risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Sarajevo
December to February is cold and often snowy, and on still days the valley traps a haze of smog from winter heating. Those same months are the ski season on Jahorina and Bjelasnica, the 1984 Olympic mountains above the city. Roads to highland villages such as Lukomir are closed by snow in winter.
Top things to do in Sarajevo
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Bascarsija - the Ottoman bazaar and the Sebilj
culture arts shopping history 👍 PopularThe old market quarter spreads out from Pigeon Square and its wooden Sebilj fountain into lanes named for the trades that worked them, with coppersmiths still hammering trays and coffee sets on Kazandziluk. The Morica Han, an old caravanserai, and the covered Bezistan sit among the stalls. Come early, before the tour groups, or in the evening when the lanes fill with locals.
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Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque - the city's great Ottoman mosque
history culture arts 👍 PopularBuilt in the 1530s by the governor who made Sarajevo a major trading town, it is the most important Ottoman mosque in Bosnia, with a shaded courtyard, an ablution fountain and the founder's tomb. His madrasa stands opposite, and the clock tower beside it still keeps the old a la turca time, set by sunset. Visitors are welcome outside prayer times, dressed modestly.
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Latin Bridge - where Franz Ferdinand was shot
history 👍 PopularOn the corner by this small Ottoman stone bridge over the Miljacka, Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie on 28 June 1914, the act that led to the First World War. A small museum on the corner covers the assassination and the Austro-Hungarian city around it.
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Ferhadija - East meets West on one street
culture arts historyThe city's main pedestrian street runs from the bazaar into the Austro-Hungarian centre, and a line set into the paving marks exactly where the Ottoman town ends. Walk on past the Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart and the eternal flame to the Orthodox cathedral, with the old Ottoman-era Orthodox church and the Jewish Museum in the old synagogue a few streets away.
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Sarajevo Tunnel Museum - the tunnel under the airport
history ⭐ Highly recommendedIn a family house at Butmir, beside the airport, a short stretch of the tunnel dug beneath the runway during the siege of the 1990s is preserved, with the house's own exhibits on how it was used to bring in food and supplies. It is one of the city's most visited sights; most people go by taxi or on a guided tour.
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Yellow Fortress - sunset over the valley
scenic history ⭐ Highly recommendedClimb through the hillside lanes of Vratnik above the bazaar to this Ottoman bastion, where locals gather on the walls at dusk to watch the city lights come on below. During Ramadan the sunset cannon that ends the day's fast is fired from here.
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Trebevic - cable car and the Olympic bobsleigh track
scenic nature wildlifeA cable car lifts you from near the old town to the forested slopes of Trebevic for wide views over the city. Walk down through the woods along the concrete curves of the 1984 Olympic bobsleigh and luge track, now covered in graffiti.
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Vijecnica - the neo-Moorish City Hall
history culture artsThe striped Austro-Hungarian City Hall on the riverbank, finished in 1896 in a pseudo-Moorish style, served for decades as the national library. It has been restored and is open to visitors, with a richly painted central hall and stained-glass dome.
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Cevapi, burek and Bosnian coffee - eating in Sarajevo
foodCevapi, small grilled minced-meat sausages, come ten to a portion in fluffy somun bread with raw onion and kajmak, and the Bascarsija's cevabdzinicas such as Zeljo have served them for decades. Burek and its cheese, spinach and potato cousins come by weight from pita bakeries. Finish with Bosnian coffee in a copper dzezva, sipped slowly with a sugar cube.
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Vrelo Bosne - the springs of the Bosna river
nature wildlife scenicAt the foot of Mount Igman beyond Ilidza, the Bosna river rises in a park of clear pools, wooden bridges and swans. Reach it along the Velika Aleja, a long avenue of plane and chestnut trees, on foot, by bike or by horse-drawn carriage.
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Jahorina and Bjelasnica - skiing the 1984 Olympic mountains
snowThe two mountains that hosted the 1984 Olympic alpine events are both under an hour from the city, Jahorina to the southeast and Bjelasnica to the southwest, with hotels at the slopes and day trips from town. Expect good-value skiing on wooded runs, with conditions that vary from season to season.
Best areas to stay in Sarajevo
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Bascarsija
First-time visitors $$Ottoman bazaar lanes, busy and atmospheric
Explore hotels in Bascarsija →
Centar (around Ferhadija)
Couples and repeat visits $$Habsburg streets, cafes and shops
Explore hotels in Centar (around Ferhadija) →
Marijin Dvor
Business and museums $$Modern towers, museums and the tram
Explore hotels in Marijin Dvor →
Ilidza
Families and drivers $$Leafy spa suburb near the springs
Explore hotels in Ilidza →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Sarajevo
Getting to & around Sarajevo
Getting there
Fly into Sarajevo International Airport, about 12 km southwest of the centre
Flight
Sarajevo International Airport (SJJ)
An airport bus runs along the valley to the centre and Bascarsija in around 30 minutes, timed to flights; taxis take about 20-25 minutes. Ilidza and its tram terminus are a short taxi ride away.
Train
Sarajevo railway station
The scenic line down the Neretva valley links Mostar, and other services run north via Zenica; the station is west of the centre and on the tram line
Coach
Central Bus Station
Beside the railway station, with coaches from Mostar, Banja Luka and the Croatian coast; some services to Serbia and Montenegro use the East Sarajevo bus station in Lukavica instead
Getting around
Walking
The bazaar and centre are flat and compact along the river; the hillside quarters above are steep
Free
Tram
One line runs the length of the valley from Bascarsija past the railway station to Ilidza
TBC
Bus and trolleybus
Fill the gaps the tram leaves, including the hillside suburbs
TBC
Taxi
Metered taxis are cheap and plentiful; use a known company or an app
TBC
Trebevic cable car
Climbs from near the old town to the forest and views on Trebevic
TBC
Day trips from Sarajevo
Mostar
Full dayOttoman bridge town
Stari Most, the high-arched Ottoman bridge where divers leap into the green Neretva, anchors an old town of stone lanes and minarets. Tours often add the dervish house at Blagaj and the hilltop village of Pocitelj; the train ride is a highlight in itself.
Getting there
train | bus | car | tour
About 2-2.5 hr by train down the Neretva valley, or by bus, car or tour
Lukomir
Full dayHighland village
A remote shepherds' village of stone houses with steep wooden-shingle roofs high on Bjelasnica, above the Rakitnica canyon. The road is closed by snow in winter, so it is a late-spring to autumn trip, often combined with a hike.
Getting there
car | tour
About 1.5-2 hr by car or tour, the last part on a rough mountain road
Travnik and Jajce
Full dayOttoman towns and waterfall
Travnik was the seat of the Ottoman viziers, with a painted mosque, a hilltop fortress and Ivo Andric's birthplace. Jajce has a waterfall in the middle of town and wooden watermills on the Pliva lakes.
Getting there
bus | car | tour
About 1.5 hr by bus or car to Travnik, then another hour to Jajce, or on a tour
Visegrad
Full dayUNESCO bridge town
The Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge, a sixteenth-century Ottoman masterpiece on the Drina and a UNESCO site, is the bridge of Ivo Andric's novel The Bridge on the Drina.
Getting there
car | bus | tour
About 2-2.5 hr east by car, bus or tour
Srebrenica Genocide Memorial (Potocari)
Full dayMemorial centre
The memorial centre and cemetery at Potocari for the victims of the July 1995 genocide, with an exhibition in the former battery factory opposite. Most visitors from Sarajevo go with a guide.
Getting there
car | tour
About 2.5-3 hr northeast by car or guided tour
A little history of Sarajevo
The city dates from the 1460s, when the Ottoman governor Isa-Beg Isakovic built a mosque, a bridge, baths and a caravanserai around his palace, the saray that gave Sarajevo its name. Under Gazi Husrev-beg in the sixteenth century it grew into one of the great trading towns of the Ottoman Balkans, with Sephardic Jews from Spain settling alongside Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities.
Prince Eugene of Savoy burned the city in 1697. Austria-Hungary took over in 1878 and built a new lower town of avenues, cathedrals and a neo-Moorish city hall, and on 28 June 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by the Latin Bridge. After 1945 Sarajevo became capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina within socialist Yugoslavia, and in 1984 it hosted the Winter Olympics.
Isa-Beg Isakovic's endowment founds the Ottoman town
The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque is completed
Prince Eugene of Savoy's raid burns the city
Austria-Hungary occupies Bosnia and Herzegovina
The neo-Moorish City Hall, Vijecnica, is completed
Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated near the Latin Bridge
Sarajevo becomes capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina within Yugoslavia
The city hosts the Winter Olympics
The city is under siege
Know before you go
Payment
Cash preferred
English
Limited
Wifi
Reliable
Power
Type C / F
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+387
Smog risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Sarajevo
▸ When is the best time to visit Sarajevo?
April to October is best, with May, June and September the most comfortable for walking the city and the hills. December to February is cold and often snowy, with smoggy haze on still days, though it is when the skiing on Jahorina and Bjelasnica is at its best.
▸ How many days do I need in Sarajevo?
Two days covers Bascarsija, the Austro-Hungarian centre, the Tunnel Museum and the Yellow Fortress at sunset. Allow three or four to add Mostar and a highland trip to Lukomir or Travnik.
▸ Are landmines still a concern around Sarajevo?
In the central city, no. In the hills and countryside around it, mines remain in some unmarked or abandoned areas, so stay on paved roads and well-used marked trails, keep out of abandoned buildings and overgrown fields, and heed any red warning signs. For off-trail hiking, go with a local guide.
▸ Can you ski from Sarajevo?
Yes. Jahorina and Bjelasnica, which hosted the 1984 Olympic alpine events, are both under an hour by road, and many visitors ski them as day trips from the city. Both have hotels at the slopes for longer stays, and snow cover varies from year to year.
▸ Is Sarajevo expensive?
No. It is one of the better-value capitals in Europe: eating out, coffee, taxis and public transport are all inexpensive, and many of the main sights are free to walk.
▸ How is Bosnian coffee different from Turkish coffee?
They are close relatives, but in Bosnia the coffee is served in a small copper dzezva for you to pour yourself, usually with a sugar cube and a piece of rahat lokum. It is meant to be drunk slowly, and a coffee is as much about the conversation as the drink.