This Sarajevo Travel Guide will guide you through the vibrant capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina with a sad and intriguing history. An upcoming city with cobbled streets, coffee places and typical snacks. The travel guide highlights my must-sees, favourite restaurants and bars in this lovely city. Sarajevo was one of the places part of my 6-week Balkan Trip. Read about the full itinerary here.
Sarajevo is a city that has loads to offer. Because of the unique history, different cultures, amazing food and cafe culture and the nature surrounding the city, it is a place that is worth a visit. When visiting Sarajevo, don’t miss out on the chance to explore more of Bosnia and Herzegovina by going on a trip to for example Mostar and its surroundings.
The best time to visit Sarajevo is in the shoulder season, as the summers can get quite warm. Therefore, I would advise visiting in May, June or September as the ultimate time to travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, we visited in the peak season (August) and that is perfectly fine as the city is not yet overflowing with mass tourism.
Normally, I am not a big fan of tours. I like to discover a city on my own, at my own pace. However, in Sarajevo, I would highly recommend doing a history tour. As the Yugoslavian war took place fairly recently, tours are mainly given by inhabitants on who the war made a huge impact. We took a tour with Toorico Tours. A very experienced guy who told about how he perceived the war. The tour took us to the Tunnel Museum, Sniper Alley and the Jewish Cemetery. Next to that, the tour also highlighted some places that remind me of the Olympic Games that took place in Sarajevo in 1984. We got to see the ski jumping hills, the podium and an abandoned hotel.
The tour we did is similar to the Get your Guide tour “Times of Misfortune, Half Day Tour of Sarajevo.
We were lucky to have a small tour, which allowed us to also visit the bobsled track during the tour. I would still highly recommend visiting the bobsled track.
The bobsled track can also be reached by the Sarajevo Cable Car up to the Trebevic mountain. This Get your Guide walking tour also takes you to the abandoned bobsled track.
A restaurant that successfully mixed international and Bosnian food. We went here multiple times as the food was great and they have in my opinion the best terrace in Sarajevo!
Zlatna Ribica is a crazy bar with a vintage interior and my favourite bar within this Sarajevo travel guide. The image reflects the bar perfectly and this place really can’t be missed when visiting Sarajevo.
One of my personal favourites. A great wine bar with good wines, a nice terrace area and amazing charcuterie plates.
A nice bar where you can sit in the open window, drink a cheap beer and enjoy a relaxed vibe. The bar is closely located to the main square in the city.
Bar Tito is a nice and open space to enjoy your afternoon, and is, as the name sugests, dedicated to Tito. You will find it a little bit further out of town, but it is a nice stroll to further explore Sarajevo.
The hotel where you get the best value for money in Sarajevo is Apartments Emerald. The rooms are modern, the hotel is located at a great location and there is free parking available. This all for a price of €60 a night for 2 persons!
At Hotel VIP you find luxureous rooms, free coffee in the lobby, breakfast included and that all located on a 300 meter walk from the main square. You can spend the night here for €150 for a double room.
Apartments Tuffo is a catch. This budget apartment offers you plenty of space, a central location and won’t hurt your wallet, as you pay less than €40 a night for 2 persons!
