Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A beautiful city, full of culture, history, and scars from the recent Bosnian War A city full of love, charm, and heartbreak! It’s a city like no other!
If you are planning a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, a visit to Sarajevo is a must! But prepare yourself to see a city still today, recovering from war. It’s heartbreaking to see, but a true reminder of what the city and the people of the city had to live through. A war that almost destroyed the whole city!
Here’s how to spend a day exploring the capital of Sarajevo:
Everything I have included in this guide, I have pinned on Google Maps, making it easy for you to find: https://goo.gl/maps/4ctNNLmqxUmcfyUZ7
Where To Stay With A Campervan
If you are road-tripping around Bosnia and Herzegovina in a campervan and are looking at somewhere to stay the night, there’s a little campsite up on the mountainside called Camp Zlatiste. It’s a little family-run campsite, with fantastic views over Sarajevo.
Tip: get there early to get a pitch, as it’s only small and gets full quite quickly!
Campsite address for SatNav: Hambina Carina 65, Sarajevo
Where To Park
When visiting Sarajevo, there is a great car park suitable for campervans called Parking u ul. Kotromanića. We found it on the app, Park4night. It is secured parking with guides. The walk from the car park to the old town is just 20 minutes on foot.
Car park address for SatNav: 71000, Kotromanića, Sarajevo
The app we use to find parking spots: https://park4night.com/en
Please note: we have to draw out some local currency to pay for the parking.
Food
Trying local food and drinks is always a must when travelling and Sarajevo is a great place just to do that!
There are three things I recommend you try when in Sarajevo: Bosnian coffee, Cevapi, and Baklava.
Bosnian Coffee
Trying some traditional coffee is a must when in Sarajevo! I recommend trying Restoran Gravur, located next to the famous Sebilj Brunnen fountains. Here you will get served local Bosnian coffee in the famous full džezva.
Cevapi
Cevapi is a local Bosnian dish. It’s basically a naan-type bread filled with small sausages, sour cream, and fried onions. It’s delicious!
We went to a restaurant called Ćevabdžinica Željo 3, down Ćurčiluk veliki (one of the main streets in the old town). It was delicious! However, it can get very busy, so may be expected to wait a little for a table!
Baklava
Ok, you may be wondering why I’m suggesting Baklava. You are probably thinking that’s a Turkest cake, not Bosnian. You are not wrong! Many years ago, the Ottman Empire ruled Sarajevo. Today, the city still had a lot of Turkish influence, hence why Baklava is very popular within the city.
For anyone who is not familiar with Baklava, it’s basically layered filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is delicious!
Honestly, I can not remember where we brought ours from! However, it doesn’t matter, you will not find it hard to find a place that sells them. There are little sweet shops that sell them, dotted on every street around the old town. You will not be able to miss them!
All The ‘Must See’s’
Sarajevo a city rich is in history and full of beautiful landmarks. The best way to see the city is on foot, wandering along the river banks and getting lost around the little streets.
Here are just some of the ‘must see’s the city has to offer:
Please note: I’ve written the landmarks/points of interest in order you will see them as if you are coming from the car park, Parking u ul. Kotromanića.
Houses With Bullet Holes
As you walk down Kotromanića street, onto the M18, towards Skenderija Bridge lookout for houses with bullet holes in the wall. A reminder of the heartbreaking Bosnian War that took place between 1992 and 1995.
Love Heart
Head onto Skenderija Bridge and look out for a red love heart, welcoming you into the beautiful city of Sarajevo.
Festina Lente
The Festina Lente is a beautiful, modern bridge going over the Miljacka River. The loop in the middle is meant to symbolise slowing down to enjoy the view. So make sure you stop and enjoy the view before you continue on your tracks!
Latin Bridge
The Latin Bridge is probably one of the most famous landmarks in Sarajevo due to its history! Not only is it one of Sarajevo’s oldest bridges, it is where the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria took place, and ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I!
Sarajevo City Hall
The Sarajevo City Hall, also known as Vijećnica is beautiful! Built by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, it’s like no other landmark in the city!
Baščaršija
Baščaršija is Sarajevo’s old town. Rich is Turkish culture, it’s a beautiful part of the city to visit! A great place to get lost down the little streets, while checking out some of the local, independent stores, and enjoying slowing down with a cup of Bosnian coffee.
As you wander the old town, lookout for Sebilj, an Ottoman-style wooden fountain in the centre of Baščaršija Square. Apparently, the water is drinkable! It is believed, anyone who drinks the water from the Sebilj is destined to return to Sarajevo!
Just be warned, while trying to grab a drink from the Sebilj, you might have company! The square fills up with hundreds of pigeons! You can buy some feed in the square and act like the Bird Lady from Mary Poppins for the day!
Old Bobsled track
Sarajevo held the Winter Olympics in 1984. Today, you can go and visit the old bobsled and lunge track, located up on Mount Trebević.
Sadly, we decided to give this a miss! We had been warned by locals, not to leave our campervan in the car park located at the bobsled, as many had been broken into. They had suggested it would be safer to leave the campervan in the car park located nearer the car park. However, we didn’t want to risk it!
Sarajevo Cable Car
To get some of the best views of Sarajevo, head up Mount Trebević via the cable car. Known as either the Sarajevo Cable Car or the Trebević Cable Car, it will take you around 7 minutes to get to the top and cost just 20KM (£9) return or 15KM (£6.50) one way. (These prices are from 2023, at the time we visited!)
We decided to give this a miss as we had fantastic views at our campsite, Camp Zlatiste of Sarajevo. The campsite is actually located just down the road from the top cable car station.
I hope this guide has helped you towards planning your own trip to the city and you fall in love with Sarajevo just as must as we did! Have the best time!
For more information on Sarajevo, please check out their website: https://www.visitsarajevo.ba/
Want to see what other fun things there are to do in Bosnia & Herzegovina? Please check out some of my other blogs: Bosnia & Herzegovina
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