Ringed by mountains, Sarajevo is a singular city with an atmosphere all of its own – meander around the Ottoman quarter of Baščaršija and savour the smoking barbecue restaurants and local coffee, peek into the mosques, churches and synagogues, and marvel at the dilapidating socialist architecture, before joining the locals in the lively and stylish bars and restaurants. Once renowned as ‘the Jerusalem of Europe’ for its religious diversity, Sarajevo is now majority Bosniak, with most of the Orthodox Christians living in newly built Istočno Sarajevo (East Sarajevo) on the Republika Srpska side. The 20th century thrust Sarajevo into the world’s consciousness via the assassination which precipitated WWI, the 1984 Winter Olympics, and sadly, by the brutal almost-four-year siege of the city in the 1990s. Sarajevo is once again a wonderful place to visit – war scars visible as they are. Enjoy its intriguing architectural medley, vibrant street life and irrepressible spirit. You will love peace and closeness to nature, you can ski and hike from it in a couple of minutes on foot, and with car you are 10 minute drive from the center of the city. Place has free parking and all the amenities that you need for a stay here. My apt is near the olympic mountain where you are right in the foothill of ski centre, has beautiful view on nearby forest and mountain, and you are just a few minutes walking to nearby market, local coffee shops and restaurants.

The space has one bedroom, living room with a couch that can be used for sleeping also, kitchen and bathroom and balcony with lovely view on a nearby forest and mountains. It has free parking space, lift, and is on a second floor, it is near local restaurants and markets.

The apt is on a second floor in building with a lift and it has free parking space.

My place is located on a olympic mountain in a foothill of a ski centre and forest and lots of hiking options around. Bjelasnica and Igman mountains are very popular winter resorts located only 25 km from Sarajevo.These two mountains were the host of the 14th Winter Olympic Games in 1984, featuring Alpine and Nordic skiing and ski jumping competitions. The mountain range stretches over 300 kilometers and features the mixture of the Mediterranean and Continental climate. Bjelasnica is thus known to have all four seasons in a single day. The Meteorological Observatory was built at the mountain’s top in 1984. Bjelasnica and Igman are covered in a thick snow cover (135 cm) for approximately 200 days a year. The mountains have around 25 kilometers of very good skiing trails, hotel accommodation and other amenities. Bjelasnica’s skiing slopes start at the highest peak (2067 meters) and finish at Babin do (1266 meters). City centre is a 10 minute drive but i can offer you also stay in city for free if you would like that where i have my primary residence. Sarajevo has rich cultural and historic monuments and some of them are: Old Town Bascarsija and Sebilj Fountain Bascarsija (tur. – the main market) was established in the 15th century by Isa-Bey Ishakovic, the founder of Sarajevo, and Ghazi Husrev-Bey who left an exquisite endowment as a legacy to the city. In addition to these two benefactors, some other regents and wealthy merchants contributed with their donations. With rise of the Empire, the city progresses as well. Thus, Bascarsija was finished by the end of the 16th century, and the city soon after witnessed its golden age. Along with Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Edirne and Athens, it became one of the 5 largest cities in the Balkans, the city of trading and wealthy and powerful community. The square spread into several trading and craftsmen alleys, it comprised 45 markets and over 80 crafts. Tiny cobbled alleys intertwined and spread towards mosques, inns, bedestans, hamams, schools and tekkes, fountains, caravanserai… The first water supply system was built in the mid 15th century, and significantly extended in the 16th century. By the end of the Ottoman period, there were 156 spouts and several stone fountains built mainly as an endowment. Sebilj Fountain is a symbol of Sarajevo. A legend says: “Whoever drinks water from any of Sarajevo’s fountains and spouts will come to Sarajevo”. The Sebilj Fountain was built in 1753. Atmospheric alleys and architecture in Baščaršija Centred on Sebilj fountain, Baščaršija (pronounced barsh-char-shi-ya) is the very heart of old Sarajevo. The name is derived from the Turkish for ‘main market’ and it’s still lined with stalls, a lively (if tourist-centric) coppersmith alley, grand Ottoman mosques, caravanserai (inn) restaurants and lots of inviting little cafes. The east–west lane, Sarači, broadens out into the wide pedestrian boulevard Ferhadija, where Austro-Hungarian–era buildings take over. Some particularly grand examples line the waterfront. Starting right there, the storybook neo-Moorish striped facade makes the triangular City Hall (Vijećnica, 1896) Sarajevo’s most beautiful Austro-Hungarian–era building. Seriously damaged during the 1990s siege, it reopened in 2014 after laborious reconstruction. Its colourfully restored interior and stained-glass ceiling are superb. Your ticket also allows you to peruse the excellent Sarajevo 1914–2014 exhibition in the octagonal basement. This gives well-explained potted histories of the city’s various 20th-century periods and insights into fashion and music subcultures. In 1914 Franz Ferdinand and his much frowned-upon wife Sophie (she had been his mother’s former lady-in-waiting) were on their way back from this very building when they were shot by Gavrilo Princip, a member of Young Bosnia, a secret group resisting the Austro-Hungarian rule. From 1949 the building became the National Library but in August 1992 it was deliberately hit by a Serbian incendiary shell. Around two million irreplaceable manuscripts, books and documents were destroyed. Those that survived might one day return, but for now the building is used as the council chamber, for events and occasionally for concerts. Various exhibitions are staged in the upper level and an International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) information centre sits on the ground floor, including the contents of the original courtroom, which were shifted here from the Hague. The Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide 1992–1995 covers the many atrocities of the 1990s war in unsparing visual detail. Video footage combined with photographs, artefacts and personal testimonies illustrates the horror and brutality of the times. We wouldn’t recommend bringing children . Bosnia’s second Ottoman governor, Gazi Husrev-beg, funded a series of splendid 16th-century buildings, of which the 1531 Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, with its 45m minaret, is the greatest. The domed interior is beautifully proportioned and even if you can’t look inside, it’s worth walking through the courtyard with its lovely fountain, chestnut trees and the turbe (tomb) of its founder. If you’d like to learn more about the colourful life and philanthropic legacy of Husrev-beg, visit the Gazi Husrev-beg Museum. It is situated inside the 1537 Kuršumlija Madrasa building, distinctive for its pointed chimneys and the lead roof from which it takes its name. There’s little in the way of artefacts but the video is well worth watching. Brusa Bezistan was built in 1551 as a silk-trading bazaar, and it is an elegant two-storey building topped with six green-metal domes and encircled by shops. It’s now a branch of the Museum of Sarajevo, providing an overview of the city from prehistoric times up until 1914. At its centre is a scale model of Sarajevo as it looked in 1878. The only concession to recent history is a series of grisly large-scale photographs of the mass-grave excavations from the 1990s genocide. More religiously open-minded than most of Western Europe in its day, the Ottoman Empire offered refuge to the Sephardic Jews who had been exiled en masse from Spain in 1492. While conditions varied, Bosnian Jews mostly prospered until WWII, when most of the 14,000-strong community fled or were murdered. The community’s story is well told in the Jewish Museum, housed in a 1581 Sephardic synagogue that still sees active worship during Jewish New Year. While the final form of the outwardly austere stone Old Orthodox Church dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel dates to 1730, it was founded considerably earlier – possibly as long ago as the 5th century. Inside, under a star-spangled night-blue ceiling, is a superb gilded iconostasis from 1674 fronted by a pair of 3m-high candlesticks. The cloister museum displays manuscripts, vestments and icons, the oldest of which were painted in the 15th century. City Hall The need to construct a new building for the city administration came along with the Austro-Hungarian conquerors. The area of a medieval village (Brodac), where Isa-Bey’s Ishakovic established the city itself in the 15th cwas identified as ideal for the new government. The Austro-Hungarians bought off several buildings and two inns and designated Alexander Wittek as the main architect. He chose the pseudo-Moorish style for one of the most expensive projects in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time. Allegedly, Wittek was a perfectionist so he even projected the number of bricks that would be used to build the City Hall with a variation of only 3 bricks. This grand architectural project was completed in 1896. Wittek did not live to see the completion. Due to his perfectionism, he could have not accepted the fact that the City Hall’s Auditorium did not have enough light. He considered this irreparable, had a nervous breakdown and committed suicide. Ciril M. Ivekovic took over the work, and found a simple solution and designed a glass-dome. During the siege of Sarajevo, this cultural and historical monument was burnt down, along with the collections of the National and University Library (which was at the time seated within the City Hall). The City Hall was recently renovated (2014) and remains one of the most impressive attractions in Sarajevo. It is a symbol of education, hope, art, culture, history, beauty Museum of Sarajevo Assassination and Latin Bridge At the junction of the Apel key and Franjo Josip streets (today Obala Kulina bana and Zelenih beretki streets), Gavrilo Princip, a high school student and a member of Mlada Bosna, a secret organization established by the Black Hand movement completed the organization’s gloomy plan on June 28th, 1914. Gavrilo assassinated the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy considered Serbia to be involved and sent their ultimatum on July 23, 1914. The First World War commenced soon after. The Austro-Hungarian Monarchy set a monument dedicated to Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Hohenberg, just across the assassination spot, on Latin Bridge. The monument was removed when the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians was established. A year after removing the monument, a new museum “Museum of Sarajevo Assassination” was opened. The museum portrays the Austro-Hungarian rule, the new administration system, new way of living, crafts, economy, architecture, development of science and arts. Monumental Complex ˝Tunnel of Salvation˝ The war tunnel was constructed during the 1425-day long siege Sarajevo (1992 to 1995 siege) to connect two free territories. The entrance and exit of the tunnel are two houses situated at the opposite sides of the airport. Thus, the tunnel connected Dobrinja and Butmir settlements, and was named “Objekat D-B”. Tunnel construction was initiated in 1993 and completed the same year. The tunnel is 720 meters long, 1.50 meters high. In 1994, narrow rails and mine carts were added to facilitate transportation of food and medicine. Humanitarian aid was delivered through this tunnel, and wounded soldiers sent out of Sarajevo over Igman mountain. Politicians and world-known reporters such as Susan Sontag used this tunnel to come to Sarajevo and offer their support to the war-torn city. Today, this unique museum structure is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. Sarajevo war sites Start with the War Childhood Museum, an affecting place that had its genesis in a 2013 book edited by Jasminko Halilović, in which he asked a simple question of survivors of the Sarajevo siege: ‘What was a war childhood for you?’ Of the hundreds of replies received, 50 short written testimonies are presented here, each illustrated by personal effects donated by the writer, such as diaries, drawings, toys and ballet slippers. It’s a lighter, less gore-filled approach to the conflict than you’ll find elsewhere, but equally devastating. Many of the works in the thought-provoking Ars Aevi contemporary art gallery were collected as donations for Bosnia during the 1990s conflict. The collection includes works by the likes of Anish Kapoor, Nan Goldin and Marina Abramović; a rotating selection of them is displayed in a factory-esque interior of metal ducts and polished chipboard within the lumpy Skenderija Centar. Somewhat misleadingly named, the History Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a small yet engrossing museum. It occupies a striking, still partly war-damaged 1960s socialist-modernist building originally dubbed the Museum of the Revolution. It regularly hosts high-profile international exhibitions but the main attraction is the permanent Surrounded Sarajevo display, which charts local people’s life-and-death battles for survival between 1992 and 1995. Alongside some heartbreaking photographs are personal effects such as self-made lamps, examples of food aid, stacks of Monopoly-style 1990s dinars and a makeshift siege-time ‘home’. Also interesting is the collection of 1996–2011 before-and-after Sarajevo images in the hallway. Directly behind the building, the tongue-in-cheek Tito bar is a museum in its own right. During the 1992–95 siege, when Sarajevo was surrounded by Bosnian Serb forces, the only link to the outside world was an 800m-long, 1m-wide, 1.6m-high tunnel between two houses on opposite sides of the airport runway. Walking through a 25m section, now called the Tunnel of Hope, is the moving culmination of a visit to the shell-pounded house that hid the western tunnel entrance. The story of the siege and the tunnel’s construction is told via video, information boards and an audioguide accessible via free wi-fi. Although the airport was supposedly neutral and under tenuous UN control during the conflict, crossing it would have been suicidal. The solution was to secretly build the tunnel, which was eventually equipped with rails to transport food and arms. That proved just enough to keep Sarajevo supplied during nearly four years of siege. Galerija 11/07/95 is a powerful memorial to the 8372 victims of the Srebrenica massacre. You’ll need well over an hour to make the most of a visit, and it’s worth paying the extra for the audioguide to gain more insight. The gallery uses stirring photography, video footage and audio testimonies of survivors and family members of the Srebrenica genocide. The Siege of Sarajevo Museum opened in 2023, on the 31st anniversary of the siege of Sarajevo, housing many objects, photographs and testimonials of the extraordinary circumstances under which the city’s inhabitants survived the longest siege in Europe’s history. European Jerusalem For over four centuries, Sarajevo has been the city of multiculturalism. In one single street, one can step into a mosque, synagogue, Catholic or Orthodox church. With the construction of the Sephardic Temple in the old town, along with the Old Orthodox Church and Ghazi Husrev-bey’s mosque a multicultural ambiance was created. This multicultural mosaic was enriched with the New Orthodox Cathedral built in the late Ottoman era, and the Catholic Cathedral built in early Austro Hungarian era. Cable car to Trebevic Reopened in 2018 after being destroyed during the war, Sarajevo’s cable car once again shuttles people on a nine-minute ride, climbing 500m to a viewpoint 1164m up on Mt Trebević. From here it’s a short walk to the wreck of the Olympic bobsled track, seemingly held together by layers of graffiti. Yellow fortress One of the most appealing yet accessible viewpoints gazing over Sarajevo’s red-roofed cityscape is from this bastion, known as Žuta Tabija. Built in the 18th century as part of the walls encircling Vratnik, it is now full of lovely old trees and has a cafe. It’s a popular place for picnickers and canoodling lovers. By tradition, the end of the Ramadan fast is formally announced by a canon shot from here. Bijambare Caves Bijambare Speleological Area is a protected natural site located northeast of Sarajevo on Sarajevo-Tuzla Highway (approximately 40 km from Sarajevo). Bijambare Caves is a speleological complex surrounded by thick conifer forest, two brooks, small lakes, several springs and a great variety of mushrooms, medicinal herbs and some rare endemic species. The area is ideal for outdoor picnics, hunting, fishing, hiking, speleological research. The complex is comprised of several caves but only three are open to visitors. The most popular cave is Srednja bijambarska pecina or the Middle Bijambare Cave. It is over 400 m long with a passageway which branches into four chambers ornamented with stalactites hanging from the cave roof extending into spectacular curtains and stalagmites which form the cave floor. Skakavac Waterfall Skakavac Waterfall is located 12 km north of Sarajevo, above the Nahorevo Village. It is a 98-m high waterfall, the second tallest in Europe. It is a part of a Natural Park and it takes a 3-hour thrilling walk through the fir, beech, spruce, and ash tree forest. The waterfall is surrounded by endemic flora and fauna species and is great for mushroom and medicinal herbs picking. It is an oasis of peace and relaxation for all nature lovers, athletes, mountain bikers, photographers, hikers. Vrelo Bosne A three-kilometer long plane-tree and chestnut tree alley which runs from Ilidza will take you to a beautiful natural monument – Vrelo Bosne. The alley has 726 trees planted in 1894 and it is ideal for family day out long walks, bicycle and roller skate rides, jogging… The spring (Vrelo Bosne) rises at the foot of Mt. Igman and has over 60 karst springs. It is a morphological, hydrological, botanical and horticultural monument, and one of the locals’ favorite outdoor spots. Bacevo, the main spring of drinkable water in Sarajevo, is located at Vrelo Bosne. It covers the area of 603 ha and it is a home to 26 plant species and more than 20 animal species, including some endemic species. One such, the brook trout can be found in Mala Bosna; six springs from the site of Vrelo Bosne pours into this stream. The tree alley is also connected with Stojcevac, another outdoor spot with parks, forests, wild rose, raspberry and blackberry bushes. In a few-minute walk you can visit the archaeological site of the Church of St. Stephen the Protomartyr from the 10th century (Crkva sv. Stjepana Prvomucenika), as well as the Roman Bridge (Bridge at Plandiste) built in the Ottoman period. Lukomir Village There is no better way to experience how the locals lived in the old times than the Lukomir Village (1496 m). This living museum which portrays day-to-day life of the Lukomir people is only 42 km from Sarajevo. Lukomir is also known for its stone shingle-roofed houses. Due to harsh weather conditions, the village is approachable only on skies or on foot between December and April. Women still wear traditional handmade clothes that resemble the woven clothes dating back several centuries. Villagers make colorful gloves, socks and similar accessories from natural wool and live by selling them, raising livestock and doing mountain agriculture. The country’s and regions best film and music Sarajevo has a good cultural life but the cream of the culture crop is the Sarajevo Film Festival, featured annually in mid-August. It is an excellent time to visit the city. The globally acclaimed eight-day film festival turns the whole city into a giant party with countless concerts and many impromptu bars opening on street corners. The next best is the Jazz Fest Sarajevo, taking place in early November, with three days of concerts at major venues, and plenty of fringe events in the pubs and clubs around town. You can see international and local names and have yourself a great time. Throughout July, make sure you see some of the events of Baščaršijske Noći, a wide-ranging arts festival that sees music, theatre and all kinds of performance arts hosted in the city centre. The best place to hear traditional Bosnian music is Art Kuća Sevdaha. Sit in the intimate fountain courtyard of an Ottoman-era building sipping Bosnian coffee, juniper or rose sherbet, or herb-tea infusions while nibbling local sweets. The experience is accompanied by the lilting wails of sevdah (traditional Bosnian music) – usually recorded, but sometimes live. Within the building is a museum celebrating great 20th-century sevdah performers along with a store selling CDs. Originally built in 1899 as an evangelical church, the Academy of Fine Arts is a riverfront academy that resembles a mini version of Budapest’s magnificent national parliament building. Inside, the small ALU Gallery hosts occasional exhibitions. Mountains Sarajevo is surrounded by some amazing mountains – and it’s an excellent idea to explore them, summer or winter. Of Sarajevo’s two Olympic skiing resorts, multi-piste Jahorina (26km southeast of the city, on the Republika Srpska side) has the widest range of hotels, each within 300m of one of seven main ski lifts. The ski season usually starts in mid-November and continues through to late March. The best skiing is in mid-February. In summer the settlement becomes a semidormant cool-air retreat from the city, with some well-heeled locals escaping here for day-spa relaxation at the upmarket Termag Hotel. Beside the longest slope, Rajska Vrata is a charming ski-in alpine chalet which sets diners beside a central fire with a giant metallic chimney or on the piste-side terrace. Specialities include double-cheese uštipci (Bosnian dough balls) and homemade juices (elderberry, rosehip, raspberry etc). Upstairs, six Goldilocks-esque pine-walled guest bedrooms have handmade beds fashioned from gnarled old branches. The ski resort of Bjelašnica, around 25km south of Sarajevo, hosted the men’s alpine events during the 1984 Winter Olympics. There’s usually enough snow to ski from around Christmas, and New Year is the busiest time, though February is more reliable for good piste conditions. Floodlit night skiing is offered, and the main lift also operates May to October, allowing walkers easy access to high-altitude paths. In summer there are magical mountain villages to explore – Umoljani is one.

Sarajevo International Airport is Bosnia’s busiest, with flights all over Europe and the Middle East., budget friendly Ryanair and Wizzaair also fly in and out of sarajevo airport and has direct flights to London, Rome, Barcelona, Paris, Vienna. Tuzla International Airport is tiny but a hub for budget airline Wizz Air, with flights to Austria, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Sarajevo’s public transport consists of trams, trolley buses and city buses. As a visitor, if you go to places that are outside of the city centre, make sure you buy a ticket at a kiosk before boarding, and validate it onboard as you enter. By Land Bosnia has multiple border crossings with Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro. Direct bus connections link Bosnia to all of its neighbours and to as far afield as Sweden. My apt is 15 minute drive from a Sarajevo airport, it is connected by bus line and with taxi service. Trains are slower and far less frequent than buses, but generally slightly cheaper. ŽFBH (zfbh.ba) has an online rail timetable search. The main routes are Sarajevo–Visoko–Bihać and Sarajevo–Konjic–Mostar. Bus services are excellent and relatively inexpensive. There are often different companies handling each route, so prices can vary substantially. Luggage stowed in the baggage compartment under the bus costs extra (around 2KM a piece). Bus stations presell tickets. There are off-road trails for mountain bikers, notably around Bjelašnica and Trebevic. Driving makes sense to reach the country’s more remote areas. There are a few toll motorways in the centre of the country; collect your ticket from the machine at the set of booths where you enter, then pay at the booths where you leave the motorway.

Sarajevo airport is 15 minute drive from my apt

Sarajevo has an extensive network of trams, buses, trolleybuses and minibuses, all operated by GRAS. You can pre-purchase tickets from kiosks, or buy from the driver; they must be stamped once aboard, and inspections are common. Tram 3 (every four minutes during the day) leaves from Ilidža and passes the National Museum, then loops one-way (anticlockwise) around Baščaršija. Tram 1 (every 17 minutes during the day) starts at the train station, then does the same loop as Tram 3. I also live in Sarajevo so i can offer you guidance and help with must see locations and places.

I can be a PLU Local Guide.