A Complete Guide to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

One of my favourite ways to see a new city is to start with a free (well, by donation) walking tour to get to the lay of the land and learn the history. That way, you can see all the highlights, and then decide what you want to go back and see more of. Usually, these tour guides are locals and are fonts of knowledge, and can also give great recommendations for museums, food and other further activities depending on what you’re interested in.

I really enjoyed our Sarajevo walking tour - our guide was really funny and told us all about Sarajevo in an engaging and fun manner.

Here is what I saw during my stay in Sarajevo:

Baščaršija and Sebilj

Miljacka River

The Miljacka River flows through Sarajevo, with the northern "Bistrik" side, meaning damp, and the southern "Vratnik" side, meaning sunny. There are plenty of bridges built nowadays that cross the Miljacka; the most famous one is next on this list.

Museums of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide

The Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide is a collection of heart-wrenching personal stories from the genocide of the 90s that occured across former Yugoslavia. It is not your typical museum and does not present a timeline of the genocide as such, but really focuses on the personal anecdotes of those who lived through these horrific times and continue to do so.

Be prepared, it is heavy and very visual, and probbaly not suitable for younger audiences. At the time of writing, tickets were 18 KM (about €9) and could be purchased on site.

Sacred Heart Cathedral

Built in 1889, this is the largest cathedral in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the seat of Archbishop of Vrhbosna. I didn't go inside, but poignantly you can still see bullet holes in the outer walls from the 90s genocide, as well as a a spot right out front where a missile fell killing multiple people; it has been painted red in memory and is called Sarajevo's Rose.

Sarajevo Cable Car

The best for last - I really enjoyed the ride up Sarajevo's famous cable car. This ten-minute ride takes you slowly high above the city for seriously incredible views of Sarajevo nestled below surrounded by the Dinaric Alps.

The first cable car, Trebević, was opened in 1959, but destroyed in 1992. In 2018, the current cable car was reopened. Tickets do not need to be bought in advance, you can buy them for 30 KM return upon arrival. The view from the top is beautiful, a cafe is available on site and, if I'd had more time, I would have walked the remnants of the Olympic Boblsed Track.