Sarajevo Travelers Recommend

With three days to spend in Sarajevo, you can delve into history, sample local cuisine, and take a day trip. Along the way, you’ll have time to soak up the city’s unique east-meets-west culture, whether you’re sipping Turkish coffee in the Old Town or tasting locally distilled rakija. Here’s how to plan your time.

Day 1: Sarajevo History and Culture

Many of Sarajevo’s key sites are packed into the Old Town—also called Baščaršija—where you can find churches, mosques, and the city’s old synagogue. Spend your first day exploring the narrow streets of this bazaar turned neighborhood on your own or with a guide. In between the landmarks, there’s great souvenir shopping, local restaurants, and cafés serving demitasses of Turkish-style coffee. Get to know Sarajevo’s distinctive cuisine, which blends influences from the east and west, on gourmet tours that focus on everything from Sarajevo-style barbecue to rakija fruit brandy, or opt for a hands-on cooking class.

Day 2: Make It to Mostar

Spend your second day exploring one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most charming towns, Mostar, whose Old Bridge is irresistible to photographers. There’s plenty to see along the road from Sarajevo, as well. Some tours offer stops in historic Konjic, the Ottoman village of Počitelj, and the riverside community of Blagaj. Once you’re in Mostar, be sure to explore the Old City, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While much of Mostar was destroyed during the war in the 1990s, the town has been extensively rebuilt, complete with architectural influences that reflect the area’s diverse cultural history.

Day 3: Sarajevo Under Siege

You might see craters and bullet holes as you’re exploring Sarajevo, and there are plenty of stories behind the scars. Siege- and war-themed tours of Sarajevo will give you some historic background as you visit local landmarks. Among the most interesting war sites is the Sarajevo War Tunnel—sometimes called the Tunnel of Hope—which was used by the Bosnian army to smuggle supplies into the city during the siege. A number of excellent museums also cover the war. The War Childhood Museum looks at growing up during the conflict, while the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide is a memorial to some of the country’s most tragic events. Lined with black-and-white photographs of faces, Galerija 11/07/95 focuses on the horrors of Srebrenica, complete with personal stories from survivors.

Bullet holes still scar Sarajevo’s buildings, but the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina has emerged from a chaotic past to become one of eastern Europe’s most fascinating places. Minarets meet church towers here, and since key sights are packed into a walkable historic center, you can cover the basics in just one day. Here’s how.

Morning: Old Town Explorer

Centered around the city’s historic bazaar, Old Town Sarajevo—also called Baščaršija—is home to landmark buildings and great souvenir shops. The narrow streets make this area ideal for walking, whether you’re on your own or exploring as part of a tour. Sights here span Sarajevo’s diverse cultures, from the Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and the distinctively striped Sarajevo City Hall. This is also where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in 1914, sparking the First World War; look for a plaque near the north end of the Latin Bridge.

Afternoon: Wartime History

Some of Sarajevo’s most moving destinations focus on the long war and siege that tore the country apart in the 1990s, and a wide range of tours explore the city through the lens of that conflict. It takes time to absorb the stories, so pick one or two destinations to spend your afternoon. Descend into the Sarajevo War Tunnel and see how supplies were smuggled into the besieged city, or visit the War Childhood Museum to learn about growing up in a time of conflict. As worthwhile as it is hard to visit, the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide documents some of the most tragic events of the war here.

Night: Local Flavors

For a taste of Sarajevo’s vibrant food culture, head back to the Old Town for a delicious evening of food and drink. Coffee is beloved—often served Turkish-style in a tiny cup—or you can try a glass of rakija, a locally distilled spirit. Among the most popular snacks isćevapi, flatbread served with sausage, minced onions, and thick cream. For a more in-depth food experience, gourmet tours are available that range from tasting tours to cooking classes and family meals.

Two days in Sarajevo lets you branch out and explore the city in greater depth, from learning wartime history to tasting your way through Old Town cafés. A compact center makes it easy to explore a little bit of everything. Here’s how to make the most of a 2-day stay in Sarajevo. 

Day 1: Essential Sarajevo

**Morning:**With narrow streets and lots of history, Old Town Sarajevo is the perfect place to start exploring, whether you’re strolling on your own or joining a tour. With so much to see, don’t miss the mazelike bazaar that’s drawn merchants for centuries, as well as religious landmarks that show Sarajevo’s Jewish, Christian, and Muslim heritage.

**Afternoon:**Cozy cafés are dotted between those historic sites, so reward yourself for all that sightseeing with a well-earned treat.Ćevapi—a tasty combination of sausage, flatbread, and minced onions—is a good first course. Next, head to a pastry shop for a sweet and a tiny cup of thick, Turkish-style coffee.

**Night:**Make like the locals and spend the evening strolling pedestrianized Ferhadija Street, which is lined with shops, cafés, and restaurants. There are plenty of bars to duck into, too, or you can find a ready-made party crew on a guided pub crawl of the city.

Day 2: Sarajevo Under Siege

**Morning:**On your second day, learn about the long siege and war that shaped Sarajevo in the late 20th century. Since many here are old enough to remember key events, joining a war-themed tour can mean personal recollections and stories. Along the way, you’re likely to see the craters and bullet holes that scar the city.

**Afternoon:**Pick a destination that you didn’t cover in the morning for an in-depth visit. Options include the Sarajevo War Tunnel that was used for smuggling goods into the city, the War Childhood Museum, and the moving Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide.

**Night:**Locals drink more than coffee: Another favorite beverage is rakija, a powerful fruit brandy served everywhere. Be sure to try some on your final night here, whether on your own or as part of a gourmet tour.