Mention the name Sarajevo to people over the age of, say, 45, and the reaction you’re likely to get is a frown and an expression of something like concern. Because they will be recalling the Siege of Sarajevo, which lasted from April 5, 1992, until February 29, 1996, a total of 1,425 days, or almost four years. It was the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare, three times longer than the Battle of Stalingrad. According to Genocide Watch, 11,541 civilians were killed during the siege and some 50,000 were injured.
Thirty years have passed since those terrible days and Sarajevo has moved on. The capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina has become one of the most fascinating places to visit in all of Europe, partly because of its history, which has made it the most important center of culture in the Balkans and a model of diversity, partly because of its charm, partly because of its great food and (yes, there’s one more partly) partly because it is one of the cheapest European cities to visit.
That’s an unbeatable parlay for visitors to the city, whether you’re staying for a weekend or a week. Obviously, there’s more to Sarajevo’s history than the Bosnian War of the 1990s. It is a crossroads of cultures, religions and architectural styles. And because of its long history of religious and cultural diversity and tolerance, it is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe.” For example, it has a mosque, a Catholic church, an Eastern Orthodox church and a synagogue in the same neighborhood, a rarity in a world that is growing increasingly intolerant.
If you need more data about its cultural importance, know that the city was nominated as the 2014 European Capital of Culture. In October 2019 Sarajevo was designated as a UNESCO Creative City for having placed culture at the center of its development strategies. It has also been honored as one of the world’s 18 Cities of Film. The Sarajevo Film Festival, held in August, is not only one of the largest film festivals in Europe, but also a symbol of the city’s will to survive because it was founded in 1995, during the siege.
And there are the mountains that ring the city, from which Bosnian Serb forces terrorized the inhabitants for nearly four years. If anything symbolizes the city’s triumphant survival, it is the living beauty of the mountains that today embrace the city, rather than threaten it.
How to get there
Easy-peasy and cheap. Return flights to Sarajevo cost only minimally more than flights involving stopovers. Given how inexpensive the city is, you can cheerfully splurge the additional 30 or 40 euros (depending where you’re flying from) to save two hours of total flying time. And sometimes, if you’re patient, you may get a real break on the tickets and the fastest route will also be the cheapest.
NB 1: If you’re going for the nightlife, don’t go. There isn’t much of a nightlife to speak of. There are some terrific bars and hookah joints, but they close earlier than what you may be used to.
NB 2: Smoking indoors is still legal in Bosnia and Herzegovina, except in restaurants (though in some places they don’t care). So don’t be alarmed if the person sitting at a table close to your elbow lights up while you’re eating. You can try to politely ask them to refrain, but don’t make a federal case out of it.
When to go there
Sarajevo has the continental climate we Europeans know so well and have come to tolerate. Summers can be hot and rainy and winters are generally cold and snowy. It depends on your weather preferences. Me, I like late spring and early autumn, when there is sun to go with the rain and the landscape is either turning green or multicolored.
Where to stay
There are decent hostels for about 25 euros a night and okay hotels and even apartments for twice or three times that (or even more if you want to go for broke). So there are lots of places where you can be comfortable without being nagged by your conscience about maxing out your budget. Just remember that the level of comfort is not the slick, glitzy kind you may be used to from European capitals. It is more homey than bling.
How to get around
Walking is the best way, because Sarajevo is a perfect city for walking. There are lots of pedestrian zones, and most of the city’s sites are easily accessible by foot. If you want to take a tram, that’s fine too. I love trams. And they’re cheap, with tickets available at any kiosk next to the tram/trolleybus stop for 1.60 BAM (about €0.80) or from the driver for 1.80 BAM (ca €0.90). If you want to splurge and take a taxi, make sure to agree on a price before getting into the car. And make sure the meter is on if there is a meter.
What to see
There’s a lot, much of it connected to the terrible events of the 1990s, but lots also about less bloody events. But let’s start with the sites related to the siege. I encourage anyone traveling to Sarajevo and born after the Bosnian War to read up just a little on that history.
The Tunnel of Hope was the only escape route for those trapped in the city as well as a means of smuggling in food and weapons. I think it might be a good idea to see this as part of a tour because it’s not easy to reach by public transport and you may get a guide who actually used it and will be able to give you a personal perspective of the horror.
You’ll have to walk out of town along Ferhadija Street to see the Eternal Flame at the Vječna Vatra memorial to the victims of the siege. Keep walking on Ferhadija to Veliki Park, where you’ll see several memorial statues. It’s also a good place to take a break from the tourism ambiance and hang with the locals for a while.
Sarajevo roses are not flowers. They are red paint splatters on the ground to mark the many spots where shells fired from the surrounding mountains fell and exploded. About 300 shells were fired a day. The craters they left were said to resemble roses so they were marked with red paint. You may also come across a few building façades pockmarked with bullet holes.
If you want to know more about what happened to the Bosnian Muslims in the 1990s, visit the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide. It will be horrifying and heart-breaking.
If you are spending more than a weekend in the city and want to know even more about what the country endured, take a day trip to Srebrenica, the site of the worst act of mass murder in Europe since World War II. On July 11-12, 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim boys and men were murdered there by Bosnian Serb forces. In addition, more than 20,000 civilians were ethnically cleansed from the area. If you don’t have the time to travel, check out the Gallery 11/07/95 in Sarajevo.
But there’s more history to Sarajevo than just this disaster. The event that triggered World War I, in which an estimated 15 to 22 million soldiers and civilians were killed, took place on the northern end of the Latin Bridge. There a Bosnian Serb student named Gavrilo Princip shot and killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria on June 28, 1914. The assassination led to the so-called July Crisis that ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I. A plaque on the bridge marks the event.
If you want a view, take the cable car more than 1,000 meters up Trebevic Mountain and check out, while you’re there, the wildly graffitied bobsled trail used in the 1984 Winter Olympics and then abandoned.
As you walk through the city, check out its diverse architecture, which reflects the many cultural streams in which Sarajevo was washed over the centuries. You’ll walk past Austro-Hungarian mansions sumptuous as wedding cakes, ugly pre-fab communist apartment buildings and, as noted above, sometimes standing cheek-by-jowl, Ottoman-era mosques, elegant synagogues and grand churches, both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox.
To name just a few, the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque is a wonderful site to visit. Built in 1530, with a maktab and a madrasa (Islamic primary and secondary schools), a bezistan (vaulted marketplace) and a hammam (public bathplace), it was the first mosque in the world to be electrified, in 1898.
The Sarajevo Ashkenazi Synagogue was designed by the famous architect Karlo Parzik, and built in the year 1902 in the Pseudo-Moorish style. It has a beautiful interior with colorful tiled walls and is today the only functioning synagogue in the city.
The Sacred Heart Cathedral, built in a Gothic Revival style, was opened in 1889. Located in the city’s Old Town, it was damaged during the Siege of Sarajevo, but has since been repaired. The building is often regarded as a symbol of the city and its Romanesque-style towers figure on Sarajevo’s flag and coat of arms.
What & where to eat
What:
Ćevapi or ćevapčići are small, grilled sausages of minced meat usually served with a flatbread called somun, onions and a creamy dairy product called kajmak. They can also be served in a kind of pita bread called Lepinja, with raw onions and coleslaw. They are the stars of Sarajevo food and many restaurants feature them. Just look for the word Cevabdzinica in the name of the place.
The burek is another very popular dish in Sarajevo. It is a pie of filo dough served with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach or potatoes.
A pita consists of flaky pastry wrapped around a filling of meat, cheese or spinach.
Begova čorba is a traditional stew made with chicken, okra and vegetables.
The most famous desert in the entire region is baklava, a sweet, layered pastry of Turkish origin filled with nuts and drenched in sugar syrup or honey. Also popular is tufahija, which is made from poached apples stuffed with walnuts and topped with whipped cream. Yummo!
Where:
I was going to put the Baščaršija in the “what to see” section above, because it is a place you must see as it is the city’s central market area. Here locals and tourists mingle to buy just about anything, including antiques, handmade copper vessels, handmade leather products and handmade clothing and to drink great local coffee at one of its many cafés and eat terrific local specialties at low prices in one of its many eateries. It’s a marvelous place of narrow alleyways flanked by shop windows, outdoor dining tables and a great variety of products hanging from racks.
The marketplace dates back to the 16th century and is – or should be – one of your prime sources of local food, especially if you’re on a budget. Yes, there are elegant restaurants in Sarajevo that are less expensive than elegant restaurants elsewhere and which will certainly delight you. But if you want to eat typical local food without worrying about your budget, this is where you’ll come.
If you want affordable, filling and tasty food in Sarajevo, look for an Aščinica, which basically means ‘eatery’. The service is basic, as is the food, which usually consists of ready-made Bosnian stews and soups typical of what Bosnians eat at home.
The Aščinica Hadzibajric, in the heart of Baščaršija, is one of the most popular restaurants in the city and the oldest Aščinica in Sarajevo. The same family has run the restaurant since 1860 and the traditional recipes have been handed down from one generation to the next.
For excellent Ćevapi try the Cevabdzinica Zeljo in the Baščaršija. The restaurant also serves pjeskavica, a Serbian dish made from minced meat (pork , beef or mutton ) onions and spices that is formed into a patty, grilled and served in a bun, like a hamburger.
For great baklava, tufahija or hurmašice (cookies drenched in sugar syrup!) try Kuca Sevdaha, a lovely place with tables around an inner courtyard and paintings on the walls.
NB (again): To remind you, smoking is allowed indoors in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and small cafés are likely to be dense with smoke at certain times.
In any case, there are so many places to choose from in the Baščaršija that you’re very likely to find a place to your liking without any advice from me. The above recommendations are given in the spirit of ‘just in case’.
Finally
A visit to Sarajevo will not be like most of your other trips abroad to see the sights. The recent tragic history will be in your face as you walk through the city and, if you’re lucky, talk to a local about it. (But don’t push it; it remains a sensitive issue.) So you won’t be going there for the clubs or the big, noisy, drunken parties. You’ll be going to see a vibrant Balkan city of culture that has become a symbol of survival and, above all, tolerance.
The Bosnian War was above all an ethnic conflict based on religious and racial hatred. A visit to Sarajevo is a reminder that, despite all the difficulties and the forces of ignorance, intolerance and inhumanity, people of different races, religions and points of view can actually live together in peace and thrive, if there is a will. That’s a necessary reminder in these trying times.