Destination Sarajevo

Sarajevo the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a lively city of 400,000 people, nestled in a valley.

Sarajevo is one of the most historically interesting cities in Europe. It is the place where the Western & Eastern Roman Empire split; where the people of the Eastern Orthodox east, the Ottoman south and the Roman Catholic west, met, lived and warred. It has been both an example of historical turbulence and the clash of civilizations, as well as a beacon of hope for peace and tolerance through multi-cultural integration.

Today the city has physically recovered from most of the war damage caused by the Yugoslav Wars of the early nineties. Sarajevo is a cosmopolitan European capital with a unique Eastern twist that is a delight to visit. The people are very friendly, be they Bosnian, Serb, or Croat. There is very little crime, not nearly as many tourists as on the Dalmatian coast and a wealth of architecture (not to mention history) to see.

Where to see?

• Old Town - The cobbled streets, mosques and Oriental style shops at the heart the city are a world away from Europe, and when the call-to-prayer starts, one could be forgiven for thinking that they were actually in the Middle East. The most interesting thing (you call it the most amazing thing as well) is that you could actually be walking by a Catholic church, Orthodox church and a Synagogue and hear the Islamic call to prayer at the same time.
• Latin Bridge - This bridge bears a plaque commemorating the assassination of Archduke of the Austrian Hungarian empire Franz Ferdinand, the event that sparked the beginning of World War I. On the Bridge itself was a memorial to the assassin Gavrilo Princip, but this was removed during the 1992-1995 War. Bosnia was at the end of World War Two the biggest haven for Balkan and European Jews who found a perfect environment to build their society back.
• Bosnian Historical Museum - The moving display on the siege of Sarajevo is a must-see - if you are able to cope with the pictures of the maimed citizens after shelling of markets. Wonder at the photos of an ineffective UN providing armored vehicles citizens could wait behind before risking sniper fire to cross the street. And you will be heartbroken by the pictures drawn by children.
• National Museum - Statistic displays of the natural and human history of Bosnia and Herzegovina - most interesting is the traditional Turkish style homes of Sarajevo prevalent in the nineteenth century.
• Sarajevo Tunnel Museum - This museum shows the tunnel which was used to ferry supplies into the besieged city during the conflict and is next to the airport. Taxi from the center city costs around 17KM one way. Entrance to the museum is 5KM. It is open 7 days a week from 9 to 5. Get the number three (3) tram to the end of the line from the city center. Then get a taxi to the Tunnel Museum and walk back to the tram station if it's a nice day (takes about half an hour). The tunnel itself is in the garden of a house so don't be worried if you think you're headed into suburbia!
• Svrzina kuca (Svrzo house) , Glo?ina ulica 8 (200m north of the old town ). A beautiful old Ottoman house built in the 18th century shows how Svrzo family lived there 3 KM .
• Stara pravoslavna crkva (Old Orthodox Church) , Mula Mustafe Baseskije (Old town ).
• Careva dzamija (Emperor´s Mosque) , Obala Isa bega ishakovica .
• Vijecnica (Old Town Hall) , Obala Kulina Bana .
• Crkva Sv. Ante (St. Anthony´s Church) , Franjevacka . Modern Catholic church with beautiful stained glass windows
• Morica han (Morica Inn) , Saraci (Old town ). The only preserved Ottoman Inn in Sarajevo. The first floor used to contain 44 rooms for travellers, mostly traders, houses
  nowadays a carpet shop and a traditional restaurant with engravings of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam, the famous 12th century Persian poet.
• Sebilj (Fountain) , Bascarsilja (Old town ).