Day 1 – Sarajevo

It was late evening (day before) when we arrived at Sarajevo airport. Although taxi from the airport has a fixed price of BAM 25, we chose to take the public bus that costs BAM 5 (see details below) and takes about 25-30 mins from the airport to the city center.

Sarajevo airport to city center (and back) by public transport Centrotrans Eurolines airport buses are running every hour during the day, and less often at night. Most of the departures of buses are aligned with the arriving flights at Sarajevo airport. The bus travel time from Sarajevo airport to Sarajevo city center is around 30 minutes. Just leave the arrivals area of the airport, and walk straight across beyond the parking lot to the bus stop (look for yellow sign saying “Bus” marked on the road itself; or ask anyone). One way fare costs BAM 5 ($2.50) for a single ticket and BAM 8 ($4) for a return ticket. You must buy the tickets on the bus with cash in their local currency. There are exchange offices in the airport and ATMs available. The route from Sarajevo Airport is – Airport – Kurta Schorka – Aleja Bosne Srebrene – Dr. Silve Rizvanbegovic – Avaz – Nedzarici – Alipasino Polje – RTV dom – Alipasin Most – Otoka – Cengic Vila – D.Malta – Socijalno – Pofalici – UNI Campus – Muzeji – Marijin Dvor, Skenderija – Posta (Post Office) – Drvenija – Latinska Cuprija (Latin Bridge) – Vijecnica (City Hall) – Bentbasa. Public Buses from Sarajevo Airport to city center Trolleybus 103 The buses are running every 5-10 minutes from the district of Dobrinja going to Austrijski Trg (Austria Square) in Sarajevo city center. To reach to the bus stop in Dobrinja you will have to walk 10 minutes from the terminal to this location (43.829740025382094, 18.340802650996494) from where you can catch the bus. The bus travel time is around 30 minutes and the bus fare is BAM 1.80 payable in cash and local currency only. Bus from Sarajevo city center to Sarajevo Airport Trolleybus 103 The buses are running every 5-10 minutes from Austrijski Trg (Austria Square) in Sarajevo city center to the district of Dobrinja. To reach to the airport, you will have to get down at the bus stop in Dobrinja (ask the bus driver where to get down) and walk 10 minutes from the terminal to this location. The bus travel time is around 30 minutes and the bus fare is BAM 1.80 payable in cash and local currency only.

Our hotel was a 5 minute walk from the Latin Bridge bus stop, so after a quick check-in, we walked around the old town, grabbed dinner and called it a night. This is what we call ‘Day 0’.

First day in Sarajevo started with breakfast at Fabrika Coffee cafe, which opens at 7am, unlike most places across Europe. You can easily walk around the old town Sarajevo for most of the sights to see. There’s a free walking tour every day at 10:30am and 3pm, but we decided to go solo and visit all the sights on our own.

Some of the sights to see (and we visited) are:

• Latin Bridge
• Sarajevo City Hall
• Baščaršija
• Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
• Clock Tower
• Sacred Heart Cathedral
• Galerija 11/07/95
• Vječna vatra
• The National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• White Fortress
• Sarajevo Cable Car
• Sarajevo Tunnels

[Sarajevo old town]

[Sarajevo old town. A maze of narrow streets with small shops where craftsmen make and sell their products. At one time, each street was dedicated to a different type of craft: metalwork, jewelry, pottery and so on. Nowadays, many of the old artisan shops have been converted to souvenir shops and cafes.]

[Sarajevo old town]

[Sarajevo Latin Bridge]

[Baščaršija – The name Baščaršija is derived from two Turkish words, “baş” meaning “head” or in this case “main,” and “çarşı,” a commercial street.]

[Sarajevo Cable Car. For some great views of the city, head over to the automated gondola that takes less than 10 mins and elevates 2000 feet.]

[Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo]

[Sacred Heart Cathedral, Sarajevo]

[Sarajevo City Hall]

[Sarajevo City Hall – The interiors of this building are stunning and not to be missed.]

[Sarajevo City Hall – The interiors of this building are stunning and not to be missed.]

[Sarajevo City Hall – Seat of the mayor.]

[The Old Clock Tower is not only one of the largest in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but it is also believed to be the only clock tower in the world that keeps lunar time making it always seem like it is broken.]

[Galleria 11/7/95 – The museum dedicated to the Srebrenica genocide.]

[Galleria 11/7/95 – The museum dedicated to the Srebrenica genocide.]

[Galleria 11/7/95 – The museum dedicated to the Srebrenica genocide.]

[Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque was completed in the 16th century and features Ottoman architecture. To this day, the mosque remains one of the largest in Bosnia and Herzegovina.]

[Vječna vatra, or Eternal Flame, is a memorial to the military and civilian victims of the Second World War.]

[Vječna vatra, or Eternal Flame, is a memorial to the military and civilian victims of the Second World War.]

[In January of 1993 under the codename “Objekt BD,” the tunnel was built to link the Bosnian neighborhoods of Butmir and Dobrinja under a Serbian-controlled aircraft runway.]

[The crude tunnel was dug by hand and shovel from both sides, by workers who chiseled away at the earth in eight-hour shifts. The clandestine laborers, who were paid in cigarettes, had to contend with near constant shelling and underground water which would rise to waist high in the cramped tunnel and had to be emptied one bucket at a time.]

[Once completed the tunnel had an average height of one and half meters, and was shored up with tons of steel and concrete. A small railway was finally built into the floor and crucial food, gas, and weapons were finally able to be secreted into the very heart of the siege.]

[Sarajevo White Fortress]

Note: All values in USD, unless otherwise mentioned, are approximate and based on the exchange rate of USD 1 = BAM 1.90 at the time of publishing. Each cost is for one adult.