If you drink water from the Sebilj Fountain once, you will return to Sarajevo - or so the legend goes. I believe that anyone who has strolled through the old town of Baščaršija in the early morning, before the shops open, when the sun is still wearily hanging between the narrow streets of the old town and the towers of the churches and minarets of the mosques are bathed in golden light, who has strolled over the cobblestones and really breathed in the history and magic that you find in this city, will definitely come back again and again ... the kommt ganz sicher immer wieder …
Since I visited Sarajevo for the very first time in 2017, the city has changed quite a bit. And since I've been living here in 2021, I've seen tourism pick up. So you can now find quite a few articles online about the most important sights in Sarajevo (pst, I have one too - here you can find the most important things to see for your first time in Sarajevo).
But in this article you can expect less well-known highlights than the Latin Bridge, the Sebilj Fountain or the Gazi-Husrev Beg Mosque. Today, I'm sharing my personal insider tips and favourite places in my adopted home of Sarajevo!
This blog article contains personal recommendations in the form of affiliate links. If you book or buy something via the links, I will receive a small commission. This does not change the price for you at all. Thank you for your support.
🏯 The best accommodation in Sarajevo: stay at the brand-new, Bosnian-style Hotel Baškuća in a central yet very quiet location. You can book it here.
📲 Mobile internet in Sarajevo: With an Airalo data plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina , you'll be online from the moment you arrive. You can download the app here.
🪂 The best tours in Sarajevo: Together with my husband, I run the boutique travel agency .Cheyf - our tours focus on art, culture, cuisine and the outdoors - check out our tours here.
Vidikovac Zmajevac
One of the tips for Sarajevo that you'll always find online is to watch the sunset from Žuta Tabija, the Yellow Bastion.
And while I really love the view from there, it can get pretty crowded sometimes - and you can't enjoy a sundowner either, you have to bring your own food and drinks if you want them.
Walk (or take a taxi) up to Vidikovac Zmajevac. In my opinion, the view of the historic old town and the mountains around Sarajevo is even better from here because you are higher up. There is also a restaurant here where you can order a glass of wine or beer and Bosnian specialities.
Kuća Sevdaha
If you want to drink a Bosnian coffee on Baščaršija then I recommend you go here. The coffee right on the main square is often not that good and overpriced. Located in the centre of Sarajevo's old town, this café is nevertheless so hidden that most tourists simply walk past it.
Here you sit in the middle of the Bosnian capital, but don't notice the hustle and bustle around you, the thick walls of this old Ottoman building and the fountain in the centre are an instant invitation to relax! Be sure to try a baklava or tufahija with your coffee!
Vilsonovo Šetalište
Want to meet the locals on a city trip to Sarajevo? You'll find the perfect spot behind the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Vilsonovo Šetalište, Wilsons Promenade.
It's about a 25-minute walk from the old town (if you don't want to walk, you can also take the tram) and is closed to car traffic every evening after 5.00 pm.
This is when the locals meet here, on the street along the river Mljacka, walk their dogs, play sports, take the children for a walk and simply enjoy this little corner of nature in the city.
Crvena Jabuka Rooftop
The Food Market Crvena Jabuka opened a year and a half ago and we were all thrilled - a supermarket with exceptional products, a large wine section, a salad bar and a large rooftop with a food court - there was nothing like it in the city before!
From here you have a great view over Sarajevo - but from a completely different angle. You can look out over the National Museum, the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the modern Sarajevo City Centre.
Café Tito
We stay outside the old town - because Sarajevo is more than just Baščaršija! If you're interested in Tito, you'll probably take a look at the eternal flame, maybe visit a museum, learn about Yugoslavia, but for me, a visit to Café Tito is a must!
Here, behind the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, you will find lots of Yugo memorabilia, as well as a somewhat macabre playground with tanks and jeeps from the Second World War..
Pekara kod Mahir
If you want to try Bosnian cuisine, I have a whole post here with the best traditional restaurants in Sarajevo - but if you want to try something a little different, pop into Pekara kod Mahir and order a Bosnian pizza!
Bečka Kafana
We all know about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo - it's a shame that sometimes tourists don't remember much more about the Austrian era in Bosnia and Herzegovina than that fateful day in 1914.
For a real dose of Austria, you have to pay a visit to this café: Wiener Kaffeehaus is a place in Sarajevo where you feel like you've been transported to another country: Here you can enjoy Viennese mélange, Sachertorte and a whole lot of Habsburg chic - right in the centre of Sarajevo's old town!
BKC – Bosnian Cultural Centre
Sarajevo is a city where different cultures and religions co-exist peacefully, even today. You can find signs of this everywhere in the city - from mosques and cathedrals to synagogues.
The largest place of worship in Sarajevo, however, is a real insider tip: the Bosnian cultural centre next to the National Theatre was the largest Jewish temple in the entire Balkans before the Second World War.
As 80 per cent of Sarajevo's Jewish population fell victim to the Second World War, the building was converted during the Yugoslavian era and served as a cultural centre then and still does today.
During the siege of Sarajevo in the Bosnian War, the first Sarajevo Film Festival and the Miss Sarajevo competition were held here. Even today, cultural events are regularly organised in this impressive building.
Hotel Hecco Rooftop
I've already shown you a few viewpoints in this post, but of all the cafés in the old town, the rooftop terrace of Hotel Hecco is perhaps the best! From here you have a 360° view over the Ottoman part of the city, the Austro-Hungarian boulevards and the surrounding mountains.
Dariva — Ambassador‘s Alley
The Dariva promenade stretches along the Miljacka river. This is where locals like to spend their mornings or evenings jogging or mountain biking, families take their children for a walk or simply escape the hustle and bustle of the city for a while.
Numerous linden trees have been planted along the path - each of them by a former ambassador, which is why the path is also known as Ambassador Alley.
If you walk to the end of Dariva (about two and a half kilometres), you will come to the Ottoman stone arch bridge Koza Čuprija, Goat Bridge, which was one of the entrances to the capital Sarajevo in Ottoman times. It is therefore one of the oldest bridges in the city.
You can even walk under the Goat Bridge down to the Miljacka River and simply sit on a small beach there and enjoy nature.
Bistrik kula
A gondola ride up Trebević is a must on any city trip to Sarajevo! There are various viewpoints on the city's local mountain and you can walk along the bobsleigh run from the 1984 Winter Olympics. At the end of the bobsleigh run, most visitors turn back or walk down the rest of the mountain.
However, you can also turn left, walk along a small trail and then find Bistrik Kula, the tower of Bistrik. This lost place is a favourite hangout for young people - you'll find lots of graffiti in the ruined observatory, which used to be an Austrian fortress, but above all a great view over Sarajevo.
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How to get to Sarajevo
Der Internationale Flughafen von Sarajevo ist inzwischen sehr gut angebunden und du wird von zahlreichen europäischen Städten angeflogen. Von manchen Zielen aus, kann es sein, dass du eine Verbindung über Wien oder Frankfurt wählen musst, auch Istanbul und Sarajevo sind gut miteinander verknüpft. Welche Verbindung vielleicht für dich die Beste ist, kannst du in der The Kiwi flight search engine can show you the best connections for your city:Where to stay in the Bosnian capital city
As you are looking for insider tips in Sarajevo, you may not want to stay in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the old town. So here are three recommendations for accommodation either a little outside the old town or in a quiet side street:
💲 Studio Cheyf: Walking distance to the old town, but in a quiet neighbourhood
💲💲 Heritage Hotel Petrakija: Just a few minutes' walk from the cathedral, in a quiet side street
💲💲💲 Hotel Colors Inn: Modern hotel just outside the historic city centre
Nothing you like? Here you can find even more places to stay in Sarajevo and around Sarajevo and the best neighbourhoods for your trip.
The best tours through Sarajevo
Together with my Bosnian husband Nermin, I founded the boutique travel agency .Cheyf in early 2022 - with a focus on mindful travelling, culinary delights and culture. It is important to us that our guests not only get to know Bosnia and Herzegovina on the surface, but also really understand the mentality and culture.
That is why we have created tours that all contain a local and a culinary element - be it a visit to a coppersmith and a coffee break with Bosnian coffee on our city tour or a barbecue evening in my parents-in-law's garden!
Do you want to really get to know Sarajevo and not just fly home with Wikipedia facts that you'll forget anyway? Do you want to really feel the city and think to yourself as you get off the plane: ‘That was a really good trip!’? Then click through our website cheyf.ba or take a look at the tours below:
My personal tips for Sarajevo
I hope you now feel like not only spending a day in Sarajevo, but also getting to know the second, more local side of the city in addition to the city centre and thinking outside the box after a walk through the old town. Sarajevo is definitely one of those cities where there is still something new to discover for days on end!
If you are currently planning your trip, you can find more things to do and see in Sarajevo here and I have listed the best hikes on the local mountain Trebević here . Have fun in my second home!