Sarajevo is a city of layers! We detail the history of the Siege of Sarajevo with two essential walking tours, visit the powerful Galerija 11/07/95 (Srebrenica), and explore the abandoned Olympic bobsled track that’s now covered in graffiti. Plus, where to find the best cevapi and Bosnian coffee.
After Belgrade, we took a bus to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina—stop two on our Balkans loop and the one I was most excited about. Sarajevo felt personal: I remember the Yugoslav wars in the early 90s, and I remember watching the 1984 Olympics here. The ride took about two hours longer than expected; border crossings in the Balkans can be slow.
Buses from Serbia arrive at the East Sarajevo station. Fun twist: East Sarajevo sits on the west side of the city and is part of the Republika Srpska. As part of the 1995 peace deal, Bosnian Serbs were given their own administrative area, slicing off a section of Sarajevo. It’s a reminder that the war’s map still shapes daily life.
A City That Still Wears Its Scars
Walk around Sarajevo and the war is still visible. Facades pocked with bullet holes. “Sarajevo roses” where mortar blasts were filled with red resin. For nearly four years, Bosnian Serb forces held the heights around the city and shelled or sniped at civilians below. People were trapped, rationed, and constantly exposed. The airport runway became a lifeline and a no-man’s-land at the same time; eventually, Sarajevans dug an 800-metre tunnel beneath it to move people and supplies.
Two Walking Tours, Two Lenses
We did two free tours, which I’d highly recommend if you want both context and stories.
Old Town and Everyday Sarajevo (with Ervin, Toorico Tours)
Small group, big heart. Ervin wove the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, and Yugoslav chapters together with memories from the siege. There’s a point on a pedestrian street where “east meets west”—look one way and it’s all Ottoman-era shops and mosques; turn around and you get Vienna-style facades. We talked about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the 1984 Olympics, and the market that was hit by a mortar, killing 69 people. Ervin handed out raspberry samples (Bosnia and Herzegovina prides itself on them), offered bites of baklava, and shared practical tips. It felt less like a tour and more like being shown around by a thoughtful friend.
Siege of Sarajevo (with Tallest Tour Guides)
This one, led by Nikola, focused tightly on the war: timelines, positions, and how ordinary life adapted under siege. It was sobering and matter-of-fact—less opinion, more chronology—anchored by memorials to children and civilians who died. Doing both tours gave us a balanced view: the lived experience and the historical frame.
Riding High: Cable Car and the Bobsled Track
On a grey, misty day we took the cable car up the mountain. We don’t always spring for lifts, but this one is long (and the rainy uphill walk would have been a slog). At the top, the abandoned Olympic bobsled track snakes through the trees, covered in striking graffiti. People stroll it like a park; the brave roll it by mountain bike. On the way down, we stepped into a tiny free “house museum” where a family has preserved their siege bunker and daily routine. It’s simple and real—and that hits harder than any placard.
Galerija 11/07/95
We spent about two hours (we could have stayed longer) at this gallery dedicated to the Srebrenica genocide, where 8,372 Bosniaks were killed over a few July days in 1995. The photos and videos are difficult—mass graves, testimonies, and scenes that defy comprehension. It’s heavy, but essential, and I’m glad we went.
Food Notes
Thanks to Ervin’s suggestions we ate very well. I tried Bosnian pot (a light, stewy soup with veggies and a little meat), then we doubled back for lasagne one day and pizza the next because…vacation logic. With a trio of locals celebrating a retirement, we let them order for us: a grill platter of mixed meats and pierogies, all charred and delicious. Cevapi (grilled sausage fingers tucked into fluffy bread) is the thing to try here—we ended up sampling it later in Zagreb. Don’t leave without a Bosnian coffee: strong, served in hand-worked copper with a little ritual to it. It tastes as good as it looks.
Quick Impressions
Sarajevo is layered: Ottoman bazaars and Austro-Hungarian boulevards; Olympic pride and siege trauma; grief and grit and humor side by side. The city doesn’t hide its past, but it refuses to be only its scars. People were kind, tours were excellent, and every corner seemed to carry a story.
Reflection
Of all the places on this trip, Sarajevo stayed with me the most. It’s one thing to read about a siege; it’s another to stand where a market was hit or trace a finger over chipped plaster on a family home. The city teaches you gently and relentlessly at the same time—how communities endure, how memory is kept, and how everyday life insists on itself. I left feeling humbled, a little quieter, and very grateful for the people who shared their city with us.
Next up: Zagreb, Croatia.
