Wandering Through Sarajevo: An Itinerary

What would you do and see if you were tourist in Sarajevo? Here’s some of what I’ve done in my free time between meetings:

• Old town – The Baščaršija (old Ottoman town center) and Ferhadija (city center from Austo-Hungarian times), sit next to each other, in the center of the town, full of pedestrian walkways. Great for people watching, getting a bite to eat, or a ubiquitous coffee, or shopping. Seriously, don't miss it.

• River – The Miljacka river runs through the city of Sarajevo, which is connected to itself by a series of bridges – both foot bridges and ones for vehicular traffic. Lots of life near the river. Though I'll admit, getting up into the hills (Sarajevo is comprised of the river valley and is built up into the surrounding hillsides) is a great way for a view of the whole town.

• Maršala Tita – The central street running through the newest part of the city complete with an eternal flame monument to WWII victims, and home of the national bank, UN offices, etc.

• Art Museum – The national gallery. It was closed during my stay, but I’d have checked it out otherwise.

• History Museum – This small museum gives a glimpse into the history of the 1990s conflict, and its affect on the city and its residents.

• National Museum – Zemaljski Muzej Bosne-i-Hercegovine, is a large museum complex including an archeology museum, natural history museum, and ethnography museum, all focused on BiH.

• Jewish History – You can see the old Ashkenazi synagogue (dating to the Austro-Hungarian era) and the Sefardi Synagogue (dating to the medieval / Ottoman era). The later now serves as Jewish museum.

• Tunnel Tours – During the war a tunnel was dug under the city, connected besieged Sarajevo to free Bosnian territory. You can go see a small piece of the tunnels, along with a very small museum. Not sure if you can do so without a guide, but regardless a guided tour is worthwhile for this to get more out of it, and to easily get there and back from the city center.