Recently, I headed back to the Balkans for the fifth time where we spent a relaxing trip in Sarajevo in Bosnia. By now I pretty much feel like the city is my 2nd home largely because my husband is originally from Sarajevo, so every year we head back to visit his family and spend time there. While there’s certainly plenty of things to do and see as a tourist, I compiled my top 10 list of ways to use your city, local Sarajevo style!
Top Things to do in Sarajevo
Sarajevo is full of history and culture, so from food and museums to great coffee, food and interesting architecture. The city has a lot to do from a historical perspective, but these ten tips focused on the “local” perspective.
1. Enjoy some “American Pancakes”, smothered in Nutella, at the cutest little cafe called Talks and Giggles.
2. Stop at one of the countless hookah spots in the center of Sarajevo, and enjoy a strawberry vanilla mint smoke.
3. Order a rose water (yep, the same stuff Angelina Jolie loved so much, she made it her signature drink at her wedding.)
4. Drink Bosnian coffee in the old town.
5. Indulge in cevapi, i.e. little Bosnian grilled sausages (or if you’re a vegetarian, your guilty pleasure is sure to be sirnica, i.e. cheese pies!)
6. Eat an entire cheese pizza from Mahira. It’s seriously game changing.
7. Take a walk. You’ll quickly notice that the city is set within a valley, and is surrounded by hills. There’s some gorgeous hiking paths in those hills, but you can also just follow the streets up until you get to the top–not only will you catch a stunning vista, but you’ll also for sure burn off all those calories you just consumed.
8. Visit the War Childhood Museum. Comprised of quotes and objects from children who lived through the war, it’s truly the most powerful exhibit I’ve ever seen.
9. Tour a Svro house, and see how people lived in the 1700’s in the city (there’s a huge Ottoman Empire influence!)
10. Go to the Sarajevo Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track from the 1984 olympics. It’s full of artwork and graffiti now, and makes for some killer photos!
Are you from Sarajevo, or have traveled there? Make sure to leave any of your personal favorites in the comments!
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- Bosnia and Herzegovina History and Culture
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Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
