Sarajevo

Yes, I did travel to Sarajevo this past summer. I was travelling to the coast from Belgrade. Sarajevo really surprised me, the Turkish quarter is really fascinating. While it is mostly only a Turkish shopping bazaar the area is really photogenic: lots of minarets, carpet shops, coppersmiths, cafes with no alcohol.

I stayed at the famous Holiday Inn for two nights but it was expensive. This is a tram ride away from the city centre and the Turkish Quarter. The Holiday Inn is famous because it is where the journalists were holed up during the seige of Sarajevo during the Balkan War in the mid 90's. There are still a few bullet holes in the side of the building. Across the road from the Holiday Inn is a museum dedicated to the war, quite a moving display because it was so recent - I remember many of the specific events described. And while in Bosnia, I would say the museum is not biased. There were victims on all sides. In this area there are still lots of buildings with war damage; the city centre was the first to be repaired, but outlying area still show a lot of war damage.

Sarajevo also has a museum about the "shot heard around the world". You can stand on the very corner where Arch Duke Ferdinand was shot in June 1914. The museum has the gun used, and the trousers worn by the shooter.

My last night in Sarajevo I stayed in another hotel in the city centre. Prices are quite cheap, except for the Holiday Inn. Bosnian food is delicious, but in Sarajevo alcohol is more difficult to obtain, so I couldn't get a glass of wine with dinner, no big deal.

My husband and I were in Sarajevo last year. We enjoyed our visit and felt it well-worth the detour (from Mostar). We didn't have too much time to spend there so we are planning a return visit, but it is difficult to advise if the stop would be worth it to you without knowing more of your travel interests.

A link you might find useful in sussing out activities is this In Your Pocket guide to Sarajevo:

http://www.inyourpocket.com/data/download/Sarajevo.pdf

If you go, here are a couple of suggestions:

1) If you are near the train station and need to use the restroom, go to the (made famous by the war) Holiday Inn across the street. I cannot emphasize enough how much nicer their bathroom is compared to the train station.

2) We had lunch in the Sarajevo Brewery and loved it. Food was good and the room itself is gorgeous (not fancy).

Lastly, if by "stick to the coast in that region" you meant Croatia, know that travel to Sarajevo from the coast will take several hours and would be quite a detour. If you cared to share your itinerary, perhaps we could help you maximize your time and travel efficiently.

Good luck!

Hehe

Chris, looks like we posted simultaneously - that is some nice intel you provided!

We were in Sarajevo this August and I really liked the city. While Mostar needs 3-4 hours to look around, Sarajevo deserves about 2 days. Besides the places already mentioned, walk up the hill just at the back of the old town and through the cemetery up to the park to view the sunset. There is a helpful TI in town if you need it.

The bus and train stations are about 20 mins walk from the center of town and about 5 minutes from the Holiday Inn.

In summary, Sarajevo is definitely worth a visit if you have the time - though if you are traveling up/down the Croatian/Montenegrian/Albanian coast, Sarajevo will be quite a detour.

When visiting Sarajevo suggest Free Sarajevo Walking Tours. Its great thing to do for a quick rundown of all Sarajevo has to offer on journey from the Ottoman Empire to the Austro-Hungarian to the war period(92-95) till now (architectural and historical facts)
www.sarajevowalkingtours.com