“Is Bosnia dangerous? Isn’t there like a war going on there?” Our Bosnian guide frustratingly recounts the questions he is frequently asked when travelling overseas.
“Sarajevo is only known for three things abroad: triggering the First World War, 1984 Olympics, and the war (Bosnian War, 1992-1995),” he tells us.
“We need another Olympic games to balance things out,” he humorously says.
Sarajevo is an increasingly vibrant place again with a growing number of tourists each year. Rich in history and natural beauty, the country is relatively cheap to travel across by European standards.
Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, bears all the marks of the country’s turbulent history and blends together white Ottoman-style mosques, Serbian Orthodox and Catholic Croat churches, Austro-Hungarian 19th century architecture, Communist-era apartment blocks and modern shopping malls. A bit of Vienna, a bit of Istanbul, a bit of central Europe – and totally Sarajevan.
Sarajevo is made up of two words, ‘saray’ and ‘evo’: ‘saray’ comes from the Turkish word for palace and ‘evo’ is believed to be a Slavic derivative of the Turkish word ‘ova’ or ‘ovasi’ meaning field or valley.
The city is built inside a valley and is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps mountain range with green hills and beautiful houses with red roofs and white walls, minarets, church towers, forts, mansions and graveyards donned across it.
Walking through the streets of Sarajevo’s old town with its wooden-built Ottoman-style bazaar and smell of kebab and grilled meat being cooked, I can see that Sarajevans, despite the rise of huge shopping complexes, still retain a love for the traditional markets. Families, couples, friends and colleagues alongside tourists relax in tea houses, smoking nargila (water pipe).
Bars, pubs and nightclubs are blended in throughout the city; a tall woman wearing a hijab walks alongside her uncovered blonde-haired sister who is wearing a dress. The city still embraces its multicultural heritage, although as our guide, who has a Serbian father and a Bosniak mother, tells us – it’s not like it used to be. “Mixed marriages used to be very common in this city,” he recalls.
Bosnia was a part of Yugoslavia, which encompassed present day Macedonia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro.
In 1991, 49.2% of the population identified as Bosniak (Muslim), 29.8% as Serbs (Orthodox Christians), 10.7% as Yugoslavs, 6.6% Croats (Catholics) and 3.6% as others (including Jews and Roma).
The war drastically changed the demographics of the entire region. Today, Sarajevo’s population is 80.7% Bosniak, 3.7% Serb, 4.9% Croat and 10% others.
Sarajevo’s streets are littered with reminders of the war and a sense of macabre is undeniably present throughout the city. One typical mini memorial I kept coming across is the red roses of Sarajevo. Every other street has a section of the pavement that looks damaged, but upon getting closer, I realised that the damaged pavement is painted red and forms a rose-like shape.
A Sarajevan explained to me that “these damaged parts of the pavement are where artillery landed and killed someone during the war. Rather than forgetting our past, we want to remember each and every individual tragedy, each life lost. We painted a red rose as a sign of love and peace. Because this is not an official memorial, the roses sometimes disappear. If the government decides to redevelop the street, people get angry about it.”
Cemeteries play an important role within Sarajevan culture; the city has integrated graveyard space into its everyday social life. I went to a few graveyards and saw people having picnics. A local explained to me that “Bosnian Muslims have always had a very open attitude to death. It’s a part of life. Why hide away from it? Why shouldn’t graveyards also be public parks?”
Sarajevans love life. Huge developments across the city, which not only include new shopping centres but also restoration of historic sites, opening of galleries and museums, give a clear impression of a place moving on.
Hikers and trekkers will be in heaven in Sarajevo; I walked up a steep hill and reached the yellow fortress, where I saw many young and old relaxing and enjoying the stunning views of the city at sunset.
There is no shortage of places to visit, hills to hike or adventures to be had in the city. Getting lost is not an issue; the locals are warm and friendly and are willing to help you find your way. I should warn you that food portions are large here; a little salad is a mini feast. But if Sarajevo doesn’t win you over, surely Mostar will.
A two and a half hour drive from Sarajevo to Mostar has to be among the most beautiful and stunning rides of my life. Green and lush valleys, snow-peaked mountain tops, clear river, mini mosques and churches in tiny villages – it could be the description of paradise itself.
Once you enter Mostar, the city does not disappoint with its old stone streets, vibrant market place and tasty food. Undoubtedly, the main attraction is Stari Most, a 16th-century Ottoman bridge which is aesthetically pleasing but difficult to walk across. Also known as the Old Bridge, it was destroyed during the Croat–Bosniak War 427 years after it was built. It was finally rebuilt in 2004. It is a hump-back bridge; it goes up, stabilises in the middle, before going down again.
Locals look amused as tourists struggle to cross the bridge and some even hold onto the railings while crossing. It took repeated attempts before I could confidently cross it.
One local man climbed to the ledge of the bridge. As a crowd gathered, he worked them up, and when enough people had gathered, he jumped off the bridge and landed safely into the crystal-clear waters below.
From Mostar, it is easy to travel to anywhere in southern Bosnia. There are numerous towns, villages, cities, historical sites and nature reserves to visit.
A must-see is the Kravice Falls, 40 minutes away by car. The beautiful waterfalls are an ideal spot to go for a swim, take photographs, relax and eat Cevapi or grilled kebab in bread. Even on a hot day, being close to the water will keep you cool as you listen to the sounds of crashing water.
Coming to Bosnia and Herzegovina is an unforgettable experience. For many, the word ‘Europe’ conjures up images of Paris, London or Berlin, but the so-called ‘other Europe’ is as important to the identity of modern Europe.
Despite its troubled past, the importance of Bosnia – especially at a time when reductionist identity politics is sweeping the Old Continent – is about demonstrating the multiethnic and multifaceted of Europe’s past, present and future.
Beyond the history and political lessons that can be learnt in Bosnia, it is also a cool place to enjoy good food, great sights and warm people. The place is really opening up to tourists and it deserves to be on your travel checklist.
All photos by the writer.
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Comments (37) Closed
I wonder if it is posted on the web....
Good to know so much about this country. Before this I thought it to be full of fights and dreadful nights. Must show other such sites for our information .
Is it really a heavenly holiday destination? I doubt.
Peaceful lands of Balkan.
Bosnian Visa from Pakistan and Pakistanis holding Pakistan Passport is an impossible thing! I tried twice but failed despite one time having UK visa and second time a Shenjen visa from Swiss embassy.
Very beautiful and lovely
I love to travel this place. Excellent
its completely average ...you can find places like this in india too.
A good addition would be visa considerations.
Too Good
How is that every other country other than India, Pakistan and Bangladesh so clean?
@Gaurav Most important thing is resources, management and inhabitants training from childhood. Second important is weather. Hill stations with relatively cool climate in subcontinent are also relatively clean.
You should come out of your country (India) or change your glasses number.
@Gaurav ; EDUCATION !
I used to work with a brother from Bosnia. Their Muslim ID is strong but their way of life is total foreign to my Muslim upbringing with halal meat and non-alcoholic stance. But but, I judge no one. Bosnians are nice people.
Little hyped to promote tourism in this war ravaged country( now). Europe in itself is beautiful and after all technically Bosnia is a part of the continent.it has to be beautuful
@Khwarizmi Well said. Wish more people in this world had your attitude. Live and let live.
@Gaurav "How is that every other country other than India, Pakistan and Bangladesh so clean?" Because they don't litter too much and clean it regularly.
@Engr. M Ahmed Mirza . Excellent reply . He should change his mindset too .
Bosnia is truly heavenly and very peaceful place. Language is a problem since not many know English but only German. People are very friendly but the government does not know how to make it a tourist destination.
Reminds me of my couple of trips to Sarajevo. Beautiful place to go to particularly when you travel from Montenegro to Bosnia. When I went there for the first time about 13 years ago the buildings still carried the sign of brutal civil war which according to some was instigated by some western powers to disintegrate Yugoslavia and turn into small countries some of which have already been taken into European union and some others are hoping to become soon. Poor Muslims of Bosnia paid a very heavy price of conspiracy designed in some so called civilized important capitals
Wow, beautiful pictures. I agree that no one thinks of Bosnia when they plan a vacation. I think the Balkans and Eastern Europe are hidden gems for tourists waiting to be discovered. Thanks for sharing. Would love to visit.
Amazing facts about Bousnia #thumbsup
@iftikhar Sir, you are talking of 60s. I still remember Mosoori, Dehradun, Ranikhet, Shimla , Manali and many other places of my childhood. They were really a paradise. But few years back when I went to most of these cities from USA, after a gap of 23 years. Believe me they all are ruined by unplanned development and growth. The Lower Mall of Shimla, Clock bazar of Dehradun, Manali all have become crowded like cities of plains. Please move your capitals some where else and spare these beautiful cities. Same in Murrie, where my grand dad had a beautiful kothi near post office but i could not even locate it. He told us grand stories of Murrie and its beauty but I was disappointed last year on my first trip to it. Public should also help officials to get their old glory.
@splash Off-course India is the cleanest country in galaxy
a good side of a sad past from a muslim perspective. Thanks to Clinton who finally helped to stop muslims geneocide
@Gaurav Because our people have adopted filth as a part of life . Some desis when they visit clean places outside their countries are disturbed by the cleanliness of others. Why they are so clean ?
@iftikhar LOL blame the weather . Its the people . Our people have very high tolerance of filth . Just look at how pakistanis behave when they go to clean lakes in swat . they cannot tolerate the cleanliness of swat so they make sure they throw all the trash in that pristine environment to make it dirty like them .
@splash yeah right . dream on buddy .
waoo great introducation and very informative article ,, great work,,
@iftikhar Sri Lanka is in the subcontinent and its tropical. yet its clean. i guess its more about the basic civic sense of the population.
@Gaurav because south Asians don't understand that you should not litter things on road. They have feeling of false entitlement. They cannot even stand in lines, don't even bother of cleanliness.
The buildings are beautiful. Bosnia seems to have left its past behind.
Bosnia a heavenly destination? What a joke!!! The level of crime is generally very high, and crime against foreigners is particularly high, but you should beware of pickpockets on public transport, and in the tourist and pedestrian areas of Sarajevo and other cities. Be vigilant and make sure personal belongings including your passports are secure. Excessive displays of wealth, including large quantities of cash or jewellery and luxury vehicles can make you a target for opportunist thieves. Make sure your vehicle is locked and your belongings are out of sight. Take particular care in areas popular with foreign tourists. There have been a number of recent incidents of foreigners being the target of robberies and vehicle break-ins on Trebevic, the mountain closest to Sarajevo.
Report all incidents of crime to the local police station and get a written report. Local police don’t always have English language skills and you may need the services of a translator.
Landmines and other unexploded ordnance remain from the 1992-95 war. Highly populated areas and major routes are clear of mines and are safe to visit, but you should take special care near to the former lines of conflict. Although roads themselves may be clear on major routes, there are many landmines close to the edge of roads. Don’t stray from roads and paved areas without an experienced guide. Unless you have an experienced guide, you should avoid the open countryside and especially destroyed or abandoned buildings, neglected land, un-tarred roads, woods and orchards, private property and abandoned villages. Abandoned buildings, even in towns and cities may be booby trapped with mines.
Lovely...you people have found another place to visit other than China, North Korea, Azerbaijan and Turkey
@Gaurav How is that every other country other than India, Pakistan and Bangladesh so clean?
I think this is due to class and caste differences in our society, a high class and high caste person will find it insulting to clean a place as they will think it is the duty of the lower class/caste janitors.
In Japan the CEO's and minsters clean their own offices daily in the morning...also there are no class based system in the west and Japan...