Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
Written by Dominique Cutts
When to go
In the centre of Bosnia and wedged between Central Europe and the Mediterranean, Sarajevo has a continental climate, getting quite hot (mid 30s °C) in summer and very cold in winter. Despite not being on the British and American tourist trail, Sarajevo still gets pretty busy in the summer with visitors from neighbouring European cities, so September is a good time to go as it’s still very warm and not too busy. Around December the city's high altitude creates snowy, freezing winters with the possibility of skiing less than an hour from the city via regular buses.
Getting there
Croatia Airlines and Austrian Airlines fly direct to Sarajevo from Gatwick and Heathrow respectively (approx £200 return) although a cheaper option is to get a budget airline flight to Croatia or Serbia (Ryanair or Easyjet) and get a bus or train over the border. Sarajevo has two bus stations - from the main bus station frequent buses go to Croatia and from Lukavica bus station run regular buses to Serbia-Montenegro. There are also international train services running to and from Croatia and Hungary.
Where to stay
This is probably the trickiest part as, having not yet established itself as a worldwide tourist destination, there are few hotels in the city. The best option is to use the Lonely Planet website, Hostel World or Hostel Finder which give you access to guesthouses. These are (in my experience) generally run by very friendly people, and are often cheaper and more centrally located than any available hotels. It is also possible to stay in the yellow Holiday Inn, home to all foreign reporters during the conflict and instantly recognizable from the television coverage.
Daytime
Sarajevo still bears the scars of the recent war, with many buildings showing shell damage, and merely walking around the streets will be a sharp reminder of how recent the conflict was. A touching reminder of events is the so-called ‘Sarajevo Roses’, shell holes in the street which have been filled in with red cement.
Sarajevo has its share of historical monuments - visit Latin Bridge where Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, sparking a chain of events that led to WWI. Also worth seeing is the eternal flame, a tribute to the partisans who died liberating Yugoslavia in WWII.
On a lighter note, the pleasantly wide streets are full of open-air cafes serving the famous and exceptionally strong Bosnian coffee (hold a sugar cube on your tongue and shot the coffee). Sit around in the large open cobbled squares of the old town and enjoy the sunshine and the beautiful architecture. Street sellers sell a variety of beautiful jewellery, scarves and leather goods, all at very reasonable prices (which can be haggled even lower).
During the day the streets often echo with the call to prayer from the countless mosques in the city. These, as well as the churches, are open to visitors for a donation, and make an incredibly interesting visit.
Night-time
At night-time all the open air cafes transform into open air bars and Sarajevo really shows how cosmopolitan it has become. Crowds of people fill the streets on every night of the week and the atmosphere is vibrant and thriving. You will never be short of places to drink, with huge varieties of cocktails and beers and special offers on every day of the week. There aren’t a huge numbers of clubs (that I came across anyway) but most of the bars stay open late and the streets become dance floors. For a quieter evening go to the Park of Princes restaurant on top of one of the hills overlooking Sarajevo. It has a wide array of meat and seafood and the view at night is incredible, especially with the accompaniment of live music.
The bottom line
Don’t let the recent conflict in Sarajevo put you off – huge amounts of money have been poured into the city and it is vibrant, lively and huge amounts of fun. It makes for an unusual city-break or stop-over on a trip around Europe, with a combination of fascinating history, both old and recent, and an amazing nightlife –check it out, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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