Solo travel · Sarajevo · Bosnia and Herzegovina
Solo travel in Sarajevo
How to enjoy Sarajevo at your own pace.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Sarajevo is easy and rewarding for solo travellers: compact, inexpensive and full of hostels and walking tours. Locals are hospitable, and sitting alone in a coffee house is entirely normal. Many solo travellers base themselves in Grbavica.
Key facts
- Base
- Grbavica
- Getting around
- Walking
- Emergency number
- 122 police, 124 ambulance, 123 fire
- Language
- Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian
Solo travel tips
- Join a free walking tour or a guided siege-history tour; local guides often share personal experiences.
- Stay in Baščaršija or Ferhadija to have everything within walking distance.
- Stick to marked paths when hiking in the hills; landmine risk remains in some unmarked areas outside the city.
- Watch your bag in crowded trams and the busy bazaar lanes.
- Use official taxis late at night, especially from the bus and train stations.
Where to stay
$ · Best for budget and solo travellers
Grbavica
Grbavica, across the river from Marijin Dvor, is a residential area of apartment blocks, neighbourhood restaurants and Wilsonovo šetalište, a riverside promenade closed to cars and popular for evening walks. Apartments here are good value and a tram or 20–30-minute walk from the centre.
- Good
- Good-value apartments; Riverside promenade; Local feel
- Watch out
- Few sights; Further from the old town
- Nearby
- Wilson's Promenade, Grbavica Stadium, Marijin Dvor
Great on your own
Religious site · Baščaršija
Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
Visit outside prayer times; scarves are usually available at the entrance for women.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- History
- Architecture
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Historic site · Baščaršija
Latin Bridge and Museum Sarajevo 1878–1918
Read the plaque on the corner, then walk east along the river to City Hall to retrace the archduke's route.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Architecture · Baščaršija
Sarajevo City Hall (Vijećnica)
Look up at the restored glass ceiling of the central hall, then visit the exhibition in the basement.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Street · Ferhadija and the Austro-Hungarian centre
Ferhadija and the Meeting of Cultures
Stand on the marker and look east, then west, to see the change in architecture.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Religious site · Ferhadija and the Austro-Hungarian centre
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Visit in the morning, when the square is quiet and light falls on the façade.
- Time needed
- 20 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
Historic site · Ilidža
Tunnel of Hope (Sarajevo War Tunnel)
Combine it with Vrelo Bosne; both are on the western edge of the city near the airport.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
Meeting people
- Ćevapi in Baščaršija — Join locals at a ćevabdžinica on Bravadžiluk for a portion of ćevapi with onion and kajmak, followed by yoghurt to drink; meals are quick and very cheap.
- Aščinica lunch — Traditional cookhouses display stews, stuffed vegetables and soups behind glass; point at what you want for a home-style Bosnian meal.
- Ferhadija and Strossmayerova — Café-bars and pubs in the Austro-Hungarian centre, busy from early evening.
- Baščaršija — Coffee and shisha bars around the bazaar, with a handful of bars serving alcohol on its edges.
Sensible precautions
Sarajevo is generally relaxed for visitors. Watch for pickpockets in Baščaršija and on crowded trams. In the hills and countryside, stay on marked paths and roads, as some areas still carry landmine risk from the 1990s. On still winter days, air pollution can be high, which matters for people with asthma.
- Emergency number
- 122 police, 124 ambulance, 123 fire
- Staying connected
- Bosnia and Herzegovina is outside the EU roaming zone, so check your plan; local SIM cards and eSIMs are inexpensive, and Wi-Fi is common in cafés.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Sarajevo good for solo travellers?
Sarajevo is easy and rewarding for solo travellers: compact, inexpensive and full of hostels and walking tours. Locals are hospitable, and sitting alone in a coffee house is entirely normal.
+Where should solo travellers stay in Sarajevo?
Grbavica: Residential district south of the river with local cafés and the stadium.