Sarajevo itinerary — 2 days

The Kovači Memorial Cemetery is also known as the Martyrs' Cemetery, in reference to the Bosniaks buried here who died defending themselves and their city from Serbian aggressors during the tragic civil war that raged from 1991 to 1995. The first president of independent Bosnia, Alija Izetbegović, is also buried here. You can view the cemetery from the nearby hill known as the Yellow Fortress — a beautiful, eerie spot from which to watch the sunset over the city. Part of Sarajevo's recent past is the terrible and brutal civil war of the early 1990s. Sarajevo was one of the main battlegrounds between the Serbian and Bosnian armies, including a siege that lasted almost four years (longer than the sieges of Leningrad and Stalingrad). The Kovači Memorial Cemetery is specifically named in honor of the Bosnians who died during the siege defending themselves from Serbian aggressors, and is therefore also known as the Martyrs' Cemetery.

Perched 667 metres above sea level over the historic Vratnik quarter, the White Fortress once guarded the natural eastern gateway to Sarajevo. First established in the late 14th century, the stone fortress was expanded during Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian rule to house artillery and munitions. Today, its weathered limestone ramparts serve as a panoramic open-air viewpoint overlooking the Miljacka canyon, Baščaršija, and the city valley.

A museum founded in 2017 from a book project of the same name: stories of children who lived through the 1992–95 siege of Sarajevo, told through toys, notes, clothing and photographs. Each object carries a short owner's story; the display is quiet and precise rather than overwhelming. The project later grew to include children from other conflicts. Small, but one of the city's most powerful museums.

Sitting on the Miljacka River directly opposite Sarajevo's City Hall (Vijecnica), this Ottoman house embodies the city's legendary stubbornness (inat). In 1895, Austro-Hungarian authorities wanted to demolish owner Benderija's home to construct the grand hall; he conceded only on condition that it be moved brick by brick to the opposite bank. Today it operates as a traditional restaurant serving authentic Bosnian fare.

Erected in 1560–1561, Ali Pasha's Mosque is considered one of the finest examples of classical Ottoman architecture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Commissioned by the Ottoman governor Ali Pasha, the mosque features a monumental central dome, an open three-domed stone portico, and an elegant 30-metre minaret. The quiet surrounding garden contains the founder's mausoleum and a historic burial ground with traditional carved stone nišan tombstones.

Tucked behind the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cafe Tito is a famous Sarajevo institution themed around Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito. Its interior functions like a nostalgic museum, decorated from floor to ceiling with socialist flags, portraits, newspaper clippings, and vintage memorabilia. Outside in the leafy beer garden, patrons sip Bosnian coffee and local beer alongside decommissioned tanks and artillery.

Bosnia and Herzegovina's oldest modern museum, established in 1888 and housed in a four-pavilion Neo-Renaissance complex by architect Karlo Paržik. Its courtyards enclose an extensive botanical garden adorned with medieval carved stećci tombstones. The museum's supreme treasure is the illuminated 14th-century Sarajevo Haggadah, an invaluable Sephardic manuscript that survived the Inquisition and the 1990s siege.