Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital is now connected to the UK via the first direct flights in a decade. So what have we been missing?
Sarajevo wears its rich and turbulent history surprisingly lightly, with its restored Austro-Hungarian riverside houses and Ottoman-era bazaars.
Late-night bars and restaurants make for a fun, friendly city that’s walkable and as cheap as chips. It feels a bit like being let in on a secret that won’t stay under wraps for long.
Dig deep at the Tunnel of Hope
It may look like a modest backyard of a suburban home, but underneath lies a tunnel dug by desperate locals during the Nineties conflict, which became the only link between besieged Sarajevo and the outside world.
It’s a fascinating insight into the realities of war and the fortitude of locals (£4.50, tunelspasa.ba).
Embrace street life
Nowhere shows off Sarajevo’s diversity like the main shopping drag.
Spot artisans creating shoes, jewellery, daggers and selling coffee, antique watches and homburg hats in stores unchanged in decades.
Where to eat
Barhana
This cosy, atmospheric restaurant is full of candles, cushions, divans and, in the evenings, canoodling locals. Bosnian specialities include peppers stuffed with mincemeat and an unctuous white bean soup (from £2.25).
Be wary of the huge menu of flavoured local grappas, though; they’re delicious, but potent.
Cevabdzinica Zeljo
You haven’t been to Bosnia until you’ve eaten cevapcici; toasted flatbread stuffed to bursting with onions and sausages and served on a metal plate alongside a small paddling pool of yoghurt (from £1.75).
Cevabdzinica Zeljo is the best spot in town to sample this classic dish. Take a pew at the communal bench seats, get chatting to locals and be prepared to voice your support for FK Zeljeznicar, the local football team. Address: Kundurdziluk 19
Karuzo
Boy, do Bosnians like their meat. But if your urge for greens overwhelms you, salvation is at hand at this intimate space behind the market, where chef and owner Sasa Obucina cooks up an all-veggie menu.
Try the herb-infused polenta with porcini mushroom sauce (£5.90) or the whole grain pancakes with lentils and rosemary sauce alongside a mostly Bosnian wine list, Daily Mail writes.
