Sarajevo

I was pleasantly surprised at how charming and bustling the city of Sarajevo is. I had heard good things about Sarajevo from others throughout my travels. But I had no expectations. And I have to say, what a gem.

I think my favorite part about this city was simply the vibe and people. Everyone I encountered was warm and most were friendly towards me. Being here sort of felt like taking a step back in time. People are still quite traditional in their ways which reminded me a lot of my culture. But there’s the young generation who are trying to move forward with more modern ways.

Sarajevo is accustomed to having all types of tourists. Especially in the summer. I can only imagine how beautiful it is there in the summer time. Although, the vibe of winter gave it a special kind of feeling in my opinion. I’ve added some pictures right below to give you a sense of what I mean.

Roaming the center on a beautiful and snowy night.

The way that the lights illuminated the city at night gave winter the special kind of feeling that I was trying to describe to you. It was simply charming and lovely.

Delicious local cuisine

Dveri Restaurant

Dzenita 1970 Restaurant

The food to me is well balanced, simple and yet tasty. Of course they have a variety of dishes that can vary in flavor but these are just a few of the ones that I had that I really enjoyed. I still crave the food back in Sarajevo! I hope one day to attempt cooking it so that I can have a taste from time to time.

I will just say that people still smoke cigarettes inside of many cafes, restaurants and especially in bars. They even smoke in commercial buildings. Although I am a smoker, I have never smoked inside of my own house and prefer not to. But for me, I personally took it in as a new experience. It felt like it was something so wrong especially coming from the US. This just added to my experience of something new. You can find cafes and restaurants where smoking is no longer allowed.

Cute cafes with a wonderful view of Sarajevo from the top

Cafe at the Yellow Fortress

There is also a cable car that takes you up to the top to see the view from the other side of where I am in this picture. I did not take the cable car but if you look up Trebevic, I believe there is a starting point close to the city center where you can get on for 10 euros.

Night life

Since I am in my mid-thirties I really enjoyed the kind of nightlife they have in Sarajevo. From my observation, it seemed to be more about bars where you could sit and talk with your friends all night long. They did play music in the bars so it gave it a more lively feel.

But the bars here have a lot of character and originality. It reminded me of some dive bars I used to like back home but these places seem to have a special vibe of their own. It’s definitely more relaxed but also with the music playing loud enough to keep the energy high.

Sometimes when you go to a place it’s more about the special feeling that it gave you. Which you can’t always describe to someone else because they may not feel the same. Although I did have a friend come visit me during my stay and he also agreed with my feelings about Sarajevo. And that’s exactly what Sarajevo was for me.

Although it’s a small city, there’s a lot that has happened in their history and you’ll feel like you are somewhere different than any other place in the world. From the people, traditions, history and mix of cultures and religions – all of this plays into what makes this place special and the way that it is today.