11am
Take a break for tea or thick Turkish-style coffee in the courtyard at Morica Han (9) (Saraci 77), an inn dating back to 1551 and one of the best places in Sarajevo to people-watch and tune in to a way of life that feels much closer to Istanbul than Vienna.
1pm
Cevapi, minced beef sausage-style kebabs served with pita-style bread, raw onions and a cheesy sauce, is something of a Bosnian national dish. Try them at Petica (10) (Oprkanj 2); £3).
2pm
It would be impossible to come to Sarajevo and not to engage in its recent history and in particular the siege of 1992-1996. Many buildings still testify to the shellings to which the city was subjected on a daily basis. The most powerful insight into what happened comes at the small Tunnel Museum (Donji Kotorac, Tuneli 1; entrance £2) constructed to the west of the city underneath the runway at Sarajevo airport. It was through this tunnel during the siege that vital supplies were transported into the city and, going the other way, many fled to freedom.
4.30pm
Time to lighten the mood. Close to the tunnel is the mini spa town of Ilidza, where Franz Ferdinand and his wife stayed in June 1914. Walk, or take a pony-and-trap ride along the lovely tree-lined Velika Aleja avenue, which leads to Vrelo Bosne, an oasis of greenery and gushing streams of water in the middle of which is a lovely café/restaurant. A beautifully calming spot.
7.30pm
Head to hills above Sarajevo for dinner and bird’s-eye view of city as the lights begin to twinkle and the city’s mosques broadcast the final call to prayer. Kod Bibana (Hosin Brijeg) is the cheap and cheerful option, with great grilled squid and Herzegovinian whites – but buy a bottle rather than going with the house wine – about £15 a head); Park Pinceva (Iza Hrida br. 7) is the posher version (parkprinceva.ba/en).
Day two
9am
Start with coffee and a look at the period photographs in the Caffe Von Habsburg (11) (Branilaca Sarajeva 13).
10am
Thus fortified, head to the Obala Kulina bana (formerly known as Appel Quay), the broad avenue along which the motorcade bearing Franz Ferdinand and his wife drove on June 28, 1914. Stop at the Latin Bridge (12) and turn into Zelenih Beretki, the side street in which Gavrilo Princip fired the fatal shots. The Sarajevo Museum 1878-1918 (Zelenih Beretki 1; muzejsarajeva.ba; entrance 80p) commemorates that moment – and, more broadly, the controversial period of Austro-Hungarian rule in Bosnia.
12 noon
At the end of Obala Kulina bana is the Inat Kuna (13) (Veliki Alifakovac 1), another Ottoman-style establishment with a great history, traditional Bosnian fare and a terrace with a view across the River Miljacka, to the magnificent neo-Moorish City Hall (which also played a role on that fateful day). A fitting place to take stock.
Sarajevo checklist
1. There is a handy guide on Sarajevo at inyourpocket.com.
2. Torvill and Dean fans should head to the museum commemorating the Sarajevo Winter Olympics of 1984.
3. According to local legend, if you drink water from the Sebilj fountain, you are destined to return.
More Telegraph Travel expert guides
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Publish date : 2015-10-14 07:00:00
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