Neighbourhood guide · Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Baščaršija & the old town
The heart of old Sarajevo: lanes of low shops and workshops, mosques and inns from the 16th century, the smell of the grill and the sound of copper being hammered.
About Baščaršija & the old town
Baščaršija grew around its square and the Sebilj fountain in the 15th and 16th centuries, with each street given to a craft. The Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, the covered Bezistan, Morića Han and Brusa Bezistan are all here, within a few minutes of each other.
Mornings are the best time to watch the craftsmen at work; evenings, the time for ćevapi and coffee. Across the river, the Emperor’s Mosque and Vijećnica complete the picture.
Where Baščaršija & the old town is
Our 54 places in Baščaršija & the old town
Restaurants in Baščaršija & the old town
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Seasonal and modern
Apetit
A small restaurant for modern cooking with seasonal Bosnian ingredients.
Gazi Husrev-begova 61Explore View on map
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Hidden in a passage
Barhana
A friendly restaurant tucked into a lane off Baščaršija, with Bosnian dishes, grills and local beer.
Đulagina čikma 8Explore View on map
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A family grill
Ćevabdžinica Ferhatović – Petica
The family grill on Bravadžiluk known as Petica, a favourite for ćevapi among locals.
Bravadžiluk 21Explore View on map
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Ćevapi with kajmak
Ćevabdžinica Hodžić
A popular ćevapi grill on Bravadžiluk, a short walk from the Sebilj.
Bravadžiluk 34Explore View on map
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A Baščaršija institution
Ćevabdžinica Željo
One of the best-known ćevapi grills in the old town, with branches facing each other on Kundurdžiluk.
KundurdžilukExplore View on map
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The back story
Ćevapi, burek and the Bosnian table: the back story
Ten little grilled sausages in a pillow of somun bread, spirals of pita baked under the bell, slow-cooked stews in the aščinica: Sarajevo’s food is simple, generous and very good.
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The House of Spite
Inat Kuća
A traditional restaurant in the “House of Spite”, the house that was moved across the river rather than demolished.
Veliki Alifakovac 1Explore View on map
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In an Ottoman inn
Morića Han restaurant
A restaurant and café in the courtyard of Morića Han, the 16th-century caravanserai.
Sarači 77Explore View on map
Cafés in Baščaršija & the old town
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Coffee and sevdah
Art Kuća Sevdaha
A café and small museum devoted to sevdah, the Bosnian love song, in an old house near the bazaar.
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Baklava of every kind
Baklava Dućan
A small shop in the bazaar devoted to baklava, from walnut classics to pistachio and chocolate versions.
Čizmedžiluk 20Explore View on map
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The back story
Bosnian coffee: the back story
Coffee in a copper džezva, a sugar cube and a piece of rahat lokum: in Sarajevo, coffee is not a drink you grab. It is time you take.
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In the caravanserai
Divan at Morića Han
A café in the courtyard of Morića Han, with low seats and Bosnian coffee.
Sarači 77Explore View on map
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Fine teas
Franz & Sophie
A tea shop and tea room near the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, run by a certified tea sommelier.
Petrakijina 6Explore View on map
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Specialty coffee in the bazaar
Ministry of Ćejf
A specialty-coffee bar near Kovači, serving espresso drinks and Bosnian coffee with care.
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Coffee on Sarači
Ramis
A traditional café on Sarači in the heart of the bazaar, for Bosnian coffee and sweets.
Sarači 1Explore View on map
Bars in Baščaršija & the old town
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The back story
Sevdah: the back story
Bosnia’s soul music: slow, aching love songs from the Ottoman centuries, sung in courtyards and kafanas, and still very much alive.
Hotels in Baščaršija & the old town
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Above the bazaar
Heritage Hotel Petrakija
A boutique hotel on Petrakijina, a short walk uphill from Baščaršija.
Petrakijina 16Explore View on map
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Near the cathedral
Hotel Astra
A central hotel on Zelenih beretki, between the cathedral and the river.
Zelenih beretki 9Explore View on map
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Family-run
Hotel Aziza
A family-run hotel in a quiet street above Baščaršija.
Saburina 2Explore View on map
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A grand old name
Hotel Europe
Sarajevo’s historic grand hotel, between Baščaršija and Ferhadija, with a Viennese café and a spa.
Vladislava Skarića 8Explore View on map
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Boutique in the bazaar
Hotel Noble
A boutique hotel on Čurčiluk veliki, in the lanes of Baščaršija.
Čurčiluk veliki 1Explore View on map
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On Bravadžiluk
Hotel Old Sarajevo
A small hotel on Bravadžiluk in the bazaar, among the ćevapi grills.
Bravadžiluk 38Explore View on map
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In the bazaar
Hotel President
A hotel in the heart of Baščaršija, steps from the Sebilj.
Bazardžani 1Explore View on map
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Views of the old town
Hotel Saraj
A hotel on the hillside above Baščaršija with views over the city.
Nevjestina 5Explore View on map
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Simple and central
Pansion Stari Grad
A simple guesthouse in the old town.
Sagrdžije 29Explore View on map
Sights in Baščaršija & the old town
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The heart of old Sarajevo
Baščaršija
The Ottoman bazaar quarter, a maze of low shops, coppersmiths, grills, mosques and cafés around the Sebilj fountain.
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Silk market and city museum
Brusa Bezistan (Museum of Sarajevo)
A domed 16th-century silk market, now a branch of the Museum of Sarajevo with a model of the Ottoman town.
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The covered bazaar
Gazi Husrev-beg Bezistan
The long stone covered bazaar built for Gazi Husrev-beg in the 16th century, still full of shops.
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A 16th-century school
Gazi Husrev-beg Madrasa (Kuršumli)
The madrasa founded by Gazi Husrev-beg in 1537 opposite his mosque, with a small exhibition.
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Bosnia’s great mosque
Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque
The 16th-century mosque of Gazi Husrev-beg, the most important Ottoman building in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Sarači 18Explore View on map
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Where 1914 began
Latin Bridge & Museum Sarajevo 1878–1918
The Ottoman stone bridge and the corner where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, with a small museum.
Zelenih beretki 1Explore View on map
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The last caravanserai
Morića Han
The only surviving caravanserai of old Sarajevo, an inn for merchants built in the 16th century.
Sarači 77Explore View on map
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Hidden behind walls
Old Orthodox Church
The old church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, hidden behind high walls near Baščaršija, with a museum of icons.
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The lunar clock
Sahat kula (Clock Tower)
The Ottoman clock tower beside the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque, one of the few still keeping lunar time.
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The city’s symbol
Sebilj
The wooden kiosk fountain on the main square of Baščaršija, the symbol of Sarajevo.
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The pseudo-Moorish jewel
Vijećnica (City Hall)
The striped pseudo-Moorish City Hall of 1896, burned in 1992 and beautifully restored in 2014.
Obala Kulina bana bbExplore View on map
Culture in Baščaršija & the old town
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A merchant family home
Despić House
The home of an Orthodox merchant family, showing how its style changed from Ottoman to European.
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Arthouse by the river
Kriterion art cinema
A small arthouse cinema and café-bar on the riverside near the Latin Bridge.
Obala Kulina bana 2Explore View on map
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Writers and the stage
Museum of Literature and Performing Arts
A small museum of Bosnian literature, theatre and performing arts, with a gallery, near the bazaar.
Sime Milutinovića 7Explore View on map
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In the Old Synagogue
Museum of the Jews of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The story of Sarajevo’s Jews, from the Sephardic arrivals of the 16th century, in the Old Synagogue.
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Drama, opera and ballet
National Theatre
The National Theatre of 1899 on the Miljacka, home to drama, opera and ballet.
Obala Kulina bana 9Explore View on map
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Sarajevo ’84
Olympic Museum
The museum of the 1984 Winter Olympics, in a villa near the old town.
Petrakijina 7Explore View on map
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An Ottoman family home
Svrzo’s House
An 18th-century Muslim family house, preserved as a museum, with its courtyards and furnished rooms.
Glođina 8Explore View on map
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Memories of growing up in war
War Childhood Museum
A museum of objects and memories shared by people who were children during the siege.
Logavina 32Explore View on map
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Theatre for all ages
Youth Theatre (Pozorište mladih)
A theatre for children and young audiences, with productions for adults too.
Shopping in Baščaršija & the old town
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Handmade jewellery
BećArt
A jewellery workshop on Gazi Husrev-begova with handmade silver pieces.
Gazi Husrev-begova 30Explore View on map
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Nuts, dried fruit and lokum
Butik Badem
A shop in the bazaar for roasted nuts, dried fruit, rahat lokum and spices.
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Shopping under the vaults
Gazi Husrev-beg Bezistan shops
Small shops under the vaults of the 16th-century covered bazaar.
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Family coppersmiths
Kazandžija S. Baščaušević
A family coppersmith’s workshop on Kazandžiluk making hand-engraved copper.
Kazandžiluk 3Explore View on map
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Traditional copperwork
Kazandžijska radnja Hidić
A traditional coppersmith’s workshop on Kazandžiluk.
Kazandžiluk 29Explore View on map
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The street of copper
Kazandžiluk
The coppersmiths’ lane of Baščaršija, lined with workshops selling hand-engraved copper.
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The back story
The coppersmiths of Kazandžiluk: the back story
The ring of hammers on copper has sounded in Baščaršija for five centuries. Here is how to buy a džezva, a tray or a coffee set worth taking home.
