Mountains in the city: the back story

About Mountains in the city: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Sarajevo Editorial Team

Look up from any street in Sarajevo and you see hills. The city climbs the slopes on both sides of the Miljacka, and behind them rise Trebević, Igman, Bjelašnica and Jahorina. Nature is never far away.

The valley

Sarajevo stretches for kilometres along the valley of the Miljacka, which flows west to meet the Bosna. The old town sits where the valley narrows into a canyon, with the mahalas, the old neighbourhoods, climbing the hills around it.

Trebević

Trebević, the mountain right above the old town, is the city’s playground: reach it by cable car, walk in the beech forests, find the Olympic bobsleigh track and continue to the Skakavac waterfall on the other side of the valley for a longer hike.

In Sarajevo, the mountains are part of the city.

Springs and rivers

At Ilidža, at the western end of the tram line, the Bosna river rises at Vrelo Bosne, a park of clear streams, bridges and swans. Upstream of the old town, the Miljacka canyon offers a lovely walk to the Goat’s Bridge.

Higher still

Bjelašnica and Jahorina, the Olympic ski mountains, are less than an hour away, with skiing in winter and hiking, mountain villages and wildflowers in summer.

Our advice: ride the cable car to Trebević on a clear day, take the tram and a horse-drawn carriage or a walk to Vrelo Bosne, and follow the Miljacka canyon to the Goat’s Bridge. Bring good shoes: Sarajevo is a city of hills.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Mountains in the city: the back story before you go.