SARAJEVO - In Your Pocket

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4 foreWord The heart of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the capital Sarajevo, once a heart-broken, torn and demolished city it has risen above its recent history to once more welcome visitors with its centuries-old tradition of hospitality. This vibrant city can penetrate as deep into the traveller’s soul as it does for residents. With a population of about 400,000 Sarajevo makes full use of its abundance of bustling cafés, local eateries and handicraft shops. One of its unique features, something that has led to it being termed ‘the Jerusalem of Europe’, is its religiously diverse citizenry. Indeed, few places on earth feature an Orthodox and a Catholic church, a mosque and a synagogue within walking distance of each other. A city with characteristics of the East (enriched by the Byzantine and Ottoman empires) and the West (the Roman, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian empires), Sarajevo holds a central charm that visitors feel, encompassing the best of both worlds. The towering tree- and house-studded hilltops that connect to the Dinaric Alps surround the city in its valley setting, while the Miljacka River running through the centre provides a secluded, private and magical atmosphere. Just a few miles out of Sarajevo, the region’s largest and most popular mountains are crowded during the winter season with skiers and hikers coming from all over the country and abroad. The city itself encompasses four quarters: the old town (Baščaršija), the new town, the centre and New Sarajevo. Each district provides every traveller endless opportunities for relaxation, vigorous sightseeing and, above all, the unique experiences gained as you share this city with Sarajevo’s locals. Cover story E S S E N T I A L C I T Y G U I D E S Sarajevo In Your Pocket ESTV d.o.o. Bosnia and Herzegovina sarajevo@inyourpocket.com bihac@inyourpocket.com banjaluka@inyourpocket.com mostar@inyourpocket.com www.inyourpocket.com ISSN 1840-4901 © ESTV d.o.o. Published 3 times per year 20.000 copies Sarajevo has always been known for its fresh clean drinking water, and in previous centuries numerous fountains and Sebiljs - larger and more ornate kiosk-shaped fountains - could be found all over the city. Today, roughly one-tenth of the fountains remain, while the only Sebilj still standing is the one pictured here, which is located in Baščaršija. Editorial Editor Yuri Barron Writers Yuri Barron, Ian Rohr, Christian Jennings Researcher Mersiha Drinjakovic, Emina Becic, Amra Usanovic Layout & Design Vaida Gudynaite Consulting Craig Turp Photos Dejan Vekic and John Roberts Maps Emir Haracic Management Directors Igor Blaha dipl.ecc & Niko Slavnic M.sc Executive Director: Zinaida Ilaria Tel.: + 387 61 144 310 Marketing, PR and operations management: ZI Public Relations Consultancy Tel.: + 387 33 228 616 Europe In Your Pocket Our team in Russia is preparing a rather special In Your Pocket guide right now to tie in with the 1150th aniversary of the city of Velikiy Novgorod. Look out for a special supplement in our next Russian guides and online at russia. inyourpocket.com. Elsewhere, you can now get your hands on Sarajevo In Your Pocket when visiting the Bosnian capital, and the same team - who have successfully pocketed Slovenia and Bosnia - are now turning their attention to Italy, and to Venice. We welcome enquiries from anyone who would like to take part in our Pocket Revolution, either by contributing content or starting up an IYP. Send us an email at publisher@inyourpocket.com. Copyright notice Text and photos copyright PIYP s.r.o. 2000-2006. Maps copyright cartographer. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without written permission from the publisher and copyright owner. The brand name In Your Pocket is used under license from UAB In Your Pocket (Vokieciu 10-15, Vilnius, Lithuania tel. (+370-5) 212 29 76). Editor’s note The editorial content of In Your Pocket guides is independent from paid-for advertising. Sponsored listings are clearly marked as such. We welcome all readers‘ comments and suggestions. We have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of going to press and assume no responsibility for changes and errors. Sarajevo In Your Pocket sarajevo.inyourpocket.com
By bus Both of Sarajevo’s bus stations are busy places, especially the main one near the train station which serves the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and most international destinations. If you arrive here you can get a tram (number 1) or bus into the centre or grab a cab for around 5-6 KM. There is also an ATM here and a few cafés and bars nearby if the journey has been long, gruelling or both.If you are coming from or heading to a destination in the Republika Srpska, Serbia proper or Montenegro you will arrive at or depart from Lukavica (aka Istochno Sarajevo) bus station in east Sarajevo. This station is on the fringes of the city and you can either get a taxi into town (about 25 KM) or a bus from the local terminal which is about a 200 metre walk from the station. Cash can be obtained from the machine at the nearby TOM shopping centre. Signage at this bus station is predominately in Cyrillic script. If you are getting a taxi to the bus station make sure your driver knows which one you want - you can do this by explaining your destination to him. By car Sarajevo’s roads are much improved from a few years ago but this in turn may have contributed to the ever-increasing volume of traffic. Coming in and out of town is fairly straightforward with good signposting to the Centar but once in the heart of town non-local drivers need to contend with narrow streets, lots of one-way and ‘No Entry’ roads and the local drivers, who tend to be impatient behind the wheel and don’t mind using their horn to give a blast to anyone too slow to respond to a changed traffic signal. Those used to congested inner-cities won’t find it too much of a problem but the more hesitant may be best to leave the car parked at or near their hotel and use public transport, taxis and foot-power for getting around, all of which are less stressful and will give you the opportunity to see and experience a lot more than if you are gripping the wheel and gritting your teeth. This also gets rid of the problem of finding somewhere to park in the car-crowded centre. Drivers are required by law to have their headlights on at all times. This is mainly for safety reasons and when you enter one of Bosnia’s long tunnels you’ll be glad it is so. Another safety factor to bear in mind is that roads can be hazardous during the winters, with ice, fog and snow providing a challenge to all but the most experienced of mountainous terrain in winter drivers. By plane Sarajevo airport (International Airport Butmir) is small and rarely too busy, helping it avoid the long baggage, immigration and customs queues that plague many of Europe’s other capital city airports. It has the facilities found at most airports including tourist information and currency exchange, a bar and cafe, an ATM and a souvenir shop. There is no regular scheduled bus service to the centre so your best bets are to either prearrange a transfer through your hotel or grab a cab - there are usually quite a few lined up outside and the 12km trip will cost about 20-25 KM (€10-12.50). As with all international airports, it’s not unheard of for taxi drivers to overcharge for a ride into town, especially if you’re a foreigner - make sure the metre is switched on before you depart. www.inyourpocket.com sarajevo.inyourpocket.com arriving in saraJevo Jahornina in autumn By train Bosnia’s rail infrastructure was badly damaged during the war and has yet to return to pre-war levels of operation. Most international visitors arriving by train will be coming from Zagreb or Budapest on the daily trains which arrive at 18:30 and 6:25 respectively. There is also a train to and from Ploče on the southern coast of Croatia which is worth looking into as the journey, via Mostar, is very scenic. Sarajevo’s train station is right near the bus station and you can get into the heart of town via a bus, tram or 5-6 KM taxi ride. There is no ATM at the station but there is one about 200 metres away at the bus station - just turn right when you come out of the station, go around and past the main post office and the bus station is straight ahead. Tourist information S a r a j e v o C i t y Administration Hamdije Kreševljakovića 3, tel. (+387) 33 20 83 40, fax (+387) 33 20 83 41, grad@ sarajevo.ba, www.sarajevo. ba, www.sarajevo-tourism. com. This agency provides travel-related information on Sarajevo and its vicinity to domestic and foreign visitors, as well as to domestic tour operators and their partner tourist agencies from abroad. Tourism Community of FB&H Branilaca Sarajeva, no 21/II, tel. (+387) 33 252 928, fax (+387) 33 252 901, media@tourism.ba, www. bhtourism.ba. Tourist Community for the Sarajevo District Branilaca Sarajeva 21/IV, tel. (+387) 33 25 02 00/(+387) 33 25 02 02, fax (+387) 33 25 02 04, tour.off@bih.net.ba, www.sarajevo-tourism. com. Info point (airport): Open: 10-17h, Monday- Thursday, 12-17h Friday-Sunday QOpen , Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu 10:00 - 17:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 17:00. Autumn 2009 5
Page 1: Hotels Restaurants Cafés Nightlife
Page 6 and 7: 6 BasiCs Learn about the facts and
Page 8 and 9: 8 BasiCs A word from the mayor Welc
Page 10 and 11: 10 history Sarajevo is the administ
Page 12 and 13: 12 Culture & events La Boheme at th
Page 14 and 15: 14 Culture & events INTERNATIONAL T
Page 16: 16 Where to stay Accommodation in S
Page 19 and 20: Gaj B-3, Skenderija 14, tel. (+387)
Page 21 and 22: Bosnia, with its beautiful, favoura
Page 23 and 24: Pravda B-3, Radićeva 4c, tel. (+38
Page 25 and 26: A night out in Sarajevo comes no be
Page 27 and 28: Clubs Aqua Disco Mali Kiseljak 8, I
Page 29 and 30: Galleries National Gallery of BiH B
Page 31 and 32: Ghazi Husrev-beg Ghazi Husrev-beg B
Page 33 and 34: Public transport Gras Public Transp
Page 35 and 36: Car travel Sarajevo’s roads are m
Page 37 and 38: The standard starting rate for taxi
Page 39 and 40: Internet To log in over a phone lin
Page 41 and 42: Grand Centar Butmirska 14, tel. (+3
Page 43 and 44: and preparatory courses for TOEFL a
Page 45: ka 9 10 1 1 1 3 SEDRENIK KOŠEVO Os
Page 51 and 52: Unique books from Ireland (and 21 o

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