Sarajevo Region

The Sarajevo Region in Bosnia and Herzegovina hosts the capital city Sarajevo.

Cities, towns and villages

• 1 Sarajevo is the federal capital of Bosnia, Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska.
• 2 Pale is a university, sport and tourism centre, with winter sports on Jahorina mountain.
• 3 Lukomir — The most isolated village of Bosnia and Herzegovina, located on the Bjelasnica mountain. Consists of Donji (lower) Lukomir and Gornji (upper) Lukomir, the latter being more popular. Can be reached by day trip from Sarajevo, or by private car although the route to it is quite challenging.
• 4 Foča is a base for white-water rafting, hikes through deep canyons, and climbing Bosnia's highest peak.
• 5 Goražde has a 1521 printing house and the 2011 "Blessed Martyrs of Drina-beatified". It's near the Neolithic site of Lug in Zupčići.
• 6 Višegrad sights include the Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic Bridge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• 7 Visoko is famous for not having 1 pyramids . Flaky "archaeologists" make wild claims, but they're just hills.
• 8 Kreševo is a mountain town with a Franciscan monastery.
• 9 Fojnica also has a Franciscan monastery.
• 10 Olovo has the Bijambare Caves.
• 11 Vareš has Bronze Age remains, an ancient necropolis and old churches.

Other destinations

• 1 Bjelašnica. Ski resort about 35 km south of Sarajevo, an hour's drive, with 14 km of slopes in all difficulty levels. A day pass costs 25 KM for children and 35 KM for adults. Night skiing is also possible in season, for an additional 18 KM. (updated Jul 2017)

Jahorina ski slopes.

• 2 Jahorina. Ski resort about 35 km southeast of Sarajevo, just across the border into Republika Srpska. The resort has 25 km of slopes in all difficulty levels and 11 lifts. In the 1984 Olympics it hosted the Women's Alpine competitions. A day ticket costs 29 KM for children and 39 KM for adults. (updated Sep 2017)
• 3 Igman Ski Resort
• 4 Sutjeska National Park, Tjentište (near Foča). A mountainous area in southeastern Bosnia known for being the site of a major World War II battle. At Sutjeska in June 1943, the Partisans repelled a German offensive, and despite casualties turned the tide of the war in their favour. The battle was later the subject of a popular film with Richard Burton in the role of Tito. (updated Mar 2019)

Get in

The city of Sarajevo is the main gateway, with international air and road connections, plus rail, bus & road links across the country.

You can also fly into Tuzla to the north, which has budget flights and connecting buses.

Stay safe

Many land mines and unexploded ordnances are left over from the 1992-95 Bosnian Civil War. Although intensive efforts to clean up the explosives have been undertaken since the early 2000s, with help of the international community, there are still many mine fields present in the hills around Sarajevo and along the former front line between Bosnia and Republika Srpska. Always stay on the paths, look out for mine warning signs, and never wander into the forests!

Go next

• To the northwest, Zenica and Banja Luka are on the route to Zagreb in Croatia and so to western Europe.
• To the north, Tuzla has budget flights.
• To the south, Mostar has a picturesque centre. It's on the route to the Adriatic coast.