BEST TOUR PROVIDER IN SARAJEVO
Join us on our Sarajevo Free Walking Tour every day at 10:30 and 15:00. This is one of the best ways to get to know our beautiful capital – Sarajevo.
Primarily, we will stroll around Baščaršija, the core of old-town Sarajevo. This is the area where most of the recognizable landmarks of Sarajevo are located and later on, continue to the modern part of the city where you will find other imposing buildings representing the pride of Sarajevo.
In our Sarajevo Free Walking Tour, you will learn more about Sarajevo’s rich history, diverse cultures and delicious cuisine and our country, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
P.S.
In case you are interested in a small group tour, of up to 10 people, we also offer a paid version of the Sarajevo walking tour. Feel free to look it up, and to book it.
A quick introduction to Sarajevo
Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,569 within its administrative limits. The Sarajevo metropolitan area including Sarajevo Canton, East Sarajevo and nearby municipalities is home to 555,210 inhabitants. Located within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of the Balkans, a region of Southern Europe.
The name Sarajevo derives from the Turkish noun saray, meaning “palace” or “mansion”. Academia is split on the origin of the evo attached to the end. In Slavic languages, the addition of “evo” may indicate a possessive noun, thereby making the name of Sarajevo, ‘city of the palace. One theory is that it may come from the Ottoman Turkish term saray ovası, first recorded in 1455, meaning “the plains around the palace” or simply “palace plains”.
Sarajevo is the political, financial, social and cultural centre of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a prominent centre of culture in the Balkans, with region-wide influence in entertainment, media, fashion and the arts.
Due to its long history of religious and cultural diversity, Sarajevo is sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe” or “Jerusalem of the Balkans”. It is one of only a few major European cities to have a mosque, Catholic church, Orthodox church and synagogue within the same neighbourhood.
In our Free Walking Tour, we will see the Old Orthodox Church, one of the oldest religious objects in Sarajevo. Above all, the most recognizable landmark of Sarajevo is Sebilj, a wooden fountain located on Baščaršija Square. The legend says that drinking water from here means that you will certainly come back to this city in the future. Likewise, you will find the oldest streets of Sarajevo – Kazandziluk Street and walk through Baščaršija, the liveliest part of the city.
Later on, by visiting old Caravan Saray – Morića Han, you will really have a strong feeling of going centuries back in time. Morića Han is considered a true caravanserai because, when operational, it could accommodate about 300 passengers and 70 horses. Evliya Çelebi, an Ottoman traveller, wrote about his visit to Sarajevo in 1659 and described Morića Han as Hadži-Bešir’s han, because Hadži-Bešir was the landlord of the han then. The modern name probably comes from the surname of the han’s tenants at the beginning of the 19th century, Mustafa-aga Morić and his son Ibrahim-aga Morić.
Moreover, during the Free Walking Tour in Sarajevo, you will also see the famous Gazi Husrev-bey Mosque. Nearby this extraordinary beautiful mosque, you will see a unique clock tower famous for showing a very unusual time for the modern world. Furthermore, we will walk nearby the oldest shopping centre of Sarajevo, the “Bezistan” – an old bazaar from the Ottoman period.
The Sarajevo City Hall is the most recognizable Austro-Hungarian-era building in Bosnia. Since 1949 it served as the National and University Library and now it is the seat of the city council once again.
Additionally, you will hear the story of the Sarajevo Jewish community existing for almost five centuries. The Old Jewish Temple is within the walking distance of Christian and Muslim religious objects. Today it is an important museum related to Balkan Jewish traditions and customs.
After the spot that says “Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures” Sarajevo Free Walking Tour continues westward. Ferhadija street is related to the arrival of the Habsburg monarchy. For instance, one of the iconic buildings on Ferhadija street is the Catholic Cathedral nearby which you will see the statue of Pope John Paul II. Also, we will talk about Sarajevo Roses and famous people that lived here.
Furthermore, we will see the first modern hotel in Sarajevo and hear the stories of the first Waltz dance and celebrities that stayed here. Our recommendation is to drink Bosnian coffee and eat Sacher cake in this place where East meets West. Then the tour continues to the famous Latin Bridge, Franz-Ferdinand’s assassination site. If you are interested to learn more about the assassination, check out our Gavrilo Princip – Shoot that changed the world tour.
Most importantly, in our Free Walking Tour in Sarajevo, you will have passionate and young guides who were born here. They will be happy to show you even the secret spots of their town where most tourists wouldn’t go themselves. Also, at the end of the Free Walking Tour Sarajevo, our guide will give you notes with local tips which were carefully selected by our company.
Finally, the tour ends in our office, the same place where it starts.
Book our free tour and get your first encounter with Sarajevo city with our amazing guides. We guarantee the best Sarajevo experience.
We did the free walking tour on a Friday morning with Vicky. The tour was really nice and interesting, and Vicky was a very knowledgeable guide. It is great to do a tour of Sarajevo with a local, who can also include personal anecdotes about the recent history of the country. The duration of the tour was ca. 2.5 hours and we got a good overview over the long history of the country. Vicky also gave us good recommendations for restaurants, cafés and other food places, as well as souvenir shops and places to avoid. The route was very easy to follow and could be walked easily. Definitely recommendable!
My recent experience with the free walking tour – led by Arna – of Sarajevo’s old town left an indelible mark on my travel memories. Arna is an exceptional guide and the tour offered a glimpse into the city’s rich history.
Our guide’s impeccable command of English made communication effortless. Her depth of knowledge about Sarajevo’s intricate past was truly impressive; she painted vivid pictures of the city’s evolution through the ages, from its Ottoman roots to its modern-day resilience.
What stood out most was the guide’s genuine passion for sharing her city with us. She provided insightful commentary and encouraged questions. Her attentiveness to ensuring everyone’s comfort and safety was commendable as it became progressively chilly as we walked around the city, which was a nice touch.
I left the tour with a newfound appreciation for Sarajevo’s cultural tapestry and a deep respect for its resilient spirit. Without hesitation, I wholeheartedly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Sarajevo. It’s not just a tour; it’s an invitation to delve into the heart and soul of this captivating city. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience.
A group of four of us spent a few days in Sarajevo and ended-up having several transactions with Meet Bosnia Tours. On our first day (13 Nov 23) we did the free (2hr) city walking tour. I didn’t get the guide’s name, but he was excellent and very informative. On our second day we did the, half day, Siege tour with Eyup. Again, the tour was excellent and Eyup was a really nice guy who taught us a great deal. Finally we did the all-day (12hr) tour to Mostar and Hercegovina. Our guide for that tour was Amer, again a really great guy who had a lot of knowledge (and humour) to share. I would not hesitate to recommend Meet Bosnia Tours, if you are in Sarajevo and want to learn about the history of this beautiful country and its rich culture. All of our guides were great guys and very good company. We even arranged our airport transfer with Meet Bosnia Tours. Highly recommended.
We had just two days; and we were able to visit, see and learn in a very limited time thanks to meetbosnia tours via their free Sarajevo toıur and Mostar tour. Vildan and Kenan were really good local guides. I highly recommend them.
I saw a video on YouTube about a trip with Meet Bosnia Tour and I liked it. So I contacted the agency by email when I was in Dubrovnik and Medina responded back immediately to answered all my questions, and to give us great suggestions in how they could help us. So, when we arrived in Čapljina, the guide, Adnan picked us up and we started our private tour. He was very knowledgeable about history, religion and local and international politics. He was very friendly and answered all our questions in a very professional manner. And, we cannot forget our free walking tour in Sarajevo with a fantastic guide, Kiki. She narrated the history and the past events of the city in such exciting way that we were transported to the time and place where those events took place. I was eager to know more about the history of Bosnia and she gave us a mini class -but very detailed – on the history of Bosnia and its city of Sarajevo. She is an excellent guide…!
We travel quite a lot and this tour agency is the best we have experienced so far.