If you are looking for a truly authentic experience, and want to learn about the local life and way of living in Sarajevo, then our Sarajevo food & craft tour is ideal for you. During this tour, you will have the opportunity to visit some of the oldest streets in the city of Sarajevo, with our local guide showing you old workshops along the way. You will have the opportunity to try and taste the finest savoury and sweet traditional specialities of Bosnian cuisine.
The tour kicks off at a hidden gem in the historic centre of the city, where you will have the opportunity to try the freshest bakery goods-here you will see exactly why this bakery is a local institution in Sarajevo. You will pass through many secret and small streets in the Old Town of Sarajevo, where a lot of amazing legends and beautiful stories have their origin.
Also, this is a unique opportunity for you to connect in one tour everything that you may hear and see when visiting Old Town from the cultural and traditional aspects but also try great Bosnian food.
The tour kicks off at a hidden gem in the historic centre of the city, where you will have the opportunity to try the freshest bakery goods – here you will see exactly why this bakery is a local institution in Sarajevo. Following this, we will go along the magical street which had the status of a “carsija”, meaning bazaar, during the Gazi Husrev Bey in 1521, when over 60 shops had been built there. There you will visit the store of the family who owns a slipper shop, where this artful handmade craft has been passed down through the family from generation to generation for nearly 200 years.
This long time tradition probably will end with this generation, while the owner’s son has decided to change professions and become a pilot. So, you should definitely not miss this chance now. One more interesting fact is that Robert De Niro, during his visit to this shop, has bought a pair of these unique shoes for himself.
We will continue our tour in the spirit of tradition – you will have the opportunity to hear more about how Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the few European countries that has its own Bosnian carpet – as a special form of applied, folk and traditional art. The tour will continue in the street named after the famous writer – Safet Beg Bašagić, who wrote some of his major works and is considered to be one of the founders of the Bosnian literature.
Today, on that street, there is a CULT bakery, where various bakery products have been made for almost 90 years. You will have the opportunity to try SOMUN which is a traditional bakery product that is of special importance to all believers of the Islamic faith during the holy month of Ramadan.
After visiting the bakery, we will continue to the local pastry shop where many Sarajevo generations grew up. Here, you will have the opportunity to try Boza which is a non-alcoholic and refreshing drink made from corn (corn flour), yeast, sugar and water. This delicious drink is also a trademark of this patisserie.
The first mentions of the potter’s trade-in Sarajevo date back to 1489, and today the street is in the same place as it was in the 16th century, when it was built, in which the masters of this craft have been creating copper art for centuries.
If you are looking for authentic souvenirs – this part of the tour will be a fantastic place for you.
Street an indispensable part of Bosnian cuisine is the traditional pie or stuffed pastry. And our visit continues right towards the place where, in addition to tasting various pies, you will have the opportunity to try Burek, which for locals is far from ordinary food, as they say, burek is a ritual, a lifestyle. What’s so handy about this dish? You can eat it at any time of the day, including breakfast.
You will also have the opportunity to meet the last brush craftsman in Sarajevo – during our visit you will see how brushes are handmade today, and according to this craftsman – handmade brushes can be used for up to half a century.
During this tour, you will also visit one of the most famous restaurants in the city. Here you will get a taste for and learn about traditional Bosnian meals such as sogan dolma, sarma and others, that are served in traditional metal dishware.
Once we regain our energy, we will go ahead and visit a gold shop – in which Sarajevan goldsmiths have been carrying out projects with the National Museum, which is important for our cultural heritage.
Here you will find replicas of jewellery worn by Bosnian queens and kings. Today, their jewellery is worn by Angelina Jolie.
We will, at the end the tour with the most delicious handmade baklava – the queen of all baklava and of course served with the true delight – Bosnian coffee.
After the tour, you will surely be richer with your experience of Sarajevo through the eyes of native citizens.
Very useful information with perfect english. Also traditional food recommendations are good. Recommended!
Edin and friends are superb tour guide! Two thumbs up for you guys! They understand very well about the city and the country as well, and very enthusiast on showing most of the “must see” places customized with your time availability. Not a single second was wasted. In spite of a very dense schedule, he managed to make our tour`s atmosphere as fun as we can expect. His friendly attitude, flexibility, and treat our group as his own family, has made us hope that the journey will never end. Thank you Edin, and to all of your supporting friends, we certainly enjoy our visit and look forward to meet you again in the future. Veel Succes! @Budi, The Netherlands.
Great solo experience. I ended up being the only one on the tour, so I’m surprised they didn’t cancel, but I’m glad they didn’t. Selma (Salma?) was a fantastic tour guide, who knows her history and clearly loves her city. I have been fascinated by BiH and its history and she indulged all my questions with a unique insight, all while feeding me all the best foods in Sarajevo and showing me the artisanal crafts in the city. Great way to explore and learn more about the city
My tour with Hidaya was very fun and it felt unique. I was able to not only see local craftsmen at work, but I was able to participate as well. We also tried some local foods and I was able to learn about the city through Hidaya’s experience. She was very kind, knowledgeable, and open. I recommend this tour for any future visitors. I recommend bringing cash to buy any local souvenirs along the way.
The Tour was amazing! A great combination between culture, local crafts and food. Arna was a great guide, you can see, that she loves this city and it’s craftsmanship. High recommendation for everybody staying in Sarajevo!
