Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina and as such its Bosnia and Herzegovina’s biggest and most important economic center. The city is famous for its traditional cultural and religious diversity. It is a place where the Western & Eastern Roman Empire split; where the people of the Roman Catholic west, Eastern Orthodox east and the Ottoman south, met, lived and warred. Because of its long and rich history of religious and cultural variety, Sarajevo was sometimes called the “Jerusalem of Europe”or “Jerusalem of the Balkans”.
Its interested culture and history is noticed also from the travel guide series, Lonely Planet. In December 2009 they listed Sarajevo as one of the top ten cities to visit in 2010. Sarajevo has attracted international attention several times throughout its history. In 1885, Sarajevo was the first city in Europe and the second city in the world to have a full-time electric tram network running through the city, following San Francisco. In 1914, it was the site of the assassination of the Archduke of Austria that sparked World War I. Seventy years later, it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics.
Bosnian cuisine is balanced between Western and Eastern influences. Typical meat dishes include primarily beef and lamb. Some local specialties are ćevapi, burek, dolma, sarma, pilav (pilaf), gulaš (goulash), ajvar and a whole range of Eastern sweets. To finish your meal you should try baklava, a Turkish sweet.
While in Sarajevo be sure to try a shot or two of Bosnian / Turkish coffee prepared and served in the traditional manner. Just the fact that they named types of coffee according to the occasions shows how important coffee is for their every day life:
Razgalica – is the first morning coffee.
Razgovoruša – is the coffee that Bosnians drink later in the morning and usually with friends and work colleagues.
Sikteruša – is served after a gathering and it is a polite way to tell the guests that it is time to leave.
Feel the vibe of this multicultural citz and immerse yourself into local culture with our Sarajevo and Mostar 2 day private tour or Plitvice Lakes and Sarajevo 3 day tour.