Sarajevo City Guide
Five minutes separate the Ottoman bazaar from the Austro-Hungarian downtown. In Sarajevo minarets stand beside church towers, and bullet holes still sit in some facades. One ready-made day route from the tram terminus takes you from Baščaršija over the Latin Bridge of 1914 up to the Yellow Bastion.
Our walking tours of Sarajevo
Ready-made routes from the station guide you through Sarajevo, to the right spots from the very first step, with no planning needed.
Baščaršija, Miljacka & the view
From the Ottoman Baščaršija bazaar with its Sebilj fountain to the great Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and across the line in the pavement where the Orient meets the Austro-Hungarian city. On to the museum about the siege, down to the Miljacka and the Latin Bridge of 1914, then the rebuilt Vijećnica. Finally up to the Yellow Bastion, optionally by cable car onto Trebević.
Going out & nightlife
Kod Bibana · Baščaršija & Ferhadija · Ćevabdžinica Željo · Zlatna Ribica · Nationaltheater Sarajevo
Practical information for Sarajevo
Public transport
Operator. GRAS (KJKP GRAS Sarajevo) is the municipal transport company of Sarajevo Canton and operates four systems in parallel, the sole tram line 3, several trolleybus lines (102, 103, 105, 107, 108), city and suburban buses, and minibuses to the suburbs and up the mountain. There is no joint fare with neighboring cantons or with the railway, GRAS tickets are valid exclusively within its own network.
Network. Trams, trolleybuses and buses. Line 3 runs the length of the main axis.
Modes of transport. Tram · Trolleybus · Bus · Minibus
Operating hours. On weekdays the first tram leaves Baščaršija toward Ilidža at 5.10 a.m., and in the other direction likewise at 5.10 a.m., with the last regular departure around 10.56 p.m., while a few later services only run as far as the tram depot. Trolleybus line 107 between Dobrinja and Jezero runs on weekdays from 6.00 a.m. to 10.50 p.m., with a reduced schedule and somewhat shorter operating hours on weekends. Directly following daytime service, night line 3N on the tram route and night line 107N on the trolleybus route run continuously every 15 to 45 minutes until the first daytime service at around 5 a.m.
Night service. On the tram route, night line 3N runs between 11.45 p.m. and 5.10 a.m. roughly every 15 to 45 minutes, with a longer gap between 2.45 am and 3.30 a.m. The trolleybus night line 107N runs between Dobrinja and Jezero from midnight to 4.40 a.m. every 45 minutes in both directions.
Buying tickets. GRAS sells paper tickets at five of its own kiosks, in Ilidža, at the Stup underpass, at the Dobrinja terminal, at the Otoka trolleybus terminal, and in Baščaršija. In addition, a ticket can be bought online through the cantonal app Javni Prevoz KS, which is scanned as a QR code on board. Anyone wanting a monthly pass on an electronic chip card can have one issued at the GRAS sales points Ćumurija, Ilidža or Otoka.
App and payment. Javni Prevoz KS is the official public transport app of the Sarajevo Canton government, available in Bosnian and English, and usable even without registration with limited functionality. It bundles timetables, real-time vehicle tracking including arrival forecasts at the stop, and online purchase of single and monthly tickets, which are scanned as a QR code on board. Both GRAS and the bus operator Centrotrans are integrated. Contactless card payment directly on the vehicle is not possible through it.
Which ticket. A single journey costs a uniform 2.20 KM on all four city transport modes (tram, trolleybus, city bus, minibus), children pay 1.10 KM. The ticket is only valid for the mode of transport it was bought for, so a tram ticket is invalid on the trolleybus. The day pass costs 7.10 KM, the equivalent of a good three single journeys (7.10 divided by 2.20). The ten-day pass costs 50 KM, the equivalent of seven day passes (50 divided by 7.10). Suburban bus lines (prigrad) are tiered and more expensive, from 2.40 to 6.70 KM depending on distance, while mountain lines (planina) cost 6.10 KM one-way or 8.50 KM round-trip.
Fare zones. Within the city lines there are no zones, the price is uniform. Only outside the city boundary, on suburban and mountain bus lines, does the price rise in tiers with distance.
Tip. The tram follows the Miljacka and links Baščaršija with the station.
Links
- GRAS Sarajevo, official website
- Ticket prices and card issuance
- Tram and trolleybus timetables
- Javni Prevoz KS app, official announcement
- Network map
Getting there
Main station
Location. The train and coach stations sit side by side, west of the centre.
Long-distance trains. Year-round, two train pairs run south to Čapljina, arriving in Sarajevo at 8.35 a.m. and 7.07 p.m. and departing at 7.15 a.m. and 4.46 p.m. From June 26 to September 27, this service extends through to Ploče on the Croatian coast, with an additional weekend train from Ploče at 6.26 p.m. Outside this summer season, the Ploče connection ends on individual weekdays, Friday, Saturday or Sunday depending on the train number. Another express service runs on weekdays except Saturday or Sunday, depending on direction, between Sarajevo and Maglaj. No international passenger trains run from Sarajevo to Croatia, Serbia or beyond, the only cross-border option is the seasonal train to Ploče.
Opening hours. The first regional train leaves on weekdays just before 5 a.m. toward Zenica, the last regular regional train ends around 8 p.m. The two daily long-distance trains southbound depart at 7.15 a.m. and 4.46 p.m.
Airports
Into the city. The Centrotrans scheduled bus runs directly to Baščaršija, by taxi with clear traffic it takes about 20 minutes.
Frequency. The airport bus runs daily, from the airport 7.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m. and from Baščaršija 6.45 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., mostly every 45 to 75 minutes with denser service in the morning.
Local quirks
- Four religions in a small space. Mosque, Catholic cathedral, Orthodox church and synagogue lie just minutes apart.
- Trains reach the sea, but not abroad. Sarajevo has no through international rail connection. The only cross-border train runs only from late June to late September and ends in the Croatian town of Ploče on the Adriatic, all other lines stay within Bosnia.
- A single tram line for the whole city. The entire tram network consists of just one single line between Baščaršija and Ilidža. There are no crosstown or ring connections, the network is supplemented solely by trolleybus and bus lines.
Good to know
- Currency
- BAM KM
- Emergency number
- 112
- Plug type
- C · F
- Time zone
- Europe/Sarajevo
- Driving
- right
Speed limits. built-up areas 50 km/h, outside towns 80 km/h on normal rural roads, 100 km/h on expressways and roads reserved for motor traffic, motorway 130 km/h
The 130 km/h motorway limit is higher than many travelers expect. By law, speed is measured by radar, video, or tachograph analysis, and all three methods count as evidence.
Tipping. Ten percent in restaurants, rounding up in cafés.
Tolls. On the A1 motorway you pay at toll booths, cash or card. There are no other tolls.