Sarajevo Culture and Food Tour: Embrace History and Local Crafts since 15th Century

Immerse yourself in the rich history, vibrant culture, and delectable food of Sarajevo on this captivating tour. Discover the city’s iconic landmarks, hear intriguing stories, and explore centuries-old crafts. Book now!

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Insider City Tours & Excursions - Meeting point with the guide.
  • Emperor’s Mosque - The Emperor’s Mosque is Sarajevo’s oldest mosque and one of the oldest in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is presumed that Isa Bey Ishaković, the founder of Sarajevo, had this place of worship built soon after the city’s founding in 1462 in honor of Sultan Mehmed II “the Conqueror”.
  • Sarajevo City Hall - Vijećnica is the most extravagant building constructed in Sarajevo during Austro-Hungarian occupation and serves as a symbol of the meeting of world civilizations.

The project was overseen by Alexander Wittek, who had proposed his Pseudo Moorish design – the perfect architectural unity of East and West – for the future seat of the city’s government.

Since it first opened on April 20, 1896, the building has become the most important symbol of Sarajevo and is featured as an iconic motif in many photographs of the city.

After World War II, Vijećnica became home to the National and University Library of BiH.

On the nights of August 25-26, 1992 during the last war, Vijećnica was set ablaze. Nearly 90% of the library’s collection went up in flames and the building became a symbol of the Siege and tragedy of Sarajevo.

Vijećnica’s reconstruction got underway in 1996 and the official opening took place on May 9, 2014, the same day that Europe Day and the Day of Victory over Fascism are observed.

  • Sebilj Brunnen (Fountain) - There used to be hundreds of sebiljs (kiosk-shaped public fountains) in Sarajevo, but today the last one is found on Baščaršija Square, where it serves as a major symbol of the city.

The origins of these fountains can be traced back to the Arabian Peninsula and the custom of building sebiljs was brought to Bosnia and Herzegovina by the Ottomans. Sebiljdžija, workers who received wages from the state or a vakuf (endowment), manned the kiosks and dispensed free water to hungry passersby.

  • Serbian Orthodox Cathedral - The Old Orthodox Church in Sarajevo, which is dedicated to Archangels Michael and Gabriel, is one of Sarajevo’s oldest houses of worship.
  • Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque - Gazi Husrev Bey’s Mosque, or Bey’s Mosque, as it is known locally, was built in the center of Baščaršija in 1530. Bey’s Mosque was designed by Adžem Esir Ali, a Persian from Tabriz, who was the chief architect in the Ottoman Empire at that time.
  • Old Sarajevo Clock Tower - Sarajevo’s clock tower is 30 meters high and it is believed that it was built in the 16th century.

The tower’s clock is the only public clock in the world that keeps lunar time (“à la Turk”), to indicate the times for the daily prayers. According to this system, the new day begins at sunset, when the time is shown as 12:00!

  • Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina - he Old Jewish Temple, also known as the Old Synagogue and the Great Temple (Il Kal Grandi), is the oldest place of worship for Jews in Sarajevo.
  • Katedrala Sarajevo - The Cathedral of Jesus’ Sacred Heart was built in 1889 in the Neo-Gothic style and is the seat of the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna.
  • Serbian Orthodox Cathedral - The Congregational Church of the Holy Mother is the largest Orthodox church in Sarajevo and one of the largest of its kind in the Balkans.
What's Included
  • Expert local guide
  • Sampling of regional cuisine and beverages
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop off
  • Transportation to/from attractions
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Fascinated by urban history, heritage, and cuisine? This city tour could be your perfect match! Join our guide and experience the essence of Sarajevo from all angles. Feast your eyes on the emblem of the Austro-Hungarian reign, listen to the tale of the Spite House, and traverse two avenues where you’ll gain insights into the various trades that have been a part of Sarajevo since the 15th century.

  • Comfortable clothes and shoes, sun glasses, camera are recommended.
  • A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
Location
Zelenih beretki 30
Zelenih beretki
We are located across the Museum 1878 - 1918 / Franz Ferdinand's assassination point.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(31 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Katja_n
Aug 21, 2024
Had a really great time... - Had a really great time and learned a Lot about the City and the food. Highly recommend the Tour - no Matter If ur alone or in a group
Review provided by Viator
Roger_z
Jun 13, 2024
Worth - Excellent The tour gives you an amazing experience of Sarajevo. An interactive approach of the town and the country.
Review provided by Viator
Alexspirit
Apr 12, 2024
Great tours in Bosnia and Herzegovina! - We did two tours with Insider City Tours: Eat, pray, love with Hana. She was wonderful and very knowledgeable! We learned a lot about Sarajevo and the war. Then we did the day tour of Mostar and 4 cities in Herzegovina with Miralem. He was wonderful as well and we have an amazing time! I 'd definitely recommend them!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisasclaf
Sep 23, 2022
Great tour of Sarajevo with Denis - Denis gave us a wonderful tour showing us 4 houses of worship with explanations for each of the faiths and their practices. He also took us for Bosnian coffee and showed us how it is prepared and how to drink it. He took us all over the old town explaining the call to prayer, the lunar clock and many other things. Hi took us to lunch at a Burek restaurant that was really authentic. This was a double tour that lasted from9-2. He took us up the cable car and walked with us down the Bobsled trail. He knows everything about his hometown and there was no question he didn’t know the answer to. The time flew by and it was our favorite part of our vacation so far.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alejandro_p
Aug 19, 2022
The best tour guide in Sarajevo. Irfan - I was lucky enough to be the only one in the tour. Irfan was excellent and I wish all my tour guides would be like him. He’s very poised, eloquent and people’s person. His level of knowledge is captivating. He answered all my questions with detailed explanations.
Review provided by Viator
Worldtravellassie
Apr 12, 2022
An absolute must for understanding Sarajevo - Really amazing private tour with Bojan. Incredible value and Bojan is an absolute superstar on the knowledge front. For a teacher back in the UK teaching religious Studies and as someone who loves to learn about people and culture the Eat Pray Love tour was perfect. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
C306hvelizabeths
Aug 18, 2021
Amazing tour! - This was a wonderful tour, so informative and interesting. Best part for me was the in depth history as well as access to interiors of mosques. Food stop and market place were also really nice. I highly recommend this for anyone visiting Sarajevo.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amrar2016
Feb 27, 2020
Reccommendation! - the tour guide Faruk is amazing. He has strong communication skills. There can be a bit of social awkwardness when a new group of strangers show up, and a guide should be able to break that immediately to help people feel comfortable talking to each other and their guide, and faruk knows how to do that. he brought the tour to a next level, in addition to the planned facts and statistics, he brought his own knowledge, experience and personal anecdotes to the tour. Insider, just keep doing the great work!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
270sophief
Aug 12, 2023
The essential visit - If you want to understand a little of the complexity of the city and the country, a guided tour is essential. Thank you to the agency and to Doris for ensuring our visit in French, that day we were the only ones Thanks to her, we had an almost complete tour of the city's important sites. Doris has very good historical knowledge, so the visit was really interesting
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Larissa
Oct 20, 2022
Cancelled on short notice - Sadly, they cancelled my tour the evening before it was supposed to happen because there weren't enough people to do it. 12 hours notice is pretty sad. If I had known earlier I would have made different plans
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today