Sarajevo

 Currency

BAM

UTC Timezone

-

Calling Code

+40

Population

-

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Charter a private flight from or to Sarajevo with BLAK Private Jets

Cradled in a river-carved basin amid the Dinaric Alps, Sarajevo sits under limestone ridges covered in pine trees. Its centre belies its multicultural past, what with Ottoman mosques rubbing shoulders with Christian basilicas and Moorish-styled synagogues peering over bazaars that look like they've been plucked from the days of the Old Silk Road. Amid a haze of shisha smoke and aromatic Turkic coffee, wandering here is a feast for the senses.

You might not believe it because of the vibrancy of today, but this city has stood as witness to some of the most seismic political events in European history. First, there was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria back in June 1914, the moment that kick-started the First World War. (There's a fantastic collection at the Sarajevo Museum from 1878 to 1918 to help you understand all that.) Then, there was the brutal Siege of Sarajevo from 1992 to 1996. Memories of that can still be seen in the bullet holes along the main boulevards.

Sarajevo has not forgotten but has artfully pigeonholed the past. It's now driving headlong in the future. You get swinging Balkan jazz bars along the lively strips of Muvekita and Zelenih beretki. You can see prestigious troupes and musicians perform at the Sarajevo National Theatre. The rug hawkers and stalls of the ancient Baščaršija market balance modern shopping centres.

Oh, and a private jet to Sarajevo can also be a ticket to the highlands of Bosnia and Herzegovina, opening up the ski runs of Bjelašnica and the gushing waterfalls at Skakavac. It's some of Europe's most untapped mountain territory.