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Sarajevo Total Siege Tour, with visit to the War Tunnel Museum, Jewish Cemetery, Yellow Bastion, Olympic mountain of Trebević (with its most famous symbol – Olympic Bobsled track), and other locations important for better understanding of modern World longest siege – Siege of Sarajevo, is by far the most interesting half day tour you can conduct when visiting Sarajevo.
This 4 hour experience will ensure easy understanding, reasons and facts behind the breakup and death of Yugoslavia, Siege of Sarajevo, Genocide in Srebrenica and overall story of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In the same time, ideas we share are totally unbiased, fact based and first-hand experiences.
Logistics
In the old town of Sarajevo (our office or your pickup address), meet your Sarajevo Siege survivor guide and begin your 4-hour small-group tour.
First stop of the day is ex Hotel Holiday Inn and story about infamous Sarajevo Sniper Alley. Built for the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics, today called Hotel Holiday, during the Siege used to be home to various foreign journalists and reporters who were reporting on Bosnian war and Siege of Sarajevo. Short walk along the infamous Sniper Alley and few interesting stories related to this place are planned in.
We pass by:
Next stop of the day will be War Tunnel Museum – Tunnel of Hope, which was the major “blood vessel” for heavily sieged and destroyed city. At the Tunnel we shall see a short movie about the War in Sarajevo and Tunnel, followed by going through the Tunnel itself.
At the exhibition part of the museum we will have the opportunity to see many interesting exhibits directly connected with the Siege of Sarajevo.
The trip to the tunnel and all the way in the tunnel is covered with a true first person experience of classy guide, survivor of the Siege of Sarajevo, who is always willing to answer question (no matter what they are). We will learn about the origins of the War on Balkans and Death of Yugoslavia, the dreams Serbian leaders have had, and how they succeeded to seduce large number of Serbian nationalists throughout the whole Balkans, and made them go to war.
We pass by:
Read more about the Sarajevo War Tunnel: A Crude 1,000-Yard Tunnel Is Sarajevo’s Secret Lifeline (NY Times)
After the Tunnel we head toward the mountain Trebević which, by vast majority of its length, was a first line during the Siege and place of many battles on many battlefields.
At the site we have the opportunity to see where the real destruction appeared, such as Zlatište, Osmice, Trebević Vidikovac and many other destroyed facilities and sites.
Moreover, we will see the remains of bunkers, minefields, military tank caterpillar traces, tranches, bullets and grenade shrapnels and many many other interesting sites of destruction, which today, at the present time, haven’t yet being repaired or restored. They just stand there like two decades later, the war haven’t even ended yet.
Sarajevo Bobsleigh, originally built for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, is one of the main highlights of the tour. Once there, we can admire Yugoslavian brutalist architecture, and learn more about the unfortunate events which took place at this location during the Siege of Sarajevo, since it used to stand on one of the main front lines. However, Bobsled is today featured at the top of the Worlds most beautiful abandoned places lists. It holds amazing amount of various graffiti by artists from all around the World, and you have a chance to see them all.
We pass by:
The 33 Most Beautiful Abandoned Places In The World
The tour is very much enriched with great panorama views, especially from the very top of Trebević mountain. There you will get the real feeling what the great mice and cats game had been played, and how the Republic of Srpska forces (VRS) with such a great advantage never got the real chance to take over Sarajevo city.
Upon return to the city, last stop of the day will be Jewish Cemetery, known for its historical importance as it is one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe. However, during the Siege of Sarajevo it was the main front line and sniper nest of the Republic of Srpska army, overlooking the infamous Sniper Alley.
We pass by:
Last stop is made on the Yellow bastion – built in the early 18th century, the fort above the old town of Sarajevo and Bosnian Army military cemetery of Kovači was made for purpose of defence of the city during the Ottoman era. Today serves as great viewpoint above Sarajevo and offers insight into better understanding of Siege of Sarajevo.
Tour ends in the old town of Sarajevo.
We pass by:
What you will learn during the Sarajevo Siege Tour?
What Do I Need to Bring?
1. Does this tour itinerary includes visit to Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum?
Yes, our Sarajevo Siege tour does include a visit to Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum.
2. Does this tour include Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum entrance fee?
Yes it does.
3. How can I pay this tour?
You can pay this tour either in cash (EUR, BAM, USD, GBP) or by credit card (VISA and MasterCard).
4. Can this tour be combined with Sarajevo airport pickup or drop off?
This tour is the best way to combine Sarajevo airport pickup or drop off, and save the costs. Our tour departs at 9 AM and 2 PM every day. If your arrival flight is around 12 or 1 PM, it is ideal that we pick you up at 2 PM at the airport and go straight for the tour. The first stop of the tour is the Tunnel Museum, and being under the airport it is ideal. If your flight is leaving Sarajevo at 3 PM or later 7 PM or so, you can join our tour with you luggage and at the end of tour we drop you off at the airport.
In this way you only pay the costs of the tour and get transfer for free.
5. What time does Sarajevo War Tunnel open and close?
Opening times of the Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum are:
1st April – 31st October
09:00 – 17:00 (last entrance 16:30)
1st November – 31st March
09:00 – 16:00 (last entrance 15:30)
6. How do I get to the War Tunnel Museum on my own?
The best way to get to the Sarajevo War Tunnel on your own is to take Tram number three from Sarajevo city centre to Ilidza (last station). Once off the train you have three options:
1) Take a TAXI (price around 6 BAM – cca.3 EUR)
2) Take a bus #32A which leaves from Ilidza bus station to Donji Kotorac
3) Take a 30-40 min walk to address Tuneli 1 at Donji Kotorac
Additional option is to use trolley bus #103 from Sarajevo city centre – Trg Austrije to Dobrinja. Once you get out on the last station at Dobrinja, find your way with Google Maps for another 25-30 min walk to the Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum.
7. Do I need to book in advance my visit to Sarajevo War Tunnel Museum?
Our Sarajevo War Tunnel tour is limited to maximum 8 travelers and two daily departures, meaning if you are traveling in the peak of the season from May to October, it might happen that tour is booked out on certain dates, so that is why we recommend booking War Tunnel Tour in advance if possible. Also make use of Funky Tours 24hrs free of charge cancellation and cancel tour anytime.
8. How far is Sarajevo War Tunnel from Sarajevo city centre?
Depending on the road you take, Sarajevo War Tunnel is between 11.5 and 13.5 km far away from the Sarajevo old town Bascarsija. Driving time is around 25 minutes.
The available routes to get to Sarajevo War Tunnel are via Ilidza or East Sarajevo – Lukavica.
9. Can children visit Sarajevo War Tunnel museum?
The story narrative, video and photo material at the Sarajevo War Tunnel is adjusted to any age and even young kids can visit without a fear that the story is too strong for them.
10. Is the Sarajevo War Tunnel wheelchair friendly to visit?
Sarajevo War Tunnel most of the open space video and photo exhibition is “relatively” wheelchair friendly. However you need to have someone to assist you.
The actual part of the tunnel, museum part in the house and basement part of the exhibition are not wheelchair or accessible friendly.
For more information please contact the Tunnel management directly at: info@tunelspasa.ba.
Guida preparatissima, di una gentilezza sconfinata. Sono davvero bravi, disponibili ad ogni esigenza e soprattutto pieni di passione.
Validissimi!
We participated in a 4-hour siege and war tour. Our tour guide Taib, as someone who has lived his childhood during the war, described the war period and post-war Bosnia in detail. He sincerely answered all the questions we asked.
It could only be such an efficient tour in such a short time. Thank you so much…
I picked a tour to see the sights around Sarajevo and more and couldn’t be happier. Found out so much about breathtaking Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Had a lot of emotions and thoughts from the trip.
We had an amazing and super sincere guide who shared his personal experience and different interesting stories. Almir does a great job, thank you!
Totally recommend Funky Tours especially for the first time.
To visit Sarajevo and to get back to its most difficult history felt like a human obligation for me who already lives in one of post-Yugoslavian countries and also right moment to open this history page to my son.
From 5th of April 1992 to 29th of February 1996 Sarajevo was bleeding in front of entire world, besieged by Army of Republika Srpska. 1425 days of struggling with war, that nobody expected to last for so long, with war that killed 11.541 people and 1601 of them were children, with war that left people heroically struggling with every day bombing, with every day risking life for bread and water and trying to survive “in town without an exit”.
In memorial of all those people and their martyrdom we came. I couldn’t manage this trip through Bosnian history on my own so decided to find a local, experienced guide who would help us to understand what actually happened here during Bosnian war, how was the reality looking like at that time and how does it look like today, in country of so many ethnic differences and political tensions.
So the result overgrown my expectations – our guide was an amazing, charismatic man, who described Sarajevo and its history not only with passion and deep feelings for his country, but also spoke from perspective of war veteran and Siege survivor. He was one of those heroes who stayed in the city and faced front line every day, one of those who had a choice to escape from war disaster and to go abroad, but he didn’t. He stayed in the middle of uncertain future and made decision to give his blood for his land, believes and dignity. How many of us would do that today? These few hours of city tour we have spent together with Mr. Adnan were a very moving journey through single station of Sarajevo struggle and have left many unforgettable pictures in our memory.
Mr Adnan is very good word painter – he touches all senses through the way he speaks and doesn’t confuse with overgrowth of emotions or opinions. He is very neutral and leaves space for thinking, for getting deep into places and doesn’t judge from any perspective. Huge personality and such a graet, warm heart!! It was just the most precious live history lesson ever and honor for us to be there with a perfect guide..
I am looking forward to get back to BIH and to have opportunity to experience more about its places, history and nature! Funky Tours is my only choice for any other visiting option for the next time!
Did a nice tour about the siege, the guide gave an interesting personal insight about it. The only thing I didn’t like was that, because there were people on the tour that spoke his language, he only spoke in English when giving the information, the rest of the time kept speaking and making jokes in is own language, not including the rest of us in the interaction, although the entire bus spoke English..
