SARAJEVO - In Your Pocket

By bus
Both of Sarajevo’s bus stations are busy places, especially
the main one near the train station which serves the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and most international
destinations. If you arrive here you can get a tram (number
1) or bus into the centre or grab a cab for around 5-6 KM.
There is also an ATM here and a few cafés and bars nearby
if the journey has been long, gruelling or both.If you are
coming from or heading to a destination in the Republika
Srpska, Serbia proper or Montenegro you will arrive at or
depart from Lukavica (aka Istochno Sarajevo) bus station in
east Sarajevo. This station is on the fringes of the city and
you can either get a taxi into town (about 25 KM) or a bus
from the local terminal which is about a 200 metre walk from
the station. Cash can be obtained from the machine at the
nearby TOM shopping centre. Signage at this bus station is
predominately in Cyrillic script. If you are getting a taxi to the
bus station make sure your driver knows which one you want
- you can do this by explaining your destination to him.
By car
Sarajevo’s roads are much improved from a few years ago
but this in turn may have contributed to the ever-increasing
volume of traffic. Coming in and out of town is fairly
straightforward with good signposting to the Centar but once
in the heart of town non-local drivers need to contend with
narrow streets, lots of one-way and ‘No Entry’ roads and the
local drivers, who tend to be impatient behind the wheel and
don’t mind using their horn to give a blast to anyone too slow
to respond to a changed traffic signal.
Those used to congested inner-cities won’t find it too much
of a problem but the more hesitant may be best to leave the
car parked at or near their hotel and use public transport,
taxis and foot-power for getting around, all of which are
less stressful and will give you the opportunity to see and
experience a lot more than if you are gripping the wheel
and gritting your teeth. This also gets rid of the problem of
finding somewhere to park in the car-crowded centre. Drivers
are required by law to have their headlights on at all times.
This is mainly for safety reasons and when you enter one of
Bosnia’s long tunnels you’ll be glad it is so. Another safety
factor to bear in mind is that roads can be hazardous during
the winters, with ice, fog and snow providing a challenge
to all but the most experienced of mountainous terrain in
winter drivers.
By plane
Sarajevo airport (International Airport Butmir) is small and
rarely too busy, helping it avoid the long baggage, immigration
and customs queues that plague many of Europe’s other
capital city airports. It has the facilities found at most airports
including tourist information and currency exchange, a bar
and cafe, an ATM and a souvenir shop. There is no regular
scheduled bus service to the centre so your best bets are
to either prearrange a transfer through your hotel or grab a
cab - there are usually quite a few lined up outside and the
12km trip will cost about 20-25 KM (€10-12.50). As with all
international airports, it’s not unheard of for taxi drivers to
overcharge for a ride into town, especially if you’re a foreigner
- make sure the metre is switched on before you depart.
www.inyourpocket.com
sarajevo.inyourpocket.com
arriving in saraJevo
Jahornina in autumn
By train
Bosnia’s rail infrastructure was badly damaged during the
war and has yet to return to pre-war levels of operation. Most
international visitors arriving by train will be coming from
Zagreb or Budapest on the daily trains which arrive at 18:30
and 6:25 respectively. There is also a train to and from Ploče
on the southern coast of Croatia which is worth looking into
as the journey, via Mostar, is very scenic. Sarajevo’s train
station is right near the bus station and you can get into the
heart of town via a bus, tram or 5-6 KM taxi ride. There is
no ATM at the station but there is one about 200 metres
away at the bus station - just turn right when you come out
of the station, go around and past the main post office and
the bus station is straight ahead.
Tourist information
S a r a j e v o C i t y
Administration Hamdije
Kreševljakovića 3, tel.
(+387) 33 20 83 40, fax
(+387) 33 20 83 41, grad@
sarajevo.ba, www.sarajevo.
ba, www.sarajevo-tourism.
com. This agency provides
travel-related information on
Sarajevo and its vicinity to domestic and foreign visitors,
as well as to domestic tour operators and their partner
tourist agencies from abroad.
Tourism Community of FB&H Branilaca
Sarajeva, no 21/II, tel. (+387) 33 252 928, fax
(+387) 33 252 901, media@tourism.ba, www.
bhtourism.ba.
Tourist Community for the Sarajevo District
Branilaca Sarajeva 21/IV, tel. (+387) 33 25 02
00/(+387) 33 25 02 02, fax (+387) 33 25 02
04, tour.off@bih.net.ba, www.sarajevo-tourism.
com. Info point (airport): Open: 10-17h, Monday-
Thursday, 12-17h Friday-Sunday QOpen , Mon, Tue,
Wed, Thu 10:00 - 17:00, Fri, Sat, Sun 12:00 - 17:00.
Autumn 2009
5