Sarajevo lies in a narrow valley along the Miljacka river, with steep green hills on all sides, and the old town at its heart is a bazaar quarter called Baščaršija, where copper-workers still hammer out coffee sets and the smell of grilled ćevapi drifts down every lane. The city has about seven hundred thousand people in its wider area, and its position between mountains means the air can be very still, with smoke in winter and the call to prayer echoing from the hills.
It has been a meeting point of faiths for centuries. Ottoman rule left mosques and a covered bazaar, the Austro-Hungarians added neo-Moorish buildings and the great City Hall, now the national library, and within a few minutes' walk you can find a mosque, a Catholic cathedral, an Orthodox church and a synagogue. In 1914 Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot near the Latin Bridge, a spark that led to the First World War. Much more recently the city endured the longest siege of a capital in modern warfare, nearly four years from 1992 to 1996, and the marks are still there: shell scars on walls, the Sarajevo roses, memorials and the tunnel that kept the city supplied. The 1984 Winter Olympics left their own mark on the nearby mountains of Bjelašnica, Jahorina and Trebević.
For riders, the approach from Mostar is the highlight. The road follows the Neretva river through a deep canyon past Jablanica and Konjic, then climbs through forest and over the mountain shoulders toward the capital, with plenty of bends and long views. Traffic in the city itself is dense, trams share the main street, and parking a bike near the old town is possible but needs care. Surfaces are variable, and potholes and rough patches appear on side roads.
Fuel is plentiful in the city and along the main roads. Food is among the best in the Balkans, with burek, ćevapi, sweet baklava and thick bosanska kafa served in small copper pots. Evenings in the old town are lively and safe, and the light on the minarets at dusk is lovely.