Sarajevo: Jewish Heritage Tour
Description
Don't miss the most popular Sarajevo tour! On this walking tour you will delve into the Jewish heritage of Sarajevo. Jews reached Bosnia in the middle of 15th century from Spain and Portugal. About their arrival, as well as their creating life and history in Sarajevo during the Spanish Inquisition, you will learn by your local licensed guide. During the walk you will get to know many scenic streets and visit must see places as Jewish Museum, the Ashkenazi Synagogue, Jewish cemeteries, the National Museum, and many more attractions. At the top of the experience, you will explore a big part of the city, as well as some beautiful and important, but not that well known streets.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meeting point, hotel pickup can be organised upon request.
The tour starts at the Jewish Museum. This museum is housed in the oldest synagogue in Bosnia and Herzegovina, built in 1581. Here we will watch 20 minutes movie of Sarajevo Haggaddah, the famous book that is kept in National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Explore some of greatest Jewish investments and find out where the first hotel in Sarajevo was opened, where and what shops Jews were running in Sarajevo. See where the first Jewish school was opened in Sarajevo and where the "singing" synagogue used to be with the local guide from Sarajevo.
See the National Theatre square and its connection to the Jewish community in Sarajevo
One of the largest Sephardic synagogues in Europe today has another function.
The Ashkenazi Synagogue is the center of Jewish life in Sarajevo today.
The OId Jewish Cemetery is almost 500 years old cemetery in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Established by Sephardic Jews during the Ottoman period, it also became the burial ground for Ashkenazi Jews after they arrived in Sarajevo with the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the late 19th century.
You shoud definataly not miss the amazing story of the 700 years old Sarajevo Haggadah and the Muslim librarian who saved it from the Nazis. Sarajevo Haggadah is a compilation of different stories written by the Jews in Barcelona in 14th century and that, by destiny, was brought to Sarajevo by a Jewish family in 16th century. The book survived three wars and it is still the most important item of the National Museum, and the most important item of Jewish heritage in Bosnia.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We start tour from Meet Bosnia Travel agency located at Gazi Husrevbegova 75. Hotel pickup could be offered upon request.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Reviews(13)
Armina took us on a fascinating tour of Jewish Sarajevo, visiting all of the main Jewish sights. Armina is a highly informative guide and delightful. We would very much recommend the tour.
Dear guest, Thank you for sharing your kind feedback! We're so pleased to hear you enjoyed the Jewish Sarajevo tour and that Armina made the experience both informative and memorable. She is indeed a wonderful guide, and we’re glad her knowledge and warmth stood out. Your recommendation means a lot to us, and we hope to see you again on one of our other tours in the future. Warm regards, Meet Bosnia Tours Team
Armina Pijalovic, who escorted us, gave a truly exceptional insight into Bosnia and Herzegovina's recent past as well as current conditions. Although not Jewish herself, she has a rich and compassionate understanding of the community's history. We benefited from her excellent contacts with the surviving Jewish organisations in Sarajevo and with the National Museum housing a unique Haggadah. Ms. Pijalovic was most considerate towards an ageing couple and generous with her time and patience. Probably one of the most impressive tour guides we have ever encountered.
Thank you sincerely for your beautiful and heartfelt review. We’re deeply honored to hear that Armina provided such an insightful and compassionate experience during the Sarajevo Jewish Tour. Her dedication, understanding, and warmth truly make her one of a kind, and we’re so pleased to know she left such a strong impression. It means a great deal to us that you felt cared for and enriched by the tour. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Warm regards, Meet Bosnia Tours Team
This was a great tour and Armina was an excellent guide. She provided many personal insights from her work experiences and friends. We visited several places that were not in any guidebook that I never would have known about much less visited. I highly recommend this tour. If you want to see the Sarajevo Hagaddah, make sure you take the tour on a day it will be displayed. Right now it is Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Meet Bosnia staff will make sure to arrange this if you tell them that you are interested in it.
Dear guest, Thank you so much for your kind and detailed review! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour and that Armina made it such a memorable experience. Her personal insights and local knowledge truly enrich the journey, especially when discovering those hidden gems that don’t appear in guidebooks. We also appreciate your helpful tip about the Sarajevo Haggadah — it’s great advice for future travelers, and we’re always happy to help arrange visits for those interested. Thank you again for recommending us. We hope to welcome you back to Sarajevo for more discoveries soon! Best regards, Meet Bosnia Tours Team
This tour is really special. We learned a lot about the history, culture and life of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews in the territory of present-day Bosnia and Herzegovina. Through our tour guide Armina, who guided us through Sarajevo very competently and with a lot of heart, we learned a lot of new things. During the visit to the synagogue, members of the Jewish community had the opportunity to speak directly. This tour is an absolute highlight.
Dear guest, Thank you for your wonderful review. We appreciate your kind words and are happy that this tour was a standout experience for you. Many thanks, Hidaya Meet Bosnia Tours
Exceptional experience with our guide, Armina. Gave such an insightful and educational tour, and is just an amazing person to spend some time with. Wholeheartedly recommend to anyone looking to understand Sarajevo and its people a little better.
Dear Elen, Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! We're happy to hear that you had such an exceptional experience with Armina. We appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back for more enriching tours in the future. Many thanks, Hidaya Meet Bosnia Tours
The Sarajevo Jewish Tour was exactly what I wanted. The guide, Arna, was knowledgeable, prepared and personally engaging. She planned a route that included the greatest number of sites. She shared personal stories and made the history real.
Dear guest, It is our pleasure to hear that the Sarajevo Jewish Tour met your expectations and provided a meaningful experience. Arna is indeed a fantastic guide who brings depth and personal engagement to the tour. Thank you for your kind words and for choosing to explore with us. Looking forward to hosting you again for more incredible memories. Kind regards, Meet Bosnia Tours
The Sarajevo Jewish Tour was well worth the money and time. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and was welcoming to any questions that arose. As a bonus, we were provided with fantastic food and drink recommendations. We highly recommend.
Dear Eve, Thank you for your high recommendation! Safe travels, and thank you for choosing us. Many thanks, Hidaya Meet Bosnia Tours
This is a must-do tour. Sarajevo's rich Jewish story is hiding in plain sight; you need a guide to help you see and interpret it. Our guide, Ahmed, was brilliant -- knowledgeable, communicative, and the company was great about getting us connected.
Dear Guest, Thank you for sharing your enthusiastic recommendation of our Sarajevo Jewish heritage tour. We're thrilled to hear that you found it to be a must-do experience. Many thanks, Hidaya Meet Bosnia
This was a memorable, remarkable tour - the highlight of my visit to Sarajevo. Being a guide myself, I would say this tour has everything a special tour must have: compelling stories, context, academic balance, depth, meaningful sites and a great guide, Ahmed, who is an excellent story-teller, a serious academic reseracher, and who could address all my questions and help me with pratical needs in the city. I hope more travellers could take this tour and enlarge their imagination on the "Jerusalem of Europe" and on the importance of the Jewish chapter in the rich, meaningful, challenging Sarajevo's broader history. Highly recommended!
Dear Rafael, thank you once again for joining our Jewish heritage tour and for your incredible review. It was a pleasure and an honor to meet you and be your guide in Sarajevo. As you know, this part of our history is important to us and we are very glad that you've recognized our effort to present it in the best way possible. Hope to see you again someday! - Ahmed, Meet Bosnia team
I took the free walking tour, and it is really good. Although Sarajevo center is little, the guide explains us the history of the city with details. The only wrong thing, is that the guide speaks so fast english that sometimes i get missing!
Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on our free walking tour. We are glad to hear that you found it to be good and that the guide was able to provide detailed information about the history of the city. We apologize that the guide's fast-paced English made it difficult for you to understand at times. We will make sure to pass on your feedback to the guide and encourage them to speak at a more comfortable pace for all of our guests in the future. We appreciate your feedback and hope that you enjoyed the tour overall. Many thanks, Hidaya Meet Bosnia Travel
