Welcome to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a city that once shone like a jewel of intertwined cultures and customs, but was thrust into the whirlwind of war in early 1992. You'll start the tour at the Markale market, a place that was once a bustling hub of trade and commerce but became the stage for two massacres in the 90s. After that, you'll move on to the Great Park, where a monument to the children who died during the siege of Sarajevo stands tall.
Driving through the streets, you'll pass by the presidency building and the Holiday Inn hotel, which served as the home to numerous international journalistic teams during the war. But one street stands out, and that is Sniper Alley. Once a bustling boulevard, it was exposed to sniper fire and became a symbol of terror for the civilians who lived there.
And then, you'll come to the heart of the tour – the Tunnel of Hope. This tunnel was built during the siege of Sarajevo in 1993 under the airport runway, connecting two territories that were under the control of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Dobrinja and Butmir. You'll walk through the tunnel, and hear stories of resilience, bravery, and hope. But the journey is not yet over. You'll make your way to the settlement of Grbavica, a place that remained occupied until the end of the war. Here, you'll hear the story of Sarajevo’s Romeo and Juliet – lovers torn apart by the war, and you'll see the bridge named after the first victims – Suada and Olga.