Sarajevo Jewish Heritage Tour: Synagogues, Museum & Haggadah

Four centuries of survival, one afternoon in Sarajevo

A guided tour of Sarajevo's Jewish heritage takes you through the Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina, then the Ashkenazi Synagogue, the Kal Grande Sephardic Synagogue and, on the hillside, the historic Jewish Cemetery. The tour includes a local guide and transport in a private vehicle. The Sarajevo Haggadah, among the world's oldest Jewish manuscripts and one that came through the Inquisition, the Second World War and the siege of Sarajevo, can be seen at the National Museum on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the tour adds it where possible.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Sarajevo Jewish heritage sites

• Visit Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• See Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman cultural site
• Tour the Ashkenazi Synagogue
• Visit historic Jewish Cemetery on hillside
• View Sarajevo Haggadah at National Museum

The experience

You have a free afternoon in Sarajevo, and the city's Jewish quarter tells a story most visitors miss. The tour moves through four stops that trace five centuries of community, loss, and survival. The Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina sits inside the old Sephardic synagogue, and its Jewish collection ranks among the richest in Southeast Europe, in a building that is itself a landmark. From there, the route takes you to the spot where Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Sarajevo meet in one place, and then to the Ashkenazi Synagogue, a striking early 20th-century structure that marks when Central European Jewish communities arrived in Sarajevo. The Kal Grande, the Great Sephardic Synagogue, is also part of the route.

The cemetery crowns the hillside above the city, a panoramic place of reflection that spans five centuries. If you book on a Tuesday or Thursday, the route adds, where possible, a stop at the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina to view the Sarajevo Haggadah: a medieval Jewish manuscript that survived the Inquisition, two world wars, and the 1990s siege of the city itself. It is one of the world's most remarkable books, and seeing it in person carries weight that photographs do not convey. You move between the sites in a private vehicle with a local guide.

What’s included

• Local guide in English.
• private vehicle transport.
• hotel pickup and drop-off from selected hotels.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except SaturdayDeparts at 10:00

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Child (6 to 15 years) · Infant (under 6)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 17.04

Prices and times updated 10 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPets welcomeInfants must sit on laps

Operated by TT Tours

Is this one for you?Book a Tuesday or Thursday departure if seeing the Sarajevo Haggadah, the 14th-century manuscript, matters to you: it can only be visited on those days, and the tour adds it where possible.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (6 to 15 years); Infant (under 6).

What is the Sarajevo Haggadah, and when can I see it on this tour?

The Sarajevo Haggadah is a medieval illuminated book and one of the world's oldest Jewish manuscripts, which has traveled widely and came through the Inquisition, the Second World War and the siege of Sarajevo. It is housed in the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina and viewable on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so you can only see it if you book the tour on one of those days.

How many stops does the tour include, and what do I see at each one?

The tour visits four main sites: the Jewish Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina (set in the old Sephardic synagogue, with one of Southeast Europe's richest Jewish collections); the Ashkenazi Synagogue (built in the early 20th century, when Central European Jewish communities came to Sarajevo); the Kal Grande, Sarajevo's Great Sephardic Synagogue; and the Jewish Cemetery on the hillside (spanning five centuries with panoramic views of the city).