Sarajevo Tunnel, Sarajevo (must see)

Just outside Sarajevo’s airport lies the Sarajevo Tunnel-known locally as the Tunnel of Hope (Tunel spasa)-a small passage with an outsized place in the city’s recent history. Dug by hand in 1993 during the Siege of Sarajevo, the tunnel secretly linked the besieged city district of Dobrinja with the suburb of Butmir, beyond the front lines. For nearly two years, it was a lifeline, carrying food, medicine, fuel, and people under the runway while artillery thundered overhead.

The museum stands at the original Kolar family house in Butmir, where one entrance was concealed. Inside, exhibits explain how soldiers and civilians worked shoulder to shoulder to excavate roughly 800 meters of mud and clay, often waist-deep in water. Narrow-about a meter wide and 1.6 meters high-the tunnel also sheltered pipes and cables that restored electricity and communications to parts of the city, helping residents endure the longest siege in modern European history.

Visitors can walk through a preserved section of the tunnel to feel its cramped scale and see tools, uniforms, and photographs that document daily life under siege. Short films and guides provide context without sensationalism, focusing on resilience, improvisation, and the human networks that kept Sarajevo alive. It’s a sobering but illuminating stop that pairs well with other contemporary-history sites in the city.

The museum is about 8 kilometers southwest of Sarajevo’s center, near the airport; taxis are the easiest way to reach it. The tunnel section is low and can be damp-watch your head and footwear-and the experience may be challenging for claustrophobic visitors. Allow 60–90 minutes.