Things to do in Sarajevo: Tunnel of Hope and Tunnel Museum

While in Sarajevo we visited the Tunnel of Hope (also known as the War Tunnel) and Tunnel Museum. This is an important part of Sarajevo’s war history, and we would highly recommend visiting.

What is it?

The Tunnel of Hope was a tunnel constructed during the Siege of Sarajevo to link the city with Bosnian-held territory on the other side of the airport. Food, supplies and people passed through the tunnel. The tunnel was constructed in secret.

Where is it?

The tunnel and accompanying museum are located at a house whose cellar was the entry to the tunnel. This is located near Sarajevo airport.

How to get there

We visited as part of a half day tour we did around Sarajevo. You could also catch a taxi, or there is plenty of parking available if you have a car.

 What to expect

The Museum comprises a number of displays, including video footage from the Siege of Sarajevo and of people using the tunnel. There is a section of the tunnel that you can walk through (this is quite narrow and has a low ceiling, and requires going down steps. Our guide assured us it was much drier and in better condition than during the siege through!). The original entrance to the tunnel is also set up as it was during the siege.

We would highly recommend visiting as part of a tour or with a guide. We did the half day Total Siege Tour with Funky Tours, and our guide had been a soldier during the war and had actually passed through the tunnel many times. His explanation of the history of the siege and tunnel, as well as his personal stories, really brought it to life for us. It also provided a lot more context to what we were seeing. If not visiting with a guide, we would recommend doing some research about the tunnel before visiting as having more background and understanding will enhance your visit.

Facilities

There are toilets at the museum (although these are squat toilets). There was also a café in the parking area selling snacks and refreshments.