Here we offer our recommendations on how to get to the mountains, where to stay, where to go skiing and boarding and tips on other ways to spend your vacation on the Olympic Mountains around Sarajevo.
- Ski lifts, lanes and equipment
The Olympic Mountains are about a half-hour drive from the center of town and if you don’t have a car, you can make use of the GRAS or Centrotrans bus lines, or make a deal for a ride with one of the taxi companies in town.
GRAS minibus is driving during the weekends on relation Latinska Ćuprija - Trebević. They drive from Latinska Ćuprija at 09:00 and 16:00, and returning from Trebević at 10:00 and 17:00. Single tickets for adults cost 1,60 KM, and return tickets cost 2,70 KM. Single ticket for children cost 0,50 KM.
While GRAS provides services for the Sarajevo-Bjelašnica line on weekends and holidays, the bus will be running every day during the month-long winter holiday break in January. Bjelašnica is situated about 25 kilometers to the southwest of Sarajevo. Bjelašnica Olympic Center has a lot of supporting infrastructure with adequate parking for all of its ski facilities. The parking area at Babin Do can accommodate 1,200 vehicles and Veliko and Malo Polje have up to 1,000 parking spaces.
Jahorina is located about 28 km southeast of Sarajevo and is 12 km from Pale. You can reach Jahorina by taking the new road from the airport via Lukavica and Trebević.
If you’re interested in transporting a large number of people from Sarajevo to Jahorina, or vice versa, you can contact Jahorina Olympic Center.
There are many hotels and apartments up on the Olympic beauties that are more than ready to accommodate visitors.
There are lots of apartments available on Bjelašnica, at the hotels, Bjelašnica, Han and Maršal, and the most popular hotels on Jahorina include Vučko, Termag, Lavina, Bistrica….
Some of the hotels on Jahorina offer additional services. Vučko Aparthotel has its own ski school, with instruction offered in several languages, and it also does ski rentals. During the main season, Vučko offers free child care services for youngsters (ages 3-9).
Termag Hotel is located near the ski lanes and ski lifts. In addition to the ski school, Termag also rents ski equipment and provides accommodation. There are other activities, such as a wellness center, bowling and billiards, and there are shops that sell ski equipment and original hand-made souvenirs. Even if you aren’t a hotel guest, you can still enjoy all that the SPA Center has to offer. Not far from the hotel, and right next to one of the ski lanes, there is an ethno restaurant, Koliba, which is run by Termag.
Lavina Hotel has a luxurious interior and runs its own ski school, plus there’s an excellent wellness center and other amenities.
Bistrica Hotel is part of the Jahorina Olympic Center and was built for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games.
You can find rates for all of the hotels mentioned here on their individual web pages and, if you prefer more intimate accommodation on Jahorina, there are many private apartments available.
Bjelašnica’s overall capacity is more limited than Jahorina’s, but you can still find all kinds of accommodation, from luxury hotels, like Bjelašnica and Han, to apartment rentals. Bjelašnica Hotel offers a wide range of sporting options, such as guided tours on Bjelašnica.
Up on Trebević, the newly-opened Pino Nature Hotel is located where Prvi Šumar used to be and there’s Napredak Mountain Lodge and the restaurants, Trebevićki Raj and Brus. The popular Sarajevo picnic spot, Brus, has undergone a massive transformation in recent years and now offers a number of activities for both children and adults.
At Trebević you will also enjoy at Vila Andrea and Sunnyland.
All of the larger hotels have ski schools and also rent ski equipment.
If you plan to explore nature up on the mountains, be sure to jot down the number for Mountain Rescue Services (Gorska Služba Spašavanja) – 062/654-456. They will be more than happy to come and help out if you get lost! The main goal of Jahorina Rescue Services is to provide assistance and rescue services in remote mountain and urban locations. In case of an emergency, call: 066/333-000.
Ski lifts, lanes and equipment
Bjelašnica Ski Center has 10 km of well-maintained ski lanes that are suitable for all alpine disciplines and snowboarding. The vertical infrastructure allows the many lifts to take you to a starting position of 2,000 meters above sea level and the lanes finish at an elevation of 1,200 meters. Part of the lanes are illuminated with high quality competition-grade lighting for night skiing, and the Ski Center has also installed a system for artificial snow lanes.
You can find a price list for passes for the 2016/2017 Bjelašnica-Igman Ski Season on the ZOI ‘84 website. Jahorina Ski Passes include a special discounted rate for organized groups, and prices can be found on the Jahorina Olympic Center (OC Jahorina) website.
It’s worth mentioning that guests from Serbia who have an annual Skijališta Srbije Ski Card may use vertical transport on Jahorina for free for three consecutive days.
Jahorina Olympic Center has over 20 kilometers of ski lanes that are well-prepared for the season, along with three six-seaters, four ski lifts and two two-seaters.
If you love the mountains, but don’t do any sports, you can still enjoy a view of the slopes by taking a ride on one of the three- or two-seater lifts. During the winter, you can ride the lifts every day during regular working hours. A ride on the three-seater lasts 12 minutes and the two-seater takes six minutes, so be sure to bundle up! The price of one trip is 5 KM.
The Olympic ski lanes offer something for everyone, depending on individual preferences. You can learn to ski on the easier slopes, warm up on the medium lanes and then get your adrenaline going on the harder lanes that are geared toward professionals.
If you’d like to give skiing or snowboarding a try, the Igman-Bjelašnica Ski Center can help you out with lessons given by professional and licensed trainers. If you’re in the mood for more stable rides, you can rent sleds at the ZOI ’84 Ski Rent and Service Center. The mountain centers have many different activities on offer, including:
Nordic skiing
The Dvorišta Center for Nordic Skiing is located on Jahorina and there is Veliko Polje up on Bjelašnica, which has 30 km of well-maintained lanes for Nordic racing and biathlon. Since the lanes are lit, it’s possible to ski at night. Veliko Polje also has parking, booths, ski rentals and ski service.
Snowshoeing
Slow down and enjoy the wonderful winter scenery on snowshoes. Expert guides provide additional insight into some spots that are ideal for exploring the lovely landscape and wildlife.
Ski touring
During winter, ski touring (a combination of skiing and mountaineering) is the fastest way to scale the mountains, even when the snow is quite deep. Jahorina is a flat mountain, which makes it perfect for walking and ski tourists. But Bjelašnica, with its glacial valleys, limestone peaks, extensive plateau and pristine nature, is one of the most attractive destinations for ski touring in BiH.
Winter alpinism
It’s possible to attend a winter alpinism course up on the Olympic Mountains. The sports team and tourism specialists want to make it possible for alpinists, mountaineers, rock climbers and other mountain visitors to receive training in winter alpinism, while also providing them with the knowledge that will help them have a safer and more complete stay in nature. Ask hotel reception staff at some of the larger hotels for more information.
Snowmobiling
A snowmobile tour guarantees an exciting way to have fun in the spectacular winter wonderlands of Bjelašnica and Jahorina Mountains. You’ll be able to reach inaccessible areas and villages that are otherwise abandoned during the winter months.
Snowbiking
If you’d like to try something new, having a go at snowbiking is the perfect chance to have some fun. You can choose between snow bikes for skis or those with wheels.
Sledding
The larger hotels, like Bjelašnica, Termag, Lavina and Vučko, rent sleds that you can use to explore well-trodden paths.
ANTRFILE: National Geographic Traveler has named Bosnia and Herzegovina and Sarajevo as one of the top ten adventure destinations in the world for fantastic mountain bike paths. Visitors to the Igman-Bjelašnica Ski Center will have maintained marked mountain bike paths at their disposal. Veliko Polje is especially well known for mountain biking.
Bjelašnica belongs to the Dinaric Mountain range and many sports and touristic facilities were built on Babin Do for the 1984 Winter Olympic Games that were held in Sarajevo. Much of the infrastructure is still being used to this day. The entire area that takes in Igman and Bjelašnica is considered as one unique mountain area which has a complete tourist offering all year round. Further development of this area will take in two locations – Babin Do on Bjelašnica and Veliko Polje on Igman. The main nucleus of winter recreational activities is the ski zone that runs between Bjelašnica’s peak down to Babin Do. This includes downhill ski lanes, slalom and giant slalom
Jahorina is one of the prettiest Olympic Mountains and has about 30 kilometers of ski lanes along its slopes. The highest peak is Ogorjelica (1,916 meters).
Various sporting events are held on the mountains throughout the year. During the winter period, Jahorina organizes the FIS Jahorina Cup, an international ski competition, as well as many other races where athletes take part in BiH or Republika Srpska Alpine ski championships.
During the 2015/2016 season, the BiH Ski Association will be involved in a series of international events, with Jahorina and Bjelašnica hosting many Alpine ski competitions during the first two months of 2016.
The 2016 BH Telecom FIS Cup will be held on Bjelašnica on January 23 and 24, 2016.
You can follow the FIS CHI “Children for Peace in the World” Competition on February 20 and 21, 2016. This event will also take place on Bjelašnica.
The Jahorina FIS Cup will be held from February 20 to 21, 2016 on Jahorina and will be followed by the Sarajevo FIS CUP on Bjelašnica from February 22 to 23, 2016.
For six years now, Bjelašnica has been a real hot spot for those who love snowboarding, mountains and adrenaline. The 2017 European Snowboard Cup will be held on February 11 and 12, 2017 on Bjelašnica (Štinji Do). This event is organized by the Free Style Snowboard Club and professional riders from around the world come to participate in this competition.
Adrenaline sports are impossible without Red Bull, and the Red Bull Home Run, a massive downhill race for skiers and snowboarders, is set for February on Bjelašnica. The first to cross the finish line is the winner!
There is also great interest in recreational Alpine skiing, which can be learned quite readily by attending a special ski school. Those who love Alpine skiing will enjoy the FIS Cup, which will be held on January 30 and 31, 2016 in Dvorišta, up on Pale. The 2016 Balkan Cup Alpine Ski Competition will also be held here on February 3 and 4, 2016.
For more advice on things to do in Sarajevo, be sure to read our Guide to Winter in Sarajevo.
