Trebević bobsleigh track: getting there and what to expect

Why this site is different from Sarajevo’s other Olympic venues

Sarajevo’s 1984 Winter Olympics left four venues scattered around the city — ski runs on Bjelašnica and Jahorina, the biathlon and ski jump grounds on Igman, and the bobsleigh and luge track on Trebević.

Of the four, Trebević is the only one you can reach in under half an hour from the old town, and the only one with no entry fee, no opening hours and nobody checking tickets. That combination — close, free, open access — is why it has become one of the most photographed sites in the city, covered from end to end in graffiti and reachable by a cable car that most visitors are already planning to ride for the views alone.

This page covers the practical side only: how to get up, how to find the track from the upper cable car station, what condition it’s actually in, and what to know before you walk it. For the broader story of the 1984 Games across all four venues, see the Olympic legacy guide. For the mountain’s role during the 1992–1996 siege, see below and the siege tour guide.

Getting to the top: cable car or on foot

The Trebević cable car reopened on 6 April 2018, replacing the original line that had been destroyed during the siege and left derelict for over two decades. The lower station sits at Bistrik, a short walk or taxi ride from Baščaršija, and the ride to the upper station at 1,164 m takes about 9 minutes. A return ticket costs around 20 KM (roughly 10 euros); a one-way ticket costs less if you plan to walk down instead. Cabins run at short intervals through the day, and there’s rarely a meaningful queue outside summer weekends and festival periods.

a guided cable car and bobsleigh track outing bundles the ride with a walking guide who explains the site’s history on the spot, which is worth it if you’d rather not piece the story together from graffiti and a phone screen.

If you’d rather walk the whole way, marked trails climb Trebević from several points in the city, including from Kovači cemetery and from the Vratnik neighbourhood near the Yellow Fortress. Reckon on one and a half to two hours of steady climbing, more if you stop often, and take a real trail map or an offline GPS track rather than relying on signage alone — waymarking thins out higher up. Driving is also possible on the old mountain road, though parking near the track itself is informal and the surface deteriorates the further you go. Most people who walk choose to do it downhill, after riding the cable car up.

From the upper cable car station to the bobsleigh track

The upper cable car station opens onto a small plateau with a restaurant, a viewpoint over the city, and the start of several marked paths. The bobsleigh track is not visible from the station — you need to walk. Follow the signs toward Trebević’s summit and the track along a gravel and dirt path; it takes 15 to 20 minutes at an easy pace, mostly flat with a gentle climb. You’ll reach the upper end of the concrete run before you see much else, since the track is cut into the hillside and screened by trees until you’re almost on top of it.

There’s no admission gate, no ticket booth and no staff at the track itself. It’s simply there, on public forest land, and you walk onto it exactly as you would a hiking path.

What you’ll actually find on the track

The Trebević run was built for the 1984 Winter Olympics and hosted bobsleigh and luge competitions during the Games. It has not been used competitively since, and during the siege it sat inside contested territory on the hills above the city; it fell into disrepair afterwards along with the rest of the mountain’s sporting infrastructure. What remains today is roughly 1,300 m of banked concrete channel, snaking down the hillside through forest, its curves and banked walls still clearly readable as a bobsleigh course even though nothing else about it looks like a sports venue any more.

Every visible surface — walls, floor, banked curves — is covered in spray-painted graffiti, layered over years by visitors and local artists alike. Some of it is simple tagging, some is genuinely well-executed street art, and a fair amount references the site’s Olympic and wartime history directly. The forest has reclaimed much of the surrounding land: trees grow through cracks in the concrete, and moss covers sections that get less sun. Walking the full length and back takes about an hour if you go slowly and photograph as you go.

The track’s condition — what to watch for

Being blunt about the state of the site is more useful than romanticising it. The concrete is decades old, cracked in long fissures, and uneven underfoot in places where sections have shifted or heaved. After rain it gets slick, particularly on the banked curves, and there’s no drainage to speak of. There are no railings, no lighting, and no barriers at the drops on either side of the channel, which in places run a metre or more below the rim.

None of this makes the track dangerous for a careful walker in daylight wearing proper shoes — thousands of people visit without incident every year. It does mean it’s not a place to run, to cycle at speed, or to let children wander without a hand held the whole way, and it’s not a place to linger after dark, since the walk back to the upper cable car station has no lighting at all. Check the cable car’s last descent time before you set off down the track, and don’t count on being able to walk back down to the city after dark either.

The graffiti, and how to see it without adding to it

The graffiti is now as much the reason people visit as the Olympic history is, and most of it is worth slowing down for — full walls of colour, portraits, political commentary, and pieces that riff directly on the track’s own past. If you want to add your own mark, don’t: the site works precisely because it’s been left alone by officialdom, and it stays interesting because artists keep returning to rework and build on what’s there rather than because casual visitors scratch initials into a gap. Photograph, don’t paint.

Trebević during the siege — the necessary context, briefly

Trebević’s ridgeline overlooks central Sarajevo, and during the 1992–1996 siege it held military positions used by besieging forces, including, at times, the bobsleigh track itself. That history is part of why the mountain matters to Sarajevans beyond its sporting past, and it’s worth knowing before you go rather than discovering it awkwardly from a stranger’s graffiti.

The site today is not set up as a memorial and carries no plaques or markers explaining this — it functions, in practice, as an abandoned sports venue that people now use for walking, photography and street art. Treat that history as context to be aware of, not a reason to avoid the place, and not a photo opportunity in itself. For the fuller account of the siege and how to approach sites connected to it respectfully, see the guide to visiting Sarajevo respectfully and the siege tour guide.

Making a half-day of it: viewpoints and nearby stops

Because the track sits a short walk from the upper cable car station, most visitors combine it with the viewpoint right at the station itself, which looks straight down over the old town and the Miljacka valley — one of the clearest ways to understand the basin the city sits in and why the siege lasted as long as it did. Trebević’s summit and further trail sections continue beyond the track for anyone who wants a longer walk; see the Trebević hiking guide for routes.

a longer guided circular hike over the Trebević summit covers the track plus the ridge trails and viewpoints in one outing, useful if you’d rather not navigate the onward paths yourself.

Coming down, the cable car drops you back at Bistrik, close enough to Baščaršija to walk into the old bazaar for coffee or lunch straight afterwards. If you want to fold the mountain into a fuller understanding of the war years rather than just the one site, the

guided Rise and Fall of Yugoslavia tour covers Trebević alongside the Tunnel of Hope and other siege-era sites in one day.

Comparing your options

Option	Time to the track	Cost	Effort
Cable car up, walk to track, cable car down	About 45–60 minutes round trip	~20 KM return cable car	Easy — mostly flat walking
Cable car up, walk down through forest	1.5–2 hours total	~10–15 KM one-way cable car	Moderate — steep descent on trail
Walk up and down from the city	3–4 hours total	Free	Strenuous — sustained climb
Guided tour (cable car included)	Half day	Tour price, cable car included	Easy — guide handles navigation

When to go

Late morning through mid-afternoon gives the best light for photographing both the graffiti and the city views from the upper station, and gives you a comfortable margin to walk back before the last cable car down. May through September is the easiest season underfoot — the concrete dries out and grip improves — while winter brings snow and ice onto the track itself, making the banked curves genuinely hazardous; if you go in December to February, stick to firm, cleared ground and don’t attempt the full length.

Winter is also when Sarajevo’s air quality worsens in the valley, which is one more reason a clear day on the mountain is worth chasing — the view from the upper station is often better than anything you’ll get from street level in the city below.

Trebević bobsleigh track: your questions answered

How do I get to the Trebević bobsleigh track?

The easiest route is the Trebević cable car from its lower station at Bistrik, near the old town, to the upper station at 1,164 m. From there it’s a 15 to 20 minute walk on a signed path to the concrete run. You can also walk or drive up from the city on the old road, which takes longer.

How much does the Trebević cable car cost?

A return ticket costs around 20 KM (about 10 euros) for adults, with a reduced rate for children. The ride itself takes about 9 minutes each way. Tickets are sold at the lower station and there’s usually no need to book ahead outside peak summer weekends.

Can I walk to the bobsleigh track without taking the cable car?

Yes. Marked hiking trails climb Trebević from several points in the city, and it’s also reachable by road if you have a car or take a taxi partway. Walking up adds one and a half to two hours each way, so most visitors ride up and either walk or ride back down.

Is the bobsleigh track safe to walk on?

The concrete is cracked, uneven and slick after rain, with drops on either side of the channel and no railings or lighting. It’s safe for a careful walk in daylight and sturdy shoes, but not somewhere to run, cycle fast, or bring young children without holding a hand the whole way.

How long does a visit to the track take?

Budget half a day from central Sarajevo: about 20 to 30 minutes each way for the cable car and transfers, plus an hour or more walking the length of the run and photographing the graffiti. Add another hour if you continue to the summit viewpoints.

Is the site free to enter?

Yes, the track itself has no entry fee, no gate and no staff. The only cost most visitors pay is the cable car ticket to reach the top of the mountain.

Was Trebević used during the siege of Sarajevo?

Yes, the mountain held military positions overlooking the city during the 1992 to 1996 siege, and the bobsleigh track itself was used by besieging forces. The site today is presented as an abandoned sports venue rather than a memorial, and it’s worth knowing that history without dwelling on it.

What’s the best time of day to visit?

Late morning to mid-afternoon gives the best light for the graffiti and the clearest mountain views. Avoid the last cable car down if you’re walking the full length of the track, since the path back to the upper cable car station has no lighting after dark.