Sarajevo 1984 Olympics Sites: Bobsled Track, Cable Car & Abandoned Venues

In February 1984, Sarajevo hosted the XIV Winter Olympic Games. Forty-nine nations competed. The city built world-class venues across its surrounding mountains. Eight years later, those same mountains became siege positions, and the venues became frontlines, artillery platforms, and ruins. Some have been rebuilt. Some are abandoned. All of them tell the same story — what Sarajevo was, what happened to it, and what it’s becoming.

The bobsled track on Trebević

This is the one most people come for — and for good reason. The Olympic bobsled and luge track on Mount Trebević is one of the most photographed abandoned sites in the world.

What it was. Built for the 1984 Olympics, the track hosted the bobsled, luge, and skeleton events. It was a state-of-the-art concrete run, 1,300 metres long, with banked curves cutting through the forested mountainside. After the Olympics it continued hosting World Cup events until 1991.

What the war did. During the Siege of Sarajevo (1992–1996), Trebević was held by Bosnian Serb forces. The mountain overlooked the city and was used for artillery and sniper positions. The bobsled track became a military installation. The original cable car that had connected the city to the mountain — already closed on safety grounds in November 1989 — was destroyed.

What it is now. The track is abandoned — a long concrete channel curving through the trees, covered in graffiti, slowly being absorbed by the forest. You can walk along it, stand in the curves, and see Sarajevo spread out below through gaps in the trees. There are no fences, no guards, no entrance fee — it’s open to anyone who walks up. Trebević was a frontline, though, and mine-suspected areas remain in the terrain around the venue: stay on the marked road and the cleared paths, and don’t cut into the undergrowth for a photo.

The graffiti is part of the experience. Layers of colour over the bare concrete, street art mixed with tags, some of it genuinely good. The combination of Olympic engineering, war damage, forest reclamation, and spray paint makes this one of the most visually striking places in the Balkans.

How to get to the bobsled track

Trebević Cable Car (Trebevićka žičara). The cable car reopened in 2018 — a replacement for the original that was destroyed in the war. The lower station is in Bistrik, about a 5–7 minute walk uphill from Sarajevo City Hall (Vijećnica).

• Price: 30 KM return for foreign visitors, 20 KM one way. BiH residents pay 6 KM return / 4 KM one way on presentation of ID; children under 7 travel free; a bicycle is +4 KM
• Ride time: 7 minutes to the top
• Operating hours: Monday 12:00–21:00; all other days 09:00–21:00
• Closed: in strong wind and during maintenance

From the top station, walk downhill on the paved road for 5–10 minutes. The bobsled track is clearly signposted. You’ll see the first curves of the track from the road.

On foot from the top station to the track and back: allow 1–1.5 hours total for the walk and exploring the track. If you walk the full length of the track, add more time.

Alternative: you can hike up Trebević from the city on the marked trail (about 1.5–2 hours uphill) or take a taxi to the cable car station. Keep to the marked trail — mine-suspected areas remain in the former-frontline terrain off it.

Total time for the cable car + bobsled track visit: 1.5–2 hours from leaving the city centre to returning.

What else is at the top

Beyond the bobsled track, the top of Trebević offers:

• Panoramic views of Sarajevo and the surrounding valley — especially striking at sunset
• Food and drink near the top station — what is open and when varies, so don’t plan a meal around it
• Walking trails through the forest on the mountain ridge
• The former Olympic hotel — partially rebuilt, visible from the trails

On a clear day, the view from the top is one of the best in Bosnia. Minarets and church spires in the valley below, mountains ringing the horizon, the city filling every flat surface between the hills. Bring the camera.

Zetra Olympic Hall

What it was. The Zetra Hall (now officially the Juan Antonio Samaranch Olympic Hall) was the centrepiece indoor venue of the 1984 Games — figure skating and ice hockey were held here. It was the most expensive venue built for the Olympics, completed in 1982, and became a major sports and events venue for the city.

What the war did. On 25 May 1992, Serb shelling destroyed the interior. During the siege, the building was used as a morgue, a storage facility for UN supplies, and a staging area. The wooden seats from the Olympic stands were used to make coffins for civilians killed in the war.

That detail — Olympic seats becoming coffins — is the single most concentrated image of what happened to Sarajevo.

What it is now. The IOC donated $11.5 million to rebuild Zetra. Reconstruction was completed in 1999. Today it’s a working arena hosting concerts, sporting events, fairs, and conferences. The building is functional and modern. The Olympic Museum is here too: the original museum building burned in 1992, and the salvaged collection was re-installed in the Zetra complex, in the premises of the BiH Olympic Committee, in 2004. Confirm opening hours with JU Gradski muzeji Sarajevo before you go.

• Location: Alipašina street, central Sarajevo — walkable from the old town (15–20 minutes) or a short tram ride
• Visiting: the exterior is always visible. Interior access depends on events. No regular tourist entry, but you can walk past and read the memorial plaques.

Jahorina — the women’s alpine resort

What it was. Mount Jahorina, southeast of Sarajevo, hosted the women’s alpine skiing events at the 1984 Olympics — downhill, slalom, and giant slalom. The mountain was developed as a ski resort specifically for the Games.

What the war did. Jahorina saw fighting during the Bosnian War, but the infrastructure survived better than most Olympic venues. The mountain was in Republika Srpska territory during and after the war.

What it is now. Jahorina is a fully operational ski resort — the best in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Modern lifts, groomed runs, hotels, restaurants. In winter it’s a genuine skiing destination with affordable prices by European standards. In summer it’s a mountain retreat with hiking and fresh air.

• Distance from Sarajevo: 25 km (about 30–45 minutes by car)
• Getting there: no public transport — taxi, rental car, or private driver
• Winter: skiing, snowboarding, cross-country. Lift passes are a fraction of Alpine prices.
• Summer: hiking, mountain biking, fresh air. Quiet and uncrowded.

Jahorina is the Olympic venue success story — the one that came back to life and works as a modern facility. If you ski and you’re in Sarajevo in winter, a day trip here is excellent.

Igman — the abandoned ski jumps

What it was. The ski jumping events (normal hill and large hill) and Nordic combined were held on Mount Igman, southwest of Sarajevo. The venue was built between 1980 and 1983. The ski jumping events drew tens of thousands of spectators to the mountain.

What the war did. Igman became one of the fiercest battle zones of the siege. The area was the buffer zone between Bosnian government forces and the Army of Republika Srpska. The ski jumps were left in completely unusable ruins by the end of the war.

What it is now. The ski jumps remain abandoned. The judges’ tower is bullet-pocked and partially collapsed. Traces of UN markings are still visible on the concrete. The surrounding forest has grown back around the structures. Multiple reconstruction proposals have been put forward since the 2000s, but none have been completed.

• Distance from Sarajevo: approximately 30 km southwest
• Getting there: car or private driver only — no public transport
• Visiting: the site is accessible but there’s no formal tourist infrastructure, and the approach runs through forest. Igman was one of the most heavily contested frontlines of the war and mine-suspected areas remain in the terrain around it — go with a driver or guide who knows the site, keep to marked and cleared paths, and do not walk into the treeline or the undergrowth. It’s a half-day excursion and best combined with Bjelašnica mountain.
• Worth it? For anyone interested in the intersection of sports history and war history, absolutely. For a casual tourist, the bobsled track on Trebević is more accessible and more visually striking.

Bjelašnica — the men’s alpine mountain

What it was. Mount Bjelašnica (2,067 metres), southwest of Sarajevo, hosted the men’s alpine skiing events at the 1984 Games. It’s the highest of the Olympic mountains.

What it is now. Bjelašnica has a small ski resort that operates in winter — less developed than Jahorina but with a wilder, more remote feel. The mountain village of Lukomir, near the summit, is one of the highest and most isolated settlements in Bosnia and a popular hiking destination in summer.

Bjelašnica and Igman are often combined as a day trip from Sarajevo — the ski jumps on Igman, then continue to Bjelašnica for mountain views and lunch. A private driver makes this easy.

The story these venues tell

The 1984 Olympics were a triumph. Sarajevo was a cosmopolitan, multiethnic Yugoslav city that pulled off a world-class Winter Games. The Opening Ceremony at Koševo Stadium, the events across four mountains, the cable car to Trebević, the gleaming Zetra Hall — it was a moment of genuine international pride.

Eight years later, every one of those venues was damaged or destroyed. The mountains became siege lines. The cable car, already out of service since 1989, was destroyed outright. The Olympic ice rink became a morgue.

And then, piece by piece, some of it came back. The cable car was rebuilt in 2018. Zetra was restored in 1999. Jahorina is a working ski resort. The bobsled track — the thing that wasn’t rebuilt — became the most powerful symbol of all: a ruin that people travel from around the world to see, precisely because it was left as it was.

No other city in the world has this story. The Olympics, the siege, the rebuilding — all within one generation, all visible within a single day. That’s what makes Sarajevo unlike anywhere else.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Sarajevo Olympic bobsled track free to visit? Yes. The track itself is open and free — no entrance fee, no tickets, no barriers. You just walk to it from the cable car top station (5–10 minutes downhill). Stay on the marked road and the cleared paths: the mountain was a frontline and mine-suspected areas remain in the surrounding terrain.

How much does the Trebević cable car cost? 30 KM return for foreign visitors, 20 KM one way. BiH residents pay 6 KM return / 4 KM one way on presentation of ID, children under 7 travel free, and a bicycle is +4 KM. The ride takes 7 minutes each way.

Can I walk inside the bobsled track? Yes. You can walk along the track, stand in the banked curves, and explore the full length. There are no barriers on the track itself, but keep to the track and the cleared paths around it — mine-suspected areas remain in the former-frontline terrain off them. Wear decent shoes — the concrete can be uneven and slippery when wet.

How long does the bobsled track visit take? Allow 1.5–2 hours total from the city centre — cable car up, walk to the track, explore, cable car down. You could spend longer if you want to walk the full track length or hike the mountain trails.

Is Zetra Olympic Hall open to visitors? The arena itself is not a regular tourist attraction — it hosts events (concerts, sports, conferences) and you can attend those, and the exterior and memorial plaques are always accessible. The Olympic Museum is in the Zetra complex, though: after the original museum building burned in 1992, the salvaged collection was re-installed here in the premises of the BiH Olympic Committee in 2004. Confirm opening hours with JU Gradski muzeji Sarajevo before you go.

Can I ski at Jahorina? Yes — Jahorina is a fully operational ski resort, 25 km from Sarajevo. It’s affordable by European standards and has modern infrastructure. The ski season is snow-dependent — confirm the resort is open for your dates before you plan around it.

Are the Igman ski jumps worth visiting? For history and photography enthusiasts, yes — the abandoned ruins are haunting. For casual visitors, the Trebević bobsled track is more accessible and more visually striking. Igman requires a car and a half-day commitment, and mine-suspected areas remain in the former-frontline terrain around the jumps — keep to marked and cleared paths and stay out of the treeline.

Plan your visit

Get to Sarajevo:

• Sarajevo Airport to city private transfer — 20 min, door-to-door
• Mostar to Sarajevo private transfer — 2.5 hours through the Neretva canyon
• Dubrovnik to Sarajevo private transfer — 4.5 hours, 1 border

Read more:

• One day in Sarajevo — hour-by-hour itinerary
• Things to do in Sarajevo
• Tunnel of Hope & siege history guide
• Baščaršija walking tour

Need a driver for the Olympic mountains? Hire a private driver by the hour — the best way to combine Trebević, Igman, Bjelašnica, and Jahorina in a single day without worrying about transport. Your driver can take you to viewpoints and venues that public transport doesn’t reach.