Getting there: Malev Hungarian Airlines flies via Budapest from Dublin for €351.31 return. Sarajevo is a 13-hour train journey from Budapest and nine hours by train from Zagreb.
Accommodation: We stayed in the Halvat guesthouse in the middle of the old city. Two nights, bed and breakfast for two costs €111, including transport from the airport (www.halvat.com.ba). Other options include the three-star Hotel Saraj, also in the old part of the city with a great view, €106 for two nights for a single room (www.hotelsaraj.com); and the three-star Hotel Bosnia, in the city centre, with restaurant, which costs about €186.50 for a single room for two nights (Kulovica 9, 00387-33471251).
Currency: The euro is widely accepted but many shops will give you change in the local currency of the Convertible Mark (KM or BAM). It is roughly two marks to the euro.
Dining and dawdling: Inat Kuca restaurant, 1 Veliki Alifakovac, a riverside restaurant, serves delicious Bosnian dishes baked in a massive wood fire. A Bosnian stew (for less than €4) constitutes a complete meal.
Buybook, 4 Radiceva Street, in the city centre is the nicest place to indulge in coffee and conversation. In the evenings there are talks and music recitals.
Metropolis, 21 Marsala Tita. A great lunch place with mouth-watering desserts and a window made for people-watching.
Buregdzinica "Kus" in the city centre does the best fast food I've ever tasted.
Information on city tours at www.sarajevo-discovery.com