On this page 5 sections
Sarajevo sits in a narrow valley with hills on every side, which means two things for remote work: lovely evening walks up to the viewpoints, and mobile signal that sometimes disappears behind a hill. I spent July working a normal 40-hour week from a flat on the slope above the old town. Here is the setup, the rhythm and the admin I wish I had sorted before I arrived.
Before you book the flat
Photos of a rented flat will show you the sofa and the view. They will not show you the desk, the chair or the upload speed. I now send the same four questions to every host before booking:
- Can you send a photo of the table where I would work, with a chair?
- Could you run a speed test and send me a screenshot?
- Is the connection fibre, cable or mobile?
- Is there air conditioning or a fan in the room with the table?
Two hosts did not reply. One sent a speed test of 8 Mbps up. The one I booked sent a photo of a real desk and a test above 50 Mbps both ways. That flat cost slightly more and was worth every mark.
The first week, day by day
| Day | Work | After work |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Half day. Unpack, test calls from every room, find the best signal | Walk the old town, buy a SIM, find the supermarket |
| Tuesday | Full day at the flat desk | Climb to a viewpoint for sunset |
| Wednesday | Full day, test a café for a morning | Market for vegetables and cheese |
| Thursday | Full day, try a coworking day pass | Cook at home |
| Friday | Short day, finish by three | Tram ride out to the spring at the edge of town |
By Friday I knew which room dropped calls, which café had sockets and which hours the neighbourhood was loud.
Time zones and hours
Sarajevo is on Central European Time, the same as Berlin or Paris. For anyone working with the UK or Portugal that is one hour ahead, which is easy. With the US East Coast it is six hours, which means afternoon and evening calls. I blocked mornings for deep work and kept 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. for meetings, then walked after.
The kit I carried
| Item | Why it earned its place |
|---|---|
| Laptop stand, folding | Kitchen tables are too low for eight hours |
| Compact keyboard | Pairs with the stand to save your neck |
| Two European plug adaptors | Type F sockets, and never enough of them |
| Short extension lead | The desk is never near the socket |
| Wired earbuds | Bluetooth headsets misbehave on weak connections |
| Small power bank | For tethering from the phone in a café |
The honest downsides
The summer heat in a top-floor flat is real, and many older buildings have no air conditioning. The call to prayer, church bells and the tram all mark the hours; after a week I liked it, but on a client call it can surprise people. And in winter, which I have also tried, the valley traps smog for days at a time. If you are planning a long stay, come between late spring and early autumn.
What I got in return was a city small enough to cross on foot, coffee served slowly in copper pots, and evenings on the hills that made the workday feel short.