The Yellow Bastion (Žuta Tabija) is the best-preserved remnant of the Ottoman fortifications that once enclosed Sarajevo, a squat yellow-ochre tower on a hill above Baščaršija. It is reached by a short climb through the Vratnik neighbourhood — a steep residential district of old wooden houses and narrow lanes that is itself worth exploring.
The bastion offers the best viewpoint over old Sarajevo and the widest panorama of the city, with the minarets of Baščaršija below and the hills behind. It was built in the 17th century as part of the expanded city walls and survived the Austrian bombardment of 1878 relatively intact. In summer, an open-air café operates at the top. Sunset from here — with the calls to prayer starting across the city — is the kind of thing that stays with you.