Mostar Travel Guide

Mostar is the main city of Herzegovina, built along a narrow gorge of the Neretva river about two hours south of Sarajevo. The old town is small, a few hundred metres of stone streets on either bank, joined by the Stari Most, the 16th century Ottoman bridge that was destroyed in 1993 and rebuilt by 2004.

Because the core is so compact, Mostar is often treated as a day trip from Sarajevo or the coast. That undersells it. Staying a night lets you see the bridge without the midday crowds, and puts you within reach of the Herzegovina countryside: vineyards, waterfalls and the karst villages that most day visitors never see.

Mostar packs a lot into a small area: an Ottoman old town, a river gorge, the most photographed bridge in the Balkans and a still visible line of war damage along the former front line. It is also the natural base for exploring the rest of Herzegovina, a region of karst hills, vineyards and turquoise rivers that gets far less attention than the coast nearby.

• The Stari Most itself, especially early morning or after the tour buses leave
• A dense, walkable old town of stone lanes, coppersmiths and riverside terraces
• War damage still visible a short walk from the restored core, a stark contrast
• A base for Kravice waterfalls, Blagaj, Pocitelj and the Herzegovina wine country

One night is enough to see the old town properly and catch the bridge without the crowds, but it does not leave time for anything else. Two nights lets you add a half day trip, most commonly Kravice waterfalls in summer or Blagaj and Pocitelj together, both an easy loop by car.

If Herzegovina interests you beyond the highlights, three nights allows a slower pace: a morning in the old town, an afternoon at a vineyard, and a full day further out toward the Bosnian side of the karst plateau.

• Cross the Stari Most at both ends and walk down to the riverbank for the classic view of the arch
• Watch, or in summer sponsor, one of the local divers who jump from the bridge into the Neretva
• Walk the old bazaar street, Kujundziluk, for copper work and the view from the upper terraces
• Visit the Museum of Herzegovina or the Old Bridge Museum for context on the 1990s destruction and rebuild
• Walk south along the former front line on Bulevar to see buildings still marked by the war
• Take a half day trip to Blagaj, where the Buna river emerges from a cliff beside a dervish house
• Visit Kravice waterfalls between late spring and early autumn, when the flow and the swimming are both good
• Stop in Pocitelj, a small Ottoman hill settlement on the road toward the coast

We do not book accommodation, so this is about which part of the city suits which kind of trip rather than specific properties.

• Right by the Stari Most: the most atmospheric option, but also the loudest during the day and the most exposed to summer crowds.
• The wider old town, a few streets back from the bridge: quieter at night, still a short walk to everything.
• The west bank, across the old front line: cheaper, more residential, still walkable but with a different feel.
• Outside the centre with a car: worth it if Herzegovina day trips are the main reason you are here.

For a country wide view, see where to stay in Bosnia.

Mostar has a small airport with limited scheduled service, so most travellers arrive overland. The city sits on the main road and rail corridor between Sarajevo and the Adriatic coast, which makes it easy to combine with either.

• By train: the Sarajevo to Mostar line follows the Neretva gorge and is one of the more scenic rides in the country, though it runs only a couple of times a day.
• By bus: frequent connections from Sarajevo, Split and Dubrovnik, and less frequent ones from Zagreb and Banja Luka.
• By car: about two hours from Sarajevo and around two and a half from Dubrovnik, including the border crossing.

Route by route detail is in how to get around Bosnia and travelling Bosnia without a car.

Mostar is the pivot between Sarajevo and the coast, so most itineraries place it either as a stop between the two or as a base for a Herzegovina loop before continuing on. It also works well as a link between Bosnia and a Croatia trip, since Dubrovnik and Split are both within a half day drive.

The 7 day Bosnia itinerary and the 10 day Bosnia itinerary both use Mostar as the second base after Sarajevo.

Late spring and early autumn are the most comfortable, with warm days and manageable crowds. Summer is hot in the gorge, often well above 30 degrees, and the bridge area is busiest between mid morning and late afternoon when day trip groups from the coast arrive.

Kravice waterfalls are at their best from April through June, when the flow is strong and the weather is already warm enough to swim. Winter is quiet and cool but rarely harsh, and the old town without crowds has its own appeal.

• Stone streets in the old town are slippery when wet or worn smooth by foot traffic. Flat shoes help.
• Day trip buses from the coast tend to arrive mid morning and leave mid afternoon. Visit the bridge outside that window.
• Cash is still widely used, especially for smaller vendors in the bazaar.
• If you plan to swim at Kravice, bring a towel and shoes that can get wet; the paths down are uneven.
• The Bulevar area with war damaged buildings is a short, respectful walk, not a sight to rush past for photos.