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The first time I ever heard of Mostar was in a Rick Steves episode on PBS. I used to love watching Rick explore Europe from my couch in the Midwest USA and dream of one day doing the same. I watched him walk around the cobblestone streets and cross the Stari Most Bridge and knew I wanted to go there too. Last summer, that dream came true and it was even better than I expected! I highly recommend this fascinating city.
1. Visit the Stari Most Bridge
It’s pretty much impossible to miss this beautiful bridge right in the center of the city (population around 100,000). Stari Most means Old Bridge. The name “Mostar” comes from the bridge keepers known as “mostari” who once guarded it during the Ottoman era.
The bridge crosses the Neretva River, linking the two halves of the city. Sadly, during the Croat–Bosniak War in 1993, the bridge was destroyed. Once the war ended, the bridge was reconstructed and the rebuilt bridge was opened in 2004.
When you visit the bridge, you’ll notice divers casually walking along the ledge of the bridge, outside the railing, collecting tips. As soon as they collect what they consider to be a sufficient amount, they will dive into the water. Sounds simple, right?
This actually takes a long time, much longer than you would think. Part of the fun is how they tease the crowd into thinking they are about ready to jump, only to cross back over the edge and ask for additional tips. With all of the teasing and back and forth – finally watching a jump feels like a big accomplishment!
2. Wander the bazaars
The streets of Mostar are a beautiful cobblestone and there are many streets filled with shops and goods for sale. We especially enjoyed seeing the incredible copper art and browsing the fabrics for sale. The Ottoman feel of the city makes it very different from other places as nearby as Croatia or Montenegro.
3. Take a guided tour
We chose Sheva Walking Tours and were lucky enough to have a tour with Ševko. Ševko had a really unique perspective as someone who was a young soldier during the war in the ’90s. It was clear that he cared very deeply for Mostar and was passionate about sharing the history and culture of his city.
One particularly memorable experience was our visit to a cemetery that, prior to 1993, had served as a city park. As we looked at the headstones and listened to Ševko talk, it became clear just how tumultuous and challenging a period the city had endured. Each headstone bore the date of 1993, serving as a stark reminder of the profound loss suffered during that time.
Before visiting Mostar, I had read that the city was divided by the river — one side was Muslim and the other Christian. Ševko explained that this was a simplification and didn’t truly reflect the reality of the city, with people of both faiths (or no faith) mingling together daily.
If you only do one thing in Mostar – it should be this tour. You’ll see all of the big sites, walk across the Stari Most Bridge, walk through the bazaars, and even stop for an ice cream cone. The important thing is that his commentary adds valuable context to what you are looking at. I was very happy we met him and took the tour.
The tour is tip-based, so you can give what you choose to at the end of the tour.
4. Visit the “Crooked Bridge” (Kriva Cuprija)
This little bridge crosses a creek near the Neretva River. The original building date is unknown, although it was destroyed in a flood in 2000 and rebuilt. It leads down to a charming restaurant, shown below with flowers in the arches. We ate there while looking out at the creek below. Many of the buildings in Mostar have stone roofs, which gives the city a unique look.
5. Sample the delicious Bosnian food
We had so many tasty and reasonably priced meals in Mostar. Overall, Mostar’s prices are very affordable when compared with the USA, which works well with our travel strategy. We enjoyed restaurant meals for $6-8/person. One of my favorite Bosnian flavors was ajvar, a roasted red pepper sauce. My son was thrilled with a meal he ordered that looked to me to be a thin hamburger on a piece of bread. He said it was extremely flavorful. The restaurant menus were fairly heavy on meat, although considering the number of international tourists, I’m sure there are vegetarian options to be found.
6. Taste Bosnian coffee
The coffee is typically served with sugar cubes and a side of candy similar to Turkish delight. To me, the texture took a little getting used to, but it was a fun experience!
7. Take a boat ride down the Neretva River
There are small speedboats located right down by the beach that take tourists on short rides under the Stari Most Bridge. There is no need for a reservation – simply walk up to the booth, pay your $10, grab a life jacket, and find the nearest boat. The ride doesn’t last long, but we were able to see a diver take the plunge during our ride, which was a lot of fun.
How to get to Mostar
We spent two nights in Mostar as part of a larger Balkan itinerary. We traveled to Mostar from Split and since there were four of us, we booked a car and driver. FlixBus is also an option when traveling to Mostar from Split, Dubrovnik, and Kotor. We’ve used FlixBus many times in the past for bus tickets. I recommend paying extra to reserve your seats.
It makes sense to add Mostar to a larger itinerary including Croatia and Montenegro. There is so much to see in the area, it’s hard to narrow it down!
Flying to Bosnia-Herzegovina from the USA
We flew into Split, Croatia from Minneapolis using Chase Ultimate Rewards points transferred to Virgin Atlantic. I explain how to do this in my Ultimate Rewards Guide, Part 2. At the end of our trip, we flew out of Podgorica, Montenegro using United miles. We acquired some of the miles from a United card sign-up bonus and some from Chase Ultimate Rewards transferred to United. You can learn to transfer points to United here.
If you’re wondering how to get started with points and miles, I recommend the Chase Sapphire Preferred as your first card and explain more in the linked article.
If you are not using points and miles to fly, you can fly into any of the major airports near Mostar – Sarajevo, Dubrovnik, or even into the Mostar airport itself.
Where to stay
We stayed in an Airbnb with a balcony overlooking the Stari Most Bridge. We could not have been happier with the apartment. The A/C was cold, the balcony was incredible, and it was an easy walk to everything we wanted to see.
The Mostar Downtown Hostel is available for as little as $33/night.
If you’d like to splurge a bit, the Hotel Restaurant Kriva Cuprija offers free breakfast, clean rooms, and a welcoming staff for $145/night.
When to visit
Keep in mind that Mostar gets very hot during the summer. We went in July and there were moments in direct sunlight where I felt like I could melt. With that said, I would still recommend a summer visit, or if you can manage it, visiting during the shoulder season (April-May, September-October) would also be nice.
Conclusion
Mostar is a beautiful and interesting city to visit. We stayed two nights, which gave us one full day to explore. Although some people visit on a day trip, we were happy to have the chance to see the sun go down and the bridge light up. I highly recommend adding this beautiful city to your Balkan itinerary.
