Mostar City Break from the UK — Weekend Guide & Itinerary

Overview

Why Mostar for a city break?

Mostar is one of the most beautiful small cities in Europe — a perfectly preserved Ottoman town on the Neretva river, in the Herzegovina hills, whose restored Stari Most (Old Bridge) is one of the finest pieces of Ottoman architecture in existence: a single white limestone arch of extraordinary elegance, built in 1566, blown up by Croatian forces in 1993 and rebuilt in 2004 using the original technique and stones recovered from the riverbed. The reconstruction — a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005 — is not just a bridge but a statement about what human culture can rebuild after catastrophe. The old bazaar of Kujundžiluk, with its coppersmith workshops, the mosques and the minarets reflected in the Neretva are among the most photographed images in the Balkans.

There are no direct flights to Mostar from the UK. The most practical routes are via Split (70km, 90 minutes by bus or shared taxi — Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 fly direct from UK airports) or via Dubrovnik (130km, 2.5 hours by bus). Both cities justify their own stay. Alternatively, connections via Zagreb or Sarajevo (2.5 hours by bus from Mostar). Go from April to October: the city is at its finest in summer when the Kriva Cuprija area fills with café tables and the diving competition from the Stari Most (young men dive 21 metres into the Neretva — a 450-year tradition) is in full display.

Where to stay & explore

Mostar's best neighbourhoods

Stari Grad (Old Town) & Kujundžiluk

The Ottoman old town — the Stari Most, the copper bazaar, the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque and the most concentrated historic architecture in Herzegovina.

Lučki Most & the West Bank

The Croat-majority western bank of the Neretva — the modern city, the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Partisan Memorial Cemetery.

Blagaj & the Neretva valley

The stunning gorge south of Mostar — the Buna spring (the largest karst spring in the Balkans), the 16th-century Dervish tekke built into the cliff above the water, and the most dramatic natural setting in Herzegovina.

Things to do

What to see in Mostar

Stari Most (Old Bridge)

The defining image of Bosnia and Herzegovina — the 29-metre single-arch limestone bridge over the Neretva, built by the Ottoman architect Mimar Hayruddin in 1566 and rebuilt 2004 using original stones from the riverbed and the traditional mortar technique (tenelija limestone, quicklime, eggshells). The reconstruction took ten years; the result is indistinguishable from the original. Divers from the Stari Most Divers Club have been jumping the 21 metres into the Neretva since the 16th century — they still perform for visitors in summer after a voluntary contribution. Walk the bridge at dawn for the finest light and no crowds; at sunset for the most atmospheric view.

Kujundžiluk Bazaar and the mosques

The 16th-century Ottoman bazaar street of Kujundžiluk — coppersmith workshops (the hammering of copper trays, coffee sets and candlesticks that has continued for 500 years), jewellery sellers, carpet shops and the finest concentration of Ottoman commercial architecture in the western Balkans. The Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque (1617) at the bazaar's eastern end has a minaret that gives the finest view of the Stari Most and the old town rooftops (climb for €3). The Old Bazaar Mosque and the Crooked Bridge (Kriva Ćuprija, 1558 — older than the Stari Most) are both nearby.

Blagaj Tekke

One of the most extraordinary sites in Bosnia — 12km south of Mostar, at the source of the Buna river (the largest karst spring in the Balkans, producing 43 cubic metres of water per second from the base of a 200-metre cliff), a 16th-century Dervish tekke (monastery) has been built directly into the cliff face above the water. The tekke is still functioning; the riverside café below it is one of the finest lunch settings in the country. Bus or taxi from Mostar (30 minutes). The canyon walk upstream from the tekke requires a permit but the view from the road is extraordinary.

Partisan Memorial Cemetery and the Heliodrome

The Partisan Memorial Cemetery (1965, designed by Bogdan Bogdanović) is the finest piece of modernist public art in Bosnia — a cemetery for the 1,059 Mostar partisans killed in the Second World War, with abstract stone forms rising from terraced gardens that are simultaneously moving as memorial and extraordinary as architecture. The juxtaposition with the Ottoman old town a ten-minute walk away encapsulates the layers of Mostar's history. The Heliodrome (the former football pitch used as a war crimes site in 1993, now restored to use) is a more difficult but important part of the city's recent history.

Food & drink

Where to eat in Mostar

Tima-Irma

Bosnian / old town

The finest traditional Bosnian restaurant in Mostar — a garden setting near the Stari Most, serving the finest ćevapi (grilled minced beef and lamb in a somun flatbread with raw onion and kajmak — the Bosnian soured cream), the lamb sač (slow-cooked under a bell-shaped iron lid) and the house burek (flaky pastry with meat or cheese). Excellent value; book ahead for the garden tables.

Labirint

Herzegovinian / riverbank

The most scenic restaurant in Mostar — a terrace directly over the Neretva, with the Stari Most visible from every table. The grilled river trout (from the Neretva), the lamb chops and the Blatina (the local Herzegovinian red wine from the Trebinje region) are all excellent. The setting at sunset, with the bridge reflected in the water below, is the finest dining view in the western Balkans.

Čajdžinica Đikić

Traditional café / old bazaar

The most authentic traditional café in Mostar — a 19th-century čajdžinica (tea house) in the Kujundžiluk bazaar, serving the Bosnian coffee ceremony (ground coffee in a džezva copper pot, poured slowly, drunk with a sugar cube and a piece of lokum Turkish delight). This is the correct way to drink coffee in Bosnia; allow 30 minutes and learn the ritual. Under €2 for the finest coffee experience in the western Balkans.

Itinerary

3 days in Mostar — a suggested itinerary

Day 1

Stari Most at dawn, bazaar, Blagaj tekke, riverside dinner

Bus from Split or Dubrovnik to Mostar (book ahead; several daily departures). Walk to the Stari Most immediately — at dawn the bridge has no crowds and the limestone catches the early light in a way that the afternoon never matches. The Kujundžiluk bazaar: the coppersmith workshops, the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque climb for the rooftop view. Čajdžinica Đikić for Bosnian coffee. Bus or taxi to Blagaj (30 minutes) for the tekke built into the cliff above the Buna spring — lunch at the riverside café below it. Return to Mostar for dinner at Labirint over the Neretva.

Day 2

Old town depth, diving competition, Partisan Cemetery

The Crooked Bridge (Kriva Ćuprija, 1558 — the practice bridge for the Stari Most, smaller and more intimate) in the morning. The Old Bazaar Mosque. The War Photo Exhibition in the old town (documenting the 1992–1995 siege of Mostar) — one of the most important photographic records of the Bosnian War. The Partisan Memorial Cemetery — Bogdanović's modernist masterwork. The Stari Most Divers in the early afternoon if they're performing (the collection is voluntary; €5–10 is appropriate for a full performance). Tima-Irma for dinner in the garden.

Day 3

Počitelj village or Kravice Waterfalls, farewell ćevapi

Počitelj — 30km south, bus (45 minutes) — is the finest Ottoman village in Bosnia: a fortified hilltop settlement of stone houses, mosques and a citadel above the Neretva gorge, in a setting that looks unchanged since the 16th century. The climb to the citadel gives the finest view of the river canyon. Alternatively: Kravice Waterfalls (40km southwest, taxi essential) — a horseshoe of limestone waterfalls 25 metres high above a clear turquoise pool, the most beautiful swimming spot in Herzegovina (best June to September). Return to Mostar for a final ćevapi with kajmak before the bus to Split or Dubrovnik.

Why Mostar for a city break?

Mostar's best neighbourhoods

What to see in Mostar

Where to eat in Mostar

3 days in Mostar — a suggested itinerary

Cities similar to Mostar