I keep going back to Mostar. Four visits now — twice as a day trip from Dubrovnik, once from Sarajevo, and once as a proper multi-night stay. Each time I learned something. The first visit I made every mistake. By the fourth, I'd figured it out.
Here's everything.
Getting There & Getting Around
2.5 hours, ~5.50 EUR, through a jaw-dropping river gorge. The railway follows the Neretva River through tunnels and along cliff edges. Most travelers take the bus (also 2.5h, ~11 EUR). Take the train instead. You won't regret it.
1. The Sarajevo-Mostar train is one of Europe's best-kept scenic secrets.
2. From Dubrovnik, the bus takes 3 hours. Globtour runs multiple daily services for ~18 EUR. The drive crosses the Bosnian border twice (Bosnia has a small coastal strip at Neum). Keep your passport handy.
3. The old town is entirely walkable. Mostar's UNESCO zone is compact — you can walk from the bus station to Stari Most in 15 minutes. Taxis start at 2 BAM and are rarely necessary.
4. Bosnia is NOT in the EU or Schengen. A Schengen visa does not cover Bosnia. Most Western nationalities enter visa-free, but Indian citizens need a specific Bosnian visa. Check before you travel.
The Bridge & Old Town
5. Cross Stari Most at dawn. The bridge is free to walk anytime. At 7AM, you'll have it nearly to yourself. The stone is slippery — the Ottoman cobbles are polished smooth by five centuries of footsteps. Wear shoes with grip.
6. Climb the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque minaret for THE photo. 12 BAM (~6 EUR). The 89-step spiral staircase is narrow and steep but the view from the top — the bridge, the river, the old town spread below — is the classic Mostar postcard shot. Remove shoes to enter the mosque.
7. Watch the bridge divers but don't feel pressured to jump. Local Mostari club divers have been jumping from the bridge since 1664. They'll do it for watching crowds, or you can pay 25 EUR to jump yourself after a brief training. It's 24 meters. Into cold, fast water. Only for confident swimmers.
8. The old bazaar prices are negotiable. Start at 40-50% of asking price for copperwork, lamps, and carpets. The vendors expect it. Not negotiating actually confuses them.
Food & Drink
9. It's Bosnian coffee, not Turkish coffee. Calling it Turkish coffee is a faux pas. Bosanska kafa is served in a brass dzezva with sugar cubes and rahat lokum (Turkish delight). The ritual: pour a small amount into the fildzan cup, dip a sugar cube, sip slowly. It's meant to last 30+ minutes. Rushing it is poor form. 2-3 BAM everywhere.
10. Eat cevapi at Tima-Irma. Grilled minced meat fingers served in somun bread with raw onion and kaymak cream. A full plate is 8-12 BAM (~4-6 EUR). Tima-Irma near the bridge does the best version in Mostar. Cash only.
11. The restaurants along the Neretva are worth the slight premium. Yes, they're tourist-oriented. But eating grilled trout (15-20 BAM) with the bridge visible upstream and the emerald river below justifies an extra 5 BAM over places a street back.
Day Trips
12. Kravica Waterfalls are 40 minutes south and absolutely worth it. A 25-meter semicircular waterfall with a swimming pool below. Entry 10 BAM (~5 EUR) in summer. The water is ~18°C — refreshing in July, bracing in September. Bring swimwear and water shoes. Drive or take an organized tour (from 25 EUR).
13. Blagaj Tekke before 10AM is a different experience. The 16th-century Dervish monastery built into a cliff face where the Buna River emerges from a cave is stunning. But after 10AM, tour buses from Dubrovnik and Split flood in. Entry 5 BAM. The riverside restaurants serve fresh trout (15-20 BAM). 12km from Mostar center.
History & Sensitivity
14. Visit the War Photo Exhibition. 10 BAM (~5 EUR). A museum documenting the 1992-1995 siege of Mostar through photographs and artifacts, housed in a bullet-scarred building. Essential context for understanding the bridge's destruction and reconstruction. Emotionally intense. Allow 45 minutes.
15. Don't ask locals "which side" they're from. Mostar was divided along ethnic lines during the war. The east bank is predominantly Bosniak (Muslim), the west predominantly Croat (Catholic). Both sides are safe and welcoming. But the war is recent memory. Avoid casual war references or ethnic questions.
16. The bullet holes in buildings are real. Many buildings outside the restored old town still bear bullet and shrapnel scars from the siege. Some are marked with memorial plaques. Don't photograph them flippantly.
Practical Details
17. Mostar is one of Europe's best-value destinations — rivaling Plovdiv in Bulgaria. Hotel rooms 50-80 BAM (25-40 EUR) in the old town. Full cevapi meal 8-12 BAM. Beer 3-5 BAM. A full day's expenses can be under 60 EUR.
18. Don't hike off marked trails. For safe Balkans hiking, try Plitvice Lakes in Croatia. Bosnia still has landmines from the 1990s war in rural and mountainous areas. Stick to paved roads, marked trails, and cleared areas. Red-and-white skull signs indicate mined zones. The old town and main tourist routes are completely safe.
The One-Day vs Two-Day Question
Most travelers visit Mostar as a day trip from Dubrovnik or Sarajevo. That's enough to see the bridge, eat cevapi, drink Bosnian coffee, and climb the minaret.
But staying overnight transforms the experience. After the day-trippers leave at 5PM, the old town becomes quiet and atmospheric. The bridge at sunset, empty except for a few locals, is a different place from the bridge at noon with 500 tourists.
Two nights lets you add Kravica Waterfalls and Blagaj Tekke without rushing. The second evening — Bosnian coffee at a riverbank cafe, the bridge lit up against the darkening sky — is when Mostar stops being a tourist sight and starts being a place.
Currency and Money
19. The Convertible Mark (BAM) is pegged to the Euro at 1.96:1. Euros are widely accepted but change is given in BAM. ATMs are available in the old town. Cards accepted at most restaurants and shops. Small bazaar vendors prefer cash.
20. Withdraw BAM rather than paying in Euros. You'll get a better rate using local currency. ATMs dispense BAM. Some tourist shops quote prices in Euros but charge a markup.
