Mostar is one of the most dramatically situated cities in the Balkans — a city of minarets and church towers in a limestone gorge of the Neretva River, where the Ottoman Stari Most (Old Bridge) rebuilt in 2004 after its deliberate destruction in 1993 stands as the most powerful symbol of post-war reconciliation in Europe. The original bridge, built in 1566 by the Ottoman architect Mimar Hayruddin, stood for 427 years before a Croat artillery shell brought it down during the Bosnian War — its UNESCO reconstruction from the same Tenelija limestone used in the 16th century was a statement of intent by the city and by the wider post-war generation. The Old Bridge area (Stari Grad) on both sides of the Neretva remains Bosnia's most complete Ottoman urban landscape — the Kujundžiluk bazaar, the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, the hammam and the Muslibegović House are all within walking distance. In summer, professional divers and brave tourists leap from the bridge's 21 m arch into the ice-cold Neretva as part of a tradition that has been maintained without interruption since the bridge's original construction.
The UNESCO Old Bridge is most beautiful before the tour groups arrive — the white limestone arch in the morning mist above the turquoise Neretva, with Koski Mehmed Pasha mosque minaret on one bank and Halebija Tower on the other.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe cobblestone bazaar street of silversmiths, copper craftsmen and souvenir shops leads directly to the bridge — the most photographed street in Bosnia-Herzegovina; the Muslibegović House (1863) is an intact Ottoman house museum nearby.
The 1618 Ottoman mosque on the cliff above the Neretva has the finest interior in Bosnia's smaller mosques — the porch, minaret climb and view down to the bridge are all worth the modest entry; the minaret view is the best free photography in the city.
Ćevapi (minced meat sausages in somun bread) and burek (flaky pastry with meat) are the two dishes that define Bosnian cooking — Šadrvan restaurant on the bridge banks has a riverside terrace and serves both with ayran yoghurt drink.
The Ikari diving club has maintained the tradition of leaping from the 21 m bridge arch since the original bridge was built in 1566 — training sessions open to observers; brave visitors can attempt the jump after a mandatory training course.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe western side of Mostar remained under Croat control during the war — the Franciscan Bell Tower (2005), the controversial cross on Hum Hill and the more modern, commercial character contrast sharply with the Ottoman east bank.
Mostar's small war documentation museum in the Stari Grad area preserves photographs and testimony from the 1992–95 siege — the Sniper building that divided the city is still visible and the war photography is powerful.
15 km from Mostar, a 16th-century Dervish lodge (tekke) is built at the base of a 200 m limestone cliff where the Buna River emerges fully formed from its source cave — one of the most spectacular natural sites in the Balkans.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideHerzegovina produces some of the Balkans' most interesting wine — the Žilavka white and Blatina red are indigenous varieties grown on karst limestone; several wineries around Mostar do tastings of these little-known Balkan grapes.
35 km south, the UNESCO-nominated fortified village on a rocky ridge above the Neretva has a 16th-century mosque, tower, bath and clock tower in near-perfect Ottoman preservation — the views over the river valley are extraordinary.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe "Balkan Niagara" — a curtain of 26 waterfalls dropping 26 m into an emerald basin on the Trebižat River — is the finest swimming spot in the western Balkans; arrive early before the summer crowds.
🎫 Book tickets via GetYourGuideThe Stari Grad hammam (Turkish bath) in Mostar has been restored and operates for visitors — a 16th-century vaulted steam room and traditional scrub treatment in an Ottoman structure.
The riverbank restaurants on both sides of the bridge are illuminated at night — the bridge glows white above the dark green water; a grilled trout from the Neretva and a glass of Žilavka is the perfect Mostar farewell.