Mostar

Mostar is the largest city in Hercegovina, with a small but thoroughly enchanting old town centre. At dusk the lights of numerous millhouse restaurants twinkle across gushing streams, narrow Kujundžiluk bustles joyously with trinket sellers and, in between, the Balkans' most celebrated bridge forms a majestic stone arc between medieval towers.

Stay into the evening to see it without the summer hordes of day trippers. Stay even longer to enjoy memorable attractions in the surrounding area and to ponder the city's darker side – beyond the cobbled lanes of the attractively restored Ottoman quarter are whole blocks of bombed-out buildings, a poignant legacy of the 1990s conflict.

Between November and April most tourist facilities go into hibernation, while summer here is scorchingly hot. Spring and autumn are ideal times to visit.

Explore Mostar

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Latest Stories from Mostar

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Mostar.

  • Bridge

    Stari Most

    The world-famous Stari Most (meaning simply 'Old Bridge') is Mostar's indisputable visual focus. Its pale stone magnificently reflects the golden glow of…

  • Museum

    Kajtaz House

    Hidden behind tall walls, Mostar's most interesting old house was once the harem (women's) section of a larger homestead built for a 16th-century Turkish…

  • Memorial

    Partisan Memorial Cemetery

    Although this cemetery is sadly neglected and badly vandalised, fans of 20th-century socialist architecture should seek out this magnificent memorial…

  • Museum

    Hamam Museum

    This late 16th-century bathhouse has been attractively restored with whitewashed interiors, bilingual panels explaining hammam (Turkish bath) culture and…

  • Gallery

    War Photo Exhibition

    This collection of around 50 powerful wartime photos by New Zealand photojournalist Wade Goddard is displayed in the western tower guarding Stari Most,…

  • Square

    Španski trg

    In the early 1990s, Croat and Bosniak forces bombarded each other into the rubble across a front line that ran along the Bulevar. Even now, several shell…

  • House

    Bišćevića Ćošak

    Built in 1635, this is one of Mostar's very few traditional Ottoman houses to retain its original appearance, albeit now with trinkets for sale and a…

  • Tower

    Mostar Peace Bell Tower

    While some might ponder whether this disproportionately large church bell tower (along with the whopping great cross on the hill above) speaks more of…

  • Museum

    Old Bridge Museum

    This somewhat sparse museum inhabits one of the defensive towers that guard either side of Stari Most. Visits start by climbing the five storeys for…

  • Mosque

    Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque

    Entered from a gated courtyard, this 1618 mosque (substantially rebuilt after the war) has a dome painted with botanical motifs and punctuated by coloured…

  • Square

    Trg Musala

    Trg Musala was once the heart of Austro-Hungarian Mostar. Today the square is a messy mishmash of architectural styles around a fountain garden. While the…

  • Museum

    MuM

    Strong on poetry, far less so on content, the slightly baffling 2014 annex of the Museum of Hercegovina has a dozen showcases on ethnographic lines and…

  • Ruins

    Ljubljanska Banka Tower

    Of several ruined structures remaining around Španski trg, perhaps the most disturbing is the triangular multistorey skeleton of what was once a bank…

  • Mosque

    Nesuh-aga Vučijaković Mosque

    Originally built in 1564, this attractive domed mosque has no set opening hours but its friendly young imam may show you around if he's there. Its…

  • Historic Building

    Muslibegović House

    Ring the bell to be ushered into this walled Ottoman courtyard house, built in the late 17th century and extended in 1871. Its main function today is as…

  • Museum

    Džemal Bijedić Memorial House

    Part of the four-headed Museum of Hercegovina, this small archaeological and ethnographic museum occupies the former house of Džemal Bijedić, a former…

  • Bridge

    Crooked Bridge

    Built around 1558, this pint-sized bridge crosses the tiny Radobolja River amid a layered series of picturesque millhouse restaurants. The original bridge…

  • Mosque

    Karadjoz-bey Mosque

    Mostar's biggest and, some might say, most beautiful mosque was built in 1557. Heavily damaged during the war, it has since been completely renovated with…

Top experiences

Whether it’s a guided tour of a historic landmark, private tasting of local delicacies, or an off-road adventure — explore the best experiences in Mostar.

  • Activities