Today I want to share my travel itinerary for 1 day in Mostar with you. This city on the Neretva River in Bosnia and Herzegovina is famous for its Old Bridge, but there’s a lot more to discover on a visit.
1 Day in Mostar
I owe my 1 day in Mostar to a good friend. We studied abroad together in Prague when we were in college, and she came to visit me in London after her trip to the Balkans a couple years ago.
One of her favorite places to visit in Bosnia and Herzegovina was Mostar, a town with a bridge so famous it made the cover of the Lonely Planet Western Balkans guidebook she left with me when she went home to Seattle.
How to Get to Mostar
After spending the first day of my two-week trip to the Balkans in Sarajevo, I hopped on a bus for the two-hour-and-15-minute ride to Mostar.
The drive through the mountains and beside the emerald green river was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever experienced.
Where to Stay in Mostar
When I arrived in Mostar, I alighted at the bus station and walked to my accommodation, Villa Park.
My friendly host welcomed me in the reception and spent a generous amount of time recommending places to see and things to do in 1 day in Mostar.
After he handed me a Mostar sightseeing map, I headed upstairs to my room, which had two beds, a TV, a desk, and a large bathroom.
I quickly turned on the air conditioning to cool off from the sweltering heat outside. Once properly chilled, I ventured out to make the most of my 1 day in Mostar.
Things to Do in 1 Day in Mostar
First I walked down a friendly pedestrianized street full of mosques and markets. I passed by several historic houses that are now museums, and soon found myself in front of Mostar’s most famous monument, the bridge.
I’d read about the Old Bridge in Mostar before arriving and knew it had been built in the 16th century and stood as a city icon until the tragic war in the 1990s.
It was bombed and completely destroyed during said conflict, but fully rebuilt in the exact methods of the original bridge following the Dayton Accords.
The new Old Bridge in Mostar was just as stunning as its historic counterpart must have been.
Rising in a perfect peak high above the Neretva River, it was not only a symbol of the city, but also a symbol of Mostar’s ability to rebound after a rough period in Bosnian history.
All around the Old Bridge were souvenir vendors and shops selling everything from ice cream to paintings of the city.
There were far more tourists than I’d expected to see, but none seemed to speak anything but Italian, Spanish, and a smorgasbord of Slavic languages.
After exploring the old town and stopping for an overpriced bowl of chicken-and-vegetable soup called bey, I continued my 1 day in Mostar by venturing into the more modern part of town.
There I found a city on the mend. Bulevar Hrvatskih Branitelja, the official dividing line between the Croat and Muslim populations, was still lined with dilapidated buildings pockmarked by mortar shells and shrapnel from the war.
But many of the streets to the west were as cosmopolitan and full of cafes as Paris or Madrid.
Back in the old town, I continued my 1 day in Mostar by walking around until my feet were sore and I was convinced I would faint from heatstroke.
I soon found a corner cafe the manager of Villa Park had recommended. I ordered a plate of cevapi like the one I’d enjoyed the previous night in Sarajevo.
The only difference was that this place was out of the tourist zone. Consequently, my meal cost next to nothing. I was ready to relocate to the Balkans.
After dinner I walked back to the Old Bridge for one last look under the night sky. Then I returned to Villa Park for a good night’s sleep.
I awoke the next morning and headed to the bus station, where I boarded a service to Dubrovnik, a Croatian city I hadn’t visited in years.
1 Day in Mostar
I was excited to return to the Dalmatian Coast, but sad to end my 1 day in Mostar and leave Bosnia and Herzegovina. Next time I’ll spend more time in Mostar and Sarajevo and give the cities with the famous bridges more of their due.
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