Mostar, the top tourist destination in Balkan is a beautiful historical city and can easily be visited in just one day. We spent one full day in Mostar and visited almost every place we wanted to see.  

It is the biggest city in Herzegovina in the southern part of Bosnia & Herzegovina along Neretva River, is known for its iconic Stari Grad or Stari Most (Old Bridge), a reconstructed medieval arched bridge. The historic old town, developed in the 15th and 16th centuries as an Ottoman town and during the Austro-Hungarian period of the 19th and 20th centuries. The name of the city came from its Old Bridge, Stari Most and the city is famous for its old Turkish houses. The Old Bridge, which was designed by renowned architect Sinan along with the old town, was destroyed in the 1990s conflict. However, the Old Bridge and most of the Old City is recently reconstructed and restored with the help of UNESCO. This formerly war-torn city is now a lively and beautiful destination, packed with tourists from all around the world.

Mostar Old Town and Stari Grad (Old Bridge)

​​The old town of Mostar is relatively very small and can be easily covered in a couple of hours. We arrived there from Kotor, Montenegro and rented an apartment in the old town just 5 minutes away from Old Bridge for less than 50$ on Airbnb. The old town alleys are full of shops, markets, cafes & restaurants. 

We walk to the old bridge which was full of tourists. Group of local men will jump from the bridge and put a show for the visitors, don't be surprised when some men in their speedos come asking for money. The surface on the bridge is very slippery and it is advised to wear sturdy shoes, even though there are steps to walk on. After walking in the old town, we went to Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, it costs 2€ to enter and another 5€ to go up to the top of the minaret and has impressive panoramic views of Stari Most and Mostar.

Best Photography Spots in Mostar 

​​One reason to visit Mostar was to take some awesome pictures of Stari Most (Old Bridge) & beautiful old town. Here are some of best spots in Mostar to take pictures for instagram

​From the Stari Most (Old Bridge) itself, a perfect spot to take pictures of old town and the beautiful Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. The entrance of the gate is also impressive. 

The Kujundžiluk street bazaar is full of vendors selling souvenirs and there is a viewpoint above the Labirint Restoran, also you can walk to the terrace of the Restaurant for close up view

Nezir-agina džamija mosque, another beautiful small mosque in the old town near Hindin Han Restaurant before the small bridge. 

This is probably my favourite spot above the Neretva River to get close up view of the Old Bridge and Mehmed Pasha Mosque, on the end of Ibrahima Kreše street (see the above Google map)  behind the Hotel or Bed & Breakfast Biba, you will see small parking. There are some bushes which can be used perfectly as a foreground to add some depth to the picture. 

From Lučki most (Bridge), this bridge is on the south of Old Bridge, have panoramic views of the Old Bridge and in the background Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque. It is only five minutes walk from the Old Bridge and is a perfect photography spot. The only problem is in case of heavy traffic, the bridge shakes and if you want to take pictures with slower shutter speed, you need a heavy tripod otherwise wait patiently eventually the traffic will slow down.  

This is the most popular spot on the West Bank of Neretva river near to Ascinica NAR restaurant. In the above picture, you see a small beach and if you cross the stream, there are steps to walk on. Both locations are ideal to get great close up pictures of Bridge. 

Best Time to Take Picture 

​​The old town is very small and unfortunately very crowded especially when the day-trippers arrive. So the best time to take pictures is early in the morning and from Sunset to Blue hour when the lights on the bridge are turned on. 

Pro Tip 

One day is enough to see everything in Mostar and if you have more time then highly recommended to visit nearby Blagaj Tekke, a Sufi monastery, which is only 25 minutes drive from Mostar. Driving in Bosnia is safe, the roads have very light traffic. We rented a car in Croatia and drove to Mostar. While driving there we didn't feel unsafe or had any problem. 

Find out: Best day trip from Mostar