Things to Do in Mostar - Top Attractions, Hidden Gems & Must-See Sights

About 150 meters north of Stari Most, this mosque sits right on the left bank of the Neretva. It was declared a national monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2004, and the complex includes a madrasa, a courtyard fountain (shadrvan), and a small graveyard. The mosque itself is modest in size but carefully proportioned, and the interior has that quiet calm you expect from Ottoman religious architecture. But here's the real reason to come: the minaret. Climb the tight spiral staircase to the top, and you get one of the best views in Mostar. From up there, you look straight down at Stari Most, the emerald Neretva, and the red rooftops of the old town. It's a top sight in Mostar that most visitors stumble into only because it's on the way to the bridge. Admission is 6 BAM (roughly 3 euros), and it's open daily from 9:00 AM to 8:30 PM. The mosque is worth the small fee, but the minaret is the real draw. If you only climb one thing in the old town, make it this. The Neretva River viewpoint from the courtyard garden is also excellent and doesn't require stairs.

The city gets its name from the bridge. Stari Most, the Old Bridge, was built between 1557 and 1566 by Ottoman architect Hajrudin, and for over four centuries it was the lifeline connecting Mostar's two halves across the Neretva River. On November 9, 1993, it was destroyed during the Bosnian War. The bridge you walk across today is a 2004 reconstruction, stone by stone, using the same local tenelija limestone and the same medieval building techniques. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site that same year. Standing on it, you feel how narrow it actually is. The arch rises steeply, the surface is polished smooth, and in summer you'll see young men from the local diving club collecting tips from tourists before jumping 24 meters into the icy Neretva below. That tradition goes back to 1664. Walking the bridge is free and open 24/7, but the experience changes completely depending on when you go. Mornings before 9 AM, you might have it nearly to yourself. By midday in July, it's shoulder to shoulder. This is the absolute must-see in Mostar. Everything else in the old town radiates outward from here: the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque sits 150 meters to the north, the Crooked Bridge is a 2-minute walk west, and the Old Bazaar lines the approach from both sides. If you're looking for things to do in Mostar, start here and work outward.

Twelve kilometers southeast of Mostar's old town, at the point where the Buna River gushes from the base of a 200-meter cliff, sits a 16th-century Dervish monastery. The Blagaj Tekke was built for the Bektashi Sufi order, and its white walls pressed against raw rock face make it one of the most photographed spots in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The site was declared a national monument in 2003. The tekke (monastery) is still a functioning spiritual site, so you remove your shoes and women cover their shoulders. Inside, the rooms are spare and beautiful: wooden floors, woven carpets, low seating along the walls. Through the windows, you look directly at the river source, where the water is so clear it's almost blue-green. Admission is 5 BAM (about 2.50 euros), and the tekke is open daily from 8:30 AM to 8:30 PM. Getting here requires a short drive or taxi from Mostar, about 15 minutes. Several restaurants along the Buna serve fresh trout pulled from the river, and eating on their riverside terraces is half the reason to come. Unlike the crowds around Stari Most, Blagaj still feels relatively calm, making it one of the best places to visit in Mostar's surrounding area. Among the things to do in Mostar, this half-day trip is easily worth the detour.

Kriva Cuprija, the Crooked Bridge, was built in 1558, eight years before Stari Most. It spans the small Radobolja creek about 30 meters west of the famous bridge, and some historians believe it was a test run for the larger project. The arch measures 8.56 meters across and rises 4.15 meters high. It's essentially a miniature version of Stari Most, built from the same stone in the same style. What makes it worth a detour is the setting. Where Stari Most is dramatic and crowded, the Crooked Bridge is tucked into a quieter corner of the old town. The Radobolja flows gently underneath, there are small waterfalls nearby, and old stone walls line both banks. You reach it down a set of stone steps, and on most mornings the only company you'll have is a cat or two. The bridge is free to visit, open 24/7, and part of the same UNESCO World Heritage site as Stari Most. If you're walking from the bus station into the old town, you'll cross it naturally. Pair it with a stop at one of the small cafes along the Radobolja for a Bosnian coffee.

South of Stari Most, about a 5-minute walk downstream along the Neretva, Lucki Most (also called Most Mujage Komadine) is the bridge most tourists cross without thinking twice. It's a solid stone structure, less famous than its neighbor but offering something Stari Most can't: an unobstructed view looking back north toward the Old Bridge and the old town skyline. Many of the postcard shots of Mostar are actually taken from here or from the riverbanks nearby. The bridge itself is free to cross and open around the clock. It connects the east and west banks of the Neretva at a point where the river widens slightly, and the view upstream toward Stari Most, framed by minarets and stone houses, is one you'll want to pause for. It's an honest, working bridge, not a museum piece, and the foot traffic is lighter. If you're walking from the east side of the old town toward the western neighborhoods, Lucki Most is your natural crossing point. It's also the place to stand if you want to watch the famous bridge divers from a distance without fighting the crowd on Stari Most itself. A quiet spot among the places to visit in Mostar.