Mostar & the Neretva: the back story

About Mostar & the Neretva: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Sarajevo Editorial Team

South of Sarajevo, the Neretva cuts through the mountains towards the Adriatic, and the climate turns warm and Mediterranean. Mostar, with its famous bridge, is the jewel, surrounded by places worth a day of their own.

The Old Bridge

Stari Most, the Old Bridge, was completed in 1566 by the Ottoman architect Mimar Hayruddin, a single elegant arch of white limestone about 29 metres long, rising some 20 metres above the Neretva. Mostar is named after the mostari, the bridge-keepers.

Destroyed and rebuilt

The bridge was destroyed in November 1993, during the war. It was rebuilt using original techniques and, as far as possible, stone from the same quarries, and reopened in 2004. In 2005 the Old Bridge Area of the Old City of Mostar was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Stari Most is one of the most beautiful bridges in the world.

The divers

Young men of Mostar have dived from the bridge into the cold river for centuries. Divers collect money from the crowd before jumping, and an annual diving competition is held in summer.

Around Mostar

Within half an hour are the dervish tekke at the spring of the Buna in Blagaj, the terraced Ottoman town of Počitelj and the Kravice waterfalls. On the way from Sarajevo, the train and road pass Konjic, with its old bridge, and the lake at Jablanica.

When to go

Mostar is very hot and busy in July and August, especially in the middle of the day when tour coaches arrive. Spring and autumn are ideal; stay the night to see the bridge lit up and quiet.

Our advice: take the morning train from Sarajevo for the views, see the bridge early or late, climb the minaret of the Koski Mehmed-paša Mosque for the classic view, and stay the night. Next day, visit Blagaj, Počitelj and Kravice by car or tour.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Mostar & the Neretva: the back story before you go.