Mostar is undeniably one of the most beautiful cities in the Balkans, and it’s become an increasingly popular tourist destination over recent years. It’s not hard to see why: with its picturesque old town, rich culture, delicious food, and affordable prices (by Western standards), Mostar has so much to offer for a fairly small city.

The first time I ever visited Mostar was in 2017, when I visited as part of a guided tour from Dubrovnik. I instantly fell in love with the city, so much so that I returned the next year and spent around 5 days exploring its ins and outs; both in the old town and the new city! I most recently visited again last fall, and stayed for an additional 7 nights. Needless to say, I think that I fall in love with Mostar a little more every time I visit.

I’ve explored all the ins and outs of Mostar, and this is what my personal itinerary would be if I only had one day to spend in Mostar. You’ll get to experience the absolute highlights Mostar has to offer, all in just one day!

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Quick Tips for Visiting Mostar

Is 1 Day in Mostar enough time to see everything?

While I’m a huge advocate for slow travel and always recommend staying longer if you can, I completely understand that it isn’t always in the cards!

The good news is that even with just one day in Mostar, you can still hit most of the highlights and come away with a real feel for its beauty, its cafe culture, and its complicated history.

If you are only able to spend 1 day in Mostar, I suggest spending most of your time in the Old Town, which is the most picturesque part of Mostar that you see in all of the photos! While Mostar’s Old Town is quite small, there is still plenty to do, with lots of shops, cafes, restaurants, and museums.

Mostar as a Day Trip VS an Overnight Stay

Mostar is an incredibly popular day trip from the Croatian Coast or Sarajevo, but it’s becoming an increasingly popular standalone destination.

Personally, I suggest spending a night or two in Mostar so that you have a full day to explore without having to rush back to your home base! Plus, the Old Town can get super busy with lots of tour groups around midday, so if you stay overnight you’ll have the opportunity to experience a more peaceful side of the Old Town in the evening and early morning. 

Below are some of my top accommodation recommendations in Mostar:

If staying overnight isn’t a possibility, there are a ton of day tours available to book, making for a convenient way to get to Mostar without dealing with the headache of driving yourself. As I mentioned earlier, I first experienced Mostar on a guided tour from Dubrovnik, and had a really great experience! It gave me a taste of Mostar and left me wanting to experience it further.

This 1-day Mostar itinerary is designed for a full self-guided day, as guided tours offer limited free time and flexibility. If you choose to sign up for a guided day tour, you’ll still find parts of this guide helpful, but you might not have as much time to do everything I recommend, especially since you will be on a stricter timeline.

Day tours from Dubrovnik: 

Day Tours from Split:

Day Tours from Sarajevo:

Getting to Mostar

Getting to Mostar takes around 2.5 – 3 hours if you’re from Croatia or Sarajevo, depending on traffic and border crossing conditions.

If you’re coming from Sarajevo, I highly recommend taking the train (2 hours), since it’s known as one of the most scenic train rides in Europe! A one-way ticket costs between €7 and €9, and you’ll pass through Bosnia’s breathtaking countryside, river gorges, and towering limestone mountains along the way. 

Coming from Croatia takes a little more time since Bosnia is not part of the EU and you will have to go through border control. There’s usually a bit of a wait,  especially during the peak summer months, so if you plan on doing it as a day trip from Croatia, just be prepared to spend at least 5 hours on the road in total. It’s a really long day, but it’s definitely still worth doing if a day trip is your only option. 

Morning: Explore Mostar’s Old Town 

Again, I want to reiterate that Mostar is an incredibly popular day trip destination from the Croatian coast, so unless you are going to be one of those day trippers, the single best thing you can do with a limited amount of time in Mostar is to start early, ideally before 9 am, to experience the Old Town while it’s still peaceful.

Your morning in Mostar is all about soaking in Stari Most and the Old Town before the day trip crowds roll in, so plan to be up and out the door early! You’ll wander through Kujundžiluk, take in the bridge from every angle, and settle into a slower pace with a proper cup of Bosnian coffee.

Stari Most Bridge

I suggest starting your morning in Mostar at Stari Most, the Old Bridge that is the heart and soul of Mostar, before it gets crowded. The original bridge was destroyed during the war in 1993, and the version standing today is a faithful reconstruction using traditional building techniques, completed in 2004. The views of the Old Town from the bridge are stunning, with Ottoman architecture, colorful houses, and the turquoise Neretva River below. 

If you visit in the warmer months, you’ll likely spot the famous bridge divers leaping from the top into the icy river below. There’s an actual training and certification process the divers go through before they’re allowed to jump, so as tempting as it might look, this one is best left to the professionals!

Make sure to head down to the beach area below the bridge for some of the best photo opportunities! It gets busy, so if you want a photo of yourself without other people in the background, it’s best to visit the beach area before continuing through the old town.

Stroll through Kujundžiluk

After taking in the views of Stari Most, get a bearing of your surroundings and take a short stroll through Kujundžiluk, the historic bazaar street that winds its way toward Stari Most. It’s lined with Ottoman-era buildings and packed with shops selling copperwork, jewelry, and souvenirs, along with cozy cafes just starting to open up for the day. I never get tired of walking these streets! There’s always something new to notice, whether it’s the tinkering of a coppersmith at work or the smell of fresh bread invitingly drifting out from a tiny doorway.

Enjoy Coffee with a View

As the crowds begin to trickle in, escape into one of the many cozy cafes in the Old Town for a proper coffee break! Bosnian coffee culture is incredibly important here, and locals can spend hours relaxing at a cafe and chatting with friends. Bosnian coffee is very similar to Turkish coffee, served in a small copper pot called a džezva, alongside some sugar and a Turkish delight, and intended to be sipped slowly. If this type of coffee is too strong for your liking, no worries – most cafes also serve fantastic speciality drinks like lattes and cappuccinos! 

There are lots of fantastic cafe options in Mostar’s Old Town, but since you will only be spending 1 day in Mostar, I suggest picking one with a view of Stari Most!

Some of the best cafes with a view in Mostar include Najstariji Kafić-Čardak, Terrace Lagero, Caffe Šećerlook, and URBAN.

Afternoon: Culture, Lunch, and Mostar’s War History

Once the Old Town starts to fill up, you’ll shift your focus to a mix of culture, food, and history. Expect a stop at a gorgeous mosque and the Crooked Bridge, a relaxed lunch, an optional hands-on experience like a boat ride or coppersmith class, and time set aside to really understand what Mostar and its people lived through during the war.

Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque

In the heart of the Old Town along the riverbank, you’ll find the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, one of the most photographed spots in Mostar thanks to its minaret. It’s well worth climbing to the top for one of the best views of Stari Most in the entire city. Entry to the mosque and minaret is 15 BAM, payable in cash or by card at the entrance.

Kriva Ćuprija (the Crooked Bridge)

Before you leave this part of town, take a short walk to Kriva Ćuprija, the Crooked Bridge. It’s a smaller, quieter version of Stari Most that most tourists walk right past without realizing the history behind it. Local legend says it was actually built first, allowing the Ottomans to test whether their construction techniques would hold up before attempting the much larger Stari Most. It’s an incredibly charming little corner of the Old Town, so don’t skip it!

Lunch in the Old Town

For lunch, I suggest taking a short walk just outside the Old Town (restaurants in the heart of the Old Town get busy midday with the daytrippers from guided tours, so service can be slow or you might have to wait). My favorite meal in Mostar was at Aščinica Sahan, which is not far from the Museum of War and Genocide Victims you’ll visit afterwards. Another great option nearby is Crveni Han!

Museum of War and Genocide Victims

I’d strongly encourage spending part of your afternoon at the Museum of War and Genocide Victims. It’s heavy, and you might want to bring tissues, but it left a real impact on me that has stuck with me for years. There’s also a video presentation with English subtitles on the siege of Mostar that’s worth checking out. Entrance is €10 (20 BAM).

I never learned about the Bosnian War in school, and it was a topic I was extremely uneducated about the first time I visited Mostar. If you have a few minutes before your trip, I’d recommend doing a little reading beforehand so you can appreciate the city and everything it’s overcome on a deeper level.

Optional: Free Walking Tour of Mostar

If you have a bit more time and want an even deeper understanding of the city, I highly recommend booking the walking tour with Sheva, an experienced guide who actually lived in Mostar during the war. Hearing the city’s history firsthand from someone who lived through it adds a depth you simply can’t get from a guidebook or museum plaque alone. Just remember to bring cash to tip your guide at the end!

There are 2 guided tours available daily, and times vary depending on the season, but I suggest choosing the afternoon/early evening tour so that you can have a free morning to explore the old town at your own pace a bit before crowds trickle in.

Cross Into the New City

If your legs are up for it (and you have a little extra time before evening), crossing the river into the New City is worth your time! You’ll find cafes filled with locals, rather than tourists, along with many sobering reminders of the war, like the Sniper Tower, which, as the tallest building in the city, was used as a sniper position throughout the conflict. It’s a powerful contrast to the postcard views you just left behind in the Old Town.

Evening: Sunset, Dinner, and One Last Look at the Bridge

Once the crowds begin to thin out and the light starts to soften, I suggest taking another stroll through the bazaar for souvenir shopping, catching sunset over Stari Most, enjoying a well-earned dinner, and ending your one day in Mostar with a final walk across the bridge, under the night sky.

A Second, Slower Stroll Through Kujundžiluk

As the day trip crowds start to thin out, this is the perfect time to wander back through Kujundžiluk once more. The bazaar feels extra magical in the evening, and since you’re about to end your day with dinner, it’s the perfect time to buy some souvenirs, since you won’t have to lug around bags of copperwork and trinkets with you for the rest of the day!

Sunset at Stari Most

Make your way back toward Stari Most for golden hour/sunset. The pastel-colored sky and the light hitting the stone arch and the Neretva River below look stunning, and the Old Town has a completely different, more peaceful feeling once the day trippers have cleared out.

Dinner in the Old Town

Since you’ll only have 1 day in Mostar, I suggest dining at one of the fantastic restaurants in the Old Town. Restaurant Šadrvan is one of the most popular spots in Mostar thanks to its courtyard setting, traditional dishes, and costumed servers. It’s definitely one of the more touristy restaurants, but the food really is delicious, and the setting alone makes it worth a visit. Other great dining options that we really enjoyed in the old town include Terrace Lagero, Tima – Irma, and Timber & Stone Tavern Mostar.

If You Have a Little Extra Time

If you’re able to extend your day in Mostar a little, here are a few of my suggestions to add on to your Mostar itinerary:

Hum Hill

Overlooking the city, Hum Hill stands at about 436 meters high and offers one of the best panoramic viewpoints in all of Mostar. During the war, it was used as a sniper position overlooking the city, which makes the peaceful view you get today feel even more meaningful. At the very top sits the Millennium Cross, a 33-meter monument that was built in 2002. You can hike up (about 4 miles round trip from the Old Town, roughly 2 hours up and 1 to 1.5 hours back down) or take a taxi straight to the top if you’re tired or short on time. 

Take a Coppersmith Class

If you happen to be a crafty person like me, consider carving out an hour for a coppersmith class at AbrakaBakra, a small shop tucked into a quieter section of the Old Town. It’s run by a young copper artist who has practiced the craft since childhood, and getting to sit down and design your own piece rather than just buying one off a shelf made for one of my favorite memories from my entire time in Mostar. It’s a lovely way to slow down and actually connect with the city’s craft heritage, rather than just window shopping past it.

Day trip add-ons

If you’re able to stay a couple of nights, Mostar makes for a great base for nearby day trip experiences! The most popular day trips from Mostar include Blagaj, home to the beautiful Blagaj Tekija dervish house, Počitelj, a stunning stone medieval village, and Kravica Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Balkans, where you are able to swim during the summer months! You won’t be able to fit these into your single day in Mostar itself, but they’re worth keeping in mind if you decide to extend your stay.

Conclusion

Even with just one day in Mostar, you’ll leave with a real understanding of everything that makes this city so special, from the beauty of Stari Most to the resilience woven into every corner of the Old Town. If you have more time to spare, I’d highly encourage extending your stay so you can slow down even further, but if one day is all you’ve got, this itinerary will make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Planning more time in Bosnia? Check out my Ultimate Guide to Mostar, or my 7-Day Bosnia Itinerary if this blog post inspired you to extend your trip!