Walking Tours of Mostar

Mostar is a walking city. The Old Town is pedestrian, the main sights are a few minutes apart, and the streets around the bridge are too steep and narrow for cars anyway. You can walk it alone with the routes below, or join a local guide for the history behind each stop.

Before you set out

  • Shoes: the paving around Stari Most is made of rounded river stones polished by centuries of feet. Wet or dry, it is slippery. Wear soles with grip.
  • Heat: in July and August the valley often passes 40°C. Walk early in the morning or after about 18:00, and carry water.
  • Crowds: coaches from Dubrovnik and Split fill the bridge from late morning to late afternoon.

Route 1: the Old Town loop (about 1.5 km, 1.5 to 2 hours)

  1. Start at the Crooked Bridge (Kriva Ćuprija) over the Radobolja, dated 1558.
  2. Walk along Prijeka čaršija on the west bank to the Halebija Tower.
  3. Cross Stari Most, rebuilt and reopened in 2004 after its destruction in 1993.
  4. Visit the Old Bridge Museum in the Tara Tower (about 10 KM) for the reconstruction story and the view from the top.
  5. Follow Kujundžiluk, the bazaar street of coppersmiths, on the east bank.
  6. Finish at the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque (1618) and its courtyard view back to the bridge; the minaret climb costs extra.

Route 2: Spanish Square and the Bulevar (about 2 hours)

This walk covers the modern city and the war of the 1990s, so go at a quiet pace. Start at Spanish Square (Španski trg) in front of Gimnazija Mostar, the Moorish Revival school by František Blažek finished in 1898 and 1902. The Bulevar running past it was the front line in 1993 and 1994, and some facades still carry the damage. The former Ljubljanska Banka building, the Sniper Tower, was a sniper position; its entrance is bricked up, so see it from the street and do not go inside. Further west on Bijeli Brijeg, the Partisan Memorial Cemetery by Bogdan Bogdanović (1959 to 1965) honours Mostar’s Second World War Partisans. Its name plaques were smashed in June 2022; visit it with respect.

Route 3: street art

Since 2012 the Street Arts Festival Mostar, run by the Rezon association, has added murals to walls across the city, many of them on Šantićeva street and in the streets around it. Wander them on your own; murals change from year to year.

Guided walks

Several local guides run tip-based free walking tours of about 2.5 hours, often meeting in front of the Hamam Museum or on Spanish Square; the meeting point and start time depend on the operator, so confirm on the booking page. Some guides also offer separate war-history walks. Search for one on GetYourGuide .

Places to pause

  • The Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque courtyard for the best view of the bridge.
  • Café de Alma on Rade Bitange, for a Bosnian coffee from beans roasted on site.
  • The terraces above the river for an evening drink as the bridge lights come on.

Background reading

The UNESCO listing explains why the Old Bridge area was inscribed in 2005 (whc.unesco.org ), and the Museum of Herzegovina describes the Old Bridge Museum (muzejhercegovine.com ).

Read more: sightseeing in Mostar and things to do in Mostar .