Mostar and Herzegovina Day Trip

Sarajevo and Mostar are only about two hours apart by road, and the route between them is one of the most beautiful drives in the Balkans, so a long day trip is the simplest way to see Herzegovina. The tour we recommend leaves in the morning with a small group of up to twenty and picks you up from your accommodation if you stay outside the old town. The first stop is Konjic, famous for its old stone bridge over the Neretva, then you continue south, through the mountains and into the warmer, Mediterranean-influenced landscapes of Herzegovina. Highlights include Kravice Falls, a wide horseshoe of cascades on the Trebižat river, the old Ottoman fortress village of Počitelj with its stone houses stacked on a hillside, the Blagaj tekke at the source of the Buna river and finally Mostar, where you have time at the Old Bridge. A Bosnian brunch with a handcrafted sandwich is included, and the guide gives running commentary on the history, geology and culture along the way. It is a long day, around twelve hours, but there is a lot of variety and you do not have to drive.

The distances are manageable, but the day is full, and you will cover a lot of ground. The route follows the Neretva valley, which means you see the river change from a mountain torrent to a wide, green stream, and the landscape from alpine to something closer to Dalmatia. The best value of an organised trip is that the stops are sequenced sensibly and that a local guide handles parking, tickets and timing, which can be chaotic in summer when buses from the coast arrive.

What will you actually see? Konjic's bridge is a short stop with a good photograph. Kravice is the visual highlight, a curtain of water falling into a pool where swimming is possible in summer, though in autumn the falls are quieter and less crowded. Počitelj is a quiet, evocative village that you can explore on foot, and Blagaj is a peaceful monastery beneath a cliff at the head of a spring. In Mostar you have about an hour and a half, which is enough for the bridge, a coffee and a walk through the bazaar but not enough to see everything, so you may want to stay overnight if you can.

Practical points: the tour begins early, so be ready at pickup, and entrance fees at Kravice and Blagaj may be paid separately, since the listing is inconsistent, so check before you go. An optional boat trip under the Mostar bridge is paid in cash. It is not designed for visitors with limited mobility, and the long hours in a minibus can tire small children. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start.