Things to do
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Blagaj Tekija
A dervish lodge sits flush against a cliff at the source of the Buna, where the river emerges from a cave mouth in one cold surge. Built around 1520 for the Sufi order and restored since, it keeps its wooden rooms, tombs and a small prayer hall open to visitors. Modest dress is required and shoes come off at the door. Riverside restaurants nearby serve trout.
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Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque
Climbing the minaret of this 1618 foundation gives the postcard view of Stari Most from above the water, which is why its queue forms early. The prayer hall keeps painted floral decoration and a carved mihrab. Stairs inside the minaret are tight, unlit in parts and two-way, so anyone uneasy in confined spaces should stop at the courtyard terrace, which has its own outlook.
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Kravica Waterfall
On the Trebižat river, a curved wall of falls drops into a wide pool that doubles as a swimming hole through the summer, with a shingle beach and cafes behind. Spring melt makes the volume dramatic and the water too cold and fast for swimming. A steep path or a small train links the car park to the basin. Weekends in July and August are heaving.
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Mostar Old Bazaar
Copper and brass workshops gave Kujundžiluk its name, and the cobbled lane running off the bridge still mixes them with stalls of rugs, lamps and shell casings worked into souvenirs. Grill houses and terraces along the river serve Herzegovinian wine and burek. The stones are slippery in rain and the lane narrows to single file at midday. Shutters go up around nine and the coach parties arrive soon after.
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Počitelj
Stacked up a limestone slope above the Neretva, this Ottoman village of stepped lanes, a mosque, a hammam and a medieval tower was largely emptied and damaged in the 1990s, then rebuilt as a heritage site and artists colony. The climb to the Gavrankapetanović tower is short but steep and unshaded. Fig and pomegranate sellers work the roadside. It fits neatly between Mostar and the coast.
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Stari Most
Rebuilt in 2004 with stone from the original quarries, the single arch over the Neretva replaces the sixteenth-century Ottoman span destroyed by shelling in 1993. Its stones are worn slick and set with raised ridges for grip, which matters on the climb. Divers from the local club drop from the parapet through the summer once enough has been collected from onlookers. Crowds thin after dark, when the arch is lit and the bazaar has half closed.