Mostar

The cobbled lanes of the old bazaar, Kujundžiluk, are lined with copper workshops, souvenir stalls and cafés, and local divers still jump from the bridge in summer. Nearby you can visit the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque, whose minaret offers the best view of the bridge, along with its peaceful courtyard and fountain, and the traditional Ottoman houses with their wooden interiors.

Just upstream, the small Crooked Bridge spans a side stream of the Neretva and is often said to have been a trial run for the great Old Bridge. In the evening the bridge and the stone houses are lit up, and the riverside terraces are a lovely place for dinner.

Mostar pairs perfectly with the Kravica waterfalls, the dervish house at Blagaj and the stone village of Počitelj. It is a stop on our All the Balkan Countries: A 16 Day Tour, the Tour of Yugoslavia in 12 Days and the Full Balkan Experience: A 10 Day Tour, linking the Adriatic coast with Sarajevo.

Mostar lies on the main road between the Croatian coast and Sarajevo, which makes it an easy stop between Dubrovnik and the Bosnian capital. Summers are very hot, so explore the old town in the morning or evening; spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons.

Gallery photos: Berthold Werner (CC BY-SA 4.0), BáthoryPéter (CC BY-SA 3.0), Fred Romero (CC BY 2.0), Adam Harangozó (CC BY-SA 4.0), Adam Harangozó (CC BY-SA 4.0), Adam Jones (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons