Welcome to Mostar!
In today’s video we’re showing you around one of the great gems of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mostar was one of the many stops of our travels through the Balkans, but it ranked right at
the very top!
This city is as postcard-perfect as they come, complete with Ottoman constructions, soaring
minarets, and colourful buildings that overlook the emerald waters of the Neretva River.
Our time here was spent wandering through the markets, sampling local dishes, and visiting
a few mosques and museums along the way, so come and join us in this travel guide as we
show you around Mostar (Мостар) and give you a few ideas for your own trip!
Alright guys so we have walked into town from our AirBNB and I think our first stop is going
to be the main pedestrian road which I believe is pronounced Brace Fejica.
So there is like a lot of little different shops and museums and mosques and attractions
along the way.
Um, so yeah we'll show you that pedestrian road first and then we'll check out some of
the sights along the way.
This street is lined with restaurants, cafes, and hotels, but as you approach the famed
Old Bridge, it turns into a bit of a bazaar with small shops that are bursting at the
seams with all manner of souvenirs.
There were copper earrings and beaded necklaces, leather purses and Turkish lamps, hand woven
tapestries and your classic fridge magnets.
After browsing a few stores, Audrey settled on a copper coffee set, but let’s get back
to the sightseeing.
Okay so it is time for our next attraction.
Next up we're going to be visiting the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque (Koski Mehmed-pašina
džamija).
Um, it dates back to the 17th Century and it is on the east side of the river.
We just bought our tickets which look a little something like this.
And it is 3 Euros if you only want to visit the mosque or 6 Euros if you want to visit
the mosque and also climb the minaret.
So we have paid our 6 Euros in we go.
So we are now inside the mosque and look at these colors.
This is amazing.
And it looks like there is another level.
You just go up a set of stairs.
I don't know if maybe this is where women pray separate from men.
That would be my best guess.
And now it is finally time to go up.
Let's do this.
So super narrow spiraling staircase.
I wonder if it is probably the same way up as down.
So I'm kind of glad we are the only ones here right now because I couldn't imagine a traffic
jam.
Oh.
Okay Sam so we just finished visiting the mosque and climbing the minaret.
We sure did.
Thoughts on this attraction?
It is beautiful inside.
Yeah.
Absolutely stunning.
Like it is so intricate and so colorful too.
So colorful and just I mean the carpets and the designs.
Yeah.
Everything like it is just it is beautiful inside.
Getting back on the pedestrian street, we eventually reached Stari Most, also known
as the Old Bridge, which is the city’s main landmark.
This 16th-century Ottoman bridge joins the two parts of the city across the River Neretva.
The original bridge was destroyed during the Croat–Bosniak War, however, when the war
ended, plans to rebuild the bridge were put in motion.
The rebuilding process called for Ottoman construction techniques using the same materials
and technology as the original bridge.
I feel like we've crossed Stari Most a gazillion times since we arrived in Mostar (Мостар)
but now we have come down to the river's edge and in my opinion these are the best views
of the bridge so check these out.
Today, the main draw to Stari Most are the divers known as mostari.
This is a name that was formerly used for the gate keepers of the bridge during medieval
times, and it’s also where the city gets its name from.
There are some beautiful views to be had both from the bridge looking upstream, and down
by the river’s edge gazing up at Stari Most.
Alright Sam, tell us about the brave bold divers.
Well the brave bold divers unfortunately we just missed one this morning.
Yeah.
There was a huge commotion going on over on the bridge but we were on the wrong side of
it.
Yeah.
So we heard the big splash but we didn't actually see it happen.
It was kind of loud and scary I have to say.
Yeah.
But we've watched YouTube videos and seen what they do and it is high.
Yeah.
I mean it is a high jump and apparently these divers kind of wait around and collect money
from you know different spectators.
Yep.
And once they reach I think around the 25 Euros threshold that is when they'll do their
jump.
But I mean it is the middle of November right now so they're obviously not doing too many
at the moment.
We haven't seen any others today but uh if we if I can catch that it will be a magic
moment.
It would.
But now let’s take a quick break from the sightseeing and talk about food, because once
you’ve crossed the bridge over to the west side, you’ll find some of our favourite
restaurants in all of Mostar (Мостар).
So we’ll introduce you to those, and also show you a few traditional dishes you should
definitely order!
First up, breakfast, the most important meal of the day.
Our quest for a Bosnian breakfast lead us to Divan, where we ordered fritters and a
variety platter of meats and cheeses.
It was our favourite breakfast in Mostar!
Just look at this.
So I'll tell you what we ordered.
Um, so we got uh a mixed platter.
We did.
With beef prosciutto, smoked sausages, travnic cheese (Travnički), livno cheese, sach cheese,
sour cream and local doughnuts (miške).
Which are these over here.
And I actually tried these a few days ago yep we had them with cream cheese at another
place.
Yep.
Um, they are really tasty.
Yeah, it was really good.
Another restaurant we really enjoyed was Konoba Taurus.
This restaurant caught our attention because of its beautiful construction right by a small
creek, so we knew we had to come back and we brought our appetite.
We ended up ordering a whole bunch of small side dishes here, which were brought out on
a massive platter fit for a king and queen.
So I'm just going to grab a little bit of everything and let's start with the stuffed
things.
So stuffed vine leaf.
I'll take that.
Stuffed pepper.
I'll take that.
Haha.
And for the stuffed cabbage that is ginormous piece.
So let's cut it in half.
Well I'm glad there is enough to go around oh yeah because it sounds like you'd take
everything.
Haha.
Let's try this one.
It feels like I'm going to have a bulging belly by the time I leave this city.
You know I'm totally okay with a bulging belly.
Haha.
Thank you Mostar (Мостар).
Haha.
Nothing was left on our plates and here’s some evidence of Sam wiping the whole platter
clean with his bread.
This feast was followed by desserts, because when in Mostar.
Then there was Tima Irma, where we were wowed with the size of the portions, the delicious
food, and the friendly staff who always greeted us with big smiles on their faces.
Okay, so today we are eating at Ćevabdžinica Tima-Irma and it is one of the top rated restaurants
here in Mostar so I'm pretty excited and they specialize in something Sam has been wanting
to have for a while now.
Yep.
The Ćevapi.
The ćevapčići.
Right here.
So we've ordered that and then we also ordered a mixed meat platter for one.
Yeah.
I have a feeling it is going to be enough meat for the two of us actually.
It looks a little something like this.
Yep.
So yeah that is what we're having for dinner tonight.
Sam is having beer.
I've got mineral water and let's wait for it to arrive.
We ate here a few times and it was amazing.
We even managed to squeeze in some dessert!
Šadrvan is another very well-known restaurant in Mostar (Мостар) that we visited multiple
times.
And again, I couldn’t seem to stay away from their stuffed peppers with cream, this
is a dish I ordered almost on the daily, along with bosnian cookies which are really minced
meat patties, and all sorts of other stuffed vegetables.
This one is dolma baked in cream.
Yep.
So you've got like the little peppers stuffed with rice, stuffed with minced meat.
You've got some chopped carrots um so yeah it is really good and it comes with cream
in the middle and there were six pieces.
There is a lot of cream in the middle.
There were 6 pieces once upon a time.
Once upon a time.
Sam was taking so long filming that I was like I've gotta eat man.
Audrey Audrey is not very patient when food is in front of her.
I'm like Audrey please just wait let me he took way too long.
Let me photograph it and then I've been too much of that lately I'm so hungry.
Forget about it.
They also had some nice desserts on the menu like tufahija, which is an apple stuffed with
walnuts.
And aside from food, one drink that we couldn’t forget to mention is Bosnian coffee (bosanska
kafa).
I’ll take it from here.
so I'm very excited to be trying Bosnian coffee.
Oh yeah.
This is my very 1st time to try it.
Apparently it is very similar to Turkish coffee.
Super strong.
It is supposed to be very strong.
The grounds apparently are uh the coffee grounds are still at the very bottom.
Yeah, so they're not filtered.
They are not filtered out of the water so you have to let them yep settle before you
pour yourself a cup.
Exactly but anyways let's talk about the process.
So first up yes they gave you that little sweet treat.
They gave us a sweet treat so and the waiter said that first.
It is time to try a bite of that.
That looks so good.
It kind of it looks a bit like a it looks like something like a honey like a big chunk
of honey.
Let's try that.
Let's see what that is all about.
Oh, yeah.
Is it like honey or Turkish Delight?
It reminds me of something like exactly in between.
So now that you've eaten that you are supposed to take a little bite of the sugar and then
sip on the coffee.
Yes.
And apparently you can dip your sugar in the coffee to soften it.
Pick that up.
Dip the sugar.
I'm going to dip it in.
Yeah.
Look at that.
And then you take a little bite of the sugar.
Mmmhmm.
And you're going to sip coffee right away.
Or so I've been told.
Oh woah.
Okay.
So obviously the first thing you taste is the sugar and then that is one potent coffee
I must say.
Yeah.
Oh yeah.
It is nice and strong.
Are you going to be jittery all day?
Just the way.
Yeah probably.
I've already had like two cups of coffee at home and this is my third so.
Going back to the sightseeing, another bridge we encountered while walking around the Old
Town is the Crooked Bridge (Kriva Cuprija).
This stone bridge closely resembles Stari Most as it was built as a test run before
tackling the larger bridge.
The streets that we're walking on I've never seen streets like this anywhere before.
They are basically like they are not cobbled but they are like these rounded stones so
as you're walking around your feet almost get like this weird massage.
So now we're making our way to our next attraction and we're going to be visiting the Hamam Museum
which I'm super interested in.
After having traveled quite a bit in Istanbul but always being too chicken to go to a Hamam.
The Hamam Museum is set in a former Turkish bath house, which also happens to be the only
preserved hamam in Mostar.
The museum deals with customs surrounding bathhouses.
It’s a small museum so you likely won’t spend too long here, but it’s worth the
visit.
Plus, on the way out, they have a cool souvenir shop where you can pick up soaps, loofahs,
and towels to use in your own bath at home, or for a public bath visit - if you dare.
And this right here is our entrance ticket to the Turkish House (Kajtaz).
It is 2 postal cards.
They stamped it on the back to show we each paid 2 Euros.
So yeah that makes for a nice little souvenir.
What a great idea.
And check out the color of these carpets.
The Turkish House is a small museum where you can get a glimpse of life during the Ottoman
days.
After paying our admission fee, we took our time wandering through the house, which was
filled with traditional furniture, colourful carpets, household items, and a mix of old
photographs and paintings.
There’s even a chest with traditional clothing if you’re looking to dress up for photos,
but the views are what make this house really special.
I've gotta say when we were first going in I was kind of thinking this place looks Korean.
Especially because of the entrance.
Those doors you really see it in old um Hanok buildings all over Korea not just in Seoul.
So that is what it reminded me of.
But yeah, it was super cool and inside you can just see kind of like the layout of what
a Turkish home would have been like.
Um, the carpets, the pillows, the furniture.
So yeah, it is a cool little spot here in Mostar.
I would recommend it.
Lastly, if you feel like you’ve covered Mostar, there’s a relatively easy half-day
trip to Blagaj.
This town is known for its dervish monastery (Tekke Blagaj Tekija) which is set at the
foot of a cliff and next to a river with emerald green waters.
It’s about a half-hour ride by public bus or you can take an organized tour.
While we weren’t blown away by the interior of the monastery, we can appreciate that it’s
a photogenic place with plenty of natural beauty all around, so it’s a place to consider
if you have some time to spare.
And that’s a wrap for Mostar!
We can honestly say this was one of our favourite destinations of the entire year.
With its Ottoman architectural wonders, delicious dishes served in heaping platters, and warm
locals who take hospitality to a whole new level, there’s a lot to love about the city!
Mostar is strikingly beautiful, but it’s the people who give the place its soul.
Yes, the city’s been through a lot, and it still bears the scars of a horrible war
fought in the 90s, but Mostar has picked itself up and is showing visitors all it has to offer.
We hope you enjoyed getting to experience this city through our eyes on this travel
guide, and as always, if you have any other suggestions of things to do in Mostar, feel
free to share your tips with travellers in the comments below.
In the meantime, wishing you happy travels and until next time!