What a day! I have just been to Mostar and Stari Most in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It was definitely an experience. But is Mostar safe? I grew up in Germany being aware of the war time 1992-1995 and so Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) was never on my ‘must visit list’. But hey, it’s a new country so let’s go.
The drive
The road and drive through Croatia to the BiH border was actually good. Although to get to the main highway I found myself on narrow and hilly Croatian mountain roads. Luckily I had time because it took much longer. It was still a great drive though.
You definitely get to see more of the way people live in Croatia. The little villages, houses and the farming land, not to mention the gorgeous mountain scenery. Their lives seems so far away from everything else and so simple, detached from everything else.
Once on the highway, I was at the border pretty quick. I was kind of nervous and excited at the same time. Was I really in Bosnia and Herzegovina? Who would have thought…
Mostar and Stari Most
As soon as I crossed the border the quality of the roads and buildings changed to being really damaged and badly run down. The buildings have traces of bullet holes and some are just left clearly damaged through the bombings. I felt like I was visiting ‘new ruins’ for a change. In the modern age it can be very sobering to see the effects of war and the scares it leaves on a place. (See photos below…)
Mostar was only 28km away from the border but on those roads it took me a while to get there and I was happy when I arrived. BiH is quite cheap so I managed to book a great room in the Old city centre which was great. I wouldn’t recommend to go or stay outside the tourist area.
Mostar is known for iconic Stari Most, a UNESCO, reconstructed medieval arched bridge. It is a really nice place and very idylic. It reminds me a bit of the small town Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic. The local food (a mix from Turkey, Italy and Greece) is delicious and the town had a overal Mediterranean feel. It is a predominantly Islamic country however so I didn’t feel it was the right time for shorts and bare shoulders.
Summary: Is Mostar safe? Yes, it is. But only the tourist area Mostar and Stari Most. So, if you can go to Mostar, do it. It is really worth seeing! I originally considered going to the capital city Sarajevo as well but given the state of the country, and the unsafe feeling I had outside the Mostar centre, I felt ok not to go. I don’t I would miss out too much. So back to Croatia and Dubrovnik tomorrow!
