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Mostar. Private day trip from Dubrovnik — Stari Most, Kravice, Blagaj & Počitelj
One unsupported arch over the Neretva — built in 1566, lost in 1993, lifted back out of the river stone by stone. The Old Bridge, Kravice's falls, Blagaj and Počitelj, door to door in a private van.
Two banks, one stone.
A rainbow arch, thrown from rock to rock as high as the sky.
Evliya Çelebi, Ottoman traveller, 17th century
Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent ordered a permanent crossing in 1557. It fell to Mimar Hayruddin, a pupil of the imperial architect Sinan, to work out how a single unsupported span could hold. He cut about 1,100 blocks of tenelija limestone from the hill the bridge still stands on, pinned them with iron clamps set in lead, and left no two stones the same size.
Local telling has it that Hayruddin waited out the removal of the scaffolding far from the river, certain the arch would fall. It did not — it carried loaded mules, then carts, then Second World War tanks, without complaint. Your free time in Mostar starts at its parapet, and it's a couple of hours from Dubrovnik with the border handled for you.
- Span
- 28.7 m
- Width
- 4 m
- Stones
- ≈ 1,100
- Material
- Tenelija limestone
Twenty-one metres, straight down.
Men have gone off this parapet since at least 1664, when the first jump was written down. Since 1968 it has been a competition, held every July. The drop is about 21 metres in summer and further when the river runs low — watch from the terraces below while the club collects from the crowd before anyone jumps.
The Neretva is snowmelt. It sits between 10 and 14 °C in August, cold enough that landing badly is the smaller of two problems. Only trained members of the Mostar diving club go off the bridge; the apprenticeship runs for years, and every diver in town will tell a visitor no.
- First recorded
- 1664
- Competition since
- 1968
- Water
- 10–14 °C
Down in an afternoon. Back in eleven years.
Roughly a third of the original bridge was recovered from the riverbed by army divers and put back into the arch. The rest was cut from the same quarry, by the same method, at the insistence of the people who lived with the gap.
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1566
The arch closes
Nine years after Süleyman commissions it, Hayruddin's span opens over the Neretva.
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9 Nov 1993
Shelled
After sustained shelling during the war, the arch drops into the river it crossed for 427 years.
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Jun 2001
Foundations reopened
A UNESCO-led coalition begins reconstruction to sixteenth-century method and material.
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23 Jul 2004
Reopened
The rebuilt bridge is inaugurated, at a cost of about 15.5 million US dollars.
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2005
Inscribed
UNESCO lists the Old Bridge Area, citing reconciliation as much as architecture.
Everything is a short walk.
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The centre of everything
Stari Most
Cross it slowly — the stone is polished glass-smooth and the raised ribs are the grip. Divers go off the parapet all afternoon in season.
UNESCO · Free to cross
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≈ 30 m
Old Bridge Museum
Inside the Tara tower at the eastern end. The archive of the destruction and the rebuild is the clearest account you will find — about forty-five minutes.
Museum · Ticketed
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≈ 50 m
Kujundžiluk
The coppersmiths' lane, running straight off the bridge. Still a working trade behind the souvenir stalls — listen for the hammering rather than looking for it.
Bazaar · Free
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≈ 150 m
Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque
Climb the minaret for the photograph everyone comes for: the bridge side-on, with the river running under it. Narrow stairs, and a queue after ten in the morning.
Viewpoint · Ticketed
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≈ 250 m
Kriva Ćuprija
The Crooked Bridge, a smaller arch over the Radobolja from 1558 — widely read as Hayruddin's rehearsal, built eight years before Stari Most.
Bridge · Free
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≈ 40 km by road
Kravice Waterfalls
A wide amphitheatre of falls tumbling into an emerald pool — photos, a coffee by the water, or a summer swim on the way to or from Mostar.
Nature · Swim stop
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≈ 12 km from Mostar
Blagaj Tekke
A 600-year-old dervish house built into the cliff where the Buna pours out of the mountain — improbably photogenic, and the water is startlingly cold.
Dervish house · Ticketed
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≈ 30 km toward the coast
Počitelj
An Ottoman-era stone village climbing the hillside, crowned by a fortress with sweeping valley views — twenty minutes is enough, and worth every one.
Stone village · Fortress
Walking distances from the Old Bridge; Kravice, Blagaj and Počitelj are stops on the drive. Tap a photo to view it full screen.
A relaxed, flexible itinerary.
A typical day looks like this — but it's private, so we shape it around you.
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Morning
Hotel pickup
Your driver meets you at your accommodation. Settle into a comfortable, air-conditioned van and we set off along the coast.
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The border
Into Herzegovina
We handle the border crossing while you relax. First stop: Počitelj or Kravice, depending on the season and crowds.
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Midday
Mostar & lunch
Free time to explore the old town and Stari Most at your own pace, with a recommendation for an authentic local lunch.
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Afternoon
Blagaj & the Buna
Visit the cliffside Tekke and the cool spring before a scenic drive back toward the coast.
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Evening
Back to your door
We drop you right back at your accommodation in Dubrovnik, relaxed and full of stories.
What's included.
- Door-to-door hotel pickup & drop-off
- Private, English-speaking driver
- 8-seater van or 7-seater luxury Mercedes V-Class
- All fuel, tolls, parking & border formalities
- Flexible stops & local recommendations
- Bottled water & child seats on request
Not included: entrance fees, food & drinks, and personal expenses.
One fixed price, all-in.
Priced per vehicle, not per person — bring the whole group for the same price. Price on request.
- Duration
- 10h or 12h
- Price per vehicle
- On request
Up to 8 guests · private driver, fuel, tolls, parking & border formalities included. Price on request.
Before you travel.
- Best hours
- Before 09:30 or after 18:30 the bridge is nearly empty — the day coaches from the coast fill it between. A private start time is how you beat them.
- The bridge
- Open at all hours, free to cross. The stone is polished and steep — the raised ribs are the grip, and flat shoes make it easier.
- Diving
- Certified members of the Mostar diving club only. There is no lesson-and-jump, whatever you are offered.
- The water
- The Neretva runs 10–14 °C through summer; Kravice's pools are warmer and the better swim. Bring swimwear from May to September.
- Currency
- Bosnia uses the Convertible Mark (BAM), though euros are widely accepted in the old town. Your driver can advise on where to change.
Herzegovina, arranged.
Send us your dates, pickup spot and group size for a fixed, all-in price. Fastest replies on WhatsApp.