Mooching in Mostar
Bosnia has been somewhere I have wanted to visit for a long time and I finally got there in October 2022 with my friend. Day 1 – 19 October 2022 - We travelled on Easyjet to Dubrovnik from Gatwick the flight was so empty it was lovely to stretch out, it was a quick trip only 2hrs 10minutes. Arrival in Dubrovnik was easy clearing immigration especially as we only had hand luggage. Once through we took a cab to the Old Town (Euros 40) had a good looked around the walled City and Old Town, it wasn’t too busy as there weren’t any Cruise Ships and being October wasn’t the height of the season however, I can imagine in July and August it would be heaving. After that we found a tour guide named Igor who took us on a 1.5hr city tour (20 Euros per person) we visited Lapad, the Cable Car which has amazing views of Dubrovnik and lots of other small streets that the large tour buses can’t get down. He was very kind to drop us at the bus station ready for our trip to Mostar. We found a lovely restaurant opposite the Bus Station called Pizzeria Piccolo where we had the best pizzas and fantastic Croatian Wine for a very reasonable price! We had pre booked our bus tickets before we left the UK and I would recommend that you do this as there is only 1 bus a day it leaves Dubrovnik at 15.50 (although ours was 50 minutes late). The bus was old and the windows were filthy so you could see out….all part of travelling!! Take food and drink as nothing available on the bus. After 4 border stops we finally made it into Mostar at 8.30pm! The bus station was dark and we headed straight away to the official Taxi rank don’t take anything other than a licensed cab! It was about 10 mins to our hotel The Almeria, when we arrived we were greeted by a very nice lady on the reception we went to our room dumped our stuff and heading out to ger a local beer at price of a Euro!!!
Day 2 – 20th October 2022 – After a good night’s sleep, good Bosnian Breakfast we decided today we would spend all day in Mostar on foot We visited the Genocide Museum first this is an absolute must as it gives a good insight into what really happened and how the country has unified. It was harrowing and very upsetting but well worth the2hrs and 6 Euros. From there we visited the Cemetery and local Mosques . We had coffee at Café Terasa which has the most amazing views of the River and Bridge. We then visited the following Mostar Old Bridge – Which had to be rebuilt after the war Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque Karadoz Beg Mosque Bazar Kujundziluk – Great Bargains Kaytaz House Biscevic House Veagic House – One of the oldest buildings in Mostar Mostar Peace Bell Tower Old Bazaar Mostar Nesuh Aga Vucjakovic Mosque Cathedral Of Mary
Day 3 – 21st October – We took a tour out to Herzegovina including the Kravice Waterfall, where I went swimming in the lake even though it was only 10C but very refreshing, we also visited the village of Pocitelj which has Ottoman influence dating back to the 15th century and was heavily bombed in the war. Pocitelj is now regarded as one of the most endangered cites of importance. We then visited the village of Blagaj which has the most amazing Devish House dating back to 14th century it is a very pretty village and definitely worth a visit. There is so much Ottoman and Turkish influence in Bosnia. Tonight we had a lovely dinner by the river.
Day 4 – 22nd October – Last morning and another beautiful coffee view at Karma Café before our 4hr bus journey back to Dubrovnik and then our flight home to Gatwick You can take the airport bus from the same bus station as the Bosnia bus arrives at.
What can I say Bosnia you have exceeded all my expectations, the history, culture, people, food and beauty. There wasn’t one moment you disappointed And most of all outstanding value for money! If you would like to know more about Bosnia and the Hotel Almeria please contact me.