Free Walking Tour Mostar: Old Bridge and Bazaar

Your Mostar Walking Tour, from Family House to Domed Mosque

1. 1

   Muslibegović House

   

   You start in the Brankovac mahala, an old residential quarter, at the family complex of the Muslibegovićs. Behind the surrounding walls and entrance gateways lie a residential building and two courtyards. The house dates from the second half of the 18th century and counts as one of the most significant examples of Ottoman-era residential architecture in Herzegovina; today it is a national monument and a museum.

   It was commissioned by Mehmed Muslibegović, a man with extensive land holdings, above all in Popovo polje. In 1871 and 1872 the family enlarged the main house: two rooms on the ground floor, two on the upper floor, plus a mutvak (summer kitchen), a larder and a cistern. A building permit written in Turkish and issued by the Mostar municipality still documents the work.

   Inside, look closely at the wood carvings. According to a former owner, Muhamed Muslibegović, they were brought in from other regions and took two years to complete. Among the exhibits are a Qur'an manuscript by Sami, a pupil of Hajji Hafiz Muhamed Sevkije, calligraphic levhas from 1855 and a decorated sabre from 1866.

   Is it worth going in? If you want to see how a wealthy Ottoman family actually lived, yes: this is the one private home on the route, and it has kept its original residential use and family ownership. You pay a fee at the entrance. From here it is 510 m, about 7 minutes, down to the bazaar street of Kujundžiluk.

   Website

   muslibegovichouse.com ↗

   Location

   Muslibegović House on Google Maps ↗

2. 2

   Kujundžiluk

   

   From a family home you step into the town's working street. This cobbled lane goes back to the 16th century, when Ottoman coppersmiths and silversmiths kept their workshops along its whole length. The name comes from Turkish and means goldsmiths' street.

   Today the narrow passage is lined with shops selling traditional copperware, handwoven carpets and colourful Turkish lanterns. Walking it costs nothing; if you want a souvenir with a link to the street's past, the hammered copper is the obvious choice, since that craft gave Kujundžiluk its character.

   Take your time here, then continue 380 m, about 6 minutes, to the Crooked Bridge.

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Kujundžiluk on Google Maps ↗

3. 3

   Crooked Bridge

   

   Locals call it Kriva ćuprija. This small stone bridge spans the Radobolja and is the oldest single-arch stone bridge in Mostar, built in 1558 under Ottoman rule, just one year after Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned the Old Bridge. Its builder was the Ottoman architect Ćejvan-ketoda.

   It sits roughly 30 m west of Stari Most and works like a miniature version of it. The semicircular arch spans 8.56 m, and the bridge stands 4.15 m high. Compare its proportions with what you will see in a few minutes: the same idea of a single bold arch, on a far smaller scale.

   The bridge belongs to the architectural ensemble of the Old Bridge and Old Town. It is free and open at any hour, so a short stop is enough. From here it is only 190 m, about 3 minutes, to Stari Most.

   Local name

   Kriva ćuprija

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Crooked Bridge on Google Maps ↗

4. 4

   Stari Most

   

   Here it is: the hump-backed stone arch over the Neretva, 4 m wide and 30 m long, rising 24 m above the river. Two fortified towers guard its ends, the Halebija tower on the northeast and the Tara tower on the southwest. Walk across it slowly and feel the curve under your feet.

   Suleiman the Magnificent commissioned the bridge in 1557. It was designed by Mimar Hayruddin, a student and apprentice of Mimar Sinan, the architect behind many of the Sultan's key buildings in Istanbul and across the empire. Instead of foundations, the bridge rests on limestone abutments tied into wing walls along the cliffs. They rise 6.53 m above the summer water level, and from there the arch climbs another 12.02 m, its start marked by a narrow moulding.

   What you walk on today is a reconstruction. During the war between Croats and Bosniaks, the Bosnian army used the bridge as a supply line, and the Croatian Defence Council shelled and destroyed it on 9 November 1993. Rebuilt, it reopened on 23 July 2004. In 2017 the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia judged the bridge a legitimate military target, a ruling that shows how charged this place still is.

   The bridge is free and open around the clock. Once across, it is 210 m, about 4 minutes, to the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque on the left bank.

   Hours

   Open 24/7

   Price

   Free

   Location

   Stari Most on Google Maps ↗

5. 5

   Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque

   

   The mosque stands on the left bank of the Neretva, between the river and Kujundžiluk, roughly 150 m north of the Old Bridge. It is more than a prayer hall: the national monument includes the mosque with its madrasa, a šadrvan fountain, a turbe (mausoleum) and the harem, the graveyard around it.

   Koski Mehmed Pasha was born in Mostar. He served as chronicler to Grand Vizier Lala Mehmed Pasha Sokolović and then as military defterdar, the army's treasurer. He lived five more years after leaving service and died in 1611, so his brother Mahmud completed the mosque; Mahmud is buried in Mostar under a turbe of his own. To keep the mosque running, the founder left properties in Mostar, Suhodol and Vrapčići.

   Before you enter, look above the main door for the building inscription: verses in Turkish carved into a stone plate of 35 × 65 cm. The open portico has three small domes, and the stone minaret leans against the right outer wall. Of all Mostar's mosques, only three are crowned by domes: this one, the Karađoz Bey Mosque and the mosque of Nesuh-aga Vučjaković.

   Inside, the scale surprises: a cube of 12.6 m with stone walls 1.1 m thick, under a dome 10 m across whose apex sits 15.25 m up. Watch how the square turns into the round drum, through stalactite-carved consoles and three squinches in each corner. Entry is paid at the door, and for anyone who cares about Ottoman architecture it is a fitting end to the walk.

   Local name

   Koski Mehmed-pašina džamija

   Website

   islamskazajednica.ba ↗

   Location

   Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque on Google Maps ↗

Three Ways to Walk Old Mostar

The route is short, so the variants differ less in distance than in how many interiors you pay for and how much time you spend inside.

Free bridges and bazaar

Stops: 2, 3, 4

For a first look on a tight schedule or budget: Kujundžiluk, the Crooked Bridge and Stari Most. 570 m and 9 minutes of walking, no entry fees at all.

Bridges and the domed mosque

Stops: 3, 4, 5

For architecture fans: the two Ottoman bridges, then the mosque with its large dome. 400 m and 7 minutes of walking; only the mosque charges entry.

The full Old Town walk

Stops: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

For anyone who wants Ottoman Mostar both at home and in public: all five stops, 1.3 km and 19 minutes of walking, with entry at Muslibegović House and the mosque.

How Long This Mostar Tour Takes, with and without Interiors

The pure walking time is 19 minutes over 1.3 km. The longest leg is the first one, 510 m from Muslibegović House down to Kujundžiluk; after that the stops sit close together, the bridges only 190 m apart.

Realistically, the full walk takes around two hours: about half an hour each inside the house and the mosque, a quarter of an hour browsing the bazaar street, and time on both bridges. The free variant fits into half an hour, the bridges and mosque variant into about an hour.

Before You Start in Mostar

• Start and finish: The recommended start is Muslibegović House in the Brankovac quarter; the walk ends at the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque by the river. You can join the route at any stop.
• When to go: Stari Most and the Crooked Bridge are open around the clock. For the house and the mosque, go during the day and check the opening times at the entrance.
• Costs: Entry for the house and the mosque is paid on site. The route and GPS navigation are free; the AI Tour Guide starts with 100 free credits, then either €19.99 all-inclusive for this tour with no time limit or €5 per hour.
• Navigation: Open the route in your browser and the GPS navigation leads you from stop to stop through the Old Town lanes.

Common Questions about Old Mostar