Mostar & Blagaj City Tour

Mostar was founded in the 15th century and is stunning in its beauty. The architecture is a precious combination of Turkish ingenuity and Herzegovina's and Dalmatian workmanship.

Blagaj is small, sleepy town in Herzegovina, not far from Mostar, known for its Buna river spring and the adjacent Ottoman House/ Monastery.  

Mostar was founded in the 15th century and is stunning in its beauty. The architecture is a precious combination of Turkish ingenuity and Herzegovina's and Dalmatian workmanship. The late morning and afternoon will be spent exploring Mostar. This city, which was split during the conflict in the early 1990s, still displays some of the scars of war. Today, Mostar is once again a warm and bustling place with a fascinating history.

Sites to see include: the ancient oriental old town, the remnants of the Old Bridge (1566; being reconstructed),  Koski Mehmed Pasa Mosque (1618-1619),  Kriva Cuprija (1558; Oblique Bridge), Kujundziluk Street - old coppersmiths street,  Karadzozbegova Mosque (1577), Cardak (Watch tower),   Biscevica House (Traditional Turkish house with courtyard) and the Medresa (Muslim religious secondary school).

After lunch, the group will drive 15 minutes to the nearby village of Blagaj. Blagaj's highlights are the Buna Spring and the adjacent Ottoman house/ monastery. The spring here flows out of a 200 metre cliff wall and single-handedly creates the Buna River. The Ottoman sultan was impressed enough to order a Tekija to be built right next to it. This 16th century house/ monastery was built for the Dervish cults and is still one of the most mystical places in all of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Blagaj's Old Town is worth taking a walk through. This sleepy Herzegovina town moves at a slow pace and many of its old structures are reminiscent of Ottoman days. A newly built heritage trail around the town makes for a pleasant 30-45 minute walk around the town starting at the Tekija Dervish House and the Velagic house built in 17th century, a beautiful example of Ottoman stone masonry. In the vicinity are also old watermills that the formidable Buna River used to power.