The Old Bridge in Mostar is a single stone arch, slender and impossibly high, leaping across the emerald-green Neretva between two fortified towers. The Ottomans built it in the 1560s, designed by an architect named Mimar Hayruddin, and for more than four centuries it stood as a symbol of the city. On 9 November 1993, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was shelled and collapsed into the river. It was rebuilt with the original techniques and stone recovered from the riverbed and reopened in 2004, and the following year UNESCO listed the Old Bridge Area as a symbol of reconciliation and cultural coexistence.
On summer days, local divers stand on the parapet, wait for the crowd to gather and drop some two dozen metres into the cold river, a tradition that goes back centuries. The old town around the bridge is a maze of cobbled lanes lined with shops selling copperware, carpets and souvenirs, and mosques with slender minarets. A short ride south, the Blagaj Tekke, a Dervish monastery, stands at the foot of a cliff beside the spring of the Buna river, one of the most beautiful places in the country.
The ride to Mostar from Sarajevo is a classic: the road follows the Neretva canyon from Konjic and Jablanica, through deep gorges with turquoise water, tunnels and bridges, with tight curves and stunning views. The road south to the Adriatic coast at Neum or toward Dubrovnik is also scenic, though busier in summer. Mostar is one of the hottest cities in the region, with temperatures often over forty degrees in July and August, so ride early in the morning and take a long siesta. Watch for potholes, slow trucks and impatient overtaking.
Mostar, with over a hundred thousand inhabitants, has plenty of fuel, accommodation and restaurants. The old town is pedestrianised and cobbled, so park outside and walk. Try ćevapi, small grilled sausages served with flatbread and onions, burek, a flaky pastry filled with meat or cheese, and a cup of Bosnian coffee, thick and strong. The local wines, Žilavka white and Blatina red, are excellent and inexpensive.