Somewhere Drive
Evening in central SarajevoDestinations · Europe

Sarajevo to Mostar, From the Driver's Seat

We spent a week in Sarajevo in late September, mostly on foot, then rented a car to see Visoko and drive through the mountains to Mostar and back. It was a second visit for one of us, and we fell even more in love with this complex, enchanting little capital. Here's how we planned it and what we'd tell a friend.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINACROATIAADRIATIC SEAMONTENEGRO1Sarajevo2Visoko3Lake Jablanica4MostarKonjicNeumDubrovnik
Our stops, in order Mentioned on this page Our route (roughly). Tap a stop to jump to it.
When we went
Late September
How long
A week, based in Sarajevo
How we arrived
Sarajevo Airport (SJJ), about 15 minutes from the old town
Getting around
On foot in Sarajevo, then a rental car
Paying
Mostly cash, in convertible marks
Weather
Warm, mostly sunny, one short shower
The loop we drove
  1. Sarajevo
  2. Visoko
  3. Lake Jablanica
  4. Mostar
  5. Back to Sarajevo

With the rental car we drove up to Visoko, then made an early start the next morning for Mostar and were back in Sarajevo before 5 pm. Our drive video covers the Mostar round trip.

See the road for yourself

Bosnia: Sarajevo to Mostar Through the Mountains

1:11:17 · Daytime · the full drive, no narration

Our first drive outside the US and our longest ever. A round trip from Sarajevo to Mostar through the mountains, along Lake Jablanica and the Neretva River, set to an ambient soundtrack.

Drive page and chapters
If you remember three things
  1. Stay near Baščaršija

    The old town is compact and walkable, and you won't need a car until you leave Sarajevo.

  2. Carry cash

    Bosnia is still largely a cash country. We paid mostly in convertible marks (KM).

  3. Book an automatic early

    Manuals are the norm. Book ahead, or confirm the rental company really has an automatic for you.

How we planned it

Our route, stop by stop

  1. 1
    Sarajevo Our base

    We stayed just across the Latin Bridge from Baščaršija, the old Ottoman bazaar, and got around on foot. The old town is compact, and it's where we'd stay again.

    Domes, spires and red roofs climbing the hills of Sarajevo
  2. 2
    Visoko

    Once we had the car, we drove up to Visoko to see the so-called Bosnian pyramids. Interesting, if a bit kitschy.

  3. 3
    Lake Jablanica

    Early the next morning we set off for Mostar. The road runs along Lake Jablanica, with plenty of viewpoints, and we stopped at a tiny bakery for burek baked in a brick oven overlooking the lake.

    Spinach burek at a small bakery near Lake Jablanica
  4. 4
    Mostar

    A couple of hours was just enough to stroll the old town's narrow lanes and stalls and walk onto the rebuilt Old Bridge, a stunning sight and still a humbling place to stand. Then back to Sarajevo.

    The Neretva River at Mostar

From our camera roll

A pedestrian street in central Sarajevo, from above
A pedestrian street in central Sarajevo, from above.
The Eternal Flame, Sarajevo's memorial to the city's liberation in April 1945
The Eternal Flame, Sarajevo's memorial to the city's liberation in April 1945.
A side street in central Sarajevo, with the mountains rising behind it
A side street in central Sarajevo, with the mountains rising behind it.
The Trebević cable car, rebuilt and reopened in 2018
The Trebević cable car, rebuilt and reopened in 2018.
The abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track on Trebević, on a foggy morning
The abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track on Trebević, on a foggy morning. Read the story
From our trip

Our Bosnia and Herzegovina trip notes

The practical things we'd tell a friend: getting there, renting a car, the road and paying.

Getting there

SJJ is small, modern and 15 minutes from the old town.

  • Sarajevo's airport (SJJ) is small and modern, and only about a 15-minute drive from the old town.
  • We booked a private car transfer (Welcome Pickups) straight to our stay.

Renting a car

Local companies are easy to book over WhatsApp.

  • We stayed far from the airport rental desks, so we found a local company on Google Maps and arranged everything over WhatsApp. It went smoothly.
  • Prefer to book before you go? Compare rental cars in Sarajevo (affiliate link).

Documents and borders

Bring an International Driving Permit, just in case.

  • One of us always carries an International Driving Permit (in the US, from AAA). Nobody has ever asked to see it, in Bosnia, Greece or Malta, but check the rules before you go.
  • Heading to the coast? On an earlier trip, the bus from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik crossed the Bosnia-Croatia border more than once, because Bosnia's short coastline at Neum splits Croatia's coast.

The road

Mostly good highway, with mountain towns in between.

  • A modern highway covers most of the way, much like a two-lane US highway, narrowing through towns in the mountains.
  • Local drivers tailgate if you drive slowly. We pulled over wherever it was safe to let them pass.

Parking in Mostar

Park above the old town and walk in.

  • Parking is tight and the streets on the east side above the old town are very narrow.
  • We found a spot a few blocks uphill and walked down into the old town.

Money and tipping

Cash is king. Round up for good service.

  • Convertible marks (KM, or BAM) are pegged to the euro at 1.95583 marks per euro.
  • Tipping isn't required. Rounding up, or about 5 to 10 percent for good service, is common. We usually left a few marks.
Our verdicts

What we'd tell you over dinner

Don't miss itMount Trebević

Ride the cable car up for the views, the forest trails and the abandoned 1984 Olympic bobsled track. Read our story about the track.

Make time for itWar Museum 1992 Sarajevo

Small but powerful, a few steps from the cable car station. It's the best way to understand what the city went through in the 1990s.

Eat thisĆevapi and burek

Ćevapi, grilled minced-meat sausages in flatbread, are mouth-wateringly good. Our spinach burek near Jablanica was the size of a small pizza and gone in minutes.

Quirky detourVisoko

The so-called Bosnian pyramids: interesting, if a bit kitschy. Worth it if you have a car and an afternoon.

Park outsideMostar's old town

Don't try to drive in. We parked a few blocks uphill on the east side of the river and walked down.

We wouldn't do it againMostar on flight day

We did the round trip on the day we flew out, with an evening flight. It worked, but leave a buffer day before an international flight.

Book the basics

Going to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

We rented a car for our trip through Bosnia and Herzegovina, and this drive is the result. Tip: manual cars are the norm there, so if you'd rather drive an automatic, book early.

Affiliate links: if you book, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Compare rental carsFind a stay in Sarajevo and Mostar ↗

Worth booking

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Stories from this trip

A lane in Sarajevo's old town, with a minaret and a dome at the far end
Sarajevo, Bosnia and HerzegovinaSarajevo: Where the Ottoman and Habsburg Cities Meet

In Sarajevo you can walk from a 15th-century Ottoman bazaar into Austro-Hungarian streets in a few minutes, past the corner where a 1914 assassination helped set off the First World War.

3 min read · with a full drive
The abandoned Olympic bobsled track on Mount Trebević, curving into the fog
Mount Trebević, SarajevoSarajevo's Abandoned Olympic Bobsled Track

Built for the 1984 Winter Olympics, the bobsled and luge track on Mount Trebević became a front line during the siege of Sarajevo.

3 min read · with our photos
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