How to Get From Budva to Mostar by Bus
After a week in Budva, we decided to head back to Mostar. My wife is only allowed to spend 90 days in the Schengen zone, so we still need to spend a couple of weeks outside it before we head back there.
As Mostar is one of our favorite cities so far, it made sense to head back there. We did consider going to Tirana in Albania, but that would have meant heading further south, making the bus journey back up to Slovenia too difficult.
The current bus times are as follows:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday: 07:00-12:20 (5 hrs 20 mins)
Tuesday: 07:00-12:20 (5 hrs 20 mins); 21:40-06:00 (8 hrs 20 mins)
Thursday & Sunday: 07:00-12:20 (5 hrs 20 mins); 14:00-20:15 (6 hrs 20 mins)
The buses are run by Croatia bus-Globtour-Touring-Jadran ekspres, except for the 07:00 bus, which is run by Centrotrans.
We prefer to leave and arrive early, so we opted for the 07:00 Centrotrans bus. There was a toilet on board this bus but the door was locked, so I assume it was out of order. In reviews I’ve read about this bus company, they usually mention there’s no toilet on board. The bus stopped at two places where people got off to use the toilet, so not having one on board wasn’t a big deal.
There was a wifi sin on the bus but there wasn’t any wifi.
Some of the buses, like ours, only stop at Mostar East bus station. Others stop at both Mostar East and Mostar West bus stations, so make sure your bus stops at the right station.
Booking our ticket
We usually book our tickets the GetByBus.com website, but for the Centrotrans you can’t use a digital ticket. As we don’t have access to a printer, we decided to buy the ticket from the bus station in Budva.
Our bus tickets cost 29 EUR each. The ticket doesn’t accept card payments, so you need to pay in cash. There was also a 1 EUR charge for each piece of luggage that was stored in the hold. That’s paid directly to the driver, so make sure you have some change handy. This is normal across the Balkan countries.
When we got to the station, we saw a sign at the ticket office that said they could print a ticket for you if you had bought one online.
Our Bus
The bus was comfortable, and much like any other bus. The toilet was locked and there wasn’t any wifi.
The bus took the following route:
The Montenegro/Bosnia Border Crossing at Sitnica
When we got the bus from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik, we crossed the border three times, meaning we had to pass through six immigration offices. It was quite a hassle getting on and off the bus so often and wasted a lot of time.
Luckily, this bus traveled inland, so we only had one border crossing. Leaving Montenegro and entering Bosnia was quick and easy.
Getting from Mostar East Bus Station to your Hotel/Apartment
Our Airbnb apartment was less than a kilometer from the bus station, so we walked. The last time we were here it was raining and we took a taxi from the bus station. We were scammed, so we won’t make that mistake again. If you need a taxi, I’d suggest walking out onto the road and flagging one down. It should only cost around 5 BAM maximum to most parts of the old town. Make sure the taxi uses the meter.
Book your hotel in Mostar
Mostar’s a great city. Many people only spend a couple of days here, but we were there for around three weeks split across two visits. I’d suggest staying longer, especially if you enjoy coffee. There is a great coffee culture here.
