How to Get From Split to Mostar by Bus

After two weeks in Split, it was time to move on. We can only spend 90 days out of our 6-month travels in the Schengen area, so we need to spend some time outside it.

We’ve decided to head east and visit Mostar as our next stop. After that, we’ll like head to Sarajevo, Belgrade, Sofia and Bucharest.

There are 10 buses a week that currently travel from Split to Mostar, with most traveling onwards to Sarajevo. It’s now low season, so it’s possible there may be more buses as we approach high season.

The current bus times are as follows:

Monday: 07:30-12:10 (4 hrs 40 mins); 17:30-21:00 (3 hrs 30 mins)

Wednesday & Friday: 07:30-12:10 (4 hrs 40 mins); 09:30-14:00 (4 hrs 30 mins); 17:30-21:00 (3 hrs 30 mins)

Saturday: 07:30-12:10 (4 hrs 40 mins)

Sunday: 07:30-12:10 (4 hrs 40 mins); 09:30-14:00 (4 hrs 30 mins)

Tuesday & Thursday: No buses

The 07:30 and 17:30 departures are run by Croatia bus-Globtour-Touring-Jadran ekspres. This bus has a toilet on board. These buses stop at both Mostar West and Mostar East bus station. Mostar East is the station nearest to Stari Most (Mostar Bridge).

The 17:30 buses take a shorter route, so the journey time is 3.5 hours. We don’t like arriving at night though, so opted for the 07:30 bus which is supposed to take just over 4.5 hours. In fact, it was an hour late arriving.

The 09:30 departures are run by Centrotrans and don’t have a toilet on board. These buses only stop at Mostar East bus station. Mostar East is the station nearest to Stari Most (Mostar Bridge).

Booking our ticket online

We booked our tickets the GetByBus.com website. We’ve used them many times in the past and have always found them to be reliable. The tickets cost 22 EUR each, plus a 3.20 EUR booking fee, so 47.20 EUR in total for two people. See below of baggage charge.

Once we booked the tickets we got an email confirmation with the tickets attached. The tickets contain an QR code that you show the bus driver, so there’s no need to print the tickets.

Our Bus

We had a modern business-class bus that had comfortable seats, free wifi, and a toilet on board.

As you can see above, the seating is pretty comfortable. You don’t get allocated a seat when booking, so can seat wherever you like.

Pro tip: If you want spectacular sea and mountain views, sit on the right-hand side of the bus. If you’re afraid of heights, sit on the left. There are long sections where the road is right next to a sheer drop. Even if you’re not scared of heights, it can seem a little scary.

Unfortunately, we sat on the left-hand side, so I didn’t get a chance to take any photos.

Bus wifi speed

As you can see above, the wifi speed was pretty decent. It’s better than we’ve had at many hotels and Airbnb apartments.

Bus route:

While the bus has all the scheduled stops shown above, in most places the bus didn’t stop because there were no passengers getting on or off.

The Croatia/Bosnia Border Crossing

I was expecting this to be quick, but it took us almost an hour to get stamped out of Croatia and into Bosnia. And that was only when there was only one bus in front of us. I dread what to think what it’s like during busy periods.

When we got to Croatian Immigration, an officer came on the bus to collect everyone’s passports. After around 5-10 minutes he brought the passports back. I assumed he’d taken then away to be stamped but that wasn’t the case. I have no idea why he took them away and brought them back again.

After he’d given them back, we all had to leave the bus and go to the immigration office to get stamped out of the country. This is where all the fun and games started,

One American guy didn’t have his passport on him. All he had was an ID card photo on his phone. Needless to say, he wasn’t allowed to leave the bus. I assume he was headed back to Split while his three friends carried on to Mostar.

While we were being stamped out of the country, three young women were taken into a private room. A while later they were asked to get their backs from the bus so they could be checked. One by one they came back out and put the bags back on the bus.

Meanwhile, we all had to stand outside the bus. We weren’t allowed on the bus the whole time. Eventually, we got back on and drove a few hundred meters to the Bosnian Immigration. This was a lot quicker. All we had to do was get off the bus and show our passports.

All of this resulted in us arriving an hour late.

Taxi Scam at Mostar East Bus Station

When we arrived at Mostar bus station, there was only one taxi waiting. As it was raining heavily, we just jumped inside. The result: we were charged 10 EUR for a journey that should cost 2.50 EUR. We should have checked more carefully in advance.

We were later told not to take a taxi from inside the station but to walk to the main road and flag down a taxi instead. Lesson learned.

We then headed to our Airbnb to leave our luggage and headed straight out for food and coffee. We were in for a pleasant surprise.

Cheap Coffee

Our spirits were soon lifted after we went for a coffee. An Americano and a Latte cost just 2.50 EUR. That’s lees than half what we paid in most places in Split.

We’ll be staying in Mostar for a minimum of 5 nights, so expect a few more posts over the coming days.

Book your hotel in Mostar

When booking hotels, we almost always book with Agoda. We’ve always found great deals with them.