Mostar sits 150 km northeast of Dubrovnik through the Neum corridor — one border crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina, about 2.5–3 hours driving time. It's the second-most-popular day-trip destination from Dubrovnik after Kotor. Four realistic transport options exist; none is clearly better for everyone.
1. Public bus — cheapest, slowest, lowest flexibility
Daily scheduled buses run from Dubrovnik main bus terminal to Mostar, operated by Globtour and other Croatian operators. Typical fare is €18–25 one-way. Duration is 3.5–4.5 hours depending on border queues. There's no direct Dubrovnik–Kravica route — you'd need Mostar then taxi onward.
Pros: cheapest. Scheduled. No car to park. Cons: limited daily departures (typically 2–3). If your return bus is cancelled you're stranded overnight. No stops for photos or sightseeing on the way. Bus station in Mostar is 1 km from old town. Kravica not directly served.
Works for: backpackers, solo travellers on tight budgets, people planning to stay multiple nights in Mostar.
2. Private transfer — flexible, expensive, point-to-point
Book a private driver via an operator (several in both Dubrovnik and Mostar). Typical price is €180–250 for a one-way transfer, €300–400 for a return with Mostar waiting time. Door-to-door: you specify pickup address and destination.
Pros: no border queuing (you just wait in the car). Flexible timing. Stops on request. Cons: expensive per person unless you're a group of 3–4. Doesn't include any guiding or sightseeing explanation.
Works for: families of 4+ (cheaper per person than 4 bus tickets), travellers with heavy luggage, groups with inflexible timing.
3. Rental car — maximum flexibility
Pick up a car in Dubrovnik, drive yourself. €40–70/day plus €8–15 fuel for the round trip. Border crossing in your own vehicle is standard — bring passport, rental agreement, and Green Card insurance (most rental agencies provide it, confirm at pickup).
Pros: stop anywhere, stay as long as you want, add Kravica, Počitelj, Blagaj on the same day without renegotiating. Cheapest per person for 2+ travellers if you already know the route. Cons: border crossing on your own (15–30 minutes typically). Parking in Mostar old town is pay-and-display; Kravica has a dedicated lot. Not recommended if you're uncomfortable driving in a foreign country or don't want to deal with paperwork.
Works for: confident drivers, couples or groups of 2–3 who want to explore multiple stops.
4. Organised tour — our recommendation for Kravica+Mostar combined
Day tours from Dubrovnik combining Mostar + Kravica + Počitelj are the most popular format. €75–95 per person typically. Pickup from hotel or Pile Gate, 11-hour round trip, includes all driving, border paperwork handled (just hand over passport), and you're back in Dubrovnik by evening.
Pros: zero logistics. Border crossing handled. Guide narrates the drive. Stops at Počitelj and 2 hours at Kravica for swimming + 2.5 hours in Mostar. Per-person cost roughly matches 4-person rental split but with zero stress. Cons: tour has fixed schedule. If you want more time at one stop and less at another, private is better. If you only want Mostar (not Kravica), bus is cheaper.
Works for: most first-time visitors, cruise passengers, couples, solo travellers who don't want to drive.
Is there a train? No. There is no train service between Dubrovnik and Mostar. The railway network in Bosnia-Herzegovina doesn't reach that part of the coast.
Combined tip: if you're choosing between "bus + Mostar only" and "organised tour including Kravica," the organised tour is often better value — the 2 hours swimming at Kravica is the highlight of the day for most travellers, and a bus-only trip skips it entirely.
Our Dubrovnik day tour runs daily April through October, €79 per person, departing Pile Gate at 07:00. See From Dubrovnik: Kravica & Mostar day trip for details.
Looking for the specific day-trip experience? This post compares transport options for reaching Mostar generally. If you want to know what a Kravica + Mostar day from Dubrovnik actually looks like — timing, border crossing, Počitelj stop, cruise passenger notes — see our Kravica day trip from Dubrovnik guide.
Photos from this route
