FAQ
Have questions? Check out our FAQ. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, please contact us directly!
The duration of each walking tour is different; check individual tour pages for details. Our walking tours, day tours, and customizable experiences can range from 1 hour to multiple days. Private group tours can always be customized to fit your itinerary and needs.
Sheva’s Original Free Walking Tour of Mostar generally takes about 2.5 hours; however, because we are open to questions and discussion, sometimes tours can be a bit shorter or longer depending upon group engagement.
The Heart of Mostar Free Walking Tour is about 2 hours and focuses on the UNESCO World Heritage zone. Like other tours, the length can be a bit shorter or longer depending on group size and engagement. If your visit is limited to an hour, we can always accommodate and ensure that you see all the not-to-miss sites of Mostar before you depart!
The Making of Modern Mostar: A Century of Transformation and Conflict is about 2 hours and focuses on the history from 1878 through present day. Like other tours, the length can be a bit shorter or longer depending on group size and engagement.
Our Private and Group Walking Tours of Mostar can be tailored for your interests and needs. We can package walking tours and hands on experiences together to create a one-of-a-kind visit during your time in Mostar, be it an hour or multiple days. Contact us for more information.
Yes – coming soon! We are excited to be opening our storefront. Soon you will be able to visit us at our address to learn about our tour options, ask a question, or book a tour. We will also have space dedicated to locally made products from throughout Herzegovina! Our storefront is conveniently located on Marshall Tito Street, overlooking the Old Town.
Storefront
SC Heritage doo
Sheva Walking Tours and Travel
Maršala Tita ul. 154
Mostar
For Sheva’s Original Free Walking Tour of Mostar, The Heart of Mostar Free Walking Tour, and The Making of Modern Mostar Free Tour, we ask that you book in advance! Why? During the high season, reservations for Free Tours enable us to keep group numbers of our Free Tour manageable. If we have enough bookings, we will schedule two guides so that we can split a large group into two. During the off-season we need to ensure enough participants to run Free Tours.
In the case that there is a scheduling changes due to emergency, illness, or similar (these things do occasionally happen!), reservations also enable a member of the Sheva Walking Tours Team to contact you through the information you have provided (i.e. email, phone number etc.) in your booking details! We are only able to contact guests if we have guest names and accurate contact information prior to the tour!
Please note: If you are a group of 7 or more persons, please contact us directly or book a private tour. Free Walking Tours are designed to meet the needs of independent travelers and smaller groups. For larger groups of 7 or more persons, we will organize private group tours at a group rate. With a larger group, this will be a cost effective and best way to experience Mostar.
For Private and Group Walking Tours, booking in advance is also required. We will work with you to schedule a convenient time and confirm a meeting point for your tour. We are happy to tailor a tour to fit your needs and interests. Activities such as entrance to historic sites and coffee tasting (for example) can be added to our walking tours to create an individualized experience!
The short answer is yes! Sheva Walking Tours believes that smaller groups ensure greater engagement with your guide and an overall higher quality experience. In addition, the cobblestone streets of Old Town Mostar are very narrow! We need to share the streets with many other visitors, locals, and tour groups. In effort to be considerate community members, we do our best to limit group sizes for ease of movement as well as an enjoyable experience for all.
For Free Tours, we strive to keep our groups under 24 persons. When we have bookings for 25 or more for a Free Tour departure, we will do our best to schedule a second guide so that we can split the group into two smaller groups. In order to make this possible, it is essential that guests book and reserve a spot so that we can schedule our team accordingly based upon reservation numbers.
Sometimes we host private tour groups of 50, 60, or even 100 people! When we receive requests for private tours for larger groups of about 30 or more people, we ask to divide the group into smaller tour groups. We will schedule two or more guides to provide tours concurrently or have a single guide provide back-to-back tours. Again, this provides a more enjoyable tour experience, ensures everyone in the group can hear the guide, and enables movement through Old Town.
For more information about groups sizing, check out the individual pages dedicated to walking tours, local experiences, and day tours!
We always recommend that you book your tours and experiences directly through us, Sheva Walking Tours and Travel. Most local businesses will encourage you to “shop local” and this applies to those working within the tourism industry. Whenever possible, contact the tour provider (in this case, Sheva Walking Tours and Travel), directly. Consider booking directly during all your future travels in effort to help support sustainable local business practices. Not only will you get better service and a direct connection with your tour provider, when booking direct you will likely save money that is better spent on beautiful handmade souvenirs!
As of 2024, Sheva Walking Tours requires either a deposit or full payment be made for all private and group tours at the time of booking. This is a standard global practice to ensure the highest quality of experience on our end and will enable us to reserve your spot on our schedule as well as the time of one of our certified guides.
For tours that require the services, time, or resources of additional local businesses (e.g. Cobblestones and Cuisine Tour, Coppersmith Workshop, or entrance to an attraction such as Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque), this cost must also be paid at the time of reservation. Details about cancellations and rebooking will be provided upon reservation.
To make it convenient for travelers, we are always expanding our means for accepting payment, including an online reservation system with a reliable online payment gateway. This will facilitate easy and convenient payment of tour and travel experience of our guests! The local currency is Konvertible Marks; however, local businesses within the historic center often accept Euros.
Requiring a deposit or pre-paying for tours and experiences aligns with global tourism standards. Most tour and experience operators require a deposit (at minimum) to book a guide, block off time in the schedule, and cover the cost of any relevant resources prior to the day of the tour or service. If you are booking a customizable experience or activity that requires significant planning, the deposit will also support this work on your behalf. In addition, a deposit also helps us prevent fraudulent bookings and limit no-shows.
Yes! All the official guides on the Sheva Walking Tours Team or those we partner with are locally certified. Bosnia and Herzegovina legally requires that guides complete an examination and register as guides for each locality within which they work, either individually or through an official agency. Please support Mostar by always choosing a local guide with proper credentials – local guides will always provide the highest quality service and be best informed about the community in which they live, and you are visiting! If you are coming on a day trip with a non-local guide, ask them to provide you a local guide upon your arrival to Mostar. This means you are adhering to local policy and supporting our community!
Sheva Tours and Travel supports the successful completion of our guides’ testing process; our guides are then further trained by our in-house expert in tourism and heritage management to ensure the best possible experience for our guests. Our team is encouraged to continually learn about the history, traditions, and culture of Mostar and the region and are, therefore, always building their knowledge. When possible, we also support additional training and professional development.
The Sheva Walking Tours Team will work to accommodate any needs that you might have so that you can participate in a tour or local experience while visiting Mostar. To best provide for your needs, we ask that you please communicate them to us in when you book your tour. To facilitate a quality tour experience, we need advance notice so that we can plan accordingly, whether it is to alter a tour route, make additional stops to rest, or schedule the most appropriate guide. With this in mind, we may suggest a private tour (rather than a group or tip-based tour) to guests who require accommodation. Our larger group tours do not have as much flexibility in terms of scheduling or routing; a private tour enables an opportunity to customize a tour based not only on your needs but your interests as well.
If you have any ideas on how we can improve our services to be more inclusive, please feel free to contact us. We believe that tourism and travel should be accessible to all, and we are ready to facilitate new ways to make it so! We welcome ALL visitors on our tours and local experiences and actively support tenets of inclusion, access, and sustainability.
Please note that Mostar is not known for its physical accessibility; the Old Town can be difficult to traverse due to the slippery cobblestones and the unevenness of the terrain. We recommend the use of mobility aids such as walking sticks or canes to improve stability.
The word Sheva has a couple meanings! Sheva is the nickname for the Ševko, the Mostarian who founded Sheva Walking Tours and inspired the development of our first tour. The word ševa, however, has a second local meaning. It is the word for “lark,” a small ground dwelling songbird. In a sense, our team of tour guides are larks, walking the local streets and pathways and “singing” of our history, cultures, and traditions.
Sheva Walking Tours daily group tours and local experiences operate on a seasonal schedule. Please check our social media pages for any updates and announcements. Be sure to make reservations so that we can confirm the tour and communicate with you! The information on our tour pages will show the most up-to-date and complete availability.
Private Tours – both walking and day – can be scheduled based on your itinerary and preferences. Please contact us and we will confirm your tour time as well as meeting or pick-up location.
Meeting point
Each of Sheva’s Free Walking Tours of Mostar departs from the public square in front of the Hamam Museum at the entrance to Old Town (see map of Meeting Point). Please check our webpages or contact us directly for our most up-to date information.
Free Tours were developed specifically for independent and solo travelers who might not otherwise be able to afford a private tour. Free Tours work because group participants are comprised of many small bookings with everyone contributing an individual tip. Not only does this enable the service to continue and promote sustainability, but it creates a special dynamic within the Free Tour groups with solo and independent travelers having an opportunity to get to know one another. Limiting reservations in this way also keeps group numbers to a reasonable size and helps us maintain quality tours.
Quality Free Tour providers (check out the Free Tour Community) often have their own policies regarding group sizes. At Sheva Walking Tours, our rule requires groups of 7+ persons to schedule a private tour. If you are traveling in a group of more than 6 persons, we ask that you book a private tour. If you take into account what you would pay for average tip per person for a Free Tour and consider that you can schedule and customize a private tour to suit your needs and interests, booking a private tour will be an easy choice! The best part of a private tour – you get the guide all to yourself. If you have questions, need to make a quick stop, or want to integrate an activity into your tour, it is no problem!
Sheva’s Free Walking Tours of Mostar are generally conducted in English. If you do not speak English, we recommend that you contact us for a private tour. Private and group tours are available in other languages upon request and availability, including Italian, Local Languages as well as English! We hope to add even more languages in the future. If you need a tour in a language that is not listed, please let us know. It is possible that we can help you connect with a trusted partner to ensure you receive the best possible experience.
Yes! If you prefer a Private or Group Tour and would like to make arrangements in advance, please contact us. For more information and pricing for our different tours, please see information listed under Walking Tours, Day Tours, Local Experiences, and Custom Travel. We are also happy to customize any of our listed tours according to your interests and group size! Group rates are available.
We recommend Free Tours for solo and independent travelers who have a flexible schedule and are open to slightly larger tour groups (during the busy season). Free Tour participants generally do not require tour customization responding to individual mobility concerns, interests, or the needs of young children. In addition, our Free Tours are currently limited to the English language. Since Free Tours bring together a diverse group of guests, we ask prospective Free Tour participants to be considerate of the tour group. If you are traveling with young children, require accommodations, or will need the assistance of translation, consider the Private Tour option. This will ensure ALL guests get the highest quality tour experience during their visit to Mostar.
Private Tours are available to all guests – whether you are traveling alone or in a group of 100! Private Tours are ideal for slightly larger groups who are traveling together and who may have specific interests and needs, require a tour in a language other than English, and/or have a restrictive schedule. Private Tours can be fully customized, from tour length, content, and pace of walking. In addition, private tours provide an opportunity for greater direct engagement with your guide with more time for questions and impromptu stops along the route.
Yes, absolutely.
We believe that Mostar and the entire region is a family and child friendly destination for several reasons. There are plenty of activities (especially outdoor) in which a child or family members of varying ages can participate in and enjoy; if booked as private tours and experiences, these activities can usually be adapted for specific needs and interests. Our experience shows that children often love meeting and engaging with our guides during their time together. Because travel experience in the region tends to be oriented toward the enjoyment of the outdoors (our entire Old Town in a museum under the open sky, afterall), we generally suggest the Spring, Summer, and Autumn months for family travel. There are plenty of open, green, and park spaces both in and around cities for families to unwind and relax after a day of exploration; restaurants, cafes (and yes, even many bars) are welcoming of all ages.
In addition, the local culture is extremely welcoming of children. In Mostar, the idea that it “takes a village” to raise a child remains. It is normal to see children playing in the neighborhoods and interacting with other community members and for all to look out for one another. This is not always the case in locations to which you might travel. Guides, community members, and shopkeepers are just as likely to engage with your children as with the adults in your group and often will make an effort to make children feel seen, heard, and included in any exchange.
Yes, we think walking tours are a great way for children to engage with a new place. Keep in mind that we do discuss the recent wars on certain tours, so you may want to consider this if you plan on bringing your children with you on the tour. The Making of Modern Mostar Walking Tour will go into more depth on this topic than other tour options. Be aware of the length of each of our tours. Depending upon age, longer tours may not be appropriate for children; however, a child’s parent or guardian will know best and should choose a tour accordingly.
We encourage families with young children to book a Private Tour to accommodate the needs of you and your children (whether it is an interest in specific content or the need for frequent potty breaks!). Unlike Private Tours, Free Tours cannot be adapted to the individual needs of the participants. For this reason Free Tours might not be as suitable for young children.
Children 5 and under are free on our private tours. Youth under the age of 12, accompanied by parents or guardians, are half price.
The simple answer is yes! We welcome pets on tour and the Sheva Walking Tours Team adores animals. We know that travelers increasingly are accompanied by their animal companions, and we want all to feel welcome. However, be aware that there are some locations along our tour routes that do not allow most animals to enter. Dogs cannot enter mosque complexes. While several of our tours do include visits to either mosque courtyards or their interior, we can usually work around this without too much difficulty. If necessary, book a private tour so that we can accommodate any needs for you and your animal companions.
Please be aware that the Herzegovina summer can get exceptionally hot. While there is fresh water along our routes, it can be very hot for dogs and other animals under the summer sun. Be sure to choose your tour time and length appropriately to respond to the needs and comfort of your animals! In addition, the Old Town can be extremely crowded. If your animal is reactive, please be considerate and plan your visit accordingly.
Generally, we encourage dressing appropriately for the weather and landscape. Mostar winters can be windy and damp; wear layers, pack a rain jacket, and choose sturdy shoes to help traverse slippery cobblestone. Mostar summers can be exceptionally hot, and we recommend light, loose fabrics; choose summer footwear with treads to avoid slipping. If you have mobility concerns, consider walking sticks or a cane for balance and stability.
When entering any religious space, be courteous and take into consideration local and religious customs. Many of our tours enter mosque courtyards. Please wear a top that covers to the waist (i.e. wear a shirt and avoid bikinis or tops that expose the midriff). If you plan on entering the interior of a mosque either while on one of our private tours or on your own, men and women should be prepared to dress in modest and loose clothing. For women, this includes loose fitting, ankle-length skirt or trousers, long sleeved shirt, and head covering. For men, wear loose fitting long pants and a long sleeve shirt.
When booking a private tour, feel free to request a tour guide for your tour – especially if you would like a specific language. We will work to accommodate your request based on the current schedule. If you have specific requests for your private tour, consider booking as soon as possible!
For Free Walking Tours, specific tour guide requests cannot be accommodated. We are a team of guides who are often scheduled weeks in advance; changes in scheduling, whether due to an unforeseen circumstance or a private tour, can impact the guide assigned for a Free Tour at the last moment. As a result, we cannot accept requests for guides for Free Tours. Rest assured, our entire team is incredible and well-informed, and we are confident you will have a wonderful experience!
Yes! We believe our tours can be a powerful educational tool. If you would like to arrange a tour for your group, please contact us directly and we will work with you to arrange an appropriate tour and special group pricing. Need additional services like box lunches? Ask!
Sheva’s Free Walking Tours of Mostar enables participants to “pay what you want.” We understand that independent travelers may find it challenging to participate in traditionally priced private tours. Private tours are usually charged on a tiered scale or by hour, which means an individual could easily pay 60 Euro and up for a standard walking tour. This may not be feasible for all travelers.
Free Walking Tours bring a group of travelers together to participate in a tour using a shared economic model. This model enables us to both provide tours and for independent travelers to participate in them for a reasonable cost. As a participant, you are “free” to pay what you feel your experience walking with us is worth and what you can afford. Although it varies according to the length of tour and number of participants on the tour, an average donation is between 10 -15 Euro/person.
We receive a wide range of contributions. We prefer local currency (Konvertible Marks) or Euro; we currently accept cash tips and are working to expand tipping options. We aim to provide you a quality experience, but one that is accessible to all travelers, regardless of their budget. Please be respectful and keep in mind that your donations are our guides’ living wage. Sheva Walking Tours and Travel is a registered, tax paying tour company comprised of certified, trained guides. We are not volunteers and we are not subsidized by the government. The only way we can continue to provide Free Tour services is if our guests contribute to the shared service.
We love sharing pictures of our tour groups on social media! Send us your pictures with information and we will post them for you, complete with a shout out to you, on our page. If you prefer, you can also add pictures to our Trip Advisor or Google Business pages from your personal account or tag us from your personal page!
If you are a travel blogger (or similar), let us know. We are happy to have you join the tour and when you have published your blog or article, send us the link and any relevant information. We will post links on our social media accounts and have a dedicated space for your content on our website.
We do ask that you are respectful of other tour participants. Not all guests want to have their picture taken or be recorded in a video. Please ask prior to taking group photos or videos for publication!
At Sheva Walking Tours, we like to maintain transparency; however, we ask that you notify/ask us prior to the tour and explain your intent. This is common courtesy and standard practice for researchers, journalists, and bloggers.
More importantly, our other guests may not want to be recorded, and we feel it is respectful to give them the ability to decline audio and/or visual recording. For that reason, those wishing to record or photograph tours for professional or academic reasons should book a private tour so as not to impede on the privacy of other guests; however, the decision is ultimately that of the individual guide leading the tour. If our guide is not comfortable with being recorded, we ask that you respect their decision.
We often welcome researchers and writers on tour; however, please be mindful that unless you schedule a private tour, a tour is a group experience. Your research should not take over the tour or impact the experience for other participants. We ask that you please follow any requirements at your home institutions for undertaking research with human subjects, including getting written or verbal consent from any individuals with whom you are working; this may include both your guide(s) and other tour participants. We encourage you to contact us ahead of time and make arrangements that will ensure a positive experience for all involved. Because of these considerations, we generally recommend booking a private tour.
While we are supportive of research within Mostar and the region and will attempt to assist if it is possible, please be aware that we may not always be able to actively aid you with your work. Our team members are frequently asked to sit for interviews, and we receive requests for research materials often. While we are happy to provide a general list of resources for guests who are eager to learn more, we are unable to undertake specific research on behalf of a guest unless formally hired to do so. Feel free to contact us if you have a specific question about our capacity to support your independent research.
You can leave a review in several places: Trip Advisor, Facebook, and Google Business as well as other booking platforms through which you may have booked a walking tour with Sheva Walking Tours and Travel. At the conclusion of the tour, we will give you a business card that makes leaving a review fast and easy. Thanks for the reviews – they help us to be found by future travelers and we appreciate it!
The local currency is Konvertible Mark (KM). Euro is often accepted in the Old Town area, but this is at the discretion of the individual business. The exchange rate is generally pegged at about 2 KM: 1 Euro. Please keep this is mind when making payments or tipping. ATMs are located throughout town and are the easiest means by which to access cash during your travels; we pass many along our tour routes. Currently, we accept cash, bank transfers, PayPal, and Stripe. Ask about our available payment options!
Because Herzegovina summers can be hot, we recommend a bottle of water and hat. Fountains can be found throughout town and this water is perfect for refilling your bottles. Be sure to wear sturdy walking shoes (no high heels!) and do not forget your camera! While winters are relatively mild, the Mostarian wind can chill the bones! Be sure to bundle up appropriately for winter tours and wear waterproof shoes during heavy rains. If you need anything that is specific to a tour (e.g. bathing suit and towel), we will let you know when booking so that you may plan accordingly.
