The Bridge on the Drina

The Mehmed Paša Sokolović bridge was completed in 1577 by Mimar Sinan, the greatest Ottoman architect, and it crosses the Drina in eleven arches of pale stone with a widened terrace at the centre where people have sat for four and a half centuries. Ivo Andrić made it the central character of his novel The Bridge on the Drina, following the lives that pass over it across four hundred years, and won the Nobel Prize in 1961 largely on the strength of it. The bridge itself is best seen from the riverbank in the early morning, when the water is a deep green and mist sits under the arches. Nearby, Andrićgrad is a stone-built complex constructed in the 2010s by the film director Emir Kusturica as a tribute to the writer.

What you actually see

• The bridge - eleven arches and the central terrace, crossed on foot.
• The riverbank view - the classic angle from below in morning light.
• Andrićgrad - the modern stone complex built as a tribute to Ivo Andrić.
• The Drina - the green river itself, with boat trips upstream in summer.

When to go

May to October for the best light and river colour. Early morning brings mist under the arches and an empty bridge. Autumn adds colour to the surrounding hills.

Honest expectations

Višegrad is a small town and the bridge is a half-day rather than a destination in itself, usually combined with the Šargan railway or Mokra Gora across the border in Serbia. Andrićgrad is recently built and divides opinion sharply. The road from Sarajevo is winding and slower than the distance suggests.

Nearby

Mokra Gora and the Šargan Eight are just across the Serbian border; Sarajevo is two hours west.