How to travel to Mosul in 2024

By Joan Torres 15 Comments Last updated on April 1, 2024

Liberated in 2017 from the Islamic State, Mosul is the second most important city in Iraq and the place where ISIS proclaimed its Caliphate back in June 2014.

I have visited Mosul 4 times, and here’s a travel guide for the independent traveler packed with tips, things to do, and actionable advice for traveling to Mosul.

For general information on the country, read our travel guide to Iraq

The first time I visited Mosul was at the beginning of 2021, and the way I visited it was in a particularly irresponsible way:

With the help of a local fixer, we faked some NGO papers to go through the 3 different checkpoints run by the 3 different factions you encounter on your way from Kurdistan into Mosul

While I am not particularly proud of this, I am happy I visited at a time when Mosul was just flourishing from the ashes, just at the beginning of starting to become the vibrant city it once used to be, while witnessing the struggle of the many beautiful locals who were finally seeing their neighbors coming back to their hometown.

Since then, I have visited Mosul 4 times, mainly because the city is a default in all our Iraq Tours.

Today, Mosul is busy, they keep opening businesses every other day, and the reconstruction of the old city is advancing at unprecedented levels, even though it will take years for it to be completely rebuilt.

Read: Iraq Itinerary

In 2014, the unrecognized proto-state of the Islamic State took over Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.

That had been their biggest military achievement so far, leaving them so close to controlling Baghdad.

Mosul, a city whose existence had remained largely unknown by most of the Western world, was suddenly taking up headlines that filled the front pages from every newspaper worldwide.

The entire world was on the rack, looking in puzzlement at how powerful ISIS had become.

Nevertheless, travelers should know that Mosul has been a relevant city for a couple of thousand years. Inhabited since 6000 BC, its outskirts were the place where the city of Nineveh was founded in 1800 BC, the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and the largest city in the world for quite a few decades.

It wasn’t until the 7th century BC though, after the fall of Nineveh, that today’s Mosul gained significant importance, when it became a commercial center, linking Assyria and Anatolia.

Mosul literally means link, since it was the trading hub that linked many destinations in all directions.

For the following centuries and given its strategic importance, Mosul became part of several empires, including Achaemenid, Seleucid, Parthian and Sassanid, until it was annexed by the Arabs (Umayyad Empire) in the 7th century, becoming the capital of Mesopotamia.

From then, Mosul developed exponentially, but it never stopped being a yummy target for conquerors and, after being destroyed by the Mongols, it became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century. They ruled for more than 400 years until it passed to British rule in 1918.

Iraq became independent in 1932.

Due to its long history, Mosul was one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse cities in the Middle East, home not only to Arabs but also Kurds, Yazidis, Armenians, Turks and Shabakis, among others. Most of them were Sunni Muslims but there were also Christians, Shia, Yazidis, Sufis and people practicing minor religions such as Yarsanism or Mandeism.

However, because of the ISIS takeover in 2014, today Mosul isn’t the diverse city that it used to be, even though people are slowly coming back.

You will be interested in my Syria travel guide

Getting to Mosul by public transportation from anywhere in Iraq is easy.

Shared taxis depart from North Allawi Garage, and expect to pay around 25,000 IQD – 30,000 IQD, for a 5 to 6-hour ride.

I have done this section only by private transportation but you can easily find a shared taxi from the bus station in Erbil, and pay no more than 10,000 IQD.

Warning: As you may know, a visa for traveling to Kurdistan doesn’t allow you to travel in Iraq proper, and vice-versa. While it’s true that since March 2021, there’s VOA for Iraq, you can’t get one if coming from Erbil by road for the simple reason that there isn’t an actual border between Iraq and Kurdistan. Read our visa post for further information.

No, the International Airport of Mosul remains closed.

Oh yes, absolutely but seriously, like anywhere else in Iraq.

Iraqis from Mosul are just great, there’s no crime and one can walk around alone at night without issues.

Moreover, the different authorities are very slowly, getting used to the presence of foreign tourists, so they won’t be giving you any trouble like they used to in the past.

For more information, read our safety guide to Iraq.

Budget – Alsfer Hotel – Basic but pretty good and located in the old city, next to restaurants and liquor shops. A good value-for-money option.

Mid-range – Modern Palace Hotel – Great breakfast and comfortable hotel. It’s outside of the Old City, in a very dark street but it’s a good place to stay, and the hotel chosen for our Iraq Tours.

Naturally separated by the Tigris River, Mosul is divided into East & West, or New Mosul & Old Mosul.

Do you need a guide for visiting Mosul?
You can wander around Old Mosul on your own but due to reconstruction, some places are restricted, not to mention that there are many hidden gems, which are pretty difficult to find. Join our upcoming expedition to Iraq from May 19th to 26th, 2024 to find them all.

The Old City of Mosul is one of the most fascinating things to visit in Iraq.

Sadly, it was destroyed during the liberation, but UNESCO is putting a big effort into reconstructing it and every time I come back, I can already see a big difference.

The mosque where historical ISIS leader, Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, self-declared the ISIS caliphate, the first and only time he ever appeared in public.

Before the liberation in 2017, this mosque used to feature an emblematic twisting minaret – the symbol of Mosul – but ISIS decided to blow it up.

Entering Al Noori Mosque is not possible as an independent traveler.

This area comprises 3-4 very old churches, from different Christian branches, all of them heavily destroyed, but they are being rebuilt by UNESCO.

Pope Francis celebrated mass in the middle of the square.

The oldest mosque in Mosul, and one of the oldest in Iraq, is today surrounded by rubble but the mosque structure has suffered relatively little damage.

The oldest mosque in Mosul. It has received very little damage.

A 12th-century castle from the Ottoman overlooking the Tigris River, and New Mosul, and a great place where finish your day.

This is the finest example of how fast reconstruction is going in Mosul, as you may see in the below two photos.

Next to Al Noori Mosque, there is a small square that has been totally reconstructed with new businesses such as a souvenir shop and a heritage café that houses a small museum of antiques.

The east bank of the river belonged to ISIS as well but there wasn’t intense fighting here, so everything looks pretty untouched.

A massive but unfinished mosque that has been under construction since Saddam’s times.

These kinds of projects are kind of controversial in Iraq and divide Iraqi society into those who want to cancel any project Saddam started, and those who don’t want to have an unfinished building.

Today, it seems reconstruction has finally resumed and they renamed it the Grand Mosque of Mosul.

The busiest bazaar in Mosul is worth checking out. See location on previous map.

In my opinion, these are the 2 best day trips you can do from Mosul

Hatra is one of the most amazing places to visit in Iraq, a 2,000-year-old fortress located in the middle of the desert, and once used by ISIS as a base or training camp, the heritage of which is still visible in the many graffiti painted on its walls.

The fortress used to be a caravan city located between the Roman and Parthian empires, famed for its fusion of Greek, Mesopotamian, and Roman architecture. At first, it does look like a Roman temple, with many similarities to Palmyra, but it’s not.

There is no public transportation to Hatra, so a car is needed.

Bakhdida is the largest Christian city in Iraq, the reason why Pope Francis visited it back in March 2021.

The whole city was also occupied by ISIS but all they found was an empty town, since the vast majority of people had left as soon as ISIS made it to Mosul.

Nowadays, however, life is coming back in Bakhdida, and it does feel very Christian, visible in the abundance of churches, beer shops, and the relatively large presence of women.

In Bakhdida, you must visit the Catholic Church, the largest one in Iraq, and where Pope Francis celebrated mass. On our visit, we were lucky to be received by the main priest an extremely well-educated man who spoke good English and impeccable Italian, since he lived in the Vatican for quite a while.

If you have the time, Mar Behnam can be easily combined with Bakhdida.

Located in Al Khidhir, Mar Behnam is a Syriac Catholic monastery that was heavily damaged by ISIS, but which has been restored recently.

Additionally, you could also go to Lalish or Mar Mattai but these 2 places are within Kurdistan terri

• Iraq Travel Guide
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• Solo Female Travel Guide to Iraq
• Iraq Itinerary
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• Erbil Travel Guide
• Tales of Backpacking in Iraqi Kurdistan
• Solo Female Travel Guide to Iraqi Kurdistan
• Iraqi Kurdistan Itinerary
• Iraqi Kurdistan Travel Guide

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