If you are going to Montenegro for a week or two, you will probably come not only to bask on the beach, but also to see the country.
How to organize a road trip around Montenegro and why it's a great idea
If you're going to Montenegro for a week or two, you probably want to not only bask on the beach, but also see the country. The best decision is to rent a car and drive along serpentine roads, past canyons, forests, bays and cozy towns. We chose a picturesque route from the coast to the mountains.
One of the best seasons for car trips is probably autumn. At the end of September, the landscapes of Montenegro are painted in green-red-yellow-orange colors, it's not so hot for long walks, and car rentals are almost two or three times cheaper.
What you need to know when renting a car
1. The roads are free.
The only place where a fee is charged is the passage through the Sozine tunnel to the city of Bar.
2. Finding and paying for parking is quite simple.
There are both paid and free parking lots. Prices for paid parking vary everywhere, you need to find out on the spot. Sometimes you can park for the whole day for one euro, and sometimes just one hour costs two.
3. Check if the rented car has a green card. This is an international insurance that allows you to leave the country. Distances in Montenegro are short, it is quite possible to drive to neighboring Serbia, Albania or Bosnia in a day. But if the car does not have a green card, you cannot leave Montenegro.
4. Download GoogleMaps and Maps.me.
To confidently move around the country, use two maps at once. The first one sometimes confuses routes, but you can find almost any place on it. Maps.me calculates routes quite accurately, but sometimes, especially in the outback, it plots the path along dotted roads. In mountainous areas, it is difficult to drive on such roads, so it is better to drive on the main road.
5. Be careful on serpentines. T
here are many serpentines and narrow mountain roads in Montenegro, especially in Durmitor, and it is often difficult for two cars to pass each other. Locals drive quite fast even in dangerous places, they speed on turns and are generally quite fearless. But do not follow their example: drive slowly and carefully, taking into account unexpected oncoming drivers.
Budva - Durmitor Route
This route is beautiful in its atmosphere, places where you can truly relax your soul, enjoy the silence, nature and forget about the oppressive civilization. For convenience, we will consider Budva as the starting point - one of the most famous tourist cities. I recommend leaving Budva at seven or eight in the morning, to easily rush along half-empty roads, although in the off-season there will be no traffic jams anyway.
The general route with stops, walks, snacks, photos and the return trip will take 15-20 hours. The transfers are short and you can return back on the same day. But you can plan an overnight stay in Kolasin or Zabljak and split the route into two days.
Budva - Moraca Monastery
The road from the coast to the monastery will take 1.5-2 hours. The path runs through the mountains, and after Podgorica - through river canyons, where you will want to stop every 500 meters and look at everything around.
Moraca Monastery was founded in 1252, and contemporaries consider it an important monument of the Middle Ages on the Balkan Peninsula.
The monastery is located in the canyon of the Tara River, surrounded on all sides by mountains and buried in lush greenery. For me, this is a kind of place of power: peace and quiet reign here, which fill you with energy and completely recharge you.
Walk around the territory, look into the garden with rose bushes, drink water in a small spring. The water is believed to have healing properties, so locals and tourists fill bottles with it and take it with them. There is also a small apiary and monastery honey for sale. If you wish, you can talk to the priest and light candles, and after the walk, have a cold drink in a small wooden cafe.
Morača Monastery – Biogradska Gora Park
You will go along the same picturesque road through the town of Kolasin to the Biogradska Gora National Park. If you are already hungry, then stop in Kolasin and have a snack at the Savardak restaurant, a small cozy establishment in the form of a yurt.
Here they prepare national food and the traditional northern kačamak – a hearty dish based on potatoes and corn grits. After such a “refueling”, you can safely go further and explore the national parks and lakes.
The pride of the park is Biogradsko Lake, located in a natural intermountain basin above sea level. This lake is considered the largest among the other six lakes in the park. An hour is enough to explore the place, admire the nature and even take a ride on a small boat.
Biogradska Gora Park – Djurdjevicha Bridge
The road from Biogradsko Lake to the bridge will take about an hour. This is one of the famous tourist places, but it is still charming. The Djurdjevicha Bridge hovers over the Tara River at a height of 172 meters. Perhaps this is the best observation deck of the canyon and the azure mountain river.
When you stand in the middle of the bridge on the pedestrian zone and look around, your breath is taken away: there is an abyss below you, and around you are vast expanses and forests stretching into the distance.
Extreme sports enthusiasts can use try ziplining — fly over the Tara Canyon on a steel cable from one bank of the river to the other. The impressions will last for a long time! If you prefer to calmly contemplate the beauty, settle down in a cafe overlooking the bridge and have a dessert.
