Montenegro / Crna Gora – Let’s explore here
Montenegro is an incredibly mountainous and beautiful country in the Balkans in Southern Europe. It’s about the size of Northern Ireland. The mountains include some of the most rugged terrain in Europe, averaging more than 6,500 feet in height. The highest point is Bobotov Kuk, in the Durmitor mountain range, at 8,278 ft (2,523 m) above sea level.
There are several, large national parks in Montenegro, and when travelling though the country it’s easy to see why … the views are amazing. The Biogradska gora area is one of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves, and contains the last of the European rainforest.
The country has a fairly small population of around 602,000 people, a third of whom live in the spacious capital, Podgorica.
Current travels
On our current road trip we travelled from Bosnia & Herzegovina across the hair-raising Mratinje Bridge, following the beautiful Piva Canyon all the way through the stunning Durmitor and the Biogradska gora national parks, before heading into the capital, Podgorica. We then spent time on the lovely mediterranean coast around the Budva area, before finally heading across country onto Albania.
We learned absolutely masses about this intriguing and beautiful country, and its relationship and history with all of its neighbours.
This is the route that we took through Montenegro on our travels, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Albania.
Mratinje Bridge – Piva Canyon – Plužine – Katun – Durmitor – Sedlo Pass – Šavnik – Kolasin – Drijenak – Biogradska gora – Podgorica – Budva – Becici
Our best places in Montenegro
Durmitor national park & Sedlo pass
Budva
Biogradska gora
Biogradska gora is a national park in Montenegro and is also one of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves. Rainfall is extremely high in the area, averaging up to 100 inches (2.54m) per year, which allows for the growth of one of Europe’s last three remaining virgin rainforests. Many of the trees are ancient and some are over five hundred years old. In the very heart of virgin forest is Biogradsko Lake, the largest glacier lake in the park.
Piva canyon & Mratinje bridge
The Piva canyon is situated between the Bioč, Volujak, Maglić and Pivska planina mountains in Montenegro. It is around 20 miles (33 km) long, and 4,000ft (1,200m) deep.
The Mratinje bridge in in the far north, towards the border with Bosnia & Herzegovina. The bridge looks precarious on approach! The road continues south and passes through over forty tunnels that appear as if they were hand cut due to their rough construction.
Podgorica
Šavnik
What’s it like to drive in Montenegro?
We entered the country at the Šćepan Polje / Hum border with Bosnia & Herzegovina. In October we were the only people there! The Bosnian side was friendly and efficient. On the Montenegrin side, we literally had to wake the border guard up as he’d fallen asleep!! He too was very friendly, once he’d shaken his head a bit and found his bearings 🤣
Driving in Montenegro is a very laid back affair, presumably because of the paucity of people, but also because of the terrain, which is almost entirely mountainous. The whole country really is like a national park. It’s a very small country, so getting about really doesn’t take much time at all – aside from stopping all the time to take photos!
One thing that is a major hazard are the rockfalls. Unlike most places where road signs indicate these as a possibility, in Montenegro, it’s a major probability. We say many, many places with large amounts of rockfalls, some of which were huge (as big as cars!).
Driving in the capital, Podgorica is also easy, as the roads are very wide in the main, and follow a grid pattern. So if you do make a wrong turn, just go around the block. People do not tend to drive quickly at all, and there is no harassment that we came across.
We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂
What currency do they use in Montenegro?
In Montenegro they use the Euro. The use of credit / debit cards is now widespread, although not guaranteed – have some cash just in case, particularly in café’s and restaurants and in rural areas. Traveller’s cheques are accepted in major cities. There are lots of ATMs in city centre, though not elsewhere.
You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.
What language do they speak in Montenegro?
The official language of Montenegro is Montenegrin, although only about a quarter of people speak the language in reality. Most speak Serbian. Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian are also spoken in some areas.
What time zone is Montenegro in?
Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in.
Do I need a visa to visit Montenegro?
We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!
Is wild camping legal in Montenegro?
No, wild camping is illegal in Montenegro, although it is well tolerated.
Is it safe to drink water in Montenegro?
No, it is not safe to drink tap water in Montenegro. Bottled water is readily available across the country.
Montenegro Sim card
We bought a Crnogorski Telekom Sim card at the first petrol station we came to in Plužine. The man in the fuel station was super helpful 🙂
We paid €10 (£8.50) for a 7 day pre-paid card [500GB]. The Sim card only worked in Montenegro.
If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know!
And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!