The Perfect 10-Day Route for Montenegro

This ten-day route is for travelers who want both halves of Montenegro, the bay and the high north, without racing. It starts slowly at the western end of the coast, then heads inland through the old royal capital and a cliff monastery before finishing with four days in the mountains. Expect a moderate pace with one move every two days or so. Buses do most of the work, plus a taxi over the Lovćen road, a taxi to Ostrog and one guided or rented day in Durmitor.

Days 1-2: Herceg Novi

Starting in Herceg Novi makes sense if you arrive from Dubrovnik, about an hour away, and it eases you in more gently than Kotor. The town climbs in staircases from the sea, and its forts set the rhythm of a walk. The Herceg Novi Fortress circuit takes you from Forte Mare above the harbor up to Kanli Kula, the Ottoman fort that now hosts summer concerts. Spend day 2 on the Pet Danica seafront promenade, which runs about 7 kilometers along the water, with swimming platforms all the way.

Days 3-4: Perast and Kotor

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This ten-day route is for travelers who want both halves of Montenegro, the bay and the high north, without racing. It starts slowly at the western end of the coast, then heads inland through the old royal capital and a cliff monastery before finishing with four days in the mountains. Expect a moderate pace with one move every two days or so. Buses do most of the work, plus a taxi over the Lovćen road, a taxi to Ostrog and one guided or rented day in Durmitor.

Days 1-2: Herceg Novi

Starting in Herceg Novi makes sense if you arrive from Dubrovnik, about an hour away, and it eases you in more gently than Kotor. The town climbs in staircases from the sea, and its forts set the rhythm of a walk. The Herceg Novi Fortress circuit takes you from Forte Mare above the harbor up to Kanli Kula, the Ottoman fort that now hosts summer concerts. Spend day 2 on the Pet Danica seafront promenade, which runs about 7 kilometers along the water, with swimming platforms all the way.

Days 3-4: Perast and Kotor

Travel around the bay on day 3 with a stop on the way. Get off the Kotor bus at Perast, leave your bag at a café, and take the short boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks for 5 to 10 euros return. A later bus covers the last 25 minutes to Kotor. Here the plan reverses the usual order. Explore the cathedral and the cat-filled lanes by day, then climb to Kotor’s Fortress in the last two hours before sunset, when the walls glow orange and the climb is cooler.

Day 5: Njeguši, Lovćen and Cetinje

The road up from Kotor is a run of hairpins with no useful bus, so share a taxi or join a minibus that drops you in Cetinje. Expect roughly 50 to 80 euros per car including stops. Stop in Njeguši for smoked pršut ham and local cheese, then continue to Lovćen, where 461 steps lead to Njegoš’s mausoleum at 1,657 meters with views over most of the country. Sleep in Cetinje, then visit Cetinje Monastery in the morning, before the tour groups arrive. Wraps are available at the door if you need to cover up.

Day 6: Nikšić and Ostrog

Take the bus via Podgorica to Niksic, about 2 hours in total, a relaxed provincial town with almost no tourists. It’s the easiest base for Ostrog Monastery: a taxi covers the roughly 25 kilometers and back, waiting while you visit, for about 30 to 50 euros. The upper church is built into a vertical cliff, and pilgrims queue quietly to enter the relic chamber. In the evening, walk up the pine-covered hill of Trebjesa above town.

Days 7-10: Žabljak and Durmitor

The bus from Nikšić to Žabljak takes about 2 hours through high empty pastures. Spend three nights there. Walk the 3.5-kilometer loop around the Black Lake on arrival, then give day 8 to Durmitor through the Durmitor Ring, a loop of roughly 80 kilometers over the Sedlo pass at around 1,900 meters. There are no buses on it, so rent a car or scooter for the day or join a local minibus tour. Day 9 is for Nevidio Canyon, a slot canyon so narrow it was explored late, and only on guided canyoning trips from roughly July to September; budget about 60 to 100 euros including wetsuit and transfer. Outside that season, hike up Bobotov Kuk, at 2,523 meters, from Sedlo instead. On day 10, the bus to Podgorica takes 2.5 to 3 hours.

On your Durmitor driving day, add the detour west to Plužine, where the dammed Piva Lake fills a deep canyon with water of an unreal green.