Andy's EPIC Road Trips across Europe Montenegro
Montenegro
175 miles / 280 km (without Dubrovnik and Bosnia)
205 miles / 330 km (with Dubrovnik and Bosnia)
Approx 6 Hours Drive Time
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Dubrovnik, but also Podgorica have international airports. Should you need to rent a car as well, Expedia might be your one-top-shop.
You could also arrive in the area by ferry. Both Bar (in southern Montenegro) as well as Dubrovnik can be reached from Bari in the southern Italian region of Apulia. Direct Ferries will help.
Podgorica is a stop on the magically old-fashioned Belgrade to Bar line. Sadly, Dubrovnik does not have a rail station, but can easily be reached from Split (which does have one) via coach. All these options (including the coach) can be booked and purchased through the Trainline website.
For a small country of merely 600,00 people, Montenegro packs quite a punch: Podgorica, was heavily damaged by an earthquake in 1979, and the re-building of the country’s capital has not been considered by many as an unqualified success, but nightlife, food and drink can’t get much cheaper.
Driving north towards Nikšić you will enter a sparsely populated, mountainous and rugged area offering a proper end-of-the-world feel before descending towards Kotor with an atmospheric, walled old town, located at the end of Kotor Bay, Europe’s southernmost fjord and a truly jaw-dropping natural feat, towered over by steep and brooding mountains (hence the country’s name which translates as black mountain). Your final stop is Budva, the main seaside resort, with attractive beaches, a beautiful old town and plenty of casinos (should you have any travel money left to spend). On the way back to Podgorica, you might want to consider a side excursion to Lake Skadar.
Booking.com lists over 200 entries for the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica. The numbers for Dubrovnik (close to 600) and Budvar (a staggering 800) are equally comprehensive.
For the budget conscious, Hostelworld has 9 listings for Budva, 7 for Podgorica, and 49 for Dubrovnik.
Should you wish to stay longer, Vrbo lists over 300 holiday villas and appartments in Montenegro alone. The choice for Dubrovnik is just as vast.
A stunning bay, lovely mountains, gorgeous beaches, low prices: Where’s the catch? It’s the country’s (young and male) drivers. Ralf Schumacher, brother of the more famous Michael, and also an accomplished formula one driver, has bought a property on the Luštica peninsula and must have been a very bad influence on the local adolescent population. I have driven in many metropolises, but what I witnessed in Montenegro I usually only ever encounter in action movies. Fast and furious truly encapsulates the nation’s attitude in this regard. So please drive carefully and above all slowly. This explains the time frame of at least 6 hours for what might seem a rather short tour of around 200 miles. Take your time, enjoy the views, and let the local lads pass you by at frantic speed. You will catch up with them once you pass the next ambulance (which indeed happened to me on two occasions).
Budva
I strongly recommend extending the trip slightly to take in Dubrovnik in Croatia, and a small section of Bosnia & Herzegovina. Once you have left Nikšić on the M-6 continue down that road and do not turn into the R-11 toward Risan. You will soon enter the Serbian part of Bosnia-Herzegovina (the so-called Republika Srpska). You thought parts of Texas were isolated? Try this area. It’s deserted and rather spooky in a Chain Saw Massacre kind of way, so make sure to fill up your tank before crossing the border. Not long after, you will enter the other of Bosnia & Herzegovina’s two entities: the Federation of B&H, where a more usual degree of civilisation gradually establishes itself, in particular once you cross the border into Croatia, before finally arriving at the ‘Adriatic Perl’ that is Dubrovnik. From there, continue along the road towards Herzeg Novi in Montenegro, located at the entrance to Kotor Bay, before driving along the north shore to Kotor and then on to Budva.
Ostrog Monastery, south of Nikšić
Podgorica, with some international flight links is a decent departure point, both for the shorter Montenegrin loop, as well as the 3 Country loop. But Dubrovnik with its more advanced infrastructure might be more preferable. You could even enter the shorter Montenegrin loop from there as the town is just a relatively short drive of two hours away from Kotor.
Lake Skadar
As to overnight stops, any of the big highlights – Dubrovnik, Kotor, Budva - work well. But instead of Dubrovnik, you might want to consider the nearby resort of Cavtat, which is just a 10 minute drive from the airport. The place is much less crowded (and cheaper), and also has a very handy 30-minute ferry service linking it with its glitzy neighbour. You might also want to consider staying in the mountains just south of Nikšić, near the mesmerising Ostrog Monastery (try Hotel Sokoline, which is listed on Booking.com).
Border Post. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Republika Srpska
And if it is excursions that you are after, Get Your Guide might just have your ticket. In Dubrovnik, there are listings for Games of Thrones, walking as well as cave tours, while for Montenegro, there are over 70 listings, from day trips of the Durmitor National Park, to white water rafting or cruises through the Kotor Bay.