MONTENEGRO – Podgorica (En)

Montenegro is a Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline. The Bay of Kotor, resembling a fjord, is dotted with coastal churches and fortified towns. Durmitor National Park, encompasses limestone peaks, glacial lakes and the 1,300m-deep Tara River Canyon.

The best of Montenegro is driving along its mountain road and next to the beach and lakes and stopping at the viewpoints to see the landscape and take photos. There are tourist buses that are dedicated to doing that and we did it too, it was what we liked the most since the landscape is amazing! The towns we passed were not that great as many of the houses are unfinished even though people live in them.

We went to Podgorica the capital city of Montenegro and the most populated city in the country with only 150.000 inhabitants. It is located in the Zeta Valley, at the point where the Ribnica and Moraca rivers meet. We stayed in the parking of the Hotel Piramida (42.45749, 19.280501 lat, long) where you can use the toilets, showers, internet and electricity for 15 euros per day and located in the city. If you want to see the city is the only option, and even so, we have problems turning around the motorhome to be able to go out.

Podgorica was founded in Roman times and has a history of more than 2000 years. It is not a very busy city regarding tourism so it does not have much. The city reminds me of the 80s time, with people doing what they want, driving how they want (it was a nightmare drive through the city), and houses half finished and unpainted. To arrive at the city centre we passed through the Gorica Park located on Gorica Hill, which overlooks Podgorica and it is the highest point from which you can see the city. The park has a very cute restaurant and places to climb. At the end of the park, you find the Chapel of St George, one of the nicest buildings in the city.

After the park you arrive at Republic Square in the new city, surrounded by cafes and restaurants with a fountain in the middle.

Following the street, you arrive at the Old Town dominated by the Clock Tower built by the Turks in 1667 and one of the few monuments left after the bombing. This 18th-century tower is about 15 meters high and was used to mark Muslim prayer times. The most outstanding element of its facade is a large fixed clock that worked for more than 250 years. In this area, you can find also the Osmanagic Mosque from the 18th century and the Doganjska Mosque from the 15th century.

The next thing we saw was the Old Bridge (Stari Most), a stone bridge spanning the Ribnica River. Its construction dates back to Roman times, although it was rebuilt during the period of Ottoman rule. From the old bridge, you can see the Millenium Bridge that crosses the Moraca River, it is 173 meters long and has 12 cables that support the road.

For us, the most impressive building in the city is the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, which we saw on our way into the city when we passed driving on our way to the hotel. It is one of the biggest in the Orthodox World and it is dominated by two 26-meter-tall twin towers. Its construction began in 1993 and ended in 2013.

We decided to have an early dinner in the new city. On the main street, we saw a place called Zeppelin Cafe with a cheap and good menu. We shared a platter of 4 typical sausages of the country with butter chips, tomatoes, a bowl of typical cheese and typical bread which is like pitta bread. The food was delicious, and the tomatoes were sweet. A huge plate of food for only 9 euros! I had a cocktail super yummy and Ben 2 beers and we paid for all 15 euros.

We went back to the hotel parking in a taxi as it was a 40-minute walk. By the way, the taxis are ok taking dogs. We paid 4 euros.

The next day we leave Montenegro and go to Albania as it was very near to Podgorica. And you can see it in the next post.