When researching our trip to Montenegro, we noticed that whilst Podgorica is pretty much the hub you fly into in Montenegro, it is never really talked about much as a city to visit. It can sometimes be said that it’s ugly, or that there’s nothing to do, but when you consider its long, struggling history for survival and the fact that it was brought to the ground in the world wars, it’s understandable why!
However, when you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll see that Podgorica actually has quite a lot to offer. Spend a couple of days in the city itself, and you can take in lots of interesting brutalist architecture, some great coffee and local swimming spots in incredible canyons as well as tasting local wine.
Use Podgorica as a base for some of your Montenegro trip, and you’ll realise it provides fantastic access to places like Skadar Lake National Park, Budva, Sveti Stefan and the Montenegrin Coast as well as the Ostrog Monastery. A little further afield and you’re in Durmitor National Park, one of the most breathtaking places we’ve ever visited.
Below, we’ve outlined some of the best things to do in Podgorica and also some of the best things to do near Podgorica. By the end, we think you’ll see that this location is well worth checking out and could well form the perfect base for your Montenegro trip!
Where is Podgorica?
Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro is slightly inland in the Southeast. If you’re flying into Montenegro, there is a good chance that you will land in Podgorica.
It is close to the coast and places like Budva and Tivat, Kotor and Perast as well as Skadar Lake National Park. Our map below shows its exact location:
How to Get to Podgorica
There are a number of ways you can get to Podgorica as it is an international hub. Here are some of the ways you can arrive:
By plane: Podgorica has an airport that serves a lot of Europe. You can get flights easily from places like the UK, France, Germany etc. If you’re flying from further afield, you may be best looking at flights to somewhere like London and then catching a connecting flight to Podgorica.
By car: It’s obviously possible to arrive in Podgorica by car as well, which is what we did. However, a word of warning if you’re driving from another country and using a hire car that you may well have to pay a supplement to do so. We learned this the hard way from our rental company when driving from Croatia, so always check the small print!
By train: It’s possible to get to Podgorica by train from a number of big cities such as Belgrade, Zagreb, Budapest, Munich and many more. This needs to be done through a series of interlinking trains.
Why Visit Podgorica?
Whilst Podgorica is said to be a little on the boring side by some people, we think that they are just expecting something completely different. Podgorica is an example of a city that has fought for its survival for an extremely long time! Being bombed extensively in the world wars didn’t help and the brutalist architecture in Podgorica is very much a product of this. So don’t be so quick to write it off and just leave the minute you get to Podgorica airport.
There’s an awful lot of beauty just outside the city centre too, with Moraca Canyon being a truly stunning and peaceful place to spend time. There’s also a lot of local produce and artisanal producers to try out too.
One of the greatest things about Podgorica is that it makes day trips out to so many of the relatively nearby attractions doable and means you don’t need to move around for the whole time. We loved having Podgorica as a base. We made the most of the city as well as it’s closeness to everywhere we wanted to visit until we moved on to the next section of our Montenegro trip and really don’t regret it!
Best Things to do in Podgorica
Below, we’ve outlined some of the best things to do in Podgorica that should keep all of your group happy. There is a couple of days’ worth of activities here, so it’s well worth checking them all out if you can.
If you’re going to do any of our suggestions below, we’d say checking out the brutalist architecture and visiting Moraca canyon to go swimming would be our top picks! However, whatever you choose to do, we think you’ll be pretty surprised by Podgorica.
Explore the Brutalist Architecture of Podgorica
When you’ve spent more than 5 minutes in Podgorica, you’ll see that its full of brutalist architecture. This is one of the reasons why so many people say it’s a boring or ugly city, but we think it is actually really an interesting way to engage with its past.
The city was basically destroyed to the ground in the world wars (it could in fact be one of the most bombed cities in the world). When it was rebuilt, reduced funds meant a focus on more communist style buildings. There have also of course been centuries of suffering against Balkan nations from attacks and the treat of Ottoman take over.
We’d urge you to spend some time exploring the architecture that makes up Podgorica; we found it very interesting. Many of the apartment blocks that surround are brutalist and if you look more closely, you’ll often see interesting shapes and intricacies you don’t get on more ‘romantic’ or baroque style buildings.
The University of Montenegro is also another really interesting building to see – with its curves combined with its sharp, straight lines. The student dorms at the university are also really iconic, with their pink shaped covers over the balconies.
The Brutalist Church of Podgorica (Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus) is also obvious in the city – and it may look like no church you’ve ever seen before. You’ll also find a lot more if you spend some time looking round. It’s easy to get lost in this for hours.
How to find the Brutalist architecture in Podgorica:
- Blok V: Google Maps Location
- Church of the Holy Heart of Jesus: C7QG+377, Franca Prešerna, Podgorica, Montenegro
- University of Montenegro: 2 Cetinjski Put, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Drink Coffee in Podgorica City from One of the Specialty Coffee Shops
One of the best things to do in Podgorica City is drink coffee from one of many, specialty coffee shops. Podgorica seems to take coffee very seriously and we were happy to find a range of cafes with knowledgeable baristas offering exceptional cups.
One thing we loved trying in Podgorica was a bumble coffee, which is an iced orange juice with a shot of espresso. You may think that sounds a little weird at first, but it’s actually pretty refreshing and moreish!
Some of the best shops we visited, which we’d really recommend are Fabrika, which is set in a fantastic looking building and has both indoor and outdoor seating. We also loved Caffeine Coffee Shop. They actually have a few branches dotted around the city so you can choose the one that’s closest to you. They also do cocktails in the evening and are open pretty late!
How to find Podgorica’s Coffee Shops:
- Caffeine Coffee Shop: A range of locations around the city – this Google Map will show you where they’re located.
- Fabrika: 27 Moskovska, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
Visit Montenegro Niagara Falls
When we heard about this place, with its name, how could we not visit? All jokes aside, we’re glad we did as it’s a truly beautiful stretch of the river Cijevna. It’s pretty clear that this waterfall has been named so to draw in tourists, as the restaurant next to it is called Niagara, but none the less it’s worth visiting, especially as it’s only a few minutes out from central Podgorica.
The waterfall itself is picturesque, but if you walk a little further down the river to the right (you’ll need to hop over some of the boulders) you’ll find amazing waterfall pools with crystal clear water. We think this is one of the best things to do in Podgorica.
Apparently at some points of the year, particularly after a very hot summer, the falls can be a little bit lack lustre, but when we visited in late June, it still looked amazing! Come here toward the end of the day and you’ll likely have amazing light on the mountains surrounding you.
How to find the Montenegro Niagara Falls:
If you look at the map we’ve linked to, there is parking outside and along the road just near the waterfall. If you cross the road from where you’ve parked, you’ll see a bridge and some steps down the hillside. This will take you to the falls. If you’re visiting the restaurant, you can either head down that way or from the roadside restaurant entrance.
Go Swimming in the Moraca River
We only really discovered this amazing stretch of the Moraca River when we were looking for what to do in Podgorica one of the days where we wanted to take it easy. We’d asked a few locals, and they’d mentioned heading down to Moraca River Canyon for a swim. It’s a popular spot with Podgorica residents, especially on a hot day as the water is crystal clear and cool so amazing for cooling down.
To begin with, we went to where a pin on the map took us (Moraca Beach). We realised it wasn’t the right spot, but soon with a bit of backtracking and figuring out, we found a great place to enter from.
Really, the river actually has a number of spots that are good. So, if you head out of the city and find a spot that works and you can park easily nearby, then go for it.
We loved the spot we found – we parked up at Auto kamp Titograd (with the permission of the site) and it was a short walk down a ramp to get to the river. From there we spent hours scrambling over the rocks to find different pools to swim in.
Be sure to take swimming shoes with you as some of the rocks can be sharp! This was one of our favourite days of the whole trip and didn’t see a single other person whilst down on the river. So, if you’re looking for fun things to do in Podgorica, you’ve found it!
How to find the Moraca Canyon beaches:
There are so many spots along here, but one of the best is near Auto kamp Titograd. If they allow you to park, you can walk down the ramp, and the river is right in front of you. Some of the best pools are along the rocks to the right.
Take in the City Sights and Buildings
We’ve already covered the brutalist architecture that exists here, but one of the best things to do in Podgorica is to check out some of the other city sights and buildings. There is actually a decent amount to see in a relatively short time and you can do this in just under a half day.
There’s Ribnica Bridge, Millenium Bridge and Hram Hristovog Vaskrsenja (also known as The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ) which are all so different, but well worth visiting and taking in. Then there’s Petrović Palace, again a very different feel. Even if you have a couple of hours to spend after dinner one evening, you can easily check out some of these buildings, that are all a part of what make Podgorica what it is.
How to find them:
- Ribnica Bridge: Google Maps location
- Millenium Bridge: Google Maps location
- The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ: 3 Bulevar Džordža Vašingtona, Podgorica 81000, Montenegro
- Petrović Palace/Castle: C7Q2+53M Park Petrovića, Podgorica, Montenegro
Enjoy Local Wine and Artisanal Produce
You may not know this, but the Balkans produce a lot of wine. If you decide to head down towards Skadar Lake, outlined below, you may also notice that there are a lot of vines growing.
Naturally as a result of this, there are plenty of cellars and wineries around this area to go and explore and many of these also offer artisanal produce like honey, olive oil and sometimes cheese as well as brandy.
The grape most well known around here is vranac. You’ll see this in the supermarkets, but there is something much nicer about getting a bottle from a winery!
We loved checking some of these out when on our way out to Skadar Lake – with one of the most well known being Šipčanik which is only a few kilometers out of Podgorica. Here you can buy bottles very reasonably priced, but there are also so many sellers obvious from the road, that you will not be short on options.
How to find the wine cellars and artisanal produce of Podgorica:
Wine cellar 13. Jul Plantaže is very popular, but you can also find many other artisanal producers on the M18 or E80 down to Skadar Lake. There are lots parricually near Virpazar, where, if you take a boat tour of Skadar Lake, you will start from.
Enjoy the Local Places Serving Montenegrin Food
There are some great restaurants and places to eat here, and we think trying some of the local dishes is one of the best things to do in Podgorica. You’ve got dishes like borek for a start – a filo pastry round with various different fillings. Some can be vegetarian, and some include meat.
The many bakeries in the area serve a whole of different delights you’ll want to get your hands on. One place we really loved on our visit was Paradise Food. It’s a vegetarian and vegan café serving traditional Montenegrin food with a modern twist.
The prices were exceptional, as was the food and the staff were so friendly. We were surprised to find somewhere serving vegetarians and vegan in Podgorica as it is traditionally a very meat heavy place.
Pod Volat is also really nice, which is just outside the old town. They serve a range of dishes that are reasonably priced. The stuffed apple is particularly good!
How to find the restaurants of Podgorica:
- Paradise Food: 99 Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog, Podgorica, Montenegro
- Pod Volat: 1 Trg Vojvode Bećira Osmanagića, Podgorica, Montenegro
Things to Do Near Podgorica
Moving on to the best things to do near Podgorica, there are so many options! Most of the below locations are the main reasons why we chose to stay in Podgorica for some of our Montenegro trip: it makes a really good base for exploring from.
One of the great things about many of the places we’ve outlined below, is that they are mostly around an hour/ just over an hour’s drive from Podgorica. The only exception being Durmitor National Park, but this is still achievable in a day without any stress!
We found that staying in Podgorica as a base gave us the best of both worlds. We could check out some of the cool things to do in Podgorica as well as the mesmerising sights that lay just a stone’s throw away.
Below we’ve outlined some of our favourites to really give you a feel for what is available here and how good Podgorica is as a base. You’ll be amazed by just what there is nearby!
Enjoy Skadar Lake National Park
When we saw that Skadar Lake National Park was nearby to Podgorica, and we did a Google search for what it looks like, we couldn’t believe our eyes. Having visited, we feel that its one of the most beautiful places we’ve been.
Lake Skadar is a huge freshwater lake (370 km squared) which sits between Montenegro and Albania. It’s home to a staggering 281 species of birds, 49 species of fish and a huge variety of other life. It is one of the richest, most biodiverse habitats in the area.
There is simply so much to do at Lake Skadar that it makes an incredible day trip (or a few days exploring) from Podgorica. One of the best ways you can explore is by driving through the park and checking out some of the view points.
There are also plenty of hiking trails too, and a boat tour of Skadar Lake is also a must – there are pretty much endless things to do in Skadar Lake National Park. We found Skadar Lake one of the most mesmerising and magical places on our trip and we couldn’t stop saying wow constantly.
We’d recommend spending a day driving, and doing a boat trip around the lake. On your way down to Skadar Lake, we’d recommend stopping off at Macalov Brijeg, an incredibly beautiful, sweet little roadside café serving homemade juices with stunning views and a warm and friendly family.
Then another day doing some hiking and swimming. The Komarno viewpoint hike is particularly beautiful, as is the Viewpoint of Vranjina. There is something for most here hiking wise and it’s one of the best things to do near Podgorica.
In terms of swimming, your best bet is to head to Murići Beach. It’s sandy and an incredible location to swim from. We found the drive to get there breathtaking too.
How to find Skadar Lake National Park:
Distance from Podgorica: Roughly 30km (30 minutes drive)
- Best viewpoints: Pavlova Strana, Circular Viewpoint, Poseljani Waterfall, Macalov Brijeg
- Best place for swimming at Skadar Lake National Park: Murići Beach
Take a Boat Tour of Skadar Lake National Park
As we’ve outlined above, Skadar Lake National Park is one of the best things to do in Podgorica, Montenegro. So, seeing the lake by boat is an absolutely must do experience.
Taking a boat tour is easy and pretty accessible price wise. You don’t really need to book in advance either. If you head down to Virpazar, you will see signs pretty much immediately for a lot of the local boat tour companies. Drive into Virpazar and you will be directed where to park.
From here, there are lots of small stalls set up with various companies offering tours. We were advised to take a 90-minute tour to see the various channels and waterways as well as the main areas and we’re glad you did.
However, you can also take longer tours that take you out to some of the other sights on the lake (there’s even an old prison building you can see which is pretty cool!) Some tours range up to 5 hours, so there’s lots of choice.
Our tour cost us 60 Euros for 90 minutes for two and included a National Park entry fee too. Which we thought was pretty reasonable for the experience. We headed out on the boat toward sunset and it was just a truly magical and romantic experience. We would say if you did anything from Podgorica, do a boat tour of Skadar Lake!
How to find the boat tours of Skadar Lake National Park:
Head to Virpazar and it’s pretty obvious from there – you can park up there and take boat tour very easily.
Visit the Stunning Montenegro Coast including Budva, Kotor and Sveti Stefan
The coast of Montenegro is perhaps one of the main reasons why you may decide to stay in or around Podgorica – as it’s a pretty easy trip there. For example, Podgorica to Budva is 65km and about an hours drive. Podgorica to Kotor is also not far, at 87km and well under 2 hours of driving.
The Montenegrin coast around areas like Budva, Sveti Stefan, Kotor, Petrovac and a whole host of others are certainly having a moment. The coast feels busy and hot, and we’d recommend visiting more towards the shoulder seasons. When we visited in late June, it was extremely busy and close to 40 Celsius!
However, it is undeniably beautiful and every corner you turn and view you see, you will be wowed. We particularly found ourselves in awe of the views out to Sveti Stefan beach. In reality though you can spend a full day just driving along the coast and checking out some of the various beaches and towns. Budva and Kotor are some of the best to visit!
How to find the best spots on the Montenegrin coast:
- Drive time from Podgorica to Budva, Montenegro: 65km/1hr 7min
- Drive time from Podgorica to Sveti Stefan, Montenegro: 61km/1hr 7min
- Drive time from Podgorica to Kotor, Montenegro: 87km/1hr 43min
Once at any of these spots, you can drive along and check out the towns or the many beaches and viewpoints along the coast.
Visit Durmitor National Park
This is probably the furthest away suggestion in our list of what to do in Podgorica Montenegro, but we think it is well worth it. It’s about 126km to the National Park entrance point and roughly 2 hours and 9 minutes of driving from Podgorica, which is easily doable in a day.
We had researched a little bit about Durmitor National Park before we visited Montenegro, and we were eager to visit. If you’ve visited the Alps, The Dolomites or Switzerland, be prepared for high mountain scenery that can rival just about anything you’ll have seen before.
Durmitor National Park is set in the North of Montenegro and is home to part of the Dinaric Alps range which also sits in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is so much to do here, and you could easily make a few days of it.
We have a whole guide on Durmitor National Park which we’d recommend you read and that includes hiking maps, swimming locations and so much more. However, if you only have one day, we’d highly recommend you visit Black Lake, drive the Seldo Pass and see Piva Lake before heading back.
Durmitor National Park is so beautiful, and it was the highlight of our trip to Montenegro. What’s more, its quiet and the temperatures are more bearable in summer as the altitude shaves off the heat you can expect to get along the coast.
How to find Durmitor National Park:
It’s roughly 126km from Podgorica to Black Lake along the M18, the E762 and then the P5 out of Podgorica. Once you arrive, you can head to Black Lake, then turn back on yourself to drive the Seldo Pass. You’ll need to pay 5 Euros each per day to enter the National Park and this can be paid at the entrance to Black Lake.
Head to the Ostrog Monastery
If you spend any time driving near Podgorica, you will likely see signs for the Ostrog Monastery and it’s a pretty incredible place to visit. It is very much still a place of worship, and you will see big groups making pilgrimages.
It is said to be a very powerful place in terms of spirituality, and even if you aren’t particularly religious, as neither of us are, it is a place where you can really feel the energy and it has a pretty sombre but overarching feeling to it.
It’s free to visit, and is open until 8pm most days, and better still, the road to get there is a bit of an adventure, so be sure you’re comfortable with driving on mountain passes before you head out there. It sits snugly in the side of a cliff face and you’ll get glimpses of the white building on the way up. Once you arrive, the views out are incredible and you could well say that the Ostrog Monastery, Montenegro is pretty iconic.
There is parking for the Monastery and for many people, the walk up the steep switchbacks or steps to the building itself won’t be too much of a challenge, but for those that need it, there is parking much closer to the top. Just advise the parking staff on the day.
You should also make sure that you cover your legs when visiting as the Ostrog Monastery has a modesty policy. Arms are ok to be left uncovered, but long trousers are needed or else you won’t be allowed in.
We actually visited the Ostrog Monastery on our way back from Piva Lake and were there at around 7pm. The light was absolutely wonderful and golden as we looked around and saw all of the ornate and grand religious iconography and stunning views out onto the surrounding mountains below.
How to get to the Ostrog Monastery:
Podgorica to Ostrog Monastery: 43km/1 hour of driving along a very windy, twisty mountainside road! (But well worth it).
Take a Day Trip to Perast
If you’re heading to the coast of Montenegro, we would really recommend that you visit Perast too. The reason we have categorised Perast separately to the coastal section above is because you could easily spend a day around here.
Once you arrive, you will see that it is pretty hectic! It is a small town/village on the side of the water, and it is not accessible for tourists by car. So, you have to park at the top and walk down into the village to look around.
There is very little parking so you might be waiting a while, but you will also have plenty of people working for boat companies who will be trying to sell you a boat tour with the promise of parking. The boat tours take you out to the island where you can see the buildings there and the views out back to Perast itself. We’d really recommend doing this as it’s stunning and only takes a couple of hours and costa about 20 Euros.
Then, once you’ve looked at Perast, you can sit in one of the waterside restaurants and enjoy a drink or some food. Sitting and looking out at the views around was such a memorable experience for us – it was truly stunning.
Perast, Montenegro is certainly one of the best things to do in and around Podgorica and feels miles apart and like you’ve been taken back in history. Though do keep in mind it gets very busy in June, July and August so could be best visited around the shoulder season!
How to get to Perast:
Podgorica to Perast: 99km or 1 hour 56 of driving.
Is Podgorica Worth Visiting?
Whilst Podgorica itself is often talked about as being ugly, or without much to do, there are quite a lot of reasons why this could be seen as the case and it’s worth keeping in mind why this is. That aside, we do think that Podgorica is well worth visiting.
We hope from our suggestions above that you’ve got loads of inspiration for your trip. Whether you spend a couple of days looking around Podgorica or use it as a base if you don’t want to move around and just do day trips out, we’re sure you’ll see that there is so much to see and do in and around Podgorica on your Montenegro trip.
Be sure to check out our Montenegro hub for our other guides. You can also check out our other Balkan guides to places like Croatia here too.