Cities and towns in Montenegro

Coast

Six municipalities on the Adriatic, linked by the Adriatic Highway (E65) from Herceg Novi to Ulcinj. Tivat Airport serves the bay and the Budva riviera: about 4 km from Tivat, 8 km from Kotor and 21 km from Budva.

• Herceg Novi (municipality 30,824): founded in 1382 at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, below Orjen; 18 km of coastline, a 6 km seafront promenade and the Mimosa Festival in February.
• Kotor (municipality 22,746): walled town in the UNESCO Kotor region since 1979; about 4.5 km of walls climb to St John's Fortress.
• Tivat (10,743): the Porto Montenegro marina in the former naval arsenal, and the airport 4.7 km from the centre.
• Budva (municipality 27,445): Old Town settled for more than 2,500 years; the beaches from Jaz to Buljarica.
• Bar (14,823; municipality 45,812): the main port and the southern end of the Bar-Belgrade railway; Stari Bar 4 km inland.
• Ulcinj (11,143): the southernmost municipality, on the Albanian border, with Velika plaža 13 km long.

Central Montenegro

• Podgorica (172,139): the capital, at 44.5 m on the Zeta plain, where the roads of the country meet; Podgorica Airport 12 km away; Roman Doclea 4 km from the centre; Lake Skadar 19 km.
• Nikšić (32,046; municipality 65,705): the second-largest town, industrial and university town with the Bedem fortress; railway to Podgorica.
• Cetinje (12,504): the Old Royal Capital at 672 m; National Museum of Montenegro, Cetinje Monastery; Lovćen about 20 km away.
• Danilovgrad (municipality 18,617): planned town of 1869 in the Zeta valley between Podgorica and Nikšić; Ostrog Monastery is in this municipality.

North

• Žabljak (1,440 residents): at about 1,450 m the highest town in the Balkans; the base for Durmitor National Park and the Tara canyon.
• Kolašin (2,437): at 954 m on the Tara; the ski centres Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450; Biogradska gora 22 km; railway station.
• Plav (4,121): at about 945 m on Plav Lake, where the Lim begins; the base for Prokletije.
• Pljevlja (16,111): the northernmost town; Husein-pasha Mosque of 1569.
• Bijelo Polje (municipality 38,662): Lim valley, on the road and railway to Serbia; Đalovića cave, the longest in the country.
• Berane (9,532): Lim valley; the Lokve ski centre about 15 minutes away.
• Rožaje (municipality 23,184, with the youngest population in the country): at about 1,100 m in the Ibar valley under Hajla.

Which town for what

Beaches: Budva, Ulcinj and Bar. Old towns: Kotor, Budva, Stari Bar and Ulcinj. Mountains and skiing: Žabljak and Kolašin; Prokletije: Plav. Lake Skadar: boats leave from Virpazar (Bar municipality) and Vranjina; see the lake page. City life, museums and transport hubs: Podgorica and Nikšić. Royal history and museums: Cetinje.

Getting between towns

Road distances and drive times from Podgorica, by road without traffic.

Along the coast, Kotor to Budva is 23.1 km (about 29 min), Budva to Bar 42.9 km (about 1 h 05 min) and Bar to Ulcinj 31.5 km (about 41 min). The Bar-Belgrade railway stops at Bar, Sutomore, Podgorica, Kolašin (station 1.5 km from town) and Bijelo Polje; a second line links Nikšić and Podgorica, and Podgorica's bus station is next to the railway station. Kotor, Budva, Herceg Novi, Cetinje, Žabljak and Pljevlja have no railway, so the bus is the public transport between them: routes, stations and tickets are in the bus guide, and every other way of moving around is on the transport page.