Tuzi

Getting there and around

From Podgorica. 12.4 km by road, about 18 minutes; from the airport in Zeta 18.8 km. Free municipal buses, paid for by the municipality and run by the local utility company, link Tuzi and villages such as Vranj, Vladne, Dušići, Vuksanlekići, Šipčanik, Karabuško polje and Kuće Rakića with the centre of Tuzi and with Podgorica several times a day; the timetable with stops and maps is on tuzi.travel. There is no railway station in the municipality: the nearest are in Podgorica and in Zeta, including the Aerodrom halt by Podgorica Airport. A taxi stand, taxi companies and car-hire agencies are listed by the tourist board, and the buses guide covers intercity lines.

The border. The Božaj crossing to Hani i Hotit in Albania, on the road to Shkodër, is 14.7 km and about 28 minutes from the town. It takes passengers and goods, has no published opening hours, and its police camera is on the webcams page. A second crossing, Cijevna (Zatrijebačka)-Grabom, 23.1 km away, is a passenger-only crossing listed as under construction; check its status before relying on it. Times below are without traffic.

The Cijevna canyon and the Niagara falls

The Cijevna, Cem in Albanian, crosses the municipality in a canyon protected as a Nature Monument since 2017 and managed by the municipality; 813 plant species and 22 fish species have been recorded in and around it. The Niagara falls near Kuće Rakića are about 10 m high, with a traditional restaurant beside them; they carry the most water in spring, fed by rain and snowmelt, and draw picnickers from the city all summer. The lookout above them is 6.9 km, about 13 minutes by road from Tuzi; free municipal lines 2 and 4 stop at Kuće Rakića, otherwise take a taxi.

In summer the Tërgaja river beach has sunbeds, umbrellas and a corner for small children; no water-quality data are published for it. A lookout at the edge of Delaj village, with a 16 m marble cross and a statue of Christ, takes in Skadar Lake, Rumija and Prokletije on clear days, and the Grlo sokolovo viewpoint lies on the Korita circuit above the canyon, 39.9 km by road. The municipality also has a crag with 37 sport-climbing routes (grades 4 to 8c, up to 33 m) and a paragliding take-off at Dečić, 344 m, 7.1 km from town; kayaking on the Cem and the Kučka Korita circuit are on the tourist board's list of things to do.

Skadar Lake at Podhum

Part of Skadar Lake National Park lies in the municipality, which reaches Skadar Lake at the Hoti bay. Podhum, 6.8 km from Tuzi, has a pier and a park building used by the rangers who guard Pančeva oka, a 300 ha strict nature reserve and the park's ornithological reserve. Above the pier a registered footpath looks over Lovćen, Rumija, Prokletije, Albania and Podgorica, and the park sells guided visits to the reserve with transport and a ranger (fee on the park page). Do not count on pelicans: the Dalmatian pelican colony has moved from Pančeva oka to the island of Mali Moračnik, where it has kept more than 80 nests a season.

In town and around

The main square is Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg Square. In town are the Church of St Anthony with a bust of Mother Teresa beside it, Ćazim-beg's mosque, the sebilj (public fountain) in the park, the old mill, the Nizam cemetery and the Turusković well; the private Museum of Malësia and the family ethnographic collections publish no opening hours. Further out stand the Camaj tower in Vuksanlekići, the Dečić and Planinica fortresses, the Church of St Nicholas in Vranj, and the sites of Kirza (Sukuruć) and Ćaf Kiš (Dubrava), protected since 1950. Plantaže's Šipčanik wine cellar, a 356 m tunnel on average more than 30 m underground, is in the municipality too, with the small wineries Fishta and Troja; tours are on the wineries page.

Events

• Karnevali Koret, in the carnival season: held every year since 1996, with several days of masked balls, a children's programme and a closing night of live music, with groups from Malësia, the Boka towns and abroad. Tuzi joined the European Federation of Carnival Cities in 2006 and hosted its convention in 2009.
• Days of Cemi (Ditët e Cemit), in summer: river tubing at Tërgaja, a domino tournament and beach days.
• Old Timer Fest Malësija, in summer: classic cars on Skanderbeg Square.
• Fest in the glass, in October: a tasting of local wine and brandy, followed in late October by a Pumpkin Fest by the Niagara falls.

Practical information

• Tourist board: +382 69 111 331, info@tuzi.travel. It registers foreign guests (due within 24 hours of arrival; see registration and tourist tax).
• Municipality and post: municipality +382 20 875 167, Monday to Friday 08:00-16:00, tuzi@tuzi.org.me; post office 81206 Tuzi, 07:00-20:00, with a counter in the municipality building 08:00-16:00.
• Health: the Tuzi unit of the Dom zdravlja Glavnog grada (call centre 19816), ambulance 124, and four pharmacies; the hospitals are in Podgorica (hospitals).
• Money, fuel and power: ATMs of CKB, Erste and Hipotekarna, filling stations on the main road, no EV charger recorded; for power cuts, the CEDIS dispatcher on 020 622 773 (see power, water and air).
• Languages: Albanian and Bosnian are also used in the municipality's work, and many places carry two names, such as Karabuško Polje and Dheu i Zi.
• Stay and eat: a few hotels and private accommodation; cafés, pizzerias, bakeries and restaurants in town, and a national restaurant by the Niagara falls.

History in brief

Tuzi was a municipality until 1958 and then part of Podgorica; under the 2011 law on territorial organisation it was an urban municipality within the Capital City. On 1 September 2018 it became a separate municipality again, with its area of 242 km² still provisional until the boundary with Podgorica is settled. Memorial plaques in Hoti recall the Malësia uprising of 1911, and a memorial cemetery in Vuksanlekići the patriots shot in the Austrian camp there in the First World War.

When to visit

Come in spring for the Niagara falls at full flow, in summer for the river beach and the Days of Cemi, and in October for the wine evening. On Skadar Lake most bird species are present from April to June and the largest flocks in winter. Tuzi is also a stop on the day trips from Podgorica, both for the Korita circuit and for Shkodër through Božaj.

Questions

How far is Tuzi from Podgorica?

12.4 km by road, about 18 minutes; free municipal buses run between the two several times a day.

Is there a bus from Podgorica to Tuzi?

Yes, the free municipal lines, which also serve the villages; the timetable with stops is on tuzi.travel. No official timetable for intercity buses to Shkodër via Tuzi is published.

Where are the Niagara falls in Montenegro?

On the Cijevna near Kuće Rakića, in Tuzi municipality, 6.9 km from Tuzi; they are fullest in spring, when rain and snowmelt feed them.

Can you swim in the Cijevna?

The tourist board runs a river beach at Tërgaja in summer, with sunbeds and a children's corner; no water-quality tests are published for it.

How far is the Božaj border crossing?

14.7 km from Tuzi, about 28 minutes; it takes passengers and goods (see border crossings).

When is the Tuzi carnival?

Karnevali Koret is held every year in the carnival season, in late winter; it has run since 1996, and the tourist board announces the dates.

Is Tuzi on Skadar Lake?

Yes: the municipality reaches the lake at the Hoti bay, with the pier and ranger centre at Podhum, 6.8 km from town, and the Pančeva oka reserve.

How many people live in Tuzi?

2,846 in the town and 12,979 in the municipality at the 2023 census.