Virpazar

Things to do

• Take a boat onto the lake. Licensed operators run cruises from the quay, with a swimming stop as part of the tour; the boat tours hub explains how the trips work.
• Walk the ensemble. The three bridges, the embankment and the stone houses at the foot of Besac hill, all free, with the 19th-century old bridge and the 13 July memorial.
• Climb to Besac fortress on the hill above the town, open daily about 10:00-18:00 with free parking.
• Paddle or cycle. Kayak routes are on the Skadar Lake kayaking page; the park's cycling routes start in the town, and the 236 km Stories by the Water national bike route passes through on its first stage from Cetinje.
• Drive to the viewpoints. Godinje, over the lake and a stone village, with free parking, is also the end of the marked Zabes-Godinje trail (4.5 km, about two hours).
• Taste the wine. Crmnica is known for its grapes, wine and vineyards; the houses have cellars, and the wineries hub lists producers that take visitors.

The town

Virpazar is the traffic and trade centre of Crmnica, on a plateau between the arms of the Orahovštica and Crmnica rivers and the lake, with a bridge over each. The three bridges, together with the stone embankment, the hill of Besac with its fortress and the stone houses at its foot, many with cellars, form the cultural-historical ensemble of Virpazar, free to visit at any hour. The old bridge dates from the 19th century; a 20th-century plaque at the bridge commemorates the battle of 13 July 1941, when men from Virpazar and the surrounding villages attacked the Italian garrison, the event the town's Monument to the Revolution also marks.

Besac fortress

Besac stands on the hill directly above the town and is one of the oldest standing fortifications in Montenegro; no date of construction is recorded. The fort is reached by a narrow side road off the Virpazar-Bar road, the one that climbs over Sutorman. It opens daily, about 10:00-18:00, and parking at the fort is free.

From the walls the view is over Skadar Lake and straight down on Virpazar, its bridges and the quay.

Boats and the national park

Skadar Lake National Park has two visitor centres, the main one at Vranjina and a second in Virpazar, on the upper floor of the tourist office building, with an exhibition and the park's trail maps. The day ticket, €5 per person, is sold at both and online, where it is valid for 30 days; children under 15 enter free. Cruises are run by operators the park licenses, from the pier in Virpazar as well as from Vranjina, Rijeka Crnojevića and Plavnica, and each tour includes a swimming stop. The operators set their own prices and departure times, so ask on the quay or at the visitor centre. The boat tours hub explains the licensed trips, kayaks are on the Skadar Lake kayaking page, and the park's cycling routes start from the town. Bird-watching with the park's rangers is booked a day ahead; April to June brings the widest range of species, winter the largest flocks.

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Wine and festivals

The stone houses have cellars for a reason: Virpazar is known for its grapes, wine and vineyards, and it is the market town of the Crmnica wine district. Two festivals mark the year. The Grape Festival is held in September. The Days of Wine and Bleak (ukljeva, the small lake fish) are a winter event, held between December and the start of March depending on the year, with a wine competition and bleak tasting. For wineries that take visitors, see the wineries hub.

Getting there

By train: Virpazar has a station on the Bar-Podgorica line, and the local trains stop here after the Sozina tunnel from the coast. The Bar-Virpazar fare is €2 in first class and €1.80 in second, with nine direct trains a day. By car it is 26 km (29 minutes) from Bar over Sutorman, 31 km (37 minutes) from Podgorica, 38 km (56 minutes) from Cetinje via Rijeka Crnojevića, 42 km (56 minutes) from Budva and 65 km (about 1 h 25) from Kotor.

The tourist info point (TIB Virpazar) opens in season only: Monday to Friday 08:00-15:00, Saturday 09:00-14:00, closed on Sunday. Outside those hours the national park's visitor centre in the same building is the place to ask.

Nearby

• The Godinje viewpoint and stone village, on the road south along the lake, and the Skadar Lake viewpoints page for Murići, Štegvaš and Pavlova strana.
• Rijeka Crnojevića, the village at the head of the lake's western arm, with Prince Danilo's bridge of 1853 and Pavlova strana above it, on the road to Cetinje.
• The Skadar Lake page for the lake itself: its size, fish, springs and bays.
• Bar and Stari Bar, 26 km over Sutorman.

Questions

What is there to do in Virpazar?

Walk the ensemble (the bridges, the embankment and the stone houses, free), take a licensed boat onto the lake, visit Besac fortress (open daily about 10:00-18:00, free parking), rent a kayak, or start a cycling route from the park's visitor centre.

Do you pay to enter Skadar Lake at Virpazar?

The national park charges €5 per person per day, free for children under 15. The town itself and its ensemble are free.

How do you get from Bar to Virpazar?

By train (€2 first class, €1.80 second; nine direct trains a day) or by car, 26 km and about 29 minutes over Sutorman.

Where do the boats leave from?

From the pier in Virpazar; the cruises are run by operators the park licenses, here and at Vranjina, Rijeka Crnojevića and Plavnica. Prices and times are the operators' own: ask on the quay.

Is Besac fortress open?

Daily, about 10:00-18:00, with free parking at the fort, reached by a narrow side road off the Virpazar-Bar road.