Ten days by car is the whole of Montenegro in one loop: the Bay of Kotor and Lovćen, the south coast to Ulcinj, Skadar Lake, the far east for Prokletije, back west over the Trešnjevik pass to Biogradska gora and Durmitor, and out through the Piva canyon past Ostrog to Podgorica. It visits all five national parks, sleeps in six bases and adds up to about 1,000 km of driving, so it is a road trip first and a beach holiday only on the margins. The loop starts at Tivat airport and ends at Podgorica airport, and the best months are July to September. Every distance and time on this page is computed by road at free-flow speed, without ferry or border queues, traffic or stops.
The route
Tivat airport → Kotor → Budva → Ulcinj → Podgorica → Plav → Žabljak → Podgorica · 994 km · 23 h 45 min driving
As day 2 of the 3-day itinerary: the shuttle boat from Perast to Our Lady of the Rocks, the town museum (closed Mondays), Herceg Novi's two fortresses, Kanli kula and Forte Mare, and the ferry back across the bay; waiting at the ramp is not in the leg time. If Dubrovnik is on your plan, this is the day to extend.
Car: Kotor to Our Lady of the Rocks · 18.4 km · 25 min
Lovćen serpentines, Njeguši, the mausoleum, Cetinje and Budva
90 km · 2 h 5 min driving
As day 3 of the 3-day itinerary: the hairpins, Njegoš's birth house in Njeguši, the park checkpoint, the 461 steps to the mausoleum (11 April to 15 November, 09:00-16:00), Cetinje, Budva's walls and Mogren; Sveti Stefan waits for the morning of day 4. Buy the EUR 13.50 annual all-parks ticket at the Lovćen checkpoint: it is sold at park points only, not online, and covers the other four parks on this loop.
Sveti Stefan, Stari Bar, Ulcinj old town and Velika plaža
89 km · 2 h 20 min driving
South along the coast, Sveti Stefan first: the village sits on the Adriatic highway between Budva and Petrovac, and below it two beaches of sand with a pink-reddish tint, East and West, lie either side of the causeway to the islet, about 1,170 m in all; the islet is a hotel town, so the beach and the view are the visit. Stari Bar is the walled medieval town on a rock 4 km from the sea above modern Bar, with the ruins of more than 260 buildings and a 17th-century Ottoman aqueduct, open 08:00-21:00 daily in season. Ulcinj's old town above the sea keeps wall remains attributed to the Illyrians, 6th-century gates and the Balšić tower, on the UNESCO Tentative List since 2018. Then Velika plaža, 13 km of fine sand to the mouth of the Bojana, the longest beach in Montenegro, and Ada Bojana, the island at the river mouth, about 3 km of sand known as a naturist beach and the coast's kite and windsurf centre.
The bathing season is May to October, with water testing and lifeguards. Outside it the beaches are still the walk, and the old towns carry the day.
Skadar Lake from Virpazar, Rijeka Crnojevića, Podgorica
127 km · 2 h 40 min driving
From Ulcinj to Virpazar, where licensed operators run boat trips on Skadar Lake and the park's second visitor centre is on the upper floor of the tourist office; the park ticket is per person per day, and the boat is paid separately to the operator. If the drawn route uses the Sozina tunnel, the toll shows in the leg; the old road has no toll point. The Godinje viewpoint above the lake has free parking. The leg to Rijeka Crnojevića runs on the main roads; the direct lakeside road is shorter and narrower. In the village, Danilo's bridge of 1853; above it, the Pavlova strana lookout. Night in Podgorica.
The drawn route takes the Smokovac-Mateševo motorway (tolled; the free alternative is the Morača canyon road) and then the road on to Plav. Plavsko jezero is the largest glacial lake in Montenegro, 1.99 km² at 906 m and 9.1 m deep, fed by the Ljuča and the source of the Lim, with Plav on its shore. The afternoon is the lake and the town; the park itself is tomorrow. Two nights here.
Car: Podgorica to Plav Lake · 130.5 km · 2 h 25 min
Car: Plav Lake to Prokletije National Park · 17.8 km · 30 min
Overnight in Plav
Day 7
Prokletije day: Grebaje valley or Hridsko jezero
No driving legs: a hiking day from the base. Prokletije's ticket is sold at six checkpoints, of which Grebaje and Gradine are staffed all year; Ali Pasha's Springs lie about 1.5 km from Gusinje. The two routes with published figures are the Grebaje loop over Volušnica, Popadija and Talijanka (10.2 km, 5 h 30, graded medium, past the Magna Mater rock slab and a waterfall) and Babino polje to Hridsko jezero at 1,970 m (3.1 km one way, 1 hour, the one trail graded easy, known as the lake of happiness). The park rates its 13 marked mountain trails as demanding overall, snow is possible even in summer, and inexperienced walkers should go with a licensed guide; the park's own cost EUR 40 for four hours or EUR 80 for eight. The Peaks of the Balkans, the cross-border trail that can be started in Plav, is context only: it takes 10 to 13 days on its own, and crossings must be reported to the border police.
One of the two longest driving days. From Plav back to Andrijevica and over Trešnjevik, 1,573 m, the old road to Kolašin: the last 8 km from Andrijevica are eight hairpins on a narrow, winding road, and from the pass a detour of a few kilometres reaches the foot of Komovi, whose three rock summits top out at Kučki kom, 2,487 m. Through Kolašin (954 m, on the Tara) to Biogradska gora: 22 km along the Mojkovac road, then 4 km of park road to the lakeside car park (the leg table's point is the lake itself). Biogradsko jezero, 0.23 km² at 1,094 m inside the 1,600 ha primeval forest reserve, has a loop trail of 3.3 to 3.5 km that takes 40 minutes to an hour; the park ticket is per person per day.
Then down the Tara valley to the Đurđevića Tara bridge, 365 m long and built 1937-1940, with two zip lines of 1,050 m and 824 m by the bridge (no booking) and a park checkpoint selling Durmitor tickets; then up to Žabljak. In the shoulder months check the AMSCG reports for Trešnjevik; if it is closed, the way from Plav to Kolašin is back through Andrijevica on the main road.
Car: Plav to Trešnjevik pass · 39.5 km · 1 h 10 min
Durmitor: Black Lake, the Durmitor Ring and Ćurevac
97 km · 2 h 25 min driving
Three spokes from Žabljak, shown as there-and-back legs, the same day as day 6 of the 7-day loop. Black Lake, 3 km from town, with its hour-long loop trail, first; then the Durmitor Ring, the asphalt loop of about 76 to 83 km over the Sedlo pass (1,907 m, parking at the rest area, start of the 1 h 30 walk to Sedlena greda) and Nedajno (1,480 m, the last 900 m gravel) above the Sušica canyon; and Ćurevac at 1,625 m over the Tara canyon. The bridge was yesterday's road in and is not repeated. Bobotov kuk from Sedlo is the full-day hike alternative.
Durmitor is best from July to September. The park sells tickets at its checkpoints, Black Lake, Sedlo, Ćurevac and the bridge among them. The Sedlo road has no official winter closure date; the AMSCG block on this page is the check.
Piva canyon, Piva monastery, Ostrog and back to Podgorica or Kotor
199 km · 4 h 40 min driving
The drawn route leaves Žabljak over the Sedlo road to the Piva side. The Babići lookout in Nature Park Piva is 1.7 km or 1.3 km on foot, by the park's two figures, from the rest area on the road, with the Mratinje dam below and the Vučevo plateau across; Pivsko jezero behind the 220 m dam is 187.5 m deep. Piva Monastery at Goransko near Plužine was moved stone by stone between 1970 and 1982 to escape the reservoir and holds about 1,260 m² of frescoes. Then Nikšić and Ostrog, the cliff monastery at about 900 m above sea level, high above the Zeta valley; the last leg ends in Podgorica, the day-5 base, and the trip at its airport; or from Nikšić straight to Kotor if you fly from Tivat, in which case Ostrog drops out.
Outside summer, or whenever the AMSCG reports show the Sedlo road closed, take the all-year road Žabljak-Šavnik-Nikšić instead and skip Piva; the 7-day page's day 5 leg table has the Nikšić-Žabljak leg.
Car: Žabljak to Piva canyon viewpoint, Babići · 63.3 km · 1 h 20 min
Who it is for: a hire-car trip of ten full days, with hiking boots, for people who want the north-east as well as the coast. Many plan ten days together with Croatia or Albania; this page plans Montenegro only, and the section on combining the countries names the crossings. Bases: Kotor two nights, Budva one, Ulcinj one, Podgorica one, Plav two, Žabljak two. The loop ends in Podgorica, or back in Kotor via Nikšić if you fly out of Tivat.
Best months: July to September, the overlap of the parks' seasons. Prokletije's hiking season runs from June to the end of October, with snow possible even in summer; Durmitor is best from July to September; the sea bathing season is May to October; the Njegoš Mausoleum on Lovćen is open from 11 April to 15 November. June and October work in the mountains with one caveat: the Trešnjevik and Sedlo roads are mountain passes without published closure dates, and the AMSCG road reports in the live block below are the check.
Days 1 to 3: the bay, Lovćen and Budva
The first three days are the 3-day itinerary unchanged: Kotor on foot, Perast and Herceg Novi with the ferry back, then the serpentine road over Lovćen to the mausoleum, Cetinje and Budva. That page has the stop detail, the parking notes and the version without a car. From Budva the loop turns south on day 4 instead of inland, and Sveti Stefan, the last stop there, becomes the first stop of day 4 here.
Four days fit without changing the shape of the loop. A second Durmitor day from Žabljak for Bobotov kuk, 2,522 m: 12.7 km there and back from the Sedlo pass with 722 m of climbing, about 3 hours up and 2 h 30 down, well marked and graded hard. A Tara rafting day from Splavište or Brštanovica, in the safest window from 1 July to 15 September; it replaces the Piva road on day 10 or takes a third Žabljak night. A Kolašin day for the Mrtvica canyon, sleeping in Kolašin between days 8 and 9. And a beach day on the Luštica peninsula from Kotor or Herceg Novi: Žanjice, a pebble beach backed by olive groves, and Mirište next to it, reached by the Luštica road or by sea.
Combining with Dubrovnik or Shkodër
Montenegro has two road crossings with Croatia, Debeli Brijeg and the passenger-only Kobila, and four with Albania: Sukobin, Božaj, Grnčar and Cijevna, the last still under construction on the 2021 police list. No opening hours or queue times are published for them, so plan a border day as a full day. For Dubrovnik, day 2 (Herceg Novi, at the entrance to the bay) is the day to extend or swap; for Shkodër, day 4 or 5 on the Ulcinj and Skadar Lake side. Whether your hire car may leave the country is a term of the rental contract, not of the law. The border crossings page has the full list.
Car, tolls, ferry, parking
Right-hand traffic, a valid foreign licence, no vignette. The loop meets both of the country's toll points. The Sozina tunnel on the Virpazar-Sutomore section, EUR 2.50 per car, is paid only if the day-5 route from Ulcinj to Virpazar takes the tunnel; the old road has no toll point, and the leg shows the toll only when the drawn route uses it (see the tolls page). The Smokovac-Mateševo motorway north of Podgorica, EUR 3.50 per car, is the fast start to Plav on day 6; the free alternative is the Morača canyon road, best kept for the Kolašin day of a two-week version. Both plazas take cash, bank cards and the ENP tag. The Kamenari-Lepetane ferry on day 2 runs day and night; waiting at the ramp is not in the leg times.
The Verige strait from the road at LepetanePhoto: Gzzz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Three roads on this loop are mountain passes with no published closure data: Trešnjevik (day 8; narrow and winding, the last 8 km from Andrijevica in eight hairpins), the Sedlo road over Durmitor (days 9 and 10) and the Piva road beyond it. From 15 November to 1 April winter tyres are compulsory in winter conditions. The all-year way off Durmitor is Žabljak to Nikšić via Šavnik, skipping Piva.
Parking: the parks charge EUR 1 an hour for a car at their checkpoints; Podgorica's zones are on the driving page.
Fees: parks and museums
All five national parks are on the loop, and Durmitor twice. Day tickets are per person per day, free under 15, sold at the checkpoints and online at ulaznice.nparkovi.me: Lovćen EUR 3, Skadar Lake EUR 5, Prokletije EUR 3, Biogradska gora EUR 4, Durmitor EUR 5, EUR 20 in all. The annual ticket for all five parks costs EUR 13.50 and is sold at the park checkpoints only, not online, so buy it at the Lovćen checkpoint on day 3 and show it in the other four. Separate tickets: the mausoleum, EUR 8 from the National Museum, which also admits you to Njegoš's birth house in Njeguši; Stari Bar; the Kotor walls and museums. On Skadar Lake the boat is paid to the operator, not with the park ticket.
Where to sleep
Kotor (two nights) and Budva (one) as on the 3-day page. Ulcinj, one night: the southernmost town, with the old town above the sea and the 13 km Velika plaža running to the Bojana. Podgorica, one night, between the lake and the motorway north. Plav, two nights: the town stands on the shore of Plavsko jezero, and most Prokletije tours start here; Gusinje is the other base, nearer the Grebaje and Ropojana valleys, with huts and eco-katuns in the Grebaje valley (the park page lists them). Žabljak, two nights, for Durmitor.
Season: what closes and when
Njegoš Mausoleum: 11 April to 15 November, 09:00-16:00; closed 16 November to 10 April.
Stari Bar: 08:00-21:00 daily in season, 08:00-17:00 out of season.
Prokletije: hiking from June to the end of October, snow possible in summer; the Grebaje and Gradine checkpoints work all year, the other four in season.
Biogradska gora: trekking season May to the end of October; the lake loop works in any month the park road is clear.
Durmitor: best July to September; huts from mid-June (Škrka) and the end of June (Sušica) to the end of September; the Sedlo road has no published closure date.
Trešnjevik and Piva roads: mountain passes with no closure data; check the AMSCG reports.
Sea bathing season: May to October.
Winter tyres: 15 November to 1 April in winter conditions.
Road conditions now
Closures, works, snow and chain requirements from the AMSCG bulletins, for the passes on this loop:
Official data can change or differ. Check with the source: AMSCG
Common questions
Is 10 days too long for Montenegro alone?
No: this loop is about 1,000 km and visits all five national parks with only one rest-from-driving day (day 7). If you want Dubrovnik or Shkodër, extend day 2 (Herceg Novi, at the entrance to the bay, with the Croatian crossings) or days 4 and 5 (Ulcinj and Skadar Lake, with the Albanian ones) rather than cutting the north.
Is Prokletije worth the drive?
It is the one park you cannot see from a car window. Its 13 marked trails are graded demanding overall; the Grebaje loop is 10.2 km and 5 h 30, and the easy option is the 3.1 km walk to Hridsko jezero. If you will not hike, drop days 6 and 7 and take the 7-day loop instead; the drive to Plav is two days for one walk.
Are the Trešnjevik and Sedlo roads open?
Neither has a published closure date. Trešnjevik is narrow and winding, and Durmitor is best from July to September. Check the AMSCG road reports on this page before each pass; the alternatives are the main road via Andrijevica and the Žabljak-Šavnik-Nikšić road.
Do I need the motorway?
No. The Smokovac-Mateševo motorway (EUR 3.50 per car) shortens the first part of day 6 from Podgorica; the free road is the Morača canyon. Sozina (EUR 2.50) is paid only if the day-5 route takes the tunnel; the old road has no toll point. Both plazas take cash and cards.
Where do I sleep in Plav?
In Plav itself, on the shore of Plavsko jezero, where most Prokletije tours start; or in Gusinje, the other town base, nearer the Grebaje and Ropojana valleys, with huts and eco-katuns in the Grebaje valley listed on the park page.
Is the annual park ticket worth it?
Yes on this loop: EUR 13.50 for all five parks for a year, against EUR 20 for one day ticket in each park, and this route spends two days in Durmitor. It is sold at the park checkpoints only, not online. Children under 15 are free in every park.
Google Analytics counts visits without cookies. With your consent it also sets cookies that show us how the site is used. Nothing is used for advertising. Privacy
E Tuktuk Montenegrowaves Cable Car Transfer with SightseeingRating 4.3 (10)from €75
Private Tour Cable car -Kotor- Perast- our Lady of the RocksRating 5 (84)from €150
