Basic information about Montenegro
The parliamentary republic of Montenegro has a lot of attractions in store for its visitors: wonderful lakes and rivers, impressive mountain landscapes and gorges, quiet sandy beaches, the Kotor Bay, the southernmost fjord on the continent, as well as the longest and deepest canyon in Europe – the Tara Gorge. There are a total of five national parks in Montenegro. You will experience some of the pristine natural landscapes such as the Biogradska Gora National Park, the Skadar Lake National Park or the Lovćen National Park on our eight-day Eurohike hiking holiday. With the Biogradska gora, Montenegro is home the last primeval forest in Europe. The country is divided into three landscape areas:
- The steep coast on the Adriatic with historical coastal regions and a Mediterranean flair
- The Karst Plateau ‘Altmontenegros’
- The northern Montenegrin high mountain region with the Bobotov Kuk, the highest mountain in the country
Montenegro shows itself from its most pristine side especially on the good hiking trails through quiet mountains and glittering lakes, light blue bays, and past historical buildings.
Montenegro
An active break full of highlights in a wonderful Mediterranean landscape awaits you on our hiking holiday Montenegro, 8 days. Over six stages, the journey takes you from Zabljak in the north on good hiking and forest trails, as well as high-altitude trails to the port city of Kotor in southern Montenegro. With a little surefootedness and a head for heights, as well as good basic fitness, this hiking tour becomes an enjoyable holiday experience. You start your hiking holiday with a wonderful circular hike to the steep rock face Crvena Greda, also known as the red wall or roof of Montenegro and located at 2,175 metres. On the first day of hiking, you will already be rewarded with impressive views of the highest mountain in the country, the Bobotov Kuk.
The next day you continue through the Tara-Gorge, the deepest gorge in all of Europe and with a short transfer to your destination for the day’s stage in Kolasin. The following stages lead you through the Mrtvia-Gorge with an overnight stay in the historical city of Cetinje, as well as in the National Park Skadar Lake and the National Park Lovcen, where the nature of Montenegro presents itself from its most beautiful side. The sixth day is all about wonderful distant views and you will experience a wonderful panorama of Lake Skadar and the Bay of Kotor from two particularly impressive viewpoints. Your final stage is also impressive and on the way to the Bay of Kotor you can review your wonderful hiking holiday as you take the last hiking steps.
Our Eurohike moments in Montenegro
- High above Montenegro: On the very first day of your holiday you will walk to Crvena Greda, explore the roof of Montenegro and experience and unforgettable panorama of the wonderful natural landscape.
- On the trail of history at Cetinje: In Cetinje, the former capital and former royal seat, you can follow the traces of the past in the numerous museums.
- Picture postcard view: The medieval cityscape brings history to life in the coastal city of Kotor, which is also a UNESCO site, making it a perfect destination for art and architecture lovers. The Bay of Kotor offers a particularly picturesque photo opportunity.
- Enjoy regional fish: What could be better than a traditional dish with fresh fish from the region? On the fifth day of your hiking holiday you have the perfect opportunity to try local fish specialties.
- Culture and the old town in Kotor: The most famous city in Montenegro has a colourful range of possibilities for its visitors. From cultural highlights, culinary delights or a shopping experience or two – every visitor gets their money’s worth in Kotor.
Facts and details
- Location: Directly on the Mediterranean Sea (on the Adriatic Sea) on the southern Balkan peninsula. In the southeast Montenegro borders Albania, Kosovo in the east, Croatia in the west, Bosnia-Herzegovina in the northwest and Serbia on the northeast.
- Area: 13,812 km²
- Population: 622,137 people live in Montenegro
- Capital: Podgorica with approx. 185,937 inhabitants
- Official language: Montenegrin
- Highest mountain: Bobotov Kuk at 2,522 metres and at the same time the highest mountain in the Durmitor massif
- Coast: The Montenegrin coast is around 290 kilometres long
- Islands: Montenegro only has a few islands such as Sveti Nikola and Sveti Stefan, the only islands that are open to the sea. Another island is called Ada Bojana, belongs to Montenegro and is located in the Bojana Delta. The two larger peninsulas Luštica and Vrmac are located in the Bay of Kotor.
- Season: The best climate for hiking holidays in Montenegro is from May to the end of October.
- Special feature: The Montenegrin language, like Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian is based on a štokavian dialect and is a so-called Serbo-Croatian language variant.
Climate in Montenegro
Montenegro is a destination that is particularly suitable for an active holiday. Not only because of the wonderful natural landscapes and varied hiking trails – the climatic conditions are also excellent for an active break in nature. The climate on the Adriatic coast is predominantly Mediterranean and the summers are generally dry and warm. The winter months are moderate. In the eastern areas of the country there is a continental climate so it can snow in winter. The Dinaric Mountains serve as a kind of climatic boundary between the east and the coastal regions of Montenegro. The months from May to October are considered the ideal time to travel.
ch-dunkl.jpg/jcr:content/eurohike-montenegro-maria-vom-felsen-wandertour-(c)ch-dunkl.jpg "Hiking and cultural delights at the church Maria on the mountain")
Culture and tradition in Montenegro
Diversity and fascinating – these two characteristics certainly apply to the cultural landscape of Montenegro. Numerous traces of different countries and peoples such as the Greeks, Romans or Illyrians have shaped today’s culture and tradition in Montenegro. The particularly multicultural wealth opens up to its visitors in numerous churches, monasteries, museums, as well as mosques, palaces or citadels. The traditions also include festivals and folk dances with beautiful national costumes. An equally valuable part of the national culture is epic poetry, performed by violinists and storytellers to the accompaniment of traditional music.
The cuisine in Montenegro
Despite its small size, Montenegro has a great variety of culinary specialties to offer. Influences from the surrounding countries such as Croatia, Serbia or Bosnia can be found in the Montenegrin cuisine. From wonderful fish and meat specialties, regional spices, local milk and cheese products as well as honey, olives, figs and organic wine – there are a huge range of delicacies to be found. This is best enjoyed at a farmers’ market or in a relaxed atmosphere in one of the restaurants, bistros, cafés or local taverns. Typical specialties of the country include meat and fish dishes fresh from the grill such as cevapcici (minced meat), raznjici (meat skewers) or squid. A typical type of preparation of meat is cooking under the Sartsch, a kind of metal lid, which is covered with embers and braises the meat in a gentle way. Another specialty is mussels buzara in a tomato and white wine sauce. The sweet desserts such as baklava, lokum or alva have Ottoman influences.
We recommend the months of May to October as the ideal travel time for a hiking holiday in Montenegro.
Montenegro offers wonderful conditions for a successful hiking holiday. The daily stages of our hiking holiday Montenegro, 8 days lead on well-maintained hiking paths and forest trails, as well as on mountain trails with great views. Especially worth to experience is the Durmitor National Park in the north, the Biogradska Gora National Park and the wonderful routes to the port city of Kotor.
There are three cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and one natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in Montenegro. Two of the UNESCO World Heritage sites are transnational: the medieval Stećci tombstones, which are also located in the countries Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Venetian defense system from the 16th - 17th century, which extends beyond the borders to Italy and Croatia. Furthermore, the Durmitor National Park is a World Heritage Site and the natural, historic areas in Kotor are a World Heritage Site.
In culinary terms, the country has a wonderful variety of delicious specialties and regional dishes to offer. Influences from neighboring countries such as Serbia, Bosnia or Croatia can always be found in the dishes. Be sure to try the typical minced meat rolls 'cevapcici' or the meat skewers 'raznjici'. For fish lovers, Montenegro also offers a wonderful selection of specialties such as fresh grilled squid, mussels buzara in a tomato and white wine sauce or other delicious fish dishes with olive oil and wine.
On your hiking holiday you should definitely visit the historic port city of Kotor, which is located at the south-eastern end of the Bay of Kotor. The old town in particular will impress you with its numerous cultural sights. Numerous highlights await you along the route of your hiking holiday in Montenegro, 8 days: the Tara Gorge, the deepest gorge in Europe, the Mrtvica Gorge with vertical walls, the Skadar Lake National Park, the Lovćen National Park and magnificent views from the Crvena Greda, the so-called roof of Montenegro.
4 reasons for a hiking holiday in Montenegro
There are many reasons for a hiking holiday in Montenegro. We have summarized four of them for you at a glance:
- Hiking far away from the mainstream: Montenegro is a real insider tip and a wonderful travel destination for holidaymakers that are hungry for exercise.
- Great climate for hiking in summer: Especially the pristine hiking areas in the Durmitor National Park in the north, as well as in the Biogradska Gora National Park, offer a lot of active enjoyment and fantastic forest paths in the summer months, which provide enough shade for the time under the open sky in the warm season.
- Regional culinary enjoyment: The traditional dishes in Montenegro offer the perfect experience for all tastes. Whether fish, meat, desserts or wines from the region – all connoisseurs get their money's worth in Montenegro.
- On the trail of culture: There is a lot to discover in terms of cultural sights in Montenegro. Visit the historic old town of Kotor with numerous cultural highlights and shopping opportunities. The former capital Cetinje also scores with a variety of museums and cultural sights and is now considered the historical and cultural heart of Montenegro.
Hiking in Montenegro is so wonderful
Experience a diverse hiking adventure in the pristine nature in Montenegro. Everything else has already been taken care of. On our Eurohike hiking holidays you can enjoy the perfect all-round package of services with Eurohike WanderPlus. This includes detailed travel documents, personal on-site support, cosy hotels and accommodation, as well as a smooth luggage transfer on-site. Do you have any questions? Our on-site guest advisors and Eurohike team are happy to be reached on our service-hotline.
- Why book a hiking holiday with Eurohike? Find all the advantages and information here at a glance!
