Our car journey continued from Kosovo to Montenegro. We left after a night of heavy rain, during which we really tested how well we waterproofed our camping shell (it wasn’t half bad…there was only a small trickle of water at the back).

Day 1:Google Maps says 2 hours…. triple that!

We set off early in the morning with just a small drizzle after the night of heavy rain. We used the Kula border crossing since that’s the closest one to Peje, but it was in the mountains, and we weren’t sure about the state of the road, but it was all good and fully paved all the way. The crossing was easy, with just another insurance payment. But at least this time it was only $15.

We made our first stop right after crossing into Montenegro and coming down the hill from the mountains at an abandoned gas station, made coffee, and Matej ate breakfast (he would just not skip a day…). We then followed the best route from Google Maps and drove to Podgorica through Berana and Kolasin. Along the way, we had to dodge some fallen trees, mud and dirt on the road, and at one point, we had to wait for a bulldozer to clear the path. All a result of the rains from yesterday.

But the biggest surprise was still ahead of us. A thing we didn’t know is that Kolasin has a ski area, and the thing Google didn’t know is that the tunnel around was still under construction! We didn’t want to turn around and also didn’t know what was ahead of us, so we continued and ended up claiming the whole mountain the ski slopes are on from the Eastern side via this narrow, twisty dirt road. But Rambo did amazing, and we even met some locals off-roading there, so we felt like a part of the gang. We also got very lucky because the road wasn’t destroyed by the rain and we met a truck just at the end of it that we would have a hard time passing on the skinny road.

The way down from the ski area was nice and paved and we made it to Podgorica in the late afternoon. We ended up parking by the University at a free parking lot near a park.

We didn’t do much more and just went to a nearby University bar to get dinner and beer and watch the first match of the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

Day 2: An absolutely stunning coastal road

We slept well at the University parking lot, no one came to bother us, and surprisingly, we didn’t need to go to the toilet during the night!

We were up early and went for a walk to explore the town. We walked through the Dječiji Park to Petrovic Castle, then by the river to Independence Square, circled back to the Orthodox Temple of Christ’s Resurrection, and back to the car.

Our next stop was a small town called Cetinje, west of Podgorica on the way to the coast. Cetinje is the former royal capital of Montenegro. We walked around the town and its historical buildings and museums and visited the Cetinje Monastery and cemetery.

Just a short drive from Cetinje we got the first view of the Montenegro coast. It surprised us with its cliffs and old towns right on the water on small islands. We took a small detour and stopped at an overlook above the town of Sveti Stefan. The town is known for its Orthodox Church complex built on a small peninsula. We made our coffee there and relaxed for a bit before we headed north to Budva.

In Budva, we parked right above Budva Citadel, another old town structure built on a small peninsula. Here, Matej almost wracked our shell by backing it up to a billboard. We decented down to the Citadel and walked around the small streets taking photos and we also stopped to buy a present for Matej’s grandma.

Our next drive took us to the hidden cove town named Kotor. The day cleared by the afternoon and we were greeted by sunlight, sparkling water, and another small old town full of history. Because we were there at the end of November, the place wasn’t too busy and we could enjoy all the small streets for ourselves.

We walked around the old town and the Bay of Kotor for a bit and then found a small Cafe to watch another game of the 2022 World Cup.

We didn’t know where we were going to camp but on the way out of the town, we spotted a small street parking right by the water. There were signs that the parking was paid and that an overnight stay may not be possible but since it was off-season we risked it.

In the end, we weren’t the only ones to try that and later we met a German couple that was also traveling by car (they had a small van) and we went together to find a bar where we could get a draft and watch the evening football game.

Day 3: We wish we had more time

We really wanted to visit the Ostrog Monastery and go hiking in the Durmitor mountain range but both the weather and time weren’t in our favor. The forecast was for at least one whole day of rain and we didn’t have time to spare since we needed to be back in the Czech Republic by the start of December.

We set off early while it was raining lightly and by the time we reached the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the rain was heavy. The border crossing went smoothly (we didn’t even have to pay for car insurance) and we were on our way to explore another place.

Hopefully, we will get a chance to come back one day and do some hiking! Here you can continue our trip by reading about Bosnia & Herzegovina.