Discover 20 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Montenegro. Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Kotor Cathedral (Kotor), Fortifications of Kotor (Kotor) or Square of the Republic (Podgorica).
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Montenegro.
Table of Contents
Kotor Cathedral, Kotor
Romanesque church with religious artwork. The Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in Kotor, Montenegro is one of two Roman Catholic cathedrals in Montenegro. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kotor, which covers the entire Bay of Kotor and Municipality of Budva.[1]
Address: Trg Sv. Tripuna, Stari grad, 85330 Kotor
Fortifications of Kotor, Kotor
The fortifications of Kotor are an integrated historical fortification system that protected the medieval town of Kotor containing ramparts, towers, citadels, gates, bastions, forts, cisterns, a castle, and ancillary buildings and structures. They incorporate military architecture of Illyria, Byzantium, Venice, and Austria. Together with the old town and its natural surroundings the fortifications were inscribed in the list of World Heritage Sites in 1979 labelled Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor and represent the only such site of cultural significance in Montenegro.
The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO's World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar in 2017.
==History==The top of the mountain of St.John was already fortified during Illyrian times. In the 6th century the emperor Justinian I reconstructed the fortress. With the retreat of the Byzantines, eventually and in spite of numerous incursions some independence was attained, however this had no lasting effects upon the fortifications. This changed when in 1420 the then independent Republic of Cattaro succumbed to Venetian rule. As part of Albania Veneta the fortifications received their current structure. During this time there were two successful Ottoman sieges followed by occupations, 1538 – 1571 and 1657 – 1699. In 1797 the fortifications passed to the Habsburg monarchy with the Treaty of Campo Formio. In 1805, Kotor was assigned to the French Empire's client state, the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy by the Treaty of Pressburg, but occupied by Russian troops under Dmitry Senyavin until they left after the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807. Three years later it was incorporated into the French Empire's Illyrian Provinces. The fortifications (then named Cattaro) were attacked by the British naval Captain William Hoste with his ship HMS Bacchante (38 guns). In an "unmilitary manner" he hauled his ships' cannon to positions above the fort using block and tackle and started the shelling. After a ten-day siege, the French garrison had no alternative and surrendered on January 5, 1814. With the Congress of Vienna Kotor was returned to the Austrian Empire. After their defeat in World War I the Austrians left and the fortress was no longer manned. During World War II Kotor was occupied by the Axis forces and liberated on November 21, 1944, a date commemorated over the Sea Gate.
Severe earthquakes that damaged the fortifications occurred in 1563, 1667, and most recently, on 15 April 1979.[2]
Square of the Republic, Podgorica
Fountain in Podgorica, Montenegro. Independence Square, formerly Republic Square or Square of the Republic is the central town square of Podgorica, Montenegro. It is located in Nova Varoš, which is the administrative and socio-cultural heart of the city. The square covers an area of 5.000 square metres. Both the city library "Radosav Ljumović", and the state gallery "Art", are located in the square.[3]
Bar Royal Palace, Bar
Bar Royal Palace is a royal summer residence in Bar, Montenegro. The palace was constructed by king Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš in 1885, and was a gift to his daughter Princess Zorka and his son-in-law, Prince Petar Karađorđević. The complex includes the large and the small palace, a chapel, houses for the guards and a winter garden. A spacious ballroom was added in 1910.
At the front of the palace, there was a wooden pier. Between 1866 and 1916, King Nikola owned ten yachts. One of them, Sibil, was bought from Jules Verne, the novelist. The last yacht bought was the Rumija. In 1915, it was sunk in the Bar harbour by the Austro-Hungarian navy.
Currently, the palace houses the city museum of Bar. Also, it is used as a venue for festivals, concerts, exhibitions and literary events.[4]
Kanli Kula, Herceg Novi
Kanli Kula Fortress is an open-air amphitheater in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. The name is of Turkish origin, and means "bloody tower".[5]
Address: Prve Bokeske Brigade, 85340 Herceg-Novi
Trg od Oružja, Kotor
Trg od Oružja is the main and the largest town square in Kotor, Montenegro. It hosts several stores, banks, cafés, bakeries and pastry shops, as well as many important cultural-historical monuments. Its name hails from Venetian times, when munitions were made and stored here.[6]
Address: Old Town Kotor, 85330 Kotor
Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, Podgorica
Cathedral. The Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica, Montenegro, is a cathedral of the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The cathedral is located in the New Town neighborhood of Podgorica, west of the Morača river.[7]
Address: Bulevar Džordža Vašingtona, Podgorica
Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica
Multi-purpose stadium in Podgorica, Montenegro. Podgorica City Stadium is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Podgorica, Montenegro. Although its seating capacity changed over the years due to several renovations, as of 2019 it has 11,050 seats. The stadium is the home ground of the Montenegrin national football team and Budućnost.[8]
Address: Vaka Đurovića bb, 81000 Подгорица
Slovenska plaza, Budva
Beach
Address: Slovenska obala bb, 85310 Будва
Fort Kosmač, Budva
Historical place in Brajići, Montenegro. Fort Kosmač was the southernmost fortress in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, guarding the southern extremity of the border between the empire and Montenegro. It is situated near Brajići village, on a hilltop overlooking the road between Budva on the coast and Cetinje, the Montenegrin capital at the time. Constructed in the 1840s, it was attacked during an 1869 rebellion and was garrisoned by Austrian troops until the fall of the empire in 1918. After passing to the newly established Yugoslavia, it was garrisoned again by Italian troops for a period in the Second World War. The building is now abandoned and in a ruinous condition.[9]
Podmaine Monastery, Budva
Historic monastery on a green hillside. The Podmaine Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery built in the 15th century by the Crnojević noble family in Podmaine near Budva, Zeta. The monastery has two churches, smaller and older church of Presentation of the Mother of God was built by Crnojević noble family in the 15th century while bigger church was built in 1747.[10]
Court Church, Cetinje
The Court Church in Ćipur is a Serbian Orthodox church located in the Ćipur neighborhood of Cetinje, Montenegro.
The church is dedicated to the Birth of the Most Holy Mother of God and is located on the historical site of Ćipur in the historical core of Cetinje, the former capital of the Kingdom of Montenegro. It was built by King Nikola I of Montenegro in 1890, on the place where there used to be a monastery that Ivan Crnojević built in the 15th century dedicated to the Mother of God.
The church was declared a cultural heritage monument in 1961, and in 2012 it became part of the History Museum of Montenegro. As a monumental unit, together with the archeological remains of the monastery complex of the Crnojević noble family, it is a World Heritage Site candidate.
The remains of Ivan Crnojević, King Nikola, Queen Milena and Montenegrin princesses Ksenija and Vjera are interred in the church.[11]
Savina Monastery, Herceg Novi
Monastery in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. The Savina Monastery is a Serbian Orthodox monastery of three churches near the city Herceg Novi in the Bay of Kotor, located in thick Mediterranean vegetation in one of the most beautiful parts of the Montenegrin Littoral.[12]
Zalo, Herceg Novi
Beach, Beach bar
Address: Šetalište pet Danica bb, 85340 Херцег Нови
Church of St. Jovan Vladimir, Bar
The Church of St. Jovan Vladimir is a Serbian Orthodox Church located in Bar, Montenegro. It was built between 2006 and 2016.[13]
Address: 38 Jovana Tomaševića, Bar
Montenegrin Orthodox Church, Cetinje
The Montenegrin Orthodox Church is a canonically unrecognized Eastern Orthodox jurisdiction within the independent sacramental movement. The Montenegrin Orthodox Church was formed and registered as a religious organization in 1993 by Antonije Abramović. This church claims succession to an older and autocephalpus Montenegrin Church, which operated until the unification of the Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro, later to join the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes in 1918.
The Montenegrin Orthodox Church has been recognized as a religious organization by the Government of Montenegro since 2001. According to a 2020 poll conducted by CEDEM, approximately 10 percent of Montenegro's Eastern Orthodox Christians have opted for the Montenegrin Orthodox Church, while approximately 90 percent have opted for or stayed with the Serbian Orthodox Church in the canonical or widely-known Eastern Orthodox Church. Notably, the creation of the MOC has been opposed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Patriarch Bartholomew has stated that "we will never give autocephaly to the so-called 'Montenegrin Orthodox Church'" and that its leader Dedeić was suspended by Constantinople for adultery and embezzlement.[14]
Ulcinj Castle, Ulcinj
Ulcinj Old Town or Ulcinj Castle is an ancient castle and neighborhood in Ulcinj, Montenegro. Today mostly inhabited by Albanians, it was built by the Illyrians on a small peninsula at the right side of the Pristan Gulf, which is part of the Adriatic Sea. Today, oldest remains are the Cyclopean Wall. The castle has been restored many times since it was first built although major changes were made by the Byzantinians, Serbs, Venetians, and Ottomans. The modern city of Ulcinj was built outside of this castle.[15]
Port of Bar, Bar
The Port of Bar is Montenegro's main sea port. It is located in Bar.[16]
National Museum of Montenegro, Cetinje
Large museum with artwork and antiquities. The National Museum of Montenegro is the largest museum in Montenegro. The museum was established in 1896 and is located in Cetinje, Montenegro.[17]
Address: Novice Cerovica, Cetinje
Sailors' Mosque, Ulcinj
Mosque in Ulcinj, Montenegro. The Sailors' Mosque is an important landmark in Ulcinj, Montenegro that once served as a lighthouse.[18]