Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
When Montenegro was ruled from Cetinje, this is where the royals came to escape the
Black Mountain's winter. The relatively modest house of Vladika Petar I Petrović (St
Peter of Cetinje) still stands; you'll recognise it by its ground-floor arches and upper
rooms jutting out over the road. The village's main feature is the photogenic arched stone
bridge constructed by Prince Danilo in 1853.
During the tourist season there are usually small boats lined up on the river, offering
cruises for about €25 per hour. Kayak Montenegro (
Click here
) day trips take to the wa-
ter here and paddle along the river to the lake.
The village is also the starting point of a two-hour, 7.6km circular walking track that
passes through the ruins of
Obod
, the site of the region's first printing press, and on to
Obod Cave
(Obodska Pećina) at the source of the river.
You wouldn't expect it, but this sleepy village is home to one of Montenegro's best
restaurants.
Stari Most
( 041-239 505; mains €8-25)
is well located on the marble riverside
promenade, looking to the old bridge from which it derives its name. Fish (particularly
eel, trout and carp) is the speciality here and the fish soup alone is enough to justify a
drive from Podgorica.
Virpazar Вирпазар
POP 280
This tiny town, gathered around a square and a river blanketed with water lilies, serves as
the main gateway to Lake Skadar National Park. Looking over Virpazar are two testa-
ments to its bloody past: the ruins of
Besac castle
, the scene of a major battle with the Turks
in 1702; and a striking
bronze sculpture
atop a watchtower memorialising the Partisans who
lost their lives in WWII. The path leading to Besac is signposted from the road to Murići
about 400m after the post office.
A 15km mountain-biking trail skirts around the Crmnica field, which lies between
Virpazar and the tunnel to the coast. The route heads through oak forests and the tiny
winemaking villages of
Boljevići
,
Limljani
and
Gluhi Do
. Many of the villagers set up stands
along the main roads in summer selling homemade wine and
rakija
.
Another charismatic village is
Godinje
, a cluster of stone houses in the hills to the
southeast. Once the cellars of all the houses were linked up, and many are now used for
making wine. One reliable stop for a tasting is Miodrag Leković's place - he doesn't
have any English but he does have a sign, so he means business. Visitors are welcome
onto his vine-covered terrace and served generous pours for a couple of euro.
