Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Vranjina Врањина
POP 210
The twin hills on Vranjina island are nicknamed Sofia Loren by the locals for reasons
that become apparent when they're viewed from afar. The main
National Park Visitor Centre
(
020-879 103;
www.nparkovi.me
; admission €2; free with National Park entry ticket; 8am-4pm, to 6pm sum-
mer)
rests in the shade of their cleavage on the opposite side of the causeway leading to
Podgorica from Virpazar. This modern facility has excellent displays about all the nation-
al parks, not just Lake Skadar, including lots of taxidermied critters and an ethnographic
section that features folk costumes and tools. You can buy national park entry tickets (€4)
and fishing permits (per day summer/winter €10/5) from a kiosk outside.
Montenegro's largest wine company,
Plantaže
( 9am-9pm)
, sells its range from a shop
built into a cave by the car park. In the busy months tour operators set up kiosks nearby.
Kings Travel
( 069-310 050;
www.kingsmn.com
;
May-Oct)
offers a variety of boat tours, from
€20 per hour for a barge to €65 per hour for a 'fast boat'; both take up to five passengers.
The Green Boats also depart from here, although they charge more from Vranjina than
they do from Virpazar.
Just along the causeway are the remains of the 19th-century fortress
Lesendro
. The busy
highway and railway tracks prevent land access to the site.
The Vranjina walking trail leads to
St Nicholas' Monastery
(Manastir Sv Nikole), a 13th-
century complex that's been destroyed in many wars; the current building dates from the
19th century. The monastery is a regular stop on boat tours.
Plavnica Плавница
Day trippers from Podgorica escape the summer heat at the upmarket
Plavnica Eco Resort
(
020-443 700;
www.plavnica.info
; ste €130-180; )
, where there's an impressive pool
(day use €10) set within an amphitheatre that's sometimes used for live performances.
The resort has a suitably glam boat that's used for lake tours, and you can hire cata-
marans (€70 per hour), canoes (€4), kayaks (€3) and pedal boats (€6).
It may have all the ambience of a reception hall, but the cavernous restaurant (mains
€7 to €18) is an excellent place to try the local
krap
(relax, it's the Montenegrin word for
carp). Upstairs are four lavishly furnished suites, each sleeping two adults and potentially
a small child.
