Where to Cycle in Montenegro

Top three cycling destinations in Montenegro

1. Kotor Bay

Kotor Bay is arguably the location that Montenegro is most famous for. Made up of three distinct towns including Kotor, it is truly a unique location and at elevation the views are vast.

We spent around 3 weeks in the area and completed a number of cycles.

At the top of the list has to be climbing ‘the ladder of Kotor’.

Snaking up the side of the rock face from Kotor town, this infamous climb with its 16 switchbacks is a must do for any roadie in the area. It’s also extremely popular with bike packers traveling through Montenegro, such as Nilz – check out his YouTube channel here, who we met during our time here. It’s forgiving in gradient, making it an accessible climb for those wanting to reach just shy of 1000m in elevation by bike. The views have such a depth in typography you’ll be staring for hours. It’s a typical climb where you stop for photos at every corner, however the views continue to improve the higher you reach.

For those wanting to make a day of it, we continued east skirting north around Lovćen National Park, down to Cetinje then South to Budva and along the cost road back to Tivat, where we stayed. I wouldn’t recommend the later half of this ride due to the busy main roads and tunnel, so perhaps at Cetinje you could loop south round the national park to join back on yourself for the ladder down to Kotor. Having since driven this southern road I can certainly recommend it and wished we’d chosen this route.

We also loved the climb from Kotor over to Tivat. Here’s the first ride we completed Strava activity link, one of my favourites and the most traffic free. The lower slopes before you reach the ladder are super enjoyable, again not too steep but with a good surface and plenty of hairpins and sweeping corners to appreciate. The red and white barriers at the top provide that racing feel and urge you to descend/ ascent quickly.

Another option is the climb out of the costal town of Risan, Strava link here. Although make sure you have lights on as I experienced three tunnel sections on the descent which are completely dark and don’t allow your eyes time to adjust. I (and my partner) were very pleased it was quite on the roads over Christmas!

As you can see there’s lots of options. The bay road can be busy but it’s stunning and I received many a wave from fellow cyclists out enjoying this road.

2. Lake Skadar National Park

Skadar Lake is a perfect example of how diverse Montenegro is in comparison to its size. You can be up in the mountains, on the beach, at the Lake or in the countries capital Podgorica, all in a day.

We spent a bit of time in this area and completed a beautiful ride – Strava link here.

This is a wonderfully unique location with small roads edged into the hillside, offering you that feeling of alpinism but at a little over 100m above sea level. This area is famed by the Pavlova view point, pictured below.

The route we rode in January took in some of the most stunning views on blissfully quite roads with lovely short snaking climbs; nothing too challenging. The landscape is very unique, you feel like you’ve travelled to a completely different country.  

If you need a hand with route options or perhaps some maintenance work on your bike then I can certainly recommend a visit to Zoran at Bajkeraj Bike Run & More shop in Podgorica. We received such a warm welcome and advice on a number of interesting places to ride.

3. Durmitor National Park

Now, I must admit, having been here in January we didn’t actually cycle, rather skied. However as we traveled around the area we had such an urge to jump on our bikes due to the inviting roads and playground of climbs and routes in this gorgeous area. The P14 road heading west out of Žabljak looked to be an interesting road to travel along. Having also driven along the P10 road in Northern Montenegro we felt it would make for great riding.

Wild Card – Gorge route from Podgorica to the Hairpins of Albania

This route took us from the capital Podgorica, East across the border to Albania. The rolling gorge road to the boarder made for an interesting and unique ride, with a good surface and views of the aqua blue river waters. We experienced no queue’s at the boarder in January, only a jovial welcome and once through, the 9 hairpins of Leqet e Hotit await you. It’s an out and back but a worthwhile route and great fun entering another country for a quick (well, not so quick) climb. Strava activity link here, just don’t forget your passport.

Montenegro was a very welcoming country and one of our favourite places to visit. It has so much to offer and as well as cycling we hiked, ran, swam, gymed and skied. As a bonus there’s no smoking in restaurants and café culture is well established. During the end of our time here we spent around 3 to 4 week playing in the snow, being ill and freezing various things in the van. With February upon us we were excited to get to Greece for what would be some of the most underrating riding we’d experience on our trip so far… More in the next blog.