From Belgrade to Montenegro, we decided to go by train. Faster, of course, by plane. It takes about one hour to fly from Belgrade airport to Montenegrin Tivat, several flights a day are organized. But it was not a business trip, but an exclusively tourist one, the first acquaintance with the Balkans. And the train journey promised to be interesting: mid-summer, 15 hours of travel along an amazingly picturesque road.

The trip was organized and planned by myself, and therefore, of course, it was important to know exactly the train schedule and all the information about the move: what cars, ticket prices and their availability. I decided to buy tickets in advance, back in Russia, because every day was scheduled, hotels were booked, plane tickets were bought, excursions were ordered, etc.

I learned that the Serbian railways there is a website www.zeleznicesrbije.com

The site is in two languages ​​Serbian and English. First you need to register on email username and password will come, the way to the site's services is open. How exactly did the site help? Firstly, I knew exactly the timetable, namely that the train leaves once a day, and not two, as it was written in all the reviews. There used to be daytime and evening trains, but for some reason the daytime trains were canceled, only the one that departs from the Belgrade station at 18-05 and arrives at the Montenegrin Bar at 9-52 remains. The bar is the final stop, and an hour before it there is a stop in the capital of Montenegro - Podgorica. As a matter of fact, there were no other stops. It also became clear with the accommodation, we did not want to go all night in a 6-seater sitting compartment for 29 euros per person, preferring comfort, we chose Double cabin- a double room for 40 euros per person.

The site allows you to reserve seats, but there is no opportunity to buy tickets on-line. In this case, the reservation is valid for exactly one day. We need to calculate to be in time for the Belgrade train station before the deadline and redeem tickets. A booking receipt is sent to the e-mail, indicating the Internet number, which must be shown to the cashier.

And so we did. But in my opinion, the cashier at the station was surprised that there was an Internet booking, in any case, there were tickets and we bought what we wanted. A little advice, tickets must be taken with a reservation, that is, with an exact indication of the place, they are a few euros more expensive, but landing is guaranteed. Tickets without reservation give the right to board free seats, if there are any, if not, then wait for another train.

About the train. Once upon a time, 40 years ago, it was a miracle of modern technology. Everything is thought out, ergonomic, comfortable, but it takes its time. Over the long years of operation, the equipment is tired, worn out. But, nevertheless, we liked it. The two-seater compartment was quite comfortable, the shelves were especially pleasantly surprised. For me, with my height - 1, 88, a trip on Russian trains cannot be called comfortable, I have to sleep in the position of an embryo in the womb. There were no problems here: the shelf was at least 2 meters long and 1.5 times wider than its Russian counterpart.

Sleeping was as comfortable as possible. But the toilets were disappointing, far from modern standards and were not very clean. Tea, coffee was also not offered, take food and drinks with you.

And the last, the view from the window.

On the third day in Belgrade, we felt that the sea coast of Montenegro was calling us. The essentials were packed, tickets were purchased, and we were ready to embark on a long 12-hour bus journey.

By bus from Belgrade to Montenegro

As a destination, we chose a small seaside town, from where it is about five hundred kilometers to Belgrade. Of course, the bus is not the best option, in order to get there from Belgrade to Montenegro, but we did not find another option: there were no trains in the right direction at the time we needed.

It is known that in countries where the heat of 35 degrees is a common thing, air conditioners are very fond of. The bus driver and passengers were no exception. The only problem was that the air conditioner was right above our seats and we weren't saved by our meager supplies of warm clothes and scarves. The trip, which began peacefully, continued with the struggle to turn on / off the air conditioners. Unfortunately, the enemy had an advantage - the absence of a language barrier when communicating with the driver. But it turned out that in an emergency, the language learns instantly, and after a while I got used to approaching the driver every half hour with a request in Russian-Serbian: "CAN YOU EXCEPT THE CLIMATE?" (the driver refused to understand the word "air conditioning" or even "air conditioning").

In the intervals of this struggle for unfilled ears, we stopped for a snack, and also passed the Serbian-Montenegrin border (there is no need to get off the bus there - the border guards themselves enter the bus and collect, and then distribute passports).

By dawn we reached the coast. The sea, mountains and the rising sun - life seemed wonderful! Then there were many stops at the coastal bus stations and the ferry across the Bay of Kotor. Like this: you wake up, you look out the bus window, and there is the sea from all sides!
On a ferryboat:

At about 8 o'clock in the morning we finally found ourselves at the final station - at the Herceg Novi train station.

Despite the fact that there are many tourists on the Montenegrin coast, supply still exceeds demand. When you get off the bus, aunties attack you, inviting you to stop at their place.

• Sobe means rooms

After a little reflection, we agreed to the offer of one of the aunts - Aunt Sonya: she offered us a room with a sea view for 20 euros. Aunt Sonya's house was, as she promised, really very clean. One of the two rented rooms was intended for us, and we also had a balcony with a table and a personal refrigerator at our disposal. In addition, food could be prepared in the kitchen.

Our room:

And this is also a view from the window:

We decided to stay with Aunt Sonya for three nights, but for a longer period she would have to pay some kind of tax for us, which would add a few more euros to our account.

After talking (in a mixture of languages) with Aunt Sonya, we learned that she has Ukrainian roots and her grandfather once moved to Montenegro a long time ago. In the end, Aunt Sonya turned out to be very nice, helped us buy tickets back to Belgrade, and when we left, she even came to see us off to the station !!

To the question "How is it here in winter?" Aunt Sonya answered: "Dead!"

But in the summer, life is on sea ​​coast boils, nevertheless the task before us was difficult - to come up with what we will do.

Bar (Sutomore) -Uzhice The first train leaves Bar at 07.10 am and arrives at 15.25. The second train leaves Bar at 16.50, arrives in Uzice at 01.05. Basically, this too possible variant... Then you just have to spend the night in Uzice. I recommend Hostel Uzice, a 5-minute walk from the bus and train station, which are located very close. Double room (3-bed) with its own shower and toilet cost 25 euros per night, payable in cash. We used this option on the way back, because we arrived on the morning train and returned by night. From the train stations (if they are behind) you have to go to the left, according to the arrows with the Hostel sign, they will lead you to the right place. So, leaving the main luggage in Petrovac with the owner of the apartment where we were staying, at 6.30 am with two backpacks we went to the Bar. The same owner, Marco, took us straight to the station, where we bought tickets and safely boarded the train. Almost all the way, we photographed the stunning views, marked the names of the stations and drank delicious coffee in the restaurant. In Uzice, the train arrived on time, at 15.30. But, as expected, the regular bus to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we planned to go first, has already left. This was confirmed by the driver Sasha who appeared right on the platform and offered to take us to Visegrad. The road (about 80 km. Cost 3000 dinars (about 25 euros).

Visegrad (Andrichgrad) We went straight to Visegrad to save time. Nothing prevented us from seeing its main attractions in the evening upon arrival and the next day in the morning, until the departure of the Visegrad-Uzice regular bus at 11.30, on which we were going to return to Mokra Gora. On the way, the driver told us about interesting places that we drove through. People of the middle and older generation studied Russian. And, at least a few words, they do remember. The attitude towards Russian tourists is very good: everyone we contacted tried to somehow understand what we were asking about and help as much as possible. Even tipsy teenagers. You could often hear “we are brother” - it was very pleasant. Visegrad, on the other hand, interested us because of the same Kusturtsa: here he built a complex named Andrichgrad in memory of the writer, Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andric. There is the Orthodox Church of St. Lazarus and the Kosovar Martyrs (they died in the battle for the independence of Serbia from the Ottomans). You cannot pass by the mosaic depicting members of the Mlada Bosna organization - Ivo Andric was a member of it in his youth. It was this organization that organized the assassination attempt on the Archduke in Sarajevo, which was the beginning of World War I. Do you remember the beginning of "The Adventures of the Gallant Soldier Schweik" by Jaroslav Hasek? “So they killed our Ferdinand!” Said his maid to Schweik. The opening of Andrichgrad in 2014 was timed to coincide with the centenary of this event. Beer Švejka, by the way, is also available there. There is also a bookstore "OR-OR", named after one of the books of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, which Ivo Andrich was fond of. In Andrichgrad, we had dinner in a nice restaurant (prices are very reasonable compared to the same Montenegro), but in general there are many places where you can have an inexpensive and tasty snack.

Discover Serbia with us, we will introduce you to nature, culture, history, traditions, people and cuisine.

We are waiting for you on our excursions in Russian, dear friends !!!

Djurdjevic bridge

Our path runs through the north of Montenegro, with its amazing canyons, amazingly colored rivers Tara and Moraca, virgin forests, crystal-clear lakes. One of the most stunning places in Montenegro is the five-arched concrete bridge of Djurdjevic. This beautiful massive structure, 365 m long and 172 m high, is considered the largest road bridge in Europe. The Tara River Canyon is considered one of the deepest in the world - 1300m at one of the points, after the Grand Canyon in the States, it ranks second. The water in the river is so clean that you can safely drink the water. The emerald color of the water will amaze you with its beauty, however, not everyone wants to swim in Tara - usually the temperature here does not rise above + 11C.

Mileseva monastery

Mileseva Monastery was built in 1218-1219, and painted from 1222 to 1228. It was founded by King Vladislav, the son of King Stephen the First-Crowned and grandson of Neman. Vladislav built the Mileshev Monastery as his own mausoleum. Mileševa The Church of the Holy Ascension of the Lord was built on the model of the previously built monasteries of Studenica and Zicha, in the Raska style. This style is characterized by the Romanesque image of a building typical of the Serbian coastline, adapted to the needs of the Orthodox Church. It is a very simple building, built from limestone and then plastered. Savva's body was buried in this monastery and this raised the reputation and veneration of the monastery. Mileseva Church becomes a cult place for pilgrims. That is why the Turks in 1594, took the relics of the saint to Belgrade and burned them, wishing to destroy the cult of Saint Sava of the Serbian people. On the contrary, since then, the spirit of the saint, through dust and ashes, has become even more significant, and Milesh's church becomes an indestructible witness who calls and inspires. Partially preserved frescoes are of great value. The fresco "Angel at the Tomb" justly received the main fame - the highest phenomenon, which is so reminiscent of ancient Greek art, the resemblance to which emphasizes the neighborhood of holy women and soldiers in white robes.

Zlatibor

Stopicha cave

Stopića Cave is located on the northeastern side of the Zlatibor Mountains. The area of ​​the cave is about 8 square kilometers, and its height in some places reaches 50 meters. This is a river cave, through it the Trnava brook flows, in one place, with an abundance of water, a real waterfall with a height of 10.5 meters is formed, called the Source of Life. Stalactites hang in clusters from high vaults. The cascades, which seem to be frozen stone waterfalls, are striking .. From below they resemble a cream cake with flowing edges of the color of crème brлеlée. In fact, the cascades are a series of baths created by water, located at different heights. Water, having filled the upper baths, begins to pour down, filling the lower ones. The result is a beautiful cascade of waterfalls with a height of 10.5 meters. Be careful as some of the baths are 7 meters deep!

• Stopicha cave Stopicha cave
• Stopicha cave Stopicha cave
• Stopicha cave Stopicha cave
• Stopicha cave Stopicha cave

Open Air Museum, Old Village Sirogoino

"Staro Selo" on Zlatibor - a museum under open air that shows the architecture and interior design of buildings, the way of doing business and family life people of the hilly-mountain range of the Dinaric region.

• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino
• Sirogoino Sirogoino

Zlatibor - center

Arrival to Zlatibor, the largest air resort in Serbia. Hike to observation deck where you can see the whole Zlatibor and where you can do the most beautiful pictures mountain beauty, and then a hike to the center of tourist splendor, where we are waiting for Inspection of the Kraljevo voda square, Zlatibor lake, the town of Zlatibor, also a visit to the market, where you can do food tasting, buy homemade kaymak cheese, smoked meat Zlatiborski pršut, honey, brandy, wine .. Overnight at the best hotel in the midst of National park in Zlatibor. You will be surprised by the genuine hospitality of the Serbs, as well as the delicious food!

• Zlatibor Zlatibor
• Zlatibor Zlatibor
• Zlatibor Zlatibor
• Zlatibor Zlatibor

Mokra Gora and Drvengrad (visiting director Emir Kusturica)

It is clear that the most cheap option Is a direct flight from Moscow or St. Petersburg. However, during the season, you can face the problem of unreasonable overpricing by air carriers, so we will consider all acceptable options.

In Montenegro 2 international airports: in Podgorica and Tivat. From Moscow regular flights both Russian and foreign airlines fly daily, throughout the year. Closer to the season, flights from St. Petersburg are also added. As a rule, the price for them is slightly more expensive, so if St. Petersburg is preferable to you as a starting point, do not be lazy - check it out. It is also possible to find flights from other major cities countries.

Balkan airlines, as a rule, reduce the price of tickets with a transfer in Belgrade (saving about 2-3 thousand from a round-trip ticket), while the transfer in most cases takes from 40 minutes to 2 hours, which is not very tiring.

True, in recent years, summer flights of domestic airlines come out cheaper, but just in case we consider it necessary to indicate this option.

How to get to Montenegro from Belgrade (Serbia)

If you do not find adequate prices for the above directions, do not despair - these options are far from the only ones. Let's try to get to the cherished Montenegro from the neighboring country - Serbia. Flights to Belgrade are often cheaper than to Montenegrin airports.

There are three ways to get from Belgrade to Montenegro:

• Bus... The road to Budva will take from 10 to 12 hours. There are about 10 buses per day, starting from 04:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. See the current timetable on the website www.balkanviator.com.

In any case, do not forget the golden rules for finding cheap flights :)

How to get from the airport to the hotel, read How to organize your vacation in Montenegro yourself (from air tickets to excursions).
Good luck with your search!

P.S... If you are unable to find tickets to Montenegro at affordable prices on your own, do not hesitate to write to us - we will always be happy to help fellow travelers!

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WE TRAVEL CHEAP!

Chip flights

Any journey begins with the search and purchase of tickets - this is what you can and should save on!

When looking for cheap flights on our travels, we use search engines such as Aviasales and Momondo.

Some of the rules for finding cheap flights can be found in this article.

Cheap housing

Every traveler, of course, wants to optimize their costs and find good hotel(or apartments) in terms of price / quality ratio. So than more options the more prompted you are, the more likely you will find the best one. Therefore, your search can be greatly facilitated by the Hotellook service, which searches through the best accommodation booking systems.

You do not need to compare prices on different services yourself - Hotellook will do it for you!

Insurance

For the registration of a Schengen visa, as you know, the list of mandatory documents includes an insurance policy for those traveling abroad.

When traveling to other countries where a visa is not required, an insurance policy for the safety of you and your family members will also be useful, especially if you are traveling with children.

Tours

The best way to get to know a new city is with excursions from local residents... To do this, many travelers use services such as Sputnik8.