Herceg Novi
Start of Sea and Heights, around the bay to Kotor and Tivat.
Montenegro is a country to drive slowly. Five panoramic roads are signposted with brown signs and a route number: the Circle around Korita, the Durmitor Ring, Sea and Heights, the Crown of Montenegro and Life on Luštica. All use existing roads, many of them narrow and winding, and the finest stretches, from the hairpins above Kotor to the Piva canyon, call for patience and good planning.
Five signposted panoramic roads, from the Circle around Korita (65 km) to the Crown of Montenegro (over 800 km): lengths, season, what to expect on the road and driving rules.
Five signposted routes
Montenegro's panoramic roads are suggested routes on existing roads, signposted with brown signs and a route number. The shortest is Life on Luštica (40 km), followed by the Circle around Korita (65 km), the Durmitor Ring (76 km), Sea and Heights (283 km) and the Crown of Montenegro, more than 800 kilometres long. Each has an audio guide in the izi.travel app. The routes are not recommended for large campers or inexperienced motorhome drivers.
Sea and Heights
Route 3 starts in Herceg Novi and circles the Bay of Kotor via Kamenari, Risan and Kotor to Tivat, then climbs the Lovćen hairpins to Njeguši and Cetinje. It then drops to Budva, Sveti Stefan and Petrovac, crosses to Lake Skadar at Virpazar and reaches Ulcinj or Bar via Ostros. It is 283 kilometres long, takes two to three days, and its highest point is on Lovćen, at about 1,600 metres. Villagers once used the old road to Njeguši to carry their goods to market in Kotor; today the drive up the hairpins is an attraction in itself, but it calls for care.
The Durmitor Ring
The 76-kilometre loop (83 with the Ćurevac viewpoint above the Tara canyon) starts in Žabljak, though you can also begin in Šavnik or Plužine. It is paved all the way but narrow and winding, and it climbs to 1,907 metres at the Sedlo pass. It is mostly closed in winter, so the season runs from May to October; rockfall is common in the Sušica canyon. Driving it anticlockwise is recommended.
Did you know?
The Đurđevića Tara Bridge, with five arches and a main span of 116 metres, was completed in 1940 and was then the largest reinforced-concrete road bridge in Europe.
The Crown of Montenegro and the canyons
The longest route, over 800 kilometres and five to seven days, runs through the north and east of the country, its national parks and UNESCO-protected areas. On it are the Đurđevića Tara Bridge, the road through the Piva canyon and the Morača gorge. From Plužine to Šćepan Polje the road runs above Piva Lake, 42 kilometres long, over the Mratinje dam and on through the canyon cliffs, with many short tunnels; this stretch needs extra care. Between Kolašin and Podgorica, beside the main road, stands Morača Monastery, founded in 1252.
Shorter loops
The Circle around Korita, route 4, was the first fully signposted panoramic road: from Podgorica via Medun and Ubli to Kučka Korita, Zatrijebač and Fundina, up to 1,400 metres and above the Cijevna canyon. There are no petrol stations on it. Life on Luštica runs through the villages of Bjelila, Krašići, Zabrđe, Klinci, Tići and Mardari; the road is narrow with plenty of climbs, so allow a whole day.
