General European train travel information

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There are two ways to travel from the UK to Montenegro, both have their own appeal - feel free to go out one way and back the other.

• Option 1, travel all the way by train, using the spectacularly scenic Belgrade-Podgorica-Bar railway.

• Option 2, travel from the UK to Bari in Italy by train, then sail across the Adriatic to Bar on a Montenegro Lines ferry.

Option 1, London to Podgorica, Bar, Budva by train via Belgrade

This option involves comfortable modern trains all the way to Belgrade, then a ride on the famous Belgrade-Bar Railway, recognised as one of Europe's most scenic.

London ► Montenegro

• Step 1, travel from London to Belgrade as shown on the London to Serbia page.

  This takes 2 days, 1 night, with several good departures and exact routings.  Allow at least 2 hours to make connections in Belgrade in case of any delay, and if necessary, stop overnight in Belgrade - I recommend the classic, historic but affordable Hotel Moskva.  Visiting Belgrade.  Belgrade stations information.

  The Zagreb-Belgrade train remains suspended due to Covid-19

• Step 2, travel from Belgrade to Podgorica or Bar via the famous and scenic Belgrade-Bar railway, either the daytime train or the overnight sleeper.  The trains to and from Montenegro now use Belgrade Topcider station, see Belgrade Topcider location map.  See the Belgrade to Bar page for any updates to train times on this route.

  The daytime train Tara leaves Belgrade Topcider station at 09:00 arriving Podgorica at 18:55 & Bar at 19:56.  The Tara has comfortable 2nd class seats and a cafe car.  See the video below.  The Tara is named after a Montenegrin river.  See photos of the Tara.

  The overnight train Lovcen leaves Belgrade Topcider station at 21:10 arriving Podgorica at 07:06 and Bar at 08:08.  The Lovcen has 1, 2 or 3 bed sleepers, 4-berth & 6-berth couchettes, see the photos below.  The Lovcen is named after a mountain and national park in southwest Montenegro.  See photos of the Lovcen.

• The Belgrade-Bar railway one of the most amazingly scenic rail routes in Europe, so a daytime journey in at least one direction is highly recommended - the northbound daytime train does the best bits in daylight, the southbound train reaches some of the nice bits after dark, depending on the time of year.  For the best scenery you must sit on the right hand side of the train going south.  See the Belgrade to Bar page for video & photos of this amazing train ride.

• Onward buses to Budva or Kotor:  Buses link both Podgorica & Bar with other towns such as Kotor & Budva, see www.visit-montenegro.com/transport-bus.htm.  Buses link Podgorica with Budva every half-hour from 05:45 to 21:25, distance 65 km, expect to pay �€6 or so.  Buses link Podgorica with Kotor every hour or so.  Buses link Bar with Budva every hour or better, 39 km.  Buses link Bar with Kotor every hour or two from 05:45 until 20:00.

Montenegro ► London

• Step 1, travel from Bar or Podgorica to Belgrade via the famous Bar-Belgrade railway.

  The daytime train Tara leaves Bar at 09:00 & Podgorica at 10:00 arriving Belgrade Topcider station at 20:02.  The Tara has comfortable 2nd class seats and a cafe car.  See photos of the Tara.

  The sleeper train Lovcen leaves Bar at 19:00 & Podgorica at 20:05 arriving Belgrade Topcider station at 06:12.  The Lovcen has 1, 2 or 3 bed sleepers, 6-berth and 4-berth couchettes.  See photos of the Lovcen.

  Allow at least 2 hours for connections in Belgrade, preferably more, as you'll need to transfer between stations.  You may want to stay overnight in Belgrade - I recommend the classic, historic but affordable Hotel Moskva.  Visiting Belgrade.  Belgrade stations information.  See the Belgrade to Bar page for any updates to train times on this route.

• As the Bar-Belgrade line is so scenic, a daytime journey in at least one direction is highly recommended. For the best scenery you must sit on the left hand side going North.  See the Belgrade to Bar page for times, fares, video & photos of this amazing train ride.

• Step 2, travel from Belgrade to London as shown on the London to Serbia page.  This takes 2 days, 1 night.

  The Belgrade-Zagreb train remains suspended due to Covid-19

Fares & how to buy tickets

• Book your London-Belgrade journey online as shown on the Serbia page.

• Belgrade to Bar costs €21 one-way.  For travel by night train, add €6 for a couchette, €15 for a bed in a 3-bed sleeper or €20 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper.  A reserved seat on the daytime train costs €3.

• Book the train from Belgrade to Montenegro at the station.  The very limited reservation system www.serbianrailways.com seems to have been discontinued.

What's the journey like? 

See the Belgrade to Bar page for a full account of this journey and what to see on the way.

Option 2, London to Podgorica, Bar, Budva by ferry from Italy

Montenegro Lines used to sail from Bari in Italy to Bar in Montenegro, but ceased trading in 2017.  However, Jadrolinija (www.jadrolinija.hr) resumed once a week sailings (twice a week in high summer) between Bari & Bar, making this route possible once more.

• Travel from London to Milan by Eurostar & TGV, stay overnight in Milan, then take a morning train to Bari as shown on the London to Italy page.

• Then sail overnight with a cosy cabin to Montenegro.  Check ferry sailing dates & book online at www.jadrolinija.hr.

  You should arrive in Bari at least 3 hours before the ferry sails, to allow for transfer to the port and check-in.  In Bari it's a 25 minute walk via Bari's pleasant old town to the ferry terminal, or a 10 minute taxi ride.

• Trains link Bar with Podgorica and indeed with Belgrade on the spectacular Bar-Belgrade Railway.  Buses link Bar bus station with Budva & Kotor.

The former Montenegro Lines ferry to Bari at Bar ferry terminal...

Bar ferry terminal...		Bar ferry terminal, from across the marina...

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European Rail Timetable & maps

The European Rail Timetable (formerly the Thomas Cook European Timetable) has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency & climate information.  It is essential for regular European train travellers and an inspiration for armchair travellers.  Published since 1873, it had just celebrated 140 years of publication when Thomas Cook decided to pull the plug on their entire publishing department, but the dedicated ex-Thomas Cook team set up a private venture and resumed publication of the famous European Rail Timetable in March 2014.  You can buy it online at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses) or www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide).  More information on what the European Rail Timetable contains.

Rail Map Europe is the map I recommend, covering all of Europe from Portugal in the west to Moscow & Istanbul in the east, Finland in the north to Sicily & Athens in the south.  Scenic routes & high-speed lines are highlighted.  See an extract from the map.  Buy online at www.europeanrailtimetable.eu (shipping worldwide) or at www.amazon.co.uk (UK addresses).

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To get the most from your visit, you should take a good guidebook.  For the independent traveller, I think this means one of two guidebooks, either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both series are excellent.  You can buy a guide covering all the countries in Eastern Europe.  Lonely Planet Eastern Europe.

Click to buy online at Amazon...

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Find hotels in Montenegro

Other hotel sites worth trying...

www.tripadvisor.com is the place to find independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.

Backpacker hostels...

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

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Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance...

You should take out travel insurance with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover from a reliable insurer.  It should cover trip cancellation and loss of cash & belongings up to a reasonable limit.  These days, check you're covered for covid-19-related issues, and use an insurer whose cover isn't invalidated by well-meant but excessive Foreign Office travel advice against non-essential travel. An annual policy is usually cheapest even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I use an annual policy myself.  Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed connection, see the advice on missed connections here.  Here are some suggested insurers, I get a little commission if you buy through these links, feedback always welcome.

  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection.

  You can use www.confused.com to compare prices & policy features across major insurance companies.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Curve card saves foreign transaction fees...

Banks often give a poor exchange rate, then charge a currency conversion fee as well.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month as I write this.  The balance goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.  And you can get a Curve card for free.

How it works:  1. Download the app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to most European addresses including the UK.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, just like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance onto whichever of your debit or credit cards you choose.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I use a Curve Blue card myself - I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I'm recommending it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card - they'll give you £5 cashback through that link, too.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  VPNs & why you need one explained...

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN means your connection to the internet is encrypted & always secure, even using unsecured WiFi.  In countries such as China where access to Twitter & Facebook is restricted, a VPN gets around these restrictions.  And lastly, you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geographic restrictions which some websites apply - for example one booking site charges a booking fee to non-European visitors but none to European visitors, so if you're not located in Europe you can avoid this fee by browsing with a UK IP address using a VPN.  VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy and I use it myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription, and I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank...

With tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes now often held digitally on your mobile phone, it's vital to keep it charged.  I recommend carrying an Anker powerbank which can recharge your phone several times over if you can't get to a power outlet when you're on the move.  I never travel without one.

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