How to get from Montenegro to Serbia. From Montenegro to Serbia by car. Excursions around Montenegro

Bar (Sutomore) -Uzice The first train departs from Bar at 07.10 am and arrives at 15.25. The second train leaves Bar at 16.50 and arrives in Uzice at 01.05. In principle, this is also a possible option. Then you’ll just have to spend the night in Uzhice. I recommend Hostel Uzice, a 5-minute walk from the bus and train stations, which are located very close. A double room (3-bed) with its own shower and toilet cost 25 euros per night, paid in cash. We used this option on the way back, since we arrived by the morning train and were returning by the night train. From the train stations (if they are behind you) you need to go left, following the arrows with the “Hostel” sign, they will lead to the right place. So, having left the main luggage in Petrovac with the owner of the apartment where we stayed, at 6.30 in the morning we went to Bar with two backpacks. The same owner, Marco, took us straight to the station, where we bought tickets and safely boarded the train. Almost the entire way we took pictures of stunning views, noted the names of stations and drank delicious coffee in the restaurant. The train arrived in Uzice on time, at 15.30. But, as expected, the regular bus to Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we planned to go first, had already left. This was confirmed by driver Sasha, who happened to be right on the platform and offered to take us to Visegrad. The road (about 80 km cost 3,000 dinars (about 25 euros).

Visegrad (Andrichgrad) We headed straight to Visegrad to save time. Nothing stood in the way of exploring its main attractions in the evening upon arrival and the next day in the morning, before the departure of the Visegrad-Uzice bus at 11.30, on which we were going to return to Mokra Gora. On the way, the driver told us about the interesting places we passed. People of the middle and older generations studied Russian. And, at least a few words, they remember. The attitude towards Russian tourists is very good: everyone we contacted tried to somehow understand what we were asking and help as much as possible. Even tipsy teenagers. You could often hear “we are bratcha” - it was very pleasant. Visegrad interested us because of the same Kusturca: here he built a complex called Andricgrad in memory of the writer, Nobel Prize winner Ivo Andric. There is an Orthodox church of St. Lazarus and the Kosovo martyrs (they died in the battle for the independence of Serbia from the Ottomans). You can’t miss 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. Remember the beginning of “The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik” by Jaroslav Hasek? “So they killed our Ferdinand!” his maid told Schweik. The opening of Andrichgrad in 2014 was timed to coincide with the centenary of this event. Beer Shveyka, by the way, is also there. There is also a bookstore “EITHER-OR”, named after one of the books of the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, who was fond of Ivo Andric. In Andrichgrad we had dinner at a nice restaurant (the prices are very reasonable compared to Montenegro), but in general there are many places where you can have an inexpensive and tasty snack.

We decided to go from Belgrade to Montenegro by train. Faster, of course, by plane. The flight from Belgrade airport to Montenegrin Tivat is approximately one hour, with several flights per day. But this was not a business trip, but exclusively a 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.

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

I found out that Serbian Railways have a website www.zeleznicesrbije.com

The site is in two languages: Serbian and English. First you need to register, your login and password will be sent to your email, and the path to the site’s services is open. How exactly did the site help? Firstly, I knew exactly the schedule, namely that the train departs once a day, and not twice, as was written in all the reviews. Previously, there were daytime and evening trains, but for some reason the daytime one was canceled, leaving only the one that departs from the Belgrade station at 18:05 and arrives in Montenegrin Bar at 9:52. 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 provided. It also became clear with the accommodation; we didn’t want to travel all night in a 6-seater sedentary compartment for 29 euros per person, preferring comfort, we chose Double cabin-coupe for two for 40 euros per person.

The website allows you to reserve seats, but there is no way to buy tickets online. In this case, the reservation is valid for exactly one day. We need to figure out how to get to the Belgrade station before the deadline and buy tickets. A reservation receipt is sent to your email, indicating the Internet number, which must be shown to the cashier.

That's what we did. But in my opinion, the cashier at the station was surprised that there was online booking, in any case, there were tickets and we bought what we wanted. A little advice, you must take tickets with a reservation, i.e. with an exact indication of the seat, they are a few euros more expensive, but boarding is guaranteed. Tickets without a reservation give you the right to board on empty seats, if there are any; if not, then wait for another train.

About the train. Once upon a time, about 40 years ago, it was a miracle of modern technology. Everything is thought out, ergonomic, comfortable, but it takes its time. Over many years of use, the equipment has become tired and 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 fetal position in the womb. There were no problems here: the shelf is 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 not very clean. Tea and coffee were not offered either, so take your own food and drinks.

And lastly, the view from the window.

The most vivid impressions of our overland journey from Albania to Russia and back were the train ride from Belgrade to Podgorica.

The railway connection between Belgrade and the port city of Bar in Montenegro was opened in 1976. The route is 467 km long, of which 301 km the train travels through Serbia with incredible scenery of mountain and plain landscapes. On the way from Albania to Russia we traveled by night train, and on the way back in March we specially bought tickets for the day train to admire the spring nature.

From Belgrade the train departs at 9 am and arrives in Podgorica at 19.30. A whole day on the road doesn't bother us! The train has only 5 cars, of which 3 are passenger cars, 1 is a restaurant car and the driver's head car. The cost of our 2 tickets in a soft carriage one way was 34.5 euros. Additionally, you can pay about 6 euros for reserving seats. We weren't really able to sit in our seats during the trip, because... Almost all the way we were glued to the open windows, letting in the fresh air of fields, mountains and rivers and revealing the incredible beauty of Serbia before us...

From green meadows we found ourselves in snow-capped mountains...

The train continually dove into tunnels, of which there are more than 200 along the route with a total length of 114 km...

We climbed several hundred meters into the mountains (the maximum height is 1032 m in Montenegrin Kolasin, this is where the popular ski resort is located)...

And then they descended again onto the green plains...

There are 435 bridges on the way from Belgrade to Bar...The trip is breathtaking!

Photos, of course, will not convey half of the emotions and feelings that you can experience while traveling by train along the Serbia - Montenegro route. The Balkans never cease to amaze us with their sincerity, calmness and warmth of soul...

And this is the border station, in a couple of hours we will arrive in Podgorica, from where we will go to Albania.

Many tourists prefer to have fun in Belgrade, and then head to the beaches of the Adriatic Sea - to neighboring Montenegro. And rightly so, especially in the summer. And to achieve this goal there is no better transport than the good old train. Why? Firstly, traveling by train will cost you 3 times cheaper than traveling by plane. Secondly, the railway is laid mostly in the mountains, so from the windows of the compartment you will find such stunning views that you will remember more than once.

By the way, if you need inexpensive but high-quality accommodation, I recommend using the search for cheap hotels in Serbia and Montenegro.

So, let's start buying tickets. First, let's decide where exactly we are going? With a high degree of probability you will choose between Budva and Bar - the most popular Montenegrin resorts. The first is famous for its historical part and beaches, the second for its more developed infrastructure. True, the railway does not pass through Budva, so you will have to get off at the station closest to the city and then travel by bus.

Let's say you're heading from Belgrade to Bar. First, you need to find out what time the train leaves in a given direction. We go to the Serbian Railways website and, choosing the English version, register - w3.srbrail.rs/eticketing/. We go to the site again, but using our username and password, and we see the following picture:

Do not pay attention to the last option Purchase tickets, this service does not work. The first option, Train times and prices, is also useless: you need to know the exact departure time of the train. How can we recognize it if we are looking for it ourselves? And here the middle option Seat reservation comes to the rescue. Here you can quickly find the information you need and, if desired, book tickets. Let's go:

We have a search form that you need to fill out. Departure city – Beograd, final destination – Bar, then desired travel date. There is also a sign on the right with a choice of ticket class. Don't let the "assortment" scare you. At least a third will not be available. In general, if you are traveling during the day, don’t bother and feel free to take 2nd class tickets. When we bought tickets for the first time and got seats in second class, we were afraid that it would be something between a shabby train and a reserved seat. In fact, it turned out to be a very decent coupe with six seats that can be transformed into folding beds. It’s another matter if your train leaves at night, you won’t get away with “folding beds”, and you need to take a full-fledged compartment in order to get a good night’s sleep. I will only note that the Tourist cabin is a compartment with shelves located one above the other.

Having marked the positions you are interested in, press the search button. As a result we get:

Here you can select the appropriate Departure time by clicking on the desired direction. Next, an addition to the page will appear:

“Type of seat” – where you want to sit: by the window (window), in the middle (Middle) or on the edge (Passage).

“Number of reservations” means the number of tickets. If you take two marked “window”, it means that one person will be at the window, and the second next to it, in the middle. In order for two people to be at the window, opposite each other, you need to book each ticket separately.

"Car transport?" – if you are without a car, and I suspect that this will be the case, just leave a tick next to “No”.

note, that when you select options, the cost of the reservation (not the ticket!) automatically pops up in dinars. The ticket will cost many times more. For comparison: in the summer of 2015, the cost of booking two tickets to the city of Bar was 732 dinars (6 euros), and tickets directly at the box office were sold for 4,615 dinars (38 euros).

By clicking on the “Next” button, we see the following:

All ticket information is summarized here for reference. If you were just interested, don’t do anything, just close the page. Otherwise, click “Finish”, and your reservation will be sent to your email address specified during registration (rezervacija in Serbian). The pdf file will need to be printed and presented at the box office within 24 hours to redeem tickets.

If you are already in Belgrade, then go straight to the central railway station. By the way, I haven’t seen such a run-down station since the late 90s. The last time I saw something like this was in a run-down Ukrainian town. And here is the capital... In general, if your nerves are strong, we enter through the central entrance, go forward and a little to the left we find a window for international directions. Here we have a long and painful conversation ahead of us. The fact is that in 99% of cases the cashier will not know any language other than Serbian. Therefore, if you were expecting to communicate in English, you will be embarrassed. To avoid it, I suggest making a preparation.

For this we will need a piece of paper with a ballpoint pen and Google Translator. Based on the data received from the site, we write the following in Serbian:

BAR
2 MECTA
12.07.2015
09:10
2 CLASS
RED CLEARANCE

The latter means "by the window." With the rest of the points, I think everything is clear.

You say hello and hand the piece of paper to the cashier. If the declared places are available, take out your wallet. If your aunt starts asking questions in an unknown language, use your intuition. She is the only one who helps me understand the Serbian language, despite all its closeness to its Russian or Ukrainian counterparts.

And one more very important point. If you come to the box office without a reservation, then before selling the ticket, the cashier will definitely ask: will you take it with a reservation (reservation) or without? And our people, taken aback, say “without.” And, really, why overpay for booking if you buy a ticket right away! The catch is that in Serbia there are two types of tickets - with and without reservation. In practice, this means a ticket with or without a seat. Yes Yes! If you have a ticket without a “reservation”, you approach the train conductor, and if there is an empty seat, he will seat you there. If not, wait for the next train with the hope that there will be unsold seats. The wait can be long, depending on the season. But such tickets have a validity period of one and a half months. So if you're not in a hurry, you can save a little. But a reasonable question arises: is it worth it?

The trip to Montenegro ended, I had to go to Belgrade and apply for a new visa to Cyprus. I didn’t want to return to Serbia at all, I had even less desire to spend a few days there, but I had no choice, because flights to Cyprus from there are only once a week, the date cannot be changed.

Initially, there was an idea to go by train, I read about it and was inspired (it was still at home), but the owner of the hostel in Podgorica advised against it. He said that it was not very reliable, it was faster and more convenient by bus, he himself travels this way several times a year. We listened to him. We took the earliest bus - 8:30 (schedule), the ticket cost 26.5 euros.

While waiting for departure from Podgorica, I looked out the window at the neighboring bus with the symbolic name “Mrakovich”:

There weren’t very many people, and almost everyone reclined on two seats almost all the way to Belgrade. The journey took about 10 or 11 hours, and yes, it was a bit difficult, but the journey turned out to be interesting. The bus passes through the entire northern Montenegro with its mountains, serpentines and bridges, and a significant part of Serbia, where it is not so beautiful, but you can get an idea of ​​the country outside of Belgrade and such tourist places as Novi Sad and Petrovaradin.

In northern Montenegro we didn’t come across a single city, only model villages, like this one:

Always well-groomed and clean, it seems as if people live an ideal life in them, like in cartoons or books. In confirmation of this, a woman in a knitted sweater appeared on the threshold of one of the houses and stroked a large dog sitting on the porch. She had two or three sheep grazing in her backyard. I imagined that she was a character from some good fairy tale.

In almost every village, adult children who had come to visit their elderly parents were waiting at the bus stop. Parents saw them off and waved after them, even if their son or daughter was well over 30-40 years old. Well, then there were only mountains:

In life it is much more beautiful and brighter than in my bus photos, especially when you drive along the very edge of the cliff, flying through tunnels and narrow bridges with arches.

And this is Serbia, somewhere near Kosovo:

Industrial city Novi Pazar:

Quite depressing, just like everything we saw on the road through Serbia. The Raska River flows through the city, and this adds some kind of landscape to it:

Private houses, smaller for one family, larger for several with separate entrances to the second or third floor:

We arrived in Belgrade already after dark, we were tired, but not very tired. Perhaps it didn't turn out so bad. We took a taxi from the bus station, and although we were warned about deception by illegal taxi drivers, the price turned out to be adequate.