Montenegro and Albania, from Kotor to Berat

From the Bay of Kotor to the towns of Albania

The journey begins at the far end of the Bay of Kotor. The road follows the water, below high limestone walls. People often call it a fjord, but it is an old river valley flooded by the sea. In Perast, a boat takes you in a few minutes to Our Lady of the Rocks, a church on a man-made islet.

After the beaches of Budva, the road climbs towards Cetinje and then Mount Lovćen. Further down, Lake Skadar, shared with Albania, is the largest lake in the Balkans. From the Pavlova Strana viewpoint, you see the Rijeka Crnojevića trace a horseshoe. In Virpazar, boats set off among the water lilies.

The coast ends at Ulcinj, an Albanian-speaking town, with its old town on a headland. Over the border, Shkodër is best seen by bike. Then you cross the plain to Krujë, clinging to its mountain, then Tirana and the Roman amphitheatre of Durrës. The road ends in Berat, whose white houses cover the hillside.

Five centuries later, Enver Hoxha’s Albania lived cut off from the world and covered itself in small concrete bunkers, still visible along the roads. In Tirana, Hoxha’s nuclear bunker has become a museum, Bunk’Art. The Pyramid, opened in 1988 as the Hoxha museum, became a digital skills centre for young people in 2023.

Berat, on the UNESCO list since 2008, is called the town of a thousand windows for the façades of its Mangalem quarter. Families still live inside its citadel, where a museum shows the icons of Onufri, a 16th-century painter.

Montenegro, from Venice to Njegoš

From 1420 to 1797, Kotor belonged to Venice. The town still has 4.5 kilometres of walls from that time, climbing up to St John’s Fortress, 280 metres above the town. St Tryphon’s Cathedral was consecrated in 1166. Kotor has been on the UNESCO list since 1979. In 2017, its walls joined the list of Venetian works of defence.

Cetinje, inland, is the old capital. Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, born in Njeguši in 1813, ruled there as prince-bishop and wrote The Mountain Wreath, the country’s great poem. Njegoš wanted to be buried on a summit of Lovćen. The mausoleum designed by Ivan Meštrović, opened in 1974, replaced his chapel. You reach it through a tunnel of 461 steps.

What not to miss

1. 1Our Lady of the RocksAccording to tradition, the sailors of Perast built up the islet by throwing stones into the sea.
2. 2Sveti StefanA fortified village turned luxury hotel, reopened in 2026: the islet is for guests only, so you admire it from the coast road.
3. 3Lake Skadar by boatFrom Virpazar, among reeds and water lilies, below Besac fortress.
4. 4Stari BarAn abandoned town above Bar, largely destroyed during the siege of 1877–1878.
5. 5Rozafa CastleLegend has it that a woman was walled up alive here, with one breast and one hand left free for her baby.
6. 6The Gorica bridgeBerat’s seven-arched bridge, facing the windows of Mangalem.

Montenegro and Albania in pictures

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The old double-arched bridge at Rijeka Crnojevića.

The food of Montenegro and Albania

In Njeguši, on the road to Lovćen, try the village’s smoked ham and its cheese. On the shores of Lake Skadar, people eat carp and smoked bleak. The vineyards of Crmnica, near Virpazar, make a red wine, vranac.

In Albania, tavë kosi is lamb baked in the oven under a layer of yoghurt and eggs. Tirana has its fërgesë, made with peppers and fresh cheese. People eat byrek, a savoury pastry, at any time of day, and raki ends the meal. Around Berat, wine is made from a local grape, pulës.