Podgorica, Montenegro: finding charm beneath the concrete
Ribnica Fortress, Podgorica, Montenegro
In our First Visit to Montenegro blog we described Podgorica as ‘probably the least attractive capital city we’ve ever been to’. Harsh, but sadly true! Since then though, we’ve spent a further few days in Podgorica and have grown to know, and therefore appreciate, it more.
We think Podgorica is worth visiting for a day or two
To give some background to the city, the historical Ottoman buildings of Podgorica were almost entirely destroyed by Nazi and Allied bombings during World War II, and the city was reborn as the capital of Montenegro in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia by Tito (replacing the previous capital; Cetinje). The city was rebuilt and expanded in a very functional manner, which continues to this day.
Podgorica is very much a ‘working city’ and most definitely not a tourist hotspot, but we’ve discovered that there is ‘charm beneath the concrete’ and now regard Podgorica quite fondly. So, here are some tips on how to discover that charm and make the most of Podgorica should you decide to spend some time there (we’d still recommend no more than a day or two though – Montenegro has many other charms to discover!)
Firstly, a few personal observations about Podgorica
• Montenegrin people are incredibly tall! They’ve been confirmed as being the world’s tallest people, even beating the Dutch. I (Penny) am tall too and found clothes shopping in Podgorica an absolute delight – normally I don't stand a chance of finding anything to fit me when shopping on holiday.
• Montenegrin men often have very short crew-cuts which, combined with their height and athletic build, can initially make them look slightly forbidding. But in all the time we’ve spent there, we’ve only come across really lovely, welcoming, relaxed, friendly people. Montenegrin women are very glamorous, and a browse around the ‘jewellery quarter’ and clothes shops in downtown Podgorica can unearth all sorts of treasures.
• The coffee bars (especially the more traditional ones) are almost exclusively populated by men: sitting alone, in pairs or in groups and just chatting and relaxing. We’re not sure why this is but think it’s just tradition. Certainly, when Lizzie and I breezed in, no one looked at us or turned a hair, so it’s not that women aren’t welcome.
• International Women’s Day is a really big thing! Lizzie and I arrived on IWD 2024, and we were greeted in Arrivals at the airport with long-stemmed red roses, given flowers in every shop we went to, and there were florist carts all around the city centre giving women flowers. It was very lovely indeed. Why don't we do that in the UK? 🤔
Eating out in Podgorica is fun and provides fantastic value: the food is fresh, delicious and plentiful, the coffee is second to none (around £1 for a cappuccino) and Montenegro wine is delicious (more on that later). Here are some of our favourite finds.
Food and Drink
Eating out in Podgorica is fun and provides fantastic value: the food is fresh, delicious and plentiful, the coffee is second to none (around £1 for a cappuccino) and Montenegro wine is delicious (more on that later). Here are some of our favourite finds:
Itaka Library Bar Located beneath the busy streets and next to the tumbling, turquoise Morača river, this fantastic bar sells amazing coffee, cocktails etc and is deservedly popular among locals.
Pizzeria Calabria Tiny and fills up in the blink of an eye, but go if you can! Red and white checked tablecloths, roughly-hewn stone walls and you think you are in southern Italy even before you tuck into their gorgeous wood-fired, crisp and light-as-air pizzas. We also recommend their pasta and salads, all washed down with a glass or two of Montenegro’s famous Vranac red wine https://www.matthys-wines.com/en/wines/plantaze-vranac
Hacienda La Paz Located in downtown Podgorica in a wide street lined with bars and restaurants, all with lots of outdoor seating and a vibrant atmosphere. We enjoyed delicious cocktails (G&T for £2.50) and amazing Mexican rolls- light, crispy and absolutely stunning. Lizzie has also had the fish tacos and says they were equally good.
Konoba Lanterna This is a lovely restaurant with a beautiful courtyard with tables clustered beneath an ancient olive tree. The waiter we’ve had both times we’ve been is more than a little ingratiating, but don't let that put you off! We enjoyed plates of fresh grilled sardines, fantastic pizzas and their house salad (the latter wasn't so great to be honest)
Sandwich Bar Excellent, freshly made to order, paninis and a wide array of other deliciousness. Friendly, fast service and exceptional value.
Corcovado Café We only had coffee here, but it was great and the breakfast menu looked delicious. Recently opened, upscale, bright and contemporary Brazilian café – fab!
Shopping
As previously mentioned, a wander around the clothes and jewellery shops in downtown Podgorica is very pleasant and can pay dividends – especially if you’re tall and/or have a taste for glam! The shops are all independently-owned, with friendly owners and offer great value.
On the food front, we’d particularly recommend:
The Green Market The place to go for fantastically fresh and varied fruit, veg, cheeses and other farm produce.
Mix Market Absolutely stunning beer on tap via a ‘hole in the wall’ – buy it to take away. And a huge array of dried, salted fish from Russia and Armenia.
La Parisienne High-end patisserie with beautiful cakes. Unfriendly staff though.
Sightseeing
We didn't do a lot of sightseeing in Podgorica because most of our time was spent rescuing three abandoned puppies (a story in itself). However, we’d definitely recommend a wander to the beautiful Old Ribnica River Bridge - the oldest bridge in Podgorica (originally built by the Romans) and near the confluence of the rivers Ribnica and Morača.
If you’re visiting Podgorica in the heat of summer (which is quite unbearable, we wouldn’t recommend) then solace can briefly be found swimming in the very, very cold river before warming up by sunbathing on the riverbank amongst the locals. Either opt to go by the Old Bridge, or go further upstream over the Millennium bridge and down a cobbled path to Momišićka plaza, which also has a diving board of sorts to jump off.
The Park Forest Gorica to the north of the city centre is also lovely, especially if you get off the main drag by following the narrow tracks that lead off it.
The ‘old town’ area is apparently nice and dates back to the days when the city was under Turkish rule. We thought we’d found it but now aren’t entirely sure, hence the ‘apparently’! There’s a clock tower and some mosques (we definitely didn't find them)
What we did do, and would recommend, is visit the Plantaže vineyard for a premium wine tasting experience (my Mother’s Day treat) The Plantaže winery is absolutely massive, with the Šipčanik cellars being located underground in an old military airport - huge tunnels built during WW2 and the Yugoslavian era to house fighter jets. This is where the wine tour takes place – which was very ‘exclusive’ given we were the only people on it! The actual tasting happens at a ridiculously long table in a room where the pilots were briefed. We tasted four different wines (2 white and 2 red) – we were given good measures of each and they were accompanied by a plate of Montenegrin cheese, amazing prsut (prosciutto), olives etc. It was all really informative, enjoyable and delicious – we will certainly look out for Plantaže wines in the future. Our favourite was Vladika – a gorgeous red wine.