After the NLB Podgorica Millennium Run: Bar and Stari Bar

The Route: Podgorica → Bar Logistics: Direct train, journey time around 1 hour, running roughly every 3 hours through the day. Marathon Month: November Duration: Day trip

Podgorica ──(~1h direct train, ~every 3h)──> Bar
                                                     │
                        Podgorica ◄──(direct train)──┘

The train journey from Podgorica to Bar is itself the primary reason to make this trip: the line runs directly across Lake Skadar for a stretch, giving passengers a water-level view of the lake most visitors to the region never see from the Virpazar side alone. The train service is less frequent than the bus routes to Cetinje or Lake Skadar, running roughly every 3 hours, so checking the current timetable before setting off is worth doing rather than assuming a convenient departure time.

Bar itself is Montenegro's main commercial port, a working town rather than a picturesque tourist destination in its modern centre, but the old town of Stari Bar, a short distance inland, gives the trip a genuine historic destination beyond the train ride itself.

Stari Bar

Stari Bar, the ruined old town around 4 km from the modern port and railway station, was largely abandoned after heavy damage in an 1878 siege and subsequent earthquake, leaving a substantial hillside ruin of stone walls, a former cathedral and residential quarters, now a protected archaeological site. Walking through the ruins involves some uneven ground and a gentle climb, worth pacing sensibly for legs recovering from a marathon rather than treated as a flat, easy walk throughout. A local bus or taxi from Bar's modern centre covers the distance to Stari Bar more comfortably than the full walk for a runner not looking for extra mileage.

The Old Olive Tree

Near Stari Bar stands one of Europe's oldest olive trees, estimated at well over 1,000 years old, still producing olives and marked as a specific, verifiable point of local pride distinct from the ruins themselves.

The Modern Port and Seafront

Bar's modern centre runs along a working harbour rather than a resort seafront, though a promenade area does exist for a flatter, easier walk than the old town's uneven ground offers.

Where to Eat

Restaurants near Bar's harbour and modern centre serve straightforward Montenegrin coastal fare, a reasonable stop before returning inland to Podgorica for the evening.

Getting Back