Nah, this is not me dissing Podgorica but rather just suggesting more worthwhile touristy options. This is just me crossing out countries off my list, because when I do that, I always go straight to the capital and check the place out. So far, there isn’t much to see or do in Montenegro’s capital. A short transit here should be enough for you to mark it as DONE on your to-do list, after which you can then just head over to the Adriatic coast to Budva for some beach and sun. What are the few attractions to see in Podgorica, then?
Since I found out that I would just be having an entire afternoon to spare for Podgorica, I decided to just do a lite version of my usual gallivanting activities. I booked Hotel Terminus right next to the train and bus stations because it’s convenient for my bus arrival from Tirana and my bus departure for Mostar, both of which are scheduled in the late evening. It takes around half an hour of leisurely stroll to get from here to downtown, which I happily took because the weather was cooperative and I needed the exercise.
I haven’t withdrawn money since I arrived here. I was surprised to find out that Montenegro seems to be the only one among its Balkan neighbors to be using the Euro. Anyway, credit cards are widely accepted here. Coins and bills, you might be able to use for public transportation but I didn’t really get to test because I just opted to walk around everywhere. My itinerary was a simple square-shaped walkathon going north to the city center, west to the Millennium Bridge, further west to the cathedral, then southwest towards the US embassy where there was supposed to be a castle but I saw none.
The city center has a square called Independence Square. There’s a fountain in the middle and a phallic monument in the background. Across the street is what looks like a grocery store but with large portraits of politicians on the façade. Maybe that was a political headquarters or something? Who knows. Head north a couple of blocks and you will end up at a stadium. Head west and you will stumble upon pedestrian streets under construction but already starting to house hip restaurants and bars.
The Millennium Bridge is one of the symbols of the city but rather underwhelming to say the least. What makes it stand out is its team of white suspension cables as well as the gorgeous backdrop of the mountain ranges surrounding Podgorica. The river under it has seen better days. It looks like it shrunk to just half of its original size, maybe due to global warming. I’ve seen four bridges over that river and crossed three of them. The water down below does not seem deep enough to save you if you jump off, not to mention the bed of rocks waiting for you down below. In any case, it is a popular chill spot for residents.
The highlight of my walkathon was definitely the church. I love Orthodox Churches. They are just so extra with all the floor to ceiling paintings that put our Roman Catholic churches to shame. The name is the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. It is a young church constructed just in the early 1990’s. The exterior follows a somewhat Byzantine motif. The domes and the golden crosses that crown them make up for a nice background for a selfie. Of course, look at the background and you will continue being stalked by the mountain ranges mentioned earlier.
And that was the extent of my uneventful Podgorica pitstop. The walk back to the bus station was another half an hour so I decided to have dinner first at an Asian restaurant that kept popping up on Google Maps. It’s called Chi Le Ma and since I Hai Mei Chi, I succumbed and Chi Chi Ba there. It’s right across the street from the castle I was talking about which in turn is in the same compound as the US Embassy. I no longer bothered to come have a look-see because the images on Google weren’t really that impressive.
[PODGORICA] Just Go Straight to Kotor or Budva
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