Plav, the lake town at the foot of the Prokletije

Plav is where almost everyone heading for the Prokletije ends up, and for good reason. The national tourist board describes it between the shore of its namesake lake and the source of the Lim, surrounded by high mountains, with Visitor and the Prokletije massif as a backdrop. To my mind it beats Gusinje as a base for the far east of the country, because it has the services, a tourist office that actually organises things, and the lake for days when the mountains say no.

The lake and the Lim

MONSTAT gives Lake Plav an area of 1.99 km² and an altitude of 906 metres. Locally it’s billed as the biggest glacial lake in Montenegro, fed by the Ljuča, which carries the Prokletije snowmelt, and right beside it rises the Lim, which flows on through Andrijevica, Berane and Bijelo Polje towards Serbia. The International Lim Regatta, which reached its 27th edition in 2026, sets off from the lake.

In summer the lake doubles as a beach, with a floating swimming platform, pedalos, kayaks and rowing boats, and the tourist office hires lifeguards. Fishing is another draw. The board splits the area into three beats, the Ljuča towards Gusinje, with grayling and trout, the lake itself, and the Lim, home to the huchen.

The Old Mosque, Redžepagić Tower and Brezojevica

Plav’s heritage is compact. National Parks lists the 15th century Old Mosque and the Redžepagić Tower as cultural monuments, the national tourist board also dates the tower to the 15th century and adds the Sultanija mosque and the Velemun botanical garden. At Brezojevica, one of the municipality’s villages, stands Holy Trinity church, which National Parks places in the 12th century and the tourist board in the 13th. There’s no way to settle that from what’s published, so I give both.

The board’s events calendar includes the Lim Regatta, Blueberry Days, Behar Days and cycle races. In 2024 the municipality logged 1,262 arrivals and 12,289 overnight stays according to MONSTAT, almost ten nights per visitor, the profile of a place people come to for mountain days or a family summer holiday rather than a quick look.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Plav before prices climb.

Gateway to the Prokletije and the Peaks of the Balkans

The national tourist board puts it plainly. Plav is where most Prokletije routes begin, and it suggests easy walks by the lake, at Grbaja near Gusinje and from Babino Polje to Lake Hrid. Plav Tourist Board goes further and runs guided hikes. In summer 2026 they included Bajrak, the Memina planina viewpoint over the Plav and Gusinje valley, a 12 km circuit over 2,358 metre Hridski krš returning past Lake Hrid, the 20 km Dolina vukova traverse, free with transport and lunch, and 18 km to Lake Abdija, at 2,054 metres, which the board calls the highest lake in Montenegro.

Plav is also one of the three starting points of the Peaks of the Balkans, a waymarked 192 km route through Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo that the board reckons at 10 to 13 days. A third of it runs through the Plav and Gusinje Prokletije, past Lakes Plav and Hrid, the Ropojana valley beside Vusanje and Babino Polje. The tourist office and the national park visitor centre hand out maps and leaflets and can arrange beds, a guide or a lift to the trailhead. If your route crosses the border on the mountain, you need permission from the border police first.

Getting there and when to go

Plav is road-only, up the Lim valley from Berane and Andrijevica. There’s no railway. By coach, the ticket shop busticket4.me, linked from Podgorica airport and Kotor bus station, showed five departures from Podgorica to Plav for 21 October 2026, from 08:25 to 17:14, taking about four hours for €14, and five back, from 06:16 to 17:00. Coming from Berane, allow 40 to 90 minutes and €4 or €5. Traffic keeps right, and the valley road is slow going. There’s no weather station in Plav with data in MONSTAT, but the tourist board notes that snow lingers in the Prokletije until June, and the national tourist board warns you might meet some on the tops even in summer. Plan your hiking between June and late October.

For a bed, Hotel Plavsko jezero reopened on 7 August 2026 after more than 30 years closed, and there are private apartments and houses. The tourist board sets the tourist tax at €1 a night, and guests must be registered within 24 hours, by the hotel or, in private lets, by you.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Plav before prices climb.