Taking the train in Montenegro

Montenegro’s railway is small, cheap and, in places, spectacular. It won’t sort your whole trip out, because it bypasses the Bay of Kotor and Budva altogether, but where it runs it works and costs next to nothing. Here are the lines with the timetable and fares published by ZPCG, the passenger operator, as they stood on 11 October 2026.

One main line and a branch

The passenger network boils down to a trunk route and a spur. The trunk starts in Bar, by the port, and its official list of stops runs through Šušanj, Sutomore, Virpazar, Golubovci and Podgorica before climbing via Kolašin and Mojkovac to Bijelo Polje, where the Serbian border check happens, and on to Belgrade. The spur leaves Podgorica for Nikšić, calling at Danilovgrad. If you’re after Kotor, Tivat or Budva, the line simply doesn’t go there, and the road is your only option. Trains, buses, taxis and ferries are compared in getting around Montenegro.

Bar to Podgorica, ten times a day

This is the line you’ll use most. Ten services run each way daily, 59 minutes to 1 h 9 min, with fares of €2.80 standard and €4.20 first. From Bar the first leaves at 05:13 and the last at 21:13; from Podgorica they run from 05:12 to 22:54. The route passes Virpazar, the gateway to Lake Skadar, though I can’t promise lake views from your seat. If you’re staying in Bar and want a day in the capital, or the reverse, I think it beats any coach on price.

ZPCG’s stop list also includes one called Aerodrom, between Golubovci and Podgorica. The website doesn’t say how far it is from the terminal, so I wouldn’t rely on the train to catch a flight without checking at the station first.

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

North into the mountains

Four trains a day climb from Podgorica to Bijelo Polje, in about two hours for €5.20 in second class. The National Tourism Organisation lists Kolašin as a stop on the Belgrade-Bar line, and that’s the real reason to take this train, because it drops you in Kolašin, up in the mountains with Biogradska Gora close by. Along the way the line crosses the Mala Rijeka viaduct, pictured above.

To Nikšić and Danilovgrad

The branch has five trains a day in each direction. They leave Podgorica at 08:00, 12:50, 15:35, 18:30 and 21:45, call at Danilovgrad after 29 minutes (€1.80 in second class) and reach Nikšić in 1 h 6 or 7 min, for €3.20. Coming back, the first leaves Nikšić at 06:20 and the last at 20:00.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Podgorica and choose by the reviews.

The international sleeper

One overnight train each way links Montenegro with Serbia. The 432 leaves Bar at 20:10, calls at Podgorica at 21:20 and reaches Beograd Centar at 07:08. The 433 leaves Belgrade at 19:54, reaching Podgorica at 05:44 and Bar at 06:54. End to end it’s €23.80 in second class. There’s more in Belgrade to Montenegro.

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