Discover everything you need to know about visiting Žabljak: how to get there, what to see, and where to eat. This guide is packed with tips, useful information, and insider advice. This small, unassuming town could have remained unknown if not for its unique location.
Table of contents:
- Žabljak, Montenegro: General Information
- How to Get There
- Where to Eat
- Things to See in Žabljak
- Where to Stay
- Weather and Best Season to Visit
- Travel Tips
It will be difficult for you to plan your dream trip to Montenegro without these websites
Žabljak, Montenegro: General Information
Žabljak sits at an altitude of 1,495 meters above sea level, making it the highest town in Montenegro.
Located in the mountainous north of the country, it is close to the famous Tara River.
- 125 km from Podgorica
- 180 km from Budva
The town was completely destroyed during World War II and later rebuilt from scratch.
To give you an idea of its size: Žabljak is tiny—the town center is just 100 by 100 meters. Within this area, you’ll find a hotel, a parking lot, a supermarket, and a couple of taverns. If you decide to walk around, you can explore every street in just 30 minutes.
This means people don’t visit Žabljak for the town itself—so why do they come? Keep reading to find out.
How to Get to Žabljak
From the capital Podgorica or the coast, you have two main options:
By Car
The easiest and most convenient way to reach Žabljak. The drive takes 2-3 hours depending on your starting point. Just enter the destination into your GPS and hit the road—the highways leading to Žabljak are excellent.
Car rentals in Montenegro are affordable, and the traffic rules make it easy to adapt. While public transport between cities is well-developed, having a car gives you much more flexibility.
By Bus
The only public transport option to Žabljak is the bus from Podgorica.
- Runs daily (4-6 departures per day, depending on the season).
- Tickets are purchased on-site at the bus station.
- Podgorica Bus Station coordinates: 42.43244238931773, 19.268230444624937
- Žabljak Bus Station coordinates: 43.15322144958547, 19.126556758021454
- Ticket price: €8-15 (varies by season, time, and bus company).
Where to Eat in Žabljak
As mentioned earlier, Žabljak is tiny, but you’ll still find around 20 taverns and restaurants, two larger supermarkets, a fast-food stand serving cevapi and pljeskavica right at the bus station, and a bakery with fresh bureks.
📌 More on Montenegrin cuisine and what to expect as a traveler
Here are some recommended places with delicious food, generous portions, and reasonable prices (around €10 per meal).
🍽 Nostalgija Restaurant – Always playing 70s-80s international music.
📍 43.15424160129935, 19.12563427480585
🍽 Golden Parrot Restaurant
📍 43.154890903517966, 19.11859255265772
🍔 Fast-food stand at the bus station – Great for cevapi and pljeskavica.
🥐 A fantastic bakery offering bureks with cheese, meat, mushrooms, and potatoes. Located 30 meters from the main square in the courtyards.
📍 43.155428938695884, 19.120114988283706
These are just a few of the great places we personally enjoyed. Finding a good place to eat in Montenegro is rarely a problem!
What to See in Žabljak
To be honest, there are no real landmarks in Žabljak itself. You can explore the entire town in just 15 minutes. As mentioned earlier, Žabljak was rebuilt from scratch after World War II, so there’s little historical heritage. Aside from three small churches and the large sign spelling out the town’s name in the main square, there’s not much to see.
But tourists don’t come here for the town itself—they come for what surrounds it:
✅ Durmitor National Park – Just 2.5 km from town, easily reachable on foot, home to the stunning Black Lake.
✅ 25 hiking trails in the mountains around Žabljak.
✅ Savin Kuk – Montenegro’s largest ski resort, just 5 km away.
✅ Tara River Canyon – One of the deepest canyons in the world (locals claim it’s the second deepest).
✅ Đurđevića Tara Bridge – A masterpiece of engineering, this functional arch bridge spans the canyon, 22 km from town.
✅ Bobotov Kuk (2,522 m) – The highest peak in Montenegro. The hiking trail starts in Durmitor National Park, with many hikers beginning right from Žabljak’s bus station.
✅ Sedlo Pass – The highest mountain road in Montenegro with breathtaking views.
✅ 3 extreme zip lines – Over 1 km long, reaching speeds of 80 km/h.
✅ White-water rafting – Near Đurđevića Tara Bridge, anyone can join a rafting tour through the Tara Canyon.
Even two days won’t be enough to see it all!
Tip:
Many travelers underestimate this region and only stay for one night—some even skip staying overnight altogether. But in my opinion, you need at least two nights to fully experience even the main attractions.
For a detailed guide to the must-see locations around Žabljak, check out these articles:
📌 Tara Canyon, Đurđevića Bridge, and Durmitor National Park
📌 Montenegro in Winter: Ski Resorts and More
Where to Stay
This will be a short section because there’s not much to say—despite its small size, Žabljak has plenty of accommodation options.
- Most locals rent out apartments to tourists.
- There are many hotels both in town and near the Savin Kuk ski resort.
- The region is known for its chalet-style houses, and new accommodations are being built constantly to meet demand.
You can find the most popular stays in Žabljak in the dynamic list below.
🏡 Where to book: Use all the well-known booking platforms (links at the end of this article). There are tons of options, from €15 per night for a guesthouse room to €50 for a private chalet, and even luxury options.
Weather & Best Season to Visit
Montenegro has four climate zones, despite being a small country. The Žabljak and Durmitor region is the coldest of them all—it’s also the highest. At 1,495 meters above sea level, temperatures here are much lower than on the coast.
A rough rule of thumb for mountains:
For every 100 meters of elevation gain, the temperature drops by about 1°C.
So keep in mind:
🌡 Žabljak is 10-15°C colder than Budva or Kotor year-round—dress accordingly.
❄ At Sedlo Pass or Bobotov Kuk, temperatures can be even lower.
💡 Seasonal differences:
- In July, the mountain sun is scorching.
- By late October, while the coast still enjoys 20+°C daytime temperatures, Žabljak drops to 10°C or lower, with nighttime frost.
- In winter, Žabljak is buried under meters of snow, and some mountain roads close until spring. Snow chains are recommended for cars, and 4WD is a plus.
Travel Tips for Žabljak
A quick recap of everything important, plus some extra advice:
Hiking boots are a must! Many trails are rocky and steep, so regular sneakers won’t cut it.
Is a day trip worth it? Not really. If you only have one day, I’d recommend Lovćen National Park instead, as it’s much closer to the coast. Žabljak deserves at least two nights.
Alternative to Durmitor? Check out Prokletije Mountains & Grebaje Valley—located 150 km west of Žabljak. This high-altitude region offers incredible hiking and summit climbs, but with a totally different landscape.
Final Thoughts
At first glance, Žabljak in northern Montenegro might seem like a small, unremarkable town with no major landmarks.
But that’s only for those who don’t know better.
For those who’ve read this guide, Žabljak is an incredible mountain hub, surrounded by some of the most breathtaking natural wonders Montenegro has to offer.
Resources to help you plan your dream trip to Montenegro
- WayAway: Cheap flights and best deals.
- Car rental in Montenegro:
- LocalRent – works with local rental companies. Leader in car rental in Montenegro.
- DiscoverCars – a large international platform.
- Budget-friendly vacation packages to Montenegro: CheapOair.
- Hotels and apartments all over the country:
- Trip.com – the most popular accommodation booking platform
- TripAdvisor compares the prices among dozens of other booking services and offer the best price
- Tours, excursions and activities (including extreme ones):
- GetYourGuide – more than 800 tours
- Viator – 1000+ excursions and activities throughout the country
- Comprehensive travel insurance: EKTA
- Internet and Calls:
- Airalo eSIM in Montenegro
- Drimsim – universal sim card for frequent traveler
- Taxi and airport transfers: Intui.Travel