Bar, Montenegro: Adriatic Gateway to Lake Skadar and Old Town Ruins

Stari Bar — the ruins of Bar's medieval city — sits 4 kilometers inland on a steep promontory, with views over olive groves and the surrounding mountains. The old town was largely destroyed in the 1878 Ottoman retreat and has been partially excavated since. The ruins cover about 40 hectares and include remnants of an aqueduct, several churches, the citadel walls, and the old bazaar. The walk through the site takes about 90 minutes. A taxi from the cruise terminal costs roughly €5–8.

Lake Skadar National Park straddles the Montenegro-Albania border and is the largest lake in the Balkans. From Bar, it is about 30 minutes by car to the village of Virpazar, which serves as the main entry point for boat tours of the lake. The lake is important habitat for pelicans, herons, and cormorants, and the boat tours run through floating lily pads and submerged monastery ruins. Day tours from Bar are available; independent taxi to Virpazar and a boat rental from one of the local operators at the harbor gives more flexibility.

The coastal promenade and marina in Bar's new town are pleasant and functional without being particularly remarkable. The town center has a small market, a few reasonable restaurants, and the Stari Maslinik — a group of olive trees that are among the oldest in the world, with some specimens estimated at over 2,000 years old, located about 2 kilometers from the harbor.

Montenegro's coastline south of Bar, toward Ulcinj and the Albanian border, has long sandy beaches that receive a fraction of the traffic of the northern Adriatic. Ulcinj's Velika Plaža (Long Beach) is one of the longest beaches in the Adriatic — around 12 kilometers of continuous sand — and about 45 minutes south by taxi. Worth the trip if beach time is the priority and the north Adriatic beaches feel crowded.

Bar is frequently used as a transit point for travelers going to Podgorica (Montenegro's capital, 45 minutes away) or Budva and Kotor to the north. If your sailing is not calling at Kotor on this trip, the drive north along the coast (about 60 minutes to Kotor) passes through some of the most dramatic Adriatic scenery and is manageable as a taxi excursion.