Train journey Belgrade -> Bar - Balkan trip 2019

It is one of the most spectacular railway lines in Europe: the train from Belgrade in Serbia to the sea in Montenegro. 254 tunnels and 435 bridges along a total length of 476 kilometers.

Arrival

We took the train at 9 o'clock in the morning from Topcider station towards Montenegro.

On the way through the Serbian hinterland, the train route passes through partially untouched mountain landscapes. After about 7 hours of travel, we arrived at the border crossing in Vrbenica.

The border village has a small Orthodox monastery.

Once we arrived, it became clear to us again how hospitable the people of the Balkans are. After a short conversation, Drago and Batak invited us for a few beers and Cevapcici. With a few small gifts in our luggage, we got back on the train and headed towards Montenegro.

The passage through the Dinaric Mountains is fantastic, passing steep slopes and the gigantic Mala Rijeka railway bridge. It is the highest in Europe, 198 meters above the valley. The concrete pillars alone rise 137.5 meters, on which the bridge rests. The train slowly moves across the almost 500-meter-long steelwork.

After about 13 hours of travel, we reached the coastal town of "Bar" on the Adriatic coast.

Accommodation

Exhausted from the long train journey, we were looking forward to our accommodation. As soon as we got off the train, the first taxi drivers approached us and wanted to negotiate. However, we politely declined as we were not willing to take a taxi for the price of €20. Well, then we had to make our way to our accommodation on foot, the Hotel Villa Swan.

The hotel is a simple and clean hotel on the outskirts of Bar. We paid €24 for one night including breakfast. After a short break, we took an evening walk along the bustling promenade in Bar before we fell into bed shortly after and wanted to explore the city in more detail the next day.

Sights

Bar is a small coastal town in Montenegro and is designed for tourism, which is mainly used by the Russians. On this day, we only had St. John Vladimir Cathedral on our agenda, the most modern Orthodox church on our trip!

The construction of the temple began almost 20 years ago in the heart of Bar, near the coast. The golden dome catches your eye from afar. Once inside, you will see a unique portrayal of the various personalities of the Orthodox faith.

After visiting the church, we went to the promenade and had a coffee before heading to the bus station.

For €4, a hotel employee drove us to the train station, where our highlight of the trip was about to begin: the Bay of Kotor.