Lake guide · 30 minutes from Podgorica
The largest lake in the Balkans: boat trips from Virpazar, the river village of Rijeka Crnojevića, the horseshoe bend of Pavlova Strana and lake fish for lunch.
Montenegro feature
Half an hour from the capital, a great lake of reeds, water lilies and pelicans, ringed by wine villages and mountains.
Take a small boat into the reeds from Virpazar, look down on the horseshoe bend at Pavlova Strana and eat lake fish by the old bridge of Rijeka Crnojevića.
Read the full back story below, then plan your trip.
The back story
The largest lake in the Balkans, shared with Albania: water lilies, pelicans, fishing villages, island monasteries and wine.
Gateway to the lake
The lakeside village that is the main base for boat trips on Lake Skadar.
An old stone bridge
A river village with an arched stone bridge of 1853, where the Rijeka Crnojevića winds towards the lake.
The horseshoe bend
The viewpoint above the horseshoe bend of the Rijeka Crnojevića, one of the most photographed views in Montenegro.
A fortress above the marshes
The ruins of a medieval fortress, once a seat of the Crnojević rulers, on a hill above the marshes of the lake.
By the old bridge
A restaurant by the old bridge in Rijeka Crnojevića, known for fish from the lake.
Train, bus or car
Trains and buses run from Podgorica to Virpazar in about half an hour; Rijeka Crnojevića is best reached by car.
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