Why this ride
Repeated coastal bends, headlands and frequent viewpoint stops. It also links naturally to Bay of Kotor.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Montenegro Adriatic Coast
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 116 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 48
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
The recorded total and the leg detail need reconciliation. Inspect the leg notes before using this record for timing or navigation. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Access context
Check mountain weather, border delays and summer coast traffic. Specific flag: summer congestion.
Seasonal context
Apr-Jun; Sep-Oct
Scenic road chapters
Adriatic Highway, Jadranska Magistrala
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For 16 km this is Adriatic Highway, Jadranska Magistrala, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Rider note
Check the pass is open before you commit to it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 16 km
- Named road
- Adriatic Highway, Jadranska Magistrala
- Pass
- Krstac Pass
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Herceg Novi
Herceg Novi stands at the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, the first town you meet when coming into Montenegro from the Croatian side, and it climbs the hillside in terraces of stone steps. It was founded in the fourteenth century by the Bosnian king Tvrtko, which is where the name comes from, and later held in turn by Ottomans, Venetians, Austrians and others. That layered history appears in the old town, where narrow lanes lead past a clock tower, small squares and the walls of the Kanli Kula fortress and the Forte Mare, standing right on the sea.
Read the complete Herceg Novi write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Herceg Novi sits at 0 km, early in the day. Next is Kotor.
2. Kotor
The Bay of Kotor looks like a fjord but is really a drowned river canyon, a series of linked basins surrounded by limestone mountains that rise nearly straight from the water. Kotor itself sits at the innermost end, a walled town tucked under a steep cliff, with a fortress that climbs the slope behind it in a zigzag line of walls. It was a Venetian possession for centuries, and its narrow lanes, stone churches and small squares have kept their medieval layout. The Cathedral of St Tryphon, from the twelfth century, is the main landmark, and cats are everywhere, as the town's unofficial mascots.
Read the complete Kotor write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Kotor comes up 29 km in. Next is Budva.
3. Budva
Budva is one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic, and it carries the claim lightly, between nightclubs. The walled old town sits on a small rocky peninsula, a tight cluster of stone houses, churches and narrow lanes protected by a ring of Venetian walls, and tradition suggests that a settlement has stood here for about two and a half thousand years. In 1979 a strong earthquake damaged much of it, and the rebuilt streets have a slightly too-neat look. The citadel on the seaward side, with its small museum, gives a view along the coast.
Read the complete Budva write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
57 km in you reach Budva. Next is Ulcinj.
4. Ulcinj
Ulcinj lies on the far south of the Montenegrin coast, almost at the Albanian border, and it has a different character from the towns further north. The old town sits on a rocky headland above the sea, and for centuries it was a base for corsairs and traders. The population here is largely Albanian, minarets share the skyline with church towers, and the cafés serve strong coffee and sweet pastries. The Cervantes legend says that Miguel de Cervantes was held captive here, and the town likes to remind visitors that Don Quixote's author may have been a prisoner in its harbour.
Read the complete Ulcinj write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Ulcinj, late in the day.