bridges on belgrade to bar train

Belgrade, Serbia to Bar, Montenegro: Europe’s Most Scenic Train Ride

The train journey from Belgrade, Serbia to Bar, Montenegro (or in reverse), is perhaps one of the most spectacular train rides in the world. It’s a mind blowing feat of engineering, with 254 tunnels and 435 bridges on the 296-mile journey from the Serbian capital to the Adriatic coastline.  Construction of the line started in the 1950s but only completed in 1976 and was opened by the former Yugoslavian President Tito himself.

In the 1990s, the train was vastly underfunded resulting in the deterioration of the tracks. In 1999, UN bombing destroyed a portion of the tracks that ran through Bosnia, and was rebuilt by 2006. The train derailed shortly after killing 45 people resulting in speed limits being put in place. Nowadays, chronic under-funding still plagues this train.

There are numerous ways to get between Serbia and Montenegro including buses and cheap flights. Buses are 1-2 hours faster than the train, and a flight from Belgrade to Tivat is only $90 one way. Forget all that nonsense. Take this train. It’s one of a kind.

I took this train from Belgrade and got off at Podgorica (Montenegro’s capital) before spending a few nights in Kotor and then Dubrovnik and finally Mostar, Bosnia

This train ride was one of the many highlights on my Balkans trip. Read about it in my perfect two week itinerary for the Balkans.

The train is not fancy


My original idea of this train happened to come from the first Daniel Craig James Bond movie, Casino Royale. In this movie, Bond rides on a bullet train in “Montenegro” filled with plush seats, fancy wine, and white glove waiters. I can assure you now that there exists no such train or infrastructure in Montenegro. The trains are Soviet era trains that may or may not be properly cleaned, have drop toilets that give the whole train a faint urine smell, and max out at maybe 100 km/hr. These are not Japanese bullet trains!

belgrade to bar train
The old soviet era style trains from Belgrade to Bar

At the end of the day, all fears were unfounded. The 11 hour train ride more than makes up for its shortcomings with incredible views and vintage Soviet charm. This is not a luxury train, but for 20 euros to witness spectacular scenery, there isn’t much to complain about!

The train ride from James Bond. This train is not it. 

How to buy tickets


To start off, there is no way to buy tickets for the train online. The barely functional Serbian railways website offers bare bones information and no way to book tickets. The only way to book tickets is by visiting the main train station in Belgrade. There are two trains that depart daily; one in the morning at 09:10am and another at 21:10 which is the sleeper train. Belgrade to Bar or vice versa costs around 2,600 Serbian Dinars (~€20).  For travel by night train, add €6 for a couchette, €15 for a bed in a 3-bed sleeper or €20 for a bed in a 2-bed sleeper. I booked chose the day time ticket because I wanted to see all of the scenery when it was still light out.

Belgrade train station
The main train station of Belgrade. Purchase your tickets inside this building.

I called the train station when I got to Belgrade but they didn’t speak any English. Thankfully, my Airbnb host helped us make reservations. We went to the main train station a day later to pay for the tickets thinking we should make sure we don’t get caught up in a sold out situation. Turns out, none of that is necessary because the train was half empty!

train ticket serbia to montenegro
The train ticket. Make sure to hang on to this ticket as it will be checked numerous times throughout the journey

Below is a list of all the train station stops that are made. The train schedule was mostly followed but this is a half century old train so anything can happen. The train makes many stops but the main points of interest are Belgrade, Podgorica, and Bar. Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro, and ideal for those looking to go to Kotor the same day (which was what I had planned).

StationsArrivalDeparture
BEOGRAD 09:10
RAKOVICA09:3009:31
LAZAREVAC10:3310:34
LAJKOVAC10:4010:41
VALJEVO11:0211:03
KOSJERIC11:5912:00
POŽEGA12:2812:29
UŽICE12:5012:55
BRANEŠCI13:3413:35
PRIBOJ14:4914:50
PRIJEPOLJE15:5115:52
PRIJEPOLJE TERETNA15:5816:03
BRODAREVO16:2916:30
VRBNICA16:4917:19
Serbia-Montenegro Border  
BIJELO POLJE17:3218:06
MOJKOVAC18:3118:32
KOLAŠIN18:4918:50
PODGORICA20:0920:15
SUTOMORE20:5320:58
BAR21:10

Preparing for the train ride


There are no fancy restaurants, and no snack bars that I could see. This is a 12 hour train ride so make sure to stock up on supplies before you get on the train. There are plenty of grocery stores in Belgrade to stock up on water and supplies before hand. Belgrade is also known for its variety of high quality bakeries that make delicious Balkan style pastries. The morning of our train ride, we stopped at a few places to stock up on the day’s supplies. We went to Pita Breaka shop selling warm fluffy pita style snacks with meat and vegetables, only 50-60 dinars a piece. Next door was a bakery where we purchased some sandwiches. We also made sure to buy plenty of water and of course some Serbian pivo (beers).

train compartment
The train compartment itself

If worst comes to worse and you did not purchase anything, I did see small stands selling water and light snacks at a few of the train stations.

The beautiful Serbia-Montenegro train ride


The train left exactly on time from the station. I had no idea how to read my ticket to determine where I was to sit exactly so I just chose an empty compartment. It seems like no one really cares whether you sit in the right seats or not anyway. The trains are old school. They are organized in compartments with six seats each and a narrow hallway. Try to book a seat sitting on the right side of the trains going southbound (Belgrade to Bar) as all the beautiful mountains scenery will be on your right. In the end, it doesn’t matter much because the windows in the hallways roll down making for perfect views of the surrounding.

belgrade to bar train
The inside of the train. Seating compartments on one side, and windows for your viewing pleasure on the other side

As the train picks up speeds it passes by farms and rolling hills of the Central Serbian countryside. Farmlands and lush green rolling hills dot the landscape. The scenery really starts turning a few hours into the train ride. Following a river valley,  It’s several hours into the ride that real beauty starts.  Following a river valley, the train winds around corners, over small bridges and through countless tunnels.  About halfway through your journey you will pass through the short Bosnian section although there won’t be any signs – track your progress on a map if you want to know where the spot is.

serbian countryside train
The Serbian country-side
belgrade to bar train
One of many stops we made during the trip

 

Crossing into Montenegro

The majority of the train ride is in Serbia but the most stunning scenery is in Montenegro. We didn’t get to Montenegro until almost 5pm, crossing into the town of  Bijelo Polje. Immigration officials from Serbia checked out passports as we left the country, and Montenegrin officials boarded the train half hour later to check and stamp our passports.

bridges on belgrade to bar train
One of many bridges our train passed through

It’s after the brief stop when you cross into the border in Montenegro that the magic starts.  The train continues to climb and every tunnel you exit will reveal a new and stunning view.  Small towns dot the valleys below and massive granite cliffs tower above. At this point, the scenery was too beautiful for me to do anything besides stand up. I went to the car behind as the hallway faced the mountains and all the windows were open. I just stood here for the next hour in awe of the mountains as one peak gave way to a bigger peak. It looked like something out of a Disney movie especially as the sunset in the horizon brought out that golden, orange hue.

mountains belgrade bar train
Scenery like this for the last few hours as the sun set in the distance.
mountains belgrade to bar train
Mountains and more mountains

Make sure to take a few “head sticking out of the train” photos as well.

Train from belgrade to bar
No shame in selfies here
Podgorica train
Train pulling into Podgorica with the sunset in the distance

The video to sum it all up:
https://youtu.be/ESFflFgmONo

Getting off in Podgorica


I chose to get off in Podgorica as we were planning to stay a few days in Kotor. You can get off at any point on the train ride, and I met other travelers that were planning to spend a few nights in the coastal town of Bar. Podgorica, Montenegro’s picturesque capital is 1.5 hours taxi ride to Kotor making it the ideal stop for us. Taxis are readily available at the station, even at 20:00 and the cost is €50 to Kotor. We arrived in Kotor before 10, just in time for a later dinner.

Podgorica train station
Podgorica train station at night

All in all, I would highly highly recommend this train ride. Sure the infrastructure is heavily lacking versus its Western neighbors but the mountains ranges of Montenegro are something special and well worth the €20 ticket

13 Comments

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  1. Just took a train on 11 October 2018 and by coincidence I was also sitting at 466/76 place. To be honest, I am a bit disappointed. Nothing extraordinarily. It’s exactly the same as you see on the pictures in this post.

    Train currently departs from Topcider train station in Belgrade at 09:21 and costs 2660 dinars (but you have to recheck this at the time you take the train). You better have dinars with yourself as I haven’t seen any exchange nearby (although it might be just a little more far away). Also at least in my train the windows were “solid” (one piece of glass) so there was no opportunity to open the window and stick head out of the train.

    • Hi Igor, the windows that slide down were always in the hallways. I guess I’m a bit more easily impressed! The mountains in Montenegro were imo the best part,the rest were a bit plain Id agree.

  2. Hi Johnny
    Fabulous article write up.
    I am going on Friday so looking forward to the ride
    One of my dreams for many years, and you have now just made it better and more realist
    Is there only the one train station that the train leaves from in Belgrade don’t want to miss this one.
    Thanks
    Freddy

  3. Loving the post. A quick question. I wanted to do Belgrade – Bari train but I got an issue. My onward destination is Skopje, Sarajevo — What’s the quickest way to get to Macedonia/Sarajevo from Bari.

  4. Hi, just wanted to say this was extremely helpful! There is still not much information about this train on the internet and the official website doesnt’ even work. Looking forward to thsi train ride!

    • Thanks Jennie! Wanted to add that I think the Bar train leaves from the Topčider Railway Station in Belgrade now. The old main railway station stopped running sometime earlier this year.

  5. Thank you, Johnny, for this information. I am traveling to Bar in May and plan to take the train to Belgrade. What time of year did you travel? Will I have to worry about the train being full at that time of year? Thanks for any info you can share. Loved your blog.

    • Thanks Lorraine! I went in early July which is peak season if you will. The train was not packed at all. Plenty of open seats available. I would just recommend going to the station beforehand to buy the tickets because there is no good online reservation at all. Enjoy the ride!