Cetinje and Lovcen by car from Podgorica, with a cable car ride

Cetinje is Montenegro's former royal capital. The buildings preserved around Dvorski Trg offer an insight into different periods of its rulers' history. At King Nikola's palace, you enter the home of Montenegro's last king and his family. The building was completed in 1867, and the museum was established there in 1926. The surviving objects and reconstructed rooms make the visit a tour of a residence, with spaces for work, receiving guests and family life.

The king's study, diplomatic and family salons, dining rooms and princesses' bedrooms show how affairs of state and everyday life shared the same house. The displays include weapons, decorations, portraits and personal belongings of members of the Petrovic Njegos dynasty. Gilded Venetian mirrors and decorative screens give a sense of the court's taste, while gifts and decorations show the Montenegrin royal family's connections with other European courts.

The palace library holds more than 10,000 volumes, including literary and scientific works in different languages. There are books with authors' dedications and elaborate bindings, as well as King Nikola's own literary works. The collection extends the picture of the court beyond state ceremonies by revealing its literary and educational life.

Stepping out onto the square brings you back into the city's historic center. The Biljarda is associated with Petar II Petrovic Njegos, while Cetinje Monastery is an important part of the capital's spiritual history. Their position beside the palace lets you take in the royal and monastic surroundings on a short walk.

Petar II Petrovic Njegos was Montenegro's bishop, ruler and poet. His wish to rest on Lovcen tied his burial place to Jezerski Vrh, where a chapel once stood. The present mausoleum, completed in 1974 to a design by Ivan Mestrovic, is a monumental memorial on the mountaintop. A visit offers an insight into both Njegos's choice of resting place and the later artistic form of his memorial.

Two caryatids stand at the entrance, stone female figures in Montenegrin traditional dress. Inside is the figure of Njegos, with an eagle spreading its wings above him beneath a gilded vault. The stone figures and the gold surface of the vault make a strong impression in a space reached from the mountain landscape. You can consider Mestrovic's work through the relationship between the figure, the wings and the vault above them.

The crypt contains a marble sarcophagus with Njegos's remains and the inscription "Njegos 1813-1851". The tomb is separate from the space containing the large sculpture, so the visit takes in both the artistic memorial and the resting place itself.

Behind the mausoleum, a stone path leads to a circular viewpoint shaped like a Montenegrin threshing floor. From here, you can see the mountain ranges and valleys around Lovcen, with the reach of the view depending on clear skies and visibility. Your gaze can follow the transition from bare rocky peaks to lower ground, with time for a break before returning down the steps.

The upper station at Kuk sits on the slope of Lovcen facing the Bay of Kotor. The cable car connects this mountain location with Dub, inland from Kotor. The view from the gondola changes during the descent, as the high vantage point showing the bay as a whole gradually gives way to a closer view of the shore and settlements.

Rocky slopes, forest and open views toward the sea alternate during the ride. Returning to Kuk lets you see the same landscape on the way up, while the upper terraces give you time to look out from a stationary viewpoint. Visibility is particularly important for the panorama, as low clouds can hide the bay even when the cable car is running.