The Best Bike Tours in Montenegro: Our Picks by Type of Rider

The best bike tour in Montenegro depends on how you like to ride. For a first week on a road bike, pick Cycling highlights of Montenegro. It covers the Tara Canyon, Durmitor, Lake Skadar and the Bay of Kotor in eight days. Mountain bikers should look at Trans Montenegro. If you only have a day, take an e-bike ride around Lake Skadar that ends at a winery.

Every trip on this list is one of ours. We run them, so we can tell you who each one suits and who should pick something else. All distances and climbs below come from the trip itineraries.

Best first road trip: Cycling highlights of Montenegro

This is the trip we suggest most often for a first visit. It starts with a train ride from Podgorica up into the mountains. On day two you ride 65 km along the Tara River into Europe's deepest canyon, with about 1,000 m of climbing. Day three crosses Durmitor National Park: 55 km, 900 m up and 1,600 m down.

From there you ride past Lake Piva to Nikšić, then through the villages and vineyards around Lake Skadar. The big finish runs from Cetinje up into Lovćen and down the Kotor Serpentine road to the sea: up to 50 km, 850 m up and 1,500 m down. The last day is a gentle 47 km around the Bay of Kotor.

Who it suits: riders with hill fitness who want the whole country in one week. Who it does not suit: anyone who wants flat riding. Every stage has a real climb. You can skip some of it with a shuttle up Lovćen or a boat across part of Lake Skadar.

Similar route: Montenegro Cycling Adventure takes the same line through Tara and Durmitor, then climbs to Ostrog Monastery, which sits in a cliff face.

Best for the coast and the lake: Kotor Bay to Lake Skadar

Kotor Bay to Lake Skadar stays in the south and skips the high mountains. You start in Cetinje, the old royal capital. Then you follow the old road down to Rijeka Crnojevića and Lake Skadar. An old railway line takes you from the lake to the Adriatic.

Later stages ride above the sea through olive groves, some with trees over 2,000 years old, down to Ulcinj. The trip ends with the descent from Lovćen to Kotor and a day around the bay.

Who it suits: riders who want sea views, lake villages and wine more than high passes. Who it does not suit: riders hoping for alpine scenery. For that, pick the trip above.

Best for mountain bikers: Trans Montenegro

Trans Montenegro links four of the country's five national parks on a mountain bike or an e-mountain bike. You start in Žabljak with a 48 km ride on forest tracks and alpine meadows in Durmitor. Then you cross the Sinjajevina plateau, the largest mountain pasture in the Balkans, often called Little Mongolia.

Day four rides 45 km through the old forest of Biogradska Gora to Kolašin. After that you drop south to the shores of Lake Skadar, cross Lovćen to the Bay of Kotor, and finish on the old military trails of Vrmac above the bay.

Who it suits: riders comfortable on gravel and shepherd tracks for several days in a row. It runs guided or self-guided. Who it does not suit: road riders who want smooth tarmac. An e-mountain bike makes the long climbs much easier.

Best mountain biking on the coast: Kotor and Lake Skadar

Mountain Biking in Kotor & Lake Skadar is our hardest bike trip on the coast. It is graded challenging. You climb Vrmac above Kotor first, with a choice of a 500 m or a 700 m climb. Then you ride up the serpentines into Lovćen and on to Cetinje: 30 km with 600 m of climbing.

Next comes an 18 km downhill on village roads to Rijeka Crnojevića and Virpazar. Day five follows an abandoned railway line towards Bar, over an 800 m pass and through old olive groves: 38 km with 800 m of climbing. Another day takes an old military trail to Sveti Stefan.

Who it suits: confident mountain bikers who like trails, history and a swim at the end of the day. Who it does not suit: first-time mountain bikers.

Best for crossing borders: EuroVelo 8 Odyssey

EuroVelo 8 Odyssey rides three countries on quiet back roads, and transfers skip the busy or steep bits. You start in Trebinje in Bosnia and Herzegovina and ride 42 km to Herceg Novi. Then you follow the old railway line around the Bay of Kotor.

Day four runs 46 km through olive groves to Shkodra in Albania. From there you can ride a loop to the Drin River. You return past the monasteries of Lake Skadar. The last stage takes the serpentine road from Lovćen down to Kotor: 42 km, 440 m up and 1,700 m down.

Who it suits: riders who want to see how the three countries connect, at a steady pace. Who it does not suit: riders who want big mountain days. A close cousin is Lake Skadar Cycling Adventure, which rides around the lake from Cetinje into Albania and back.

Best for strong road riders: four countries in a week

Road cycling adventure: Bosnia, Croatia, Montenegro and Albania has the longest days we offer. Stages reach 105 km with 1,600 m of climbing on the ride into the Albanian mountains. You ride from Trebinje to Ston in Croatia and back, then cross Durmitor and the Tara Canyon. The last stage climbs from Cetinje through Lovćen and drops to Kotor.

Who it suits: fit road riders who like big days and many borders. Who it does not suit: anyone who wants time off the bike. For a slightly gentler four-country trip, Explore the Balkans by Road starts in Žabljak and finishes on the old Ćiro railway line towards Ston.

Best for mixing sports: Montenegro Multisport Expedition

The Multisport Expedition is for people who want more than a bike. Over nine days you kayak on Lake Skadar, take the mountain railway north, hike in Biogradska Gora and raft the Tara. You also pick a day of hiking in Durmitor and drive the Durmitor Ring. The bike comes out for the big descent, from 1,350 m in Lovćen down the serpentine road to Kotor.

Who it suits: active couples and friends who get bored doing one thing. Who it does not suit: riders who want to cycle every day.

Best short rides: Lake Skadar e-bike day tours

Three e-bike day tours take 4 to 5 hours. Each ends in the vineyard of an artisan winery with Vranac red wine, ham, cheese and seasonal vegetables from the garden. A transfer then takes you back to the start.

Biking Through Vines starts in Virpazar, climbs through lake villages to the bridge at Rijeka Crnojevića, then up to the Pavlova Strana viewpoint. Cetinje to Skadar Lake leaves Cetinje with a gentle climb, then a 16 km downhill through old villages. Podgorica Pedals to Vines leaves from the capital and stops at the Ottoman fortress of Žabljak Crnojevića.

Who they suit: anyone staying on the coast or in Podgorica who wants one good ride. Who they do not suit: riders looking for a workout. The e-bike does much of the work.

How to choose between them

Start with fitness. Plan for 500 to 600 m of climbing on a normal day in Montenegro, and 1,000 m or more on the big days. Even routes that look flat on a map go up and down. On a regular bike you need real hill fitness. On an e-bike, a rider of average fitness copes well.

Then pick your season. Ride from April to October. The coast and Lake Skadar are best in spring and autumn. The Durmitor stages open from mid-May, once the snow has cleared. July and August are hot inland, so start early.

Most of these trips run with a guide, and most can also be set up self-guided. On a self-guided trip you get luggage transfers, GPX tracks, maps and a 24/7 phone line. Our self-guided cycling guide explains how that works on the road. Bike hire is booked separately on multi-day trips. You can bring your own or rent one from our fleet in Podgorica or Kotor.

Every trip can be changed. We can shorten stages, swap in an e-bike or add a rest day. See all our Montenegro cycling tours, or send us a request with your dates and your pace.