The Bar railway: Belgrade to the Adriatic

About The Bar railway: Belgrade to the Adriatic

By the ULTIMATE Belgrade Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Board in Belgrade in the evening and wake up beside the Adriatic. The railway to Bar crosses the Dinaric mountains of western Serbia and Montenegro on a chain of tunnels and viaducts, and it remains one of the most dramatic train rides in Europe.

From the Sava to the sea

The railway to Bar was completed in 1976, after 25 years of construction, and it is still Serbia’s shortest rail link to a Mediterranean port. It runs about 476 kilometres from Belgrade to Bar, through 254 tunnels and over 435 bridges. Trains leave from Belgrade Centar, the station at Prokop, and head south-west through the rolling hills of Šumadija to Valjevo and Užice.

Into the mountains

Beyond Užice the line climbs through the Zlatibor highlands and follows the Lim valley south, crossing viaducts high above the forest, before entering Montenegro at Bijelo Polje. Its highest point, about 1,032 metres above the sea, is near Kolašin. From there it drops through the Mala Rijeka canyon on the Mala Rijeka viaduct, 498 metres long and about 200 metres above the river, the highest railway viaduct in the world when it opened. After Podgorica it crosses the northern end of Lake Skadar at Vranjina and tunnels through the coastal mountains to Bar.

The line climbs from the green hills of Šumadija to more than 1,000 metres, then drops through canyons to the sea.

Riding it today

The night train, the Lovćen, runs every day of the year. In the 2025–26 timetable it leaves Zemun at 19:35 and Belgrade Centar at 19:54, and reaches Podgorica at 05:44 and Bar at 06:54; the return leaves Bar at 20:10 and arrives at Belgrade Centar at 07:08. In summer it carries seats, couchettes, sleeping cars and a car carrier, which is loaded at Zemun two hours before departure.

Srbijavoz’s summer 2026 fares from Belgrade to Bar were €23.80 in second class and €35.60 in first, plus a compulsory €3 reservation. A couchette cost €8 in a six-berth or €12 in a four-berth compartment, and a sleeping-car bed €16 in a three-bed, €24 in a two-bed or €48 in a single cabin (the single needs a first-class ticket). Tickets go on sale 60 days ahead, and Srbijavoz’s call centre is on +381 11 360 2899.

In summer a day train, the Tara, adds the journey by daylight. In 2026 it ran from 12 June to the end of September, leaving Belgrade Centar at 09:45 and reaching Bar at 21:10, with a change of train, and passport control, at Bijelo Polje.

Our advice: in summer, take the Tara south for the scenery and the Lovćen home. Out of season, ride the night train to Podgorica, then take a Montenegrin local train back up over the Mala Rijeka viaduct to Kolašin by day. Book berths early for July and August.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The Bar railway: Belgrade to the Adriatic before you go.