Lovćen: Njegoš Mausoleum, tickets, the drive and trails

Entry to Lovćen National Park costs €3, and the climb into Njegoš’s mausoleum another €8 — €11 per adult in all. The mausoleum stands on the summit of Jezerski Vrh, 1,657 metres up, and is open from 15 April to 15 November from 9:00 to 18:00; aim to arrive by 16:30. It is closed in winter. From Cetinje it is 20 km and 35 minutes; from Kotor, about an hour up the hairpin road.

Lovćen is the mountain that rises behind Kotor, between the Bay of Kotor and the old capital, Cetinje. It is not the highest mountain in Montenegro, but it is the one that matters most. Besides the mausoleum, the park has the Ivanova Korita valley with its restaurants, visitor centre and adventure park, walking trails, and views over the bay from the road up.

In short

• Tickets: park €3, under-15s free; mausoleum €8, students and children €4, under-12s free. The mausoleum ticket also covers Njegoš’s birthplace in Njeguši.
• Mausoleum season: 15 April to 15 November, 9:00–18:00, arrive by 16:30; closed from 16 November to 14 April.
• Driving: from Cetinje 20 km, 35 minutes; from Kotor about 31 km, an hour to an hour and a quarter; from Budva about 45 km via Cetinje; from Podgorica about 56 km.
• Parking in the park: €1 an hour for a car.
• Ivanova Korita: visitor centre, restaurants and an adventure park; check its prices and hours on the spot.
• Without a car: no scheduled buses; the Kotor–Lovćen cable car costs €25 return.

What is Lovćen?

A national park since 1952, covering 6,220 hectares at altitudes from 939 to 1,749 metres. The highest point is Štirovnik, 1,749 metres, but the summit everyone comes for is its neighbour, Jezerski Vrh, 1,657 metres, crowned by the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović Njegoš. On one side of the mountain lies the Bay of Kotor; on the other, Cetinje and the bare karst plateau.

How much does it cost to visit Lovćen?

What	Price
National park entry	€3 a day, children under 15 free
Njegoš’s mausoleum	€8; students and children €4, under-12s free
Njegoš’s birthplace in Njeguši	included in the mausoleum ticket; €3 on its own
Combined ticket: Cetinje museums plus the mausoleum	€20
Parking in the park	€1 an hour; motorbike €0.50, 4×4 €2
Bicycle hire	€3 an hour, €8 a day
Park guide	€40 for 4 hours, €80 for 8 hours
Annual pass to all the national parks	€13.50

The park ticket covers the visitor centre and the educational trails. Some guidebooks still list the mausoleum at €3 and open until 19:00; both figures are out of date. The National Museum of Montenegro, which runs it, charges €8 and, on its Montenegrin-language website, gives the hours as 9:00 to 18:00. Allow time for the steps and the visit, and arrive by 16:30. How parking works across the country is covered in parking in Montenegro.

What is inside Njegoš’s mausoleum?

The mausoleum was built between 1970 and 1974 to a design by the sculptor Ivan Meštrović and opened on 28 July 1974. You reach it by 461 steps climbing through a tunnel cut into the rock. Inside are two caryatids in black stone and a statue of Njegoš in grey Jablanica granite weighing 28 tonnes. Behind the building is a circular viewing terrace: on a clear day you can see almost the whole country from it.

Who Njegoš was, and why he is buried up here, is told in Njegoš and his mausoleum.

How do you get to Lovćen by car?

From	Distance	Time without traffic
Cetinje	20 km	35 minutes
Kotor, by the hairpin road	about 31 km	an hour to an hour and a quarter
Budva, via Cetinje	about 45 km	about 1 h 15 min
Podgorica	about 56 km	about 1 h 20 min

From Kotor the road climbs in 25 hairpins over eight kilometres to the Krstac junction above Njeguši, then runs on to Međuvršje, where a spur road branches off to the mausoleum. It is the more beautiful way up, but it calls for a confident driver: the Kotor–Lovćen road.

From Cetinje the climb is easier: the road runs through Ivanova Korita to Međuvršje and on up the spur to the mausoleum. A good loop for the day is Kotor, the hairpins, Njeguši, Lovćen, Cetinje and back down to the sea via Budva. A compact car makes it easier: car hire in Kotor.

In winter, snow can close the road to the summit — though the mausoleum is shut then anyway.

Can you get to Lovćen without a car?

No scheduled buses run to the mausoleum. That leaves:

• A taxi from Cetinje, the nearest town.
• The Kotor–Lovćen cable car: €25 return, €14 one way, €7 for children; 11 minutes up to 1,348 metres. It is a fine way to see the bay from above, but not a direct route to the mausoleum: from the top station you still need onward transport, so plan that part in advance. According to guidebooks, the cable car may not run in strong wind.
• An organised tour. The Heart of Montenegro covers Cetinje, Njeguši and one ride on the cable car, from €73 per person from Budva, from €83 from Kotor and Tivat and from €88 from Bar. The mausoleum is not on its programme; Maxi Montenegro, the route that did climb to it, is not running in 2026. A private tour costs from €90 for the group, with the mausoleum added by arrangement with the guide. The company runs both, group and private, only with Russian-speaking guides — if that rules them out, a hire car or a taxi from Cetinje is the realistic choice.

What is at Ivanova Korita?

A valley at 1,200–1,250 metres, 12–15 km from Cetinje on the road up to the mausoleum — about 25 minutes by car. Tradition has it that the name honours Ivan Crnojević, the founder of Cetinje. This is where you find the park’s visitor centre, restaurants, hotels and picnic tables.

The adventure park has rope courses strung between the trees, with courses for children as well as adults. The prices and opening hours we found could not be confirmed for this season, so check both on the spot.

Staying in the park: a bungalow costs €30 a night, a tent pitch €3, and a place at the equipped campsite €20 a night.

Trails and viewpoints

• The terrace behind the mausoleum on Jezerski Vrh — the park’s headline view.
• The hairpin road above Kotor — lay-bys with views over the bay at the bends.
• The cable car’s top station — 1,348 metres, looking down on the bay.
• The Wolf Trail — a loop of about 7 km, three to four hours. According to guidebooks, you can extend it to the summit of Babina Glava.

In winter the park hires out snowshoes at €4 a day and trekking poles at €3 a day.

The Njeguši zip line

A 420-metre cable strung at about 980 metres above sea level, with the Bay of Kotor below; the ride lasts 40–45 seconds. It stands by the Kotor–Cetinje road just before Njeguši. A ride costs about €15. It runs in the warmer months and closes in winter; check the hours on the spot.

Where to eat and what to bring

Ivanova Korita has restaurants and picnic spots. On the way up from Kotor you pass through Njeguši, home of the local pršut and cheese; how to choose a ham is covered in Njeguši pršut. Eat it there rather than pack it for home: meat and dairy products from Montenegro cannot be brought into Great Britain.

Take a warm layer: it is noticeably colder at the top than by the sea, and there is nearly always a wind. And wear comfortable shoes — 461 steps up and the same number down.

What else is nearby?

Cetinje, the old capital, is 20 km from the mausoleum, and the Lipa cave is 5 km from Cetinje. Together with Lovćen and Njeguši, that makes the classic day in the mountains above Kotor. Services are provided by independent companies; booking and payment happen directly with them.

Prices and opening times checked in September 2026. Sources: National Parks of Montenegro, National Museum of Montenegro, National Tourism Organisation of Montenegro.