Transportation in Podgorica

Like most capital cities of the world, Podgorica is well connected both nationally and internationally. With two local airports, planes, trains, buses, and an extensive road network, getting to from and around Podgorica will be a be half of the fun.

Being located centrally, Podgorica has emerged as a natural hub for both the railways and roadways.

Our Podgorica transportation guide will tell you all you need to know about getting to, from and around Podgorica. To help you see & experience the best that the city of Podgorica has to offer, we have many Podgorica Tours and activities available. For some great general travel information about getting to, from and around Montenegro, see our Montenegro transportation guide.

Podgorica Transportation Guide

Getting to Podgorica

By Air

Montenegro has two important public airports. The Podgorica Airport situated about 11 km or 7 miles south of Podgorica is the central hub of the Montenegro Airline. The other airport is the Tivat Airport. Sometimes, the locals call it the Golubovci Airport, as the town of Golubovci is quite close by. Both the Podgorica and the Tivat airports are state-owned and run under the jurisdiction of the Airports of Montenegro.

In 2006, the airport of Podgorica catered to over 400,000 passengers. It is little wonder therefore that it was awarded the ‘Best Airport' by the Airports Council International in 2007 for the under one million passengers category.

Since Podgorica was called Titograd (in honour of Josip Broz Tito) from the year 1946 to 1992, its IATA code still remains TGD. Regularly, there are flights going from Podgorica to Skopje, Belgrade, Paris, Zurich, Bari, Ljubljana, Budapest, Vienna, Frankfurt, and Rome.

Previously, the passenger terminal was a tiny, single-storied building with just one domestic and one international departure gate. However, with the air traffic rapidly increasing in recent years, this became woefully inadequate.

On the 14th May 2006, a new terminal (5,500 m2) was opened. With two arrival gates and eight departure gates, it is estimated that the new terminal handles almost one million passengers on a yearly basis.

The taxiways system has also been improved. The airfield lighting system and power supply too have been enhanced. The aprons have also been extended and revamped and the new terminal now boasts of six aprons as compared to the previous three. There is even a possibility of extending the number of aprons to eight.

The glass and aluminium finish of the new building gives it a posh look. It is also architecturally a lot more superior to the old terminal. Indirect lighting is available throughout the entire building and though the airport is not a high-risk zone, security screening is much more advanced. In fact, the monitoring and security measures in the new terminal are on the same scale as other European airports.

The new terminal also boasts of facilities like newspaper stalls, cafes, duty-free shops, car rentals and bank outlets. However, it still does not have a jetway, as the passenger flow does not really make it necessary.

The older terminal is now being used to house emergency medical staff, a press conference hall, a VIP lounge and airlines offices. There is a tentative plan to use the centre of the terminal as a museum-exhibition centre, showcasing the history of Montenegro's aviation industry.

The Podgorica Airport can be reached via the Podgorica - Bar road (E65/E80), a much shorter detour. Usually, a drive from the city of Podgorica to the airport takes about a quarter of an hour.  However, during summer, the tourists heading towards the Adriatic coast tend to block the airport route.

Plans are on to widen the airport road from its current two lanes to four lanes and a median. The new Sozina tunnel makes things even easier. Now the airport is only about 40 km away from the main port of Bar and it is able to meet the needs of all those cities lying on the southern coast of Montenegro.

There are a whole lot of buses going to and from the airport. However, the cheaper and more reliable taxis seem to be the preferred mode of transportation.

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By Road

Being located centrally, Podgorica has emerged as a natural hub for both the railways and roadways. However, Montenegro roads are a far cry from the standards set by other European countries. In particular, the road that connects Podgorica with Serbia and Northern Montenegro leaves much to be desired.

Some initiatives are being taken to build a modern highway that will link the northern parts with central Podgorica and the Adriatic Sea. Sozina, a newly constructed 4.2 kilometre long tunnel is pretty well built and ‘modern', even by exacting European standards.

The best part is that it reduces the time taken to travel from Podgorica to Montenegro's main seaport, Bar, to less than half an hour.

The chief transit routes of Podgorica are: north (E65, E80), proceeding towards Belgrade, and moving on to Central regions of Europe west (E762), and then towards Bosnia, Nikšic, and further onward to Western parts of Europe south (E65, E80). It also moves towards the Adriatic coast east (E762), over to Albania. It is expected that this Belgrade-Bar expressway will pass near Podgorica, and make it easier to travel to the northern and coastal parts of Montenegro.

By Rail

Centrally located within the city, Podgorica railway station is far below the usual European standards and hardly caters to the needs of Podgorica's citizens. Though the building is so obsolete and desperately in need of renovation, funds are insufficient. The Belgrade-Bar railway continues to be the chief railway link for both freight and passenger traffic.

It is hoped that with the reconstruction and electrification of the railway link to Nikšic, passenger service will commence again in 2009. The railways also connect Podgorica to Tirana and Shkodër in Albania. However, this line has been unused for a while.

Getting around Podgorica

By Taxi

Driving around usual bus routes, blaring their horns and generally charging about €0.50, unlicensed taxis have become a part of Podgorica's transport system. With no labels, the only way to distinguish them is by the fact that they stop for a few brief minutes, honking and waving to passengers before they push off to the next stop.

The other option is to hire a taxi, either by hailing one on the street or calling for one over the radio-taxi service. The fare could range anywhere between €0.35 and €0.70 per kilometre. Usually a drive around the city of Podgorica should cost you about €3 to €4.

Urban Transportation

Public transportation was once the sole prerogative of the Gradsko saobracajno preduzece. This public transport company, which was city-owned, was in charge of running all the urban bus lines in Pogorica.

However, in the early part of the 2000's, it faced a series of problems and was finally declared bankrupt. Public transportation was then turned over to two private carriers. Recently though, there has been a conscious move to re-introduce public transport using the smaller minibuses instead of the regular buses.

Public transportation has also been facing some stiff competition from unlicensed taxis. What with all the complications involved with transport, Podgorica citizens have been increasingly opting for dispatched taxicab service, which is cheaper and more convenient.