How to Get from Podgorica or Kotor to Ostrog Monastery (with photos)

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Serbian Orthodox Ostrog Monastery is one of the most captivating sights in Montenegro and visually impressive monasteries in the world. The centuries-old complex is built into sheer cliffs, with stunning panoramic views of the surrounding plains. It is one of the most unique pilgrimage sites in the world and, without a doubt, one of the most interesting pilgrimages in Europe.

Doing a day trip from Podgorica to Ostrog Monastery by train is relatively easy, but many visitors, myself included, don’t actually stay in Podgorica. Coming from more popular Kotor (see my articles on the best things to do in Kotor and visiting Kotor with kids) to Ostrog Monastery, you’ll have to travel via Podgorica, and I’ll tell you exactly how to do that below. The most important thing to know is that there are very few trains to Ostrog per day, so you need to time your visit carefully.

Taking a Ostrog Monastery tour is a must in Montenegro!
Enchanting Ostrog Monastery

From Ostrog Station, it’s a 3-4 hour return hike to Ostrog Monastery, depending on how fast you walk. And that’s just the walking time. Once you factor in time to actually visit the monastery, you’ll probably need around five hours here. This can be shortened if you manage to get a ride to the top (I’ll cover that below).

The trail up to the monastery is an uphill slog. You’ll want to wear good shoes as the rocky trail is loose in sections and there are boulders to step over/around. In summer, it can be very hot, so bring lots of water and expect it to take a little longer.

You’ll pass smaller Ostrog Lower Monastery half way up, then reach the most famous section, Ostrog Upper Monastery, at the top. At the end, I’ll give very specific instructions with lots of photos to help you find the way on this hike.

For those looking for the easiest way to get there, taking an Ostrog Monastery tour from Kotor, Podgorica, Budva, or even Dubrovnik is best. I’ll recommend the best Ostrog Monastery tours below.

Taking an Ostrog Monastery Tour

Find out how to get to Ostrog Monastery, pictured here, in this post

Tours to Ostrog Monastery provide the simplest means to getting to Ostrog Monastery from other destinations in Montenegro or even neighboring Croatia. The tours are reasonably priced, allow you to see other highlights of Montenegro on the same day, and remove any stress about missing one of those few trains back to the city.

Tours are also the best option for anyone who doesn’t want (or isn’t able) to do the hike to Ostrog Monastery from the Ostrog train station.

Ostrog Monastery Tours from Podgorica

For the best tour from Podgorica to Ostrog Monastery, this guided half-day tour on GetYourGuide includes Cijevna River views and a stop at Montenegro’s Niagara Waterfall.

You can find this similar tour on Viator.

If you’re looking for a cheaper way to simply get from Podgorica to Ostrog and back, this budget tour option is a fraction of the price, but doesn’t have any reviews yet at the time of writing.

Ostrog Monastery Tours from Kotor

This popular GetYourGuide Ostrog Monastery day tour from Kotor packs in a lot for a very reasonable price, including stunning views of Tara River (the deepest river canyon in Europe) and the mighty Durmitor Mountain massif.

Besides a visit to Ostrog Monastery, the final destination at the end of the day, you will get photo stops at Our Lady of the Rocks in beautiful Perast, Risan Bay, Salty Lake, Đurđevića Tara Bridge, Black Lake, and Žabljak, with options for hiking and more.

Considering that getting to Ostrog Monastery takes even longer from Kotor than Podgorica, and that the Ostrog Monastery tours from Kotor include even more sights, this day tour to Ostrog Monastery is a great deal, not to mention that it’s cheaper than the ones from Podgorica.

You can find a similar tour here on Viator.

Ostrog Monastery Tour from Budva

If you happen to be coming from Budva, the popular beach resort town in Montenegro, then you can try this Ostrog Monastery Tour from Budva.

Ostrog Monastery Tour from Dubrovnik

You can even make a day trip to Ostrog Monastery from Dubrovnik, Croatia by joining this full day tour. See my articles on places to visit in Croatia on a family holiday and how we visited Dubrovnik with our kids and avoided the crowds.

Renting a Car and Driving to Ostrog Monastery

If you are comfortable with renting a car, then driving from Kotor (2-2.5 hours) or Podgorica (1 hour) is feasible. The road from Kotor to Ostrog Monastery is notoriously winding but the scenery is reportedly spectacular. I would suggest you use this service to rent a car, as we used it in neighboring Croatia and had a great experience.

Getting from Kotor to Ostrog Monastery by Public Transportation

The city of Kotor, from where it's possible to do a day trip to Ostrog Monastery
Kotor, the most famous tourist town in Montenegro (See what camera I shot this with here!)

Why would you want to travel all the way to Ostrog Monastery from Kotor in one day by public transporation, especially when you get to see so much more on the tours? Well, there are many possible reasons. This is why I did it:

To begin with, taking the bus and train from Kotor to Ostrog Monastery is far cheaper. The bus from Kotor to Podgorica is €12 return, while the train from Podgorica to Ostrog costs a mere €3.60 return. That’s only €15.60 total, plus I spent another €15 on a one-way ride from Ostrog station to Ostrog Monastery (this is optional, see more on that below).

Second, some people (like me) simply prefer to be alone and enjoy the scenery in silence rather than talk to other people on a group tour.

Last but not least, it’s more of an adventure to get there on your own and find the way to the Ostrog Monastery by hiking from the tiny Ostrog train station, the traditional way that pilgrims arrived.

The only way you can do a Kotor to Ostrog Monastery day trip by public transportation and get back before dark is by departing from Kotor extremely early in the morning and traveling to Ostrog via the capital, Podgorica. If you don’t mind coming back to Kotor after dark, you can start your day trip later in the day (I’ll share the exact times below).

There’s no other reasonable way to do it without taking a tour or renting a car and driving on the more direct route through the mountains from Kotor.

When I went, I caught the bus from Kotor to Podgorica at 5:15 a.m. The bus departed from the Kotor Main Bus Station, which is a five-minute walk south of Kotor Old Town, where most hotels are located. It was totally dark when I walked there. The bus takes about 2 hours to 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach Podgorica’s main bus and train station, where the train departs to Ostrog.

Podgorica bus station, where you can transfer to the train to Ostrog Monastery
The main bus station in Podgorica, where you’ll transfer to a local train

There were plenty of seats on the bus and I could have just bought my ticket upon boarding. However, for peace of mind, I always like to book my ticket in advance and print it off. I booked my Kotor to Podgorica bus ticket here on BuTicket4.me.

The reason you need to catch such an early bus is that there are very few trains from Podgorica to Ostrog per day. The only train that allowed me to visit Ostrog Monastery in one day and make it back to Kotor before sunset departed at 8:00 AM. Since my bus from Kotor arrived in Podgorica at 7:30, the timing was perfect, and I had enough time to buy my train ticket, breakfast, and coffee before getting on the train.

I’ll give a more detailed breakdown of the Podgorica to Ostrog train times in the section below.

When returning to Kotor, buses from Podgorica to Kotor depart regularly, with the latest one leaving just before 11 PM. I didn’t book mine in advance, and I had no issue getting on the next bus when I arrived, but the buses could be busier in high season or rush hours.

Getting from Podgorica to Ostrog Monastery by Public Transportation

Podgorica train station, where you can catch a train to Ostrog Monastery
Podgorica train station, where trains depart for Ostrog

Doing a day trip to Ostrog Monastery from Podgorica easy thanks to the comfortable and modern local train, which gets there is 46 minutes (€1.80) from the capital.

At the time of writing, the train from Podgorica to Ostrog departs at 8:00 AM, 12:55PM, 3:35 PM, 6:30 PM, and 9:45 PM. For the purposes of an Ostrog Monastery day trip, only the first departure really give you enough time (in summer the second one would be doable as well, but it would be tighter, so I still recommend trying to get the first one).

If you’re planning to return all the way to Kotor in the same day, the 8:00 AM train is the only one that will allow you to get back to Kotor before dark.

Double check the Ostrog train times at the time of your visit here on the Montenegro railway website.

Getting from Ostrog back to Podgorica

The return train times from Ostrog to Podgorica are 6:37 AM, 11:18 AM, 2:27 PM, 5:17 PM, and 8:17 PM (please double check in case these times have changed).

You need to check and consider the schedules carefully so that you don’t end up missing a train and having to wait at that tiny train station for a long time.

For example, I caught the 8:00 AM train to Ostrog, arriving at 8:46. I wanted to catch the 11:18 train back so that I could get back to Kotor before dinner (where my wife and kids were waiting for me). This gave me a mere 2 hours and 46 minutes to visit Ostrog, which is NOT enough time for most visitors.

The only reason I managed to achieve this was because I caught a ride from Ostrog train station to the Upper Monastery, visited it rather quickly, then walked quickly back down to the station. As a traveler, I tend to move fast.

I’ve had to reword this section, because some readers have pointed out that what I did seems physically impossible (read the comments at the end). Therefore, I need to emphasize that (1) you can’t guarantee on catching a ride up like I did (2) if you don’t get that ride, you will take around hours longer than I did to visit (if you are a very fast hiker, than maybe 1 hour longer than me).

Therefore, for most visitors, you should aim for that 2:27 PM train back to Podgorica. That will give you over 5 hours at Ostrog, which is plenty of time to trek up, visit at a leisurely pace, and walk back down.

If you take the 12:55 PM train from Podgorica to Ostrog, you can aim for the 5:17 PM train. That gives you over 4 hours to visit Ostrog Monastery, which should also be fine, but you’ll want to move a little more quickly to make sure.

Getting to Ostrog Monastery from Ostrog Train Station

Ostrog Train Station building
The main station building at tiny, isolated Ostrog train station

Ostrog train station is a tiny station in the middle of nowhere. There are no shops, people, houses, or anything. There’s only a small building on site, which was closed when I went there.

When you arrive you will only have two options to reach Ostrog Monastery: pay for a ride (maybe) or hike there.

Taking a Taxi from Ostrog Station to Ostrog Monastery

An unofficial taxi (in other words, a random local guy in a car) is sometimes waiting in the parking lot at Ostrog station to take visitors up to the monastery for a fee. You can’t totally depend on this option, though, as some readers have told me there were no cars in sight when they arrived.

If you want to go by taxi, then one reader of this post has recommended going to the next stop after Ostrog, but another reader tried it and didn’t find any. So personally, I would say just stick with Ostrog station. Then you can at least hike up if there’s no taxi.

For my visit, sure enough, when I arrived at the station, the guy was there waiting there in the little parking lot!

The driver didn’t speak a single word of English, so it was tough to communicate. He wanted €15 for the ride. I didn’t understand if that meant for one-way or return. I only wanted one-way because I wanted to hike back, so I tried to offer him less. We hit a communication wall, so I just paid the €15 and made it clear at the end that I didn’t need the ride back. So if you don’t want to face this issue, I would recommend having a local write out some key phrases about what exactly you want before you get there.

The drive from the train station to Ostrog Monastery took 20 minutes, which was longer than I expected – the road going up is winding and not very direct. Still, I was happy for it, because it shaved 1-2 hours of uphill hiking off my visiting time.

Hiking to Ostrog Monastery

Even though I cheated and got a ride for the way up, I would say that hiking to Ostrog Monastery is the best way to arrive there. The walk is easy, scenic, and this is the way pilgrims traditionally arrived. I don’t think I passed a single other person on the hike down, so it was really quiet and peaceful.

Even if you get a ride up to the Upper Monastery, I would strongly suggest walking back down to the train station like I did. This also allows you to visit the Lower Monastery, a smaller monastery about half way between Ostrog Station and Ostrog Upper Monastery (the main, famous monastery built into the cliff).

The walk from Ostrog station to Ostrog Upper Monastery takes anywhere from 1 to 2 hours, depending on how fit you are and how slowly/quickly you can walk uphill. The first section is from Ostrog station to Lower Monastery, which takes 40-80 minutes, and the second section from Lower to Upper Monastery takes another 20-40 minutes.

I took careful notes and lots of photos while I did the return walk, so here are the detailed directions to Ostrog Monastery starting from Ostrog Station. You can see Ostrog Monastery up on the mountain from the train station – I wasn’t able to spot it, but some readers have pointed out that they could.

Ostrog train station. Get off here, and follow the path beside the tracks on the left side of the picture. Ostrog Monastery is somewhere up on those cliffs in the background.

Coming from Podgorica, tiny Ostrog Station will be on your left. You will get off the train to the left, cross the tracks, and continue walking beside the train tracks in the direction the train was traveling.

You’ll pass the small parking lot and an old, faded pastel yellow colored building (on the left in the image below). Make sure you DON’T walk down the vehicle road that goes downhill from the parking lot.

Directions from Ostrog station to ostrog monastery
Follow this path beside the tracks, passing this building on the left. Continue walking straight on the grass at the end of the paved sidewalk, following the train tracks.

Walk beside the train tracks for another 100 meters, and you’ll reach a stop sign and road that goes over the tracks (image below). Follow the road across the tracks, and you’ll see the start of the walking trail on the other side, which is demarcated by a yellow sign that says “Манастир Острог”, Serbian for “Ostrog Monastery”.

It’s helpful to learn how to recognize these words, as there will be several more signs along the way.

Stop sign that indicates where to cross the train tracks to find the entrance to the walking trail to Ostrog Monastery
When you reach this stop sign, follow the road across the tracks. The hiking path entrance is on the other side, to the left.
Entrance to the hike to Ostrog Monastery
Right after you cross the train tracks, you’ll see the entrance to the trail to Ostrog Monastery, indicated with a yellow sign.
Sign point this way to Ostrog Monastery
Yellow sign at the path entrance. It says “Ostrog Monastery” in Serbian.

Most of the hike up is uphill, gently at first, and steeper with more stairs toward the end. At the beginning, the path starts out grassy, then soon becomes rocky for the rest of the hike. Some sections have loose rock, so you’ll want to step carefully. You will see another sign for Ostrog Monastery after about 5 minutes. After another 10 minutes, you’ll get your first view of Ostrog Monastery up on the cliff (see picture below).

View of Ostrog Monastery from the hiking trail
The first view you’ll get of Ostrog Monastery after about 15 minutes of walking. Can you see it?

10 minutes after that (about 30 minutes into your hike), the trail will reach an unpaved vehicle road, where you will turn right and continue going uphill. This is an important and easy-to-miss turn when coming back down (see the return hike directions below).

Sign point how to get to Ostrog Monastery
Another “Ostrog Monastery” sign, with the monastery visible in the background

After walking up this vehicle road for five minutes, you’ll see this beautifully painted rock in the right side of the road. Congrats! You are almost at the Ostrog Lower Monastery.

Painted stone on the hike to Ostrog Monastery
If you see this, you’re on the right path!

Next, you’ll pass several farms, with views of Ostrog Monastery becoming closer above them. Soon, you’ll see a collection of buildings uphill to your right, which is Ostrog Lower Monastery. You can follow the winding road all the way up to them, but watch for the shortcut, a staircase going right up to the side of the buildings (see second image below).

Road that leads to Ostrog Monastery
Road past several farms. The white building that is visible is the first view of Ostrog Lower Monastery.
How to get to Ostrog Monastery (lower monastery section)
The side of Ostrog Lower Monastery. If you look carefully, you can see a staircase, which is a shortcut to reach it.

It only takes a couple minutes to explore Ostrog Lower Monastery and snap a few photos on site. The monastery features Church of the Holy Trinity, dating to 1824, and a few other buildings which house monks. There is also a building nearby where visiting pilgrims and travelers can spend the night.

Holy Trinity Church, Ostrog Lower Monastery
Church of the Holy Trinity at Ostrog Lower Monastery
Inside shot of Holy Trinity Church, Ostrog Lower Monastery
A peek inside the Holy Trinity Church, Ostrog Lower Monastery

From Lower Ostrog Monastery, exit the main gate and cross a large field to the right to find some stairs that lead up to another small church called Church of Saint Martyr Stanko, which is labeled “Црква светог новомученика Станка” on GoogleMaps. If you can’t find the path across the field or the staircase up to the church, simply walk along the paved vehicle road that winds its way up in the direction of Ostrog Upper Monastery.

Exterior of Church of St. Martyr Stanko, Ostrog Monastery
Church of St. Martyr Stanko, a few minutes uphill from Ostrog Lower Monastery
Interior of Church of St. Martyr Stanko, Ostrog Monastery
Interior of Church of St. Martyr Stanko

The views of Ostrog Monastery from the vantage point of this little church are probably the best you’ll find, as the monastery is mostly obstructed by trees for the rest of the ascent. I got the below shot of Ostrog Monastery from there, using a telephoto lens.

Ostrog Upper Monastery shot from Ostrog Lower Monastery
Shot of the upper monastery taken my Olympus telephoto lens from right beside the Church of Saint Martyr Stanko

Following the paved vehicle road uphill from the small church for only one minute, you should be able to easily spot the walking path up to Ostrog Upper Monastery, which begins at the side of the road. The walking path will cross the vehicle road several times on the way up. The trail is mostly rock stairs through the forest. You won’t be able to see the monastery through the trees until you get right up to it.

You should budget about 25 to 30 minutes from Lower to Upper Monastery, or 20 coming down.

Rocky walking trail from Ostrog Lower Monastery to Upper Monastery
The section from Lower to Upper Monastery mostly looks like this.
View of Ostrog Monastery obstructed by trees
This is the best view you’ll get of the monastery until you get right up there.

So how much time does it take to visit Ostrog Monastery (the main monastery at the top)? I would suggest allotting about 30 minutes for it. This gives you enough time to see all the sections and take lots of photos. If you are rushed to get back to the train, you could do it faster, and if you are in no rush at all, you could probably spend more time here just taking in the impressive views.

Entrance arch to Ostrog Upper Monastery
Entrance to Ostrog Upper Monastery

In the parking lot just before main entrance, you’ll find a water fountain with free potable water. Passing under the arched entrance (see image above), you’ll first encounter the first building built into the cliff. A few more minutes on foot will bring you to the famous white-washed building. The lower part contains the Church of the Presentation, where St. Basil’s relics are kept. Taking the staircase inside will bring you up to various rooms, lookout points, and the Church of the Holy Cross.

There is a sign on the steps leading to the main building saying that photos are not permitted, but pretty much everybody was taking photos when I visited. I think they can’t stop people from taking photos of the scenery and views, but you should avoid taking photos inside the cave churches, and the monks will remind you of this, so it’s best to be respectful and not even try.

Staircase to Ostrog Monastery main building
Staircase leading to the main building. Photos are not permitted beyond this point, but this seems to only apply to inside the cave churches.
View from Ostrog Upper Monastery
View from upper floor, near the Church of the Holy Cross
View from Ostrong Monastery
The view looking down at the plains
Frescos at Ostrog Monastery
Beautiful frescoes inside the monastery

Hiking from Ostrog Monastery back to Ostrog Station

Getting back to Ostrog station on foot is an easy downhill stroll and takes about an hour or less, depending on how fast you walk, and you essentially need to retrace the steps I outlined above, with one particular point where you have to be careful not to miss a turn.

The trail entrance is clearly visible from the Ostrog Upper Monastery parking lot, a few steps from the arched monastery entrance. The path continues on steps downhill to a point on the highway where you will easily spot the Church of St. Martyr Stanko.

The steps continue down beside this church, after which you cross a field and find the entrance to Ostrog Lower Monastery. From the side of the yard of the Lower Monastery, you can find a staircase going downhill. Take these stairs and follow the unpaved vehicle road going down to the left.

Follow this road past the farms for about 10 minutes, passing the beautiful painted stone which I shared a photo of above.

Here comes the important part: You have to keep your eyes peeled for the trailhead, at a point just before the road turns sharply to the right. The trailhead has a sign saying “железничка станица острог“, which is Serbian for “Ostrog Railway Station” (see image of sign and trailhead below). Don’t make the mistake I did by missing the path and continuing too far down the vehicle road (see second image below, showing what the road looks like if you miss the trailhead).

Sign pointing the way from Ostrog Monastery to Ostrog Railway Station
Very important: don’t miss the trailhead to Ostrog Railway Station, demarcated by this sign. You can see the trail through the trees behind it.
Road descending from Ostrog Monastery
If you miss the trailhead for the hike to the train station, the road takes a sharp turn to the right (pictured here). Don’t continue walking down this road like I did (even though the view is really nice!)

From this point, you can’t get lost, as the rocky trail keeps descending through the forest for about 20 minutes to the train station.

View of Ostrog station from the hiking trail to Ostrog Monastery
Congrats! You made it back to Ostrog train station

Final Thoughts for your Day Trip to Ostrog Monastery

Ostrog Monastery is one of the most fascinating sights in the Balkans, and must-do for any visit to Montenegro. Doing a day trip to Ostrog Monastery from Kotor or Podgorica is simple, but it is important to plan your timing properly, and know how to hike to Ostrog Monastery once you get there.

I hope this article has helped, and please let me know in the comments if you found any issues with my instructions, how you enjoyed your visit, or if anything has changed.

13 thoughts on “How to Get from Podgorica or Kotor to Ostrog Monastery (with photos)”

  1. Thank you for this article!

    We are French in travel in Montenegro and your article help us for reach (today) the monastery and go back by walk to the train station !
    Little tips : if you want to go with taxi, it’s better to stop on the next train station. There are more taxi, it’s less far and cost between 5 and 10€.

    Reply
  2. Thanks Nick for the fantastically detailed write up. It will surely help a lot of fellow travellers.
    Now, if this can help anybody….
    1. No way it is a 1hr walk unless you are a super-human tri-athlete. We are ok walkers and it took two hours to the very top.
    2. In fact it would be safe to double all Nick’s timings.
    3. We went on a hot July day and consumed 2-3L of water and were head to toe drenched in sweat.
    4. Due to extra time going up, and extra time looking at churches etc, we missed our train back and had to wait 1.5hrs for the last train back.
    5. No sign of taxi at any point of the journey (trust me, we were looking!). Not at Ostrog Station. Not on the way up or the way down. And not at the Monastery.
    6. We tried hitching and asking for a lift down. No luck in about 1hr trying. Most cars were families with kids in the back.
    7. In summary – I wouldn’t do this walk again. It was tough, and the logistics of the train journey are awkward.

    Reply
    • Thanks a lot for your feedback. Comments like this help me to make sure my content is accurate.
      I kept very precise notes for this article. As I said in the post, I managed to find a taxi up (And I do mention that the taxi is not always there, but I’ll add an additional warning about this), but I estimated it as a one hour hike up based on hiking down that trail. After seeing your comment that it takes double that amount of time, I’ve browsed some other people’s experiences. Another blog says 1.5 hours up, and yet another says “just over one hour up and just under one hour back down”. GoogleMaps also puts it at 1 hour’s walking time going up. I walk fairly quickly, but I’m definitely no super-human tri-athlete. I was there in fall rather than summer, so that may have helped as well.

      Reply
  3. Super helpful blog to get to the monastery, such a great hike! It took 1 hour and 45 minutes up on a very hot day. Thanks Nick!

    Reply
  4. Thankyou so much for your directions up to Ostrog Upper Monastery, Nick: they were absolutely spot-on.

    As a couple of fellow travellers have said in their comments, you’d have to be super human to get up there and back to the train station in 3 hours (excluding the visit to both monasteries). Maybe you are.

    However, realistically, as someone else wrote, you should double the timings for most walkers to factor in those who are not very fit and those who are fit but significantly older than you. My wife and I hiked up there yesterday February 26th and are very strong walkers despite being 63. The walk up was very taxing due almost entirely to the terrain: the path is completely laden with large and small rocks and sometimes it was difficult to navigate the path even while wearing sturdy walking boots. Thankfully, it wasn’t in the heat of summer which would have made for a more uncomfortable walk. The walk down took us an hour or so less but was really difficult because of the terrain now being navigated at quite an angle of decline in some parts, trying to place your feet on rocks that would not give you a sprained ankle of worse if you got it wrong.

    That said, it was a really lovely day with some nice green space to have a rest and a little picnic on the way up. The Lower Monastery was lovely, but of course the real allure is the whitewashed Upper Monastery and the views of the valley down below. Great photo opportunities.

    We’re really glad we did it and visited the most famous religious site in Montenegro. The very long walk up and down was well worth it. We arrived at the station at 8.50am and can say that the 2.20pm train back into Podgorica would’ve been a real
    rush even if we’d managed to get a taxi from the Upper Monastery down to the station. As it was, the 5.15 train was much more suitable as we had a leisurely hour-long wait for it accompanied by beautiful views of the valley below us.

    Thanks again for the time taken to write this excellent and informative blog, Nick, … and yes you CAN see the Upper Monastery from Ostrog Station .

    Reply

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