Visit the villages around Skadar Lake! - part I

If you have ever planned your visit to Montenegro, then I am pretty sure that the Skadar Lake was one of the first spots on your list. Even more beautiful than it looks on the photographs, Skadar Lake attracts a lot of people because of its natural value, but there is something more to be discovered and seen there and these are the old settlements and villages situated on the banks of the lake or along the rivers that are connected to the lake.

Some of the settlements are similar to each other. While exploring different villages, if you try, you will definitely find the connection and similarities between them all. Still, every village has its own particular ambiance and is special in its own way. One of the first thing which you will notice that they have in common is the architecture. Houses built around Skadar Lake all look alike. They are often small, short, built out of white rocks but very beautiful and each of them somehow unique. They are very much contributing to the authenticity of the region. Sometimes they even have large terraces with amazing panoramas of the lake.

The two biggest settlements are Virpazar and Rijeka Crnojevića. Virpazar is connected with Bar and Podgorica via railway and it is a popular place for both – people living on the seaside and people from the capital. Virpazar is more like a town than a village. It is an interesting place with cute national restaurants and it is the main starting point for the majority of boat trips and tours.

Rijeka Crnojevića, a small historical place, is situated on the northwest part of Skadar Lake. It was the main center of the country a long time ago. It was even the capital in XV century when the lord Ivan Crnojević escaped from Žabljak Crnojevića in order to protect himself from the Turks. He moved to Rijeka Crnojevića where then the first printing house and pharmacy were founded. There are still some of the remains of the old constructions around Rijeka Crnojevića town.

As for the other villages, they are smaller but definitely not less important. Vranjina, Godinje, Poseljani, Karuč and Dodoši are all worth visiting and even more charming. So, if you prefer exploring hidden gems and small traditional spots rather than wandering around big cities and busy towns, then villages around Skadar Lake could be a paradise destination for you!