Tourism in the area of Bar region dates back in mid XVII century. Venetian countesses used to come and spend their summers here, in wonderful palaces in village Gornja Brca, hundred meters distant from Sutomore beach. One century later, Sutomore started with its foundation. The first hotel appeared in 1948 and was named “Sozina”, even though this magnificent construction was built much earlier, in 1908.
Unlike Sutomore, Bar as a city was developed away from the sea, so its wild coast was an extremely beautiful area. Historical moments marked the year 1878 – the year when “Bar got married to the sea”; and royal family vacations in Bar can be considered as tourism precursor. In that time, first edifices, as well as royal complex – summer house and first jetty for king’s yachts and boats were constructed.
Bar region covers a coastal area whose hinterland is characterized by high mountains representing natural barrier between sea and lake area. This region is one of the most significant tourist regions in the Republic of Montenegro and one of the most beautiful areas of the Adriatic coast.
Favorable geographic position, construction and reconstruction of a couple of significant infrastructural facilities – Port of Bar, modern marina, railway tracks Belgrade – Bar, sections of the Adriatic highway, Tivat airport and Golubovci – Podgorica airport, make Bar Riviera accessible to all potential tourists coming from all over the world.
Bar coastal region begins with inaccessible hill Dubovica, i.e. its deep descent towards the sea. Behind this promontory, well known Queen’s beach is situated together with less known Guard’s beach. Rare gift of nature. Here where we thought only Nereidas could come, queen Milena, king Nikola’s wife used to enjoy in this beauty and her guards enjoyed in the beauty of the other beach. These two beaches can be reached only from the sea.
Going towards southeast, you will reach bay of Čanj, characterized by sandy beaches and slightly sloping terrain overgrown with Mediterranean vegetation. A smaller, hidden bay of Pećin is situated in its immediate vicinity with very beautiful sandy beach and relatively deep and crystal clear sea.
Eastwards from bay of Čanj, once Crni rt (Black promontory) is passed, bay of Maljevik is situated. Even though its coastline is rather steep and sandy beach rather small, it represents a true gem in this part of the Coast – limpidity, transparency and the color of the sea, as well as maritime pine, spuca, macchia and garrigue in the hinterland and still controlled population are main characteristics of this beach.
Following the coastline you will meet a couple of charming beaches and bays under Spič plain and Golo hill.
Once you pass Golo hill, the most visited and the longest beach on Bar coast will capture your attention – Sutomore beach. It is very famous since it is more than one kilometer long and can welcome around 30.000 bathers. During summer season, on weekends, when real tourist “hara-kiri” takes place, it is practically impossible to find a free space. Local and foreign guests have at their disposition large number of modern hotels, restaurants, terraces,…
Long Sutomore beach practically continues with the beach belonging to hotel-tourist complex “Inex-Zlatna obala (Golden coast)”, and then numerous, miniature and hidden bays, mainly rocky ones around Ratac promontory, particularly attractive and suitable for nudists.
Leaving these hidden beaches, very often separated only by bigger rocks, you will find a rather small but still much visited beach – Črvanj. Going further, along extremely rocky but still visited coast, you will reach a rather small bay, around fifty meters long, with fine red send, after which it got its name – Crvena (Red) beach. After it you will see a couple of small beaches or, if we use geographic terminology, creeks or small creeks. They all have local names since they were known only by the locals, but numerous cars parked in the shades of old pine trees tells us that there are hidden paths taking you to even more hidden sea coast.
And again, encounter with a long, although gravelly beach – Žukotrlica, situated beneath the highway in Šušanj settlement. It is around nine hundred meters long. It has its own parking space and at its very rim there are natural shadows of maritime pine trees. Its densely inhabited hinterland explains why there is such a large number of visitors.
In the area of Bar-Topolica you will see the city beach arriving up to city marina, that is, up to the port of Bar. Vicinity of mentioned infrastructural facilities causes certain fear of possible pollution but there is no foundation for it. The beach is about half kilometer long, rich with sand, well arranged, equipped with amusement, recreation and supporting facilities. City marina that gives you the possibility to go cruising, one-day boat excursions, simple inland access, protection from the sun under hundred years old palm trees, shade of motley oleanders, as well as the exotic park surrounding former royal residence, are all components that make this beach even more interesting to its numerous visitors.
Leaving the gulf of Bar, behind Volujica promontory, you will see Bigovica bay or Bigovica wave. Steep, hardly approachable, ornamented with reefs, it maintains its primordial naturalness and remains the most favorite gathering point of fishermen.
Steep and rocky coastline takes you further to a hidden place that lies as an unreachable pearl splashed by limpid, azure sea, a beach called Crvena stijena (Red rock). The only way to see and reach it is from the sea. Real heaven.
An entire set of picturesque but unapproachable bays and creeks will make you sigh; you will admire nature skills, sculptured rocks, steep, edgy and eroded rocks, indescribable silence with recognizable sound of the sea, emerald-blue vastness and in the end melancholy because you have to leave all of it.
Nearby, numerous houses are practically sinking into the sea and beneath them there are rocky and steep bays, accessible both from land and sea, full of bathers.
Mali Pijesak (Small sand) – beach intersected with bigger and smaller rocks together with a couple of small islets makes the entire image really charming. And again steep rocks, creeks and beach Trlila. This gravelly-rocky beach is accessible and very famous for underwater fishing, diving and fishing.
Behind one rather big mole in the sea, you will find a beach around four hundred meters long– Veliki Pijesak (Great sand); certainly one of the most visited and most beautiful beaches on Bar Riviera. It is 8 km away from Bar and both local and foreign tourists can easily reach it. In the summertime it is always hard to find a free space.
Great number of houses, cottages, catering facilities with food and beverage made without previous planning could cause in near future that this beach looses its natural beauty, clarity and objective tourist valorization,
In the next bay named Komina, it seems like the sea is asleep. Rimmed with dense woods of pine, macchia and olive trees this rocky beach with its solitude represents certain challenge for underwater fishing lovers and fishermen.
One of the most famous south-most beaches of Bar region is Val Maslina (wave of olives) or Utjeha beach. Its hinterland is covered in mild slopes overgrown with macchia and olive trees (the very name of the beach speaks for itself) which gives to this gravelly beach and clean sea particular effect.
At the very end of Bar region and the Adriatic coast, there is a beach called Paljuškov sand. Occasional fishermen cottages lean out from dense Mediterranean vegetation. Sandy beach will lead you towards rocky coast Bušat and end up with Možur promontory.
Aside from described localities of the Adriatic coast, the area of Bar region covers also the coastal area of Skadar lake.
One part of Skadar lake belonging to Bar region starts from Albanian border and goes through Krajina, Virpazar and ends up at Tanki (Slim) promontory situated between Vranjina and Virpazar.
Lake coast is 76 km long out of which 15 km belong to lake islets. There are 3.000 m of approachable areas suitable for the development of tourism.
This part of Skadar lake has a very jagged coastline with many small islets and bays. However, even though the coast is very interesting, bathing tourism in this part of the lake cannot be developed due to stagnant water and mud. Still, there are some exceptions, such as – Donji Murići / 500 m /, Besa /500 m/, Arbnež /500m/, Krnjice /250 m/, Luka /250 m/, Lučica /1.000 m/ - attractive beaches with rather clean water.
One of the most important elements of tourist valorization of this part of Bar region is exceptional possibilities to develop excursion-recreational and hunting-fishing tourism.
* In case you make reservations for your children, you are kindly asked to write their age under section “Note”.
