Lovćen National Park guide: the Njegoš Mausoleum, 461 steps, the serpentine road from Kotor and the view over half of Montenegro.
Lovćen is the black mountain that gave Montenegro its name — Crna Gora. The national park covers 62 km² between Kotor and Cetinje and is the spiritual centre of the country.
At the top of Jezerski vrh (1,657 m) stands the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, prince-bishop, philosopher and the author of The Mountain Wreath, designed by Ivan Meštrović and completed in 1974.
Twenty-five numbered hairpins climb 900 m from the bay. It is narrow, spectacular and slow. Turn 17 has the most photographed viewpoint in Montenegro. Drivers uncomfortable with exposure should take the Budva–Cetinje road instead and approach from the other side.
Petar II Petrović-Njegoš (1813–1851) ruled Montenegro as prince-bishop, modernised its state institutions and wrote The Mountain Wreath, the central work of Montenegrin literature. He asked to be buried on Lovćen, and the mausoleum's terrace looks over roughly two-thirds of the country.
Most travellers take a full-day tour from Kotor or Budva combining the serpentine, Njeguši village for prosciutto and cheese, the mausoleum and Cetinje. Hikers can walk sections of the historic Coastal Mountain Traversal path.
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461 steps through a tunnel cut into the peak. There is a small entrance fee of €5 and the climb takes around 15 minutes.
It is paved and in good condition, but narrow with 25 hairpins and steep drops. Drive slowly, use the horn on blind bends, and avoid it in a large vehicle.
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