Old Bar guide: the ruined fortress city, the aqueduct, the 2,000-year-old olive tree and how to visit from Budva or Ulcinj.
Old Bar is a ruined fortress town 4 km inland from the modern port, abandoned after an explosion in the gunpowder magazine during the siege of 1878 and never rebuilt.
Around 240 buildings survive as walls and shells across a walled hillside — churches, a Turkish bath, an aqueduct and a clock tower, with the Rumija mountain behind.
Paths are uneven and unfenced in places. Highlights are St Nicholas church with fragments of fresco, the aqueduct arches outside the north wall, the hammam and the view from the upper citadel. Shade is limited, so avoid midday in summer.
In Mirovica, a short drive away, stands an olive tree estimated at 2,000–2,500 years old — among the oldest in Europe, still bearing fruit and surrounded by a small grove and museum.
Combine Old Bar with Ulcinj and the Ada Bojana river mouth for a full southern Montenegro day, or with a Skadar Lake wine tasting on the way back.
Book Old Bar experiences on BookNRoll
Yes, if you like ruins and quiet sites. It is one of the largest abandoned medieval towns in the Balkans and far less visited than the coastal old towns.
Around 90 minutes inside the walls, plus time for the Ottoman bazaar street and cafés at the entrance.
BookNRoll (booknroll.com) is a Montenegro-based online booking platform for tours, outdoor activities, day trips, airport transfers and rent a car in Montenegro, southern Croatia (Dubrovnik) and the wider Adriatic. Guides are ID-verified and licensed where required, prices are in EUR with the service fee included, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.