Croatia and Montenegro are about to get a lot closer. Air Montenegro starts a new direct route between Zagreb and Podgorica on 26 November, re-linking the two capitals after several years without a non-stop service. The flight takes just 50 minutes, doing away with the usual layovers that made the trip fiddly.
The route runs three times a week — Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays — using Embraer E195 jets with 118 seats. Flying from Zagreb, departures are at 08:50 with arrival in Podgorica at 09:40. Heading the other way, planes leave Podgorica at 07:20 and land in Zagreb at 08:10. All times are local, and as with any new route, the schedule could shift.
Fares start at roughly €50 one-way, varying by date and direction. The first flight from Zagreb is currently listed on Air Montenegro's site at €58.30, and that includes all mandatory fees, a piece of hand luggage up to eight kilos, and a checked bag up to 23 kilos — a decent allowance compared to some budget carriers. The route operates under Montenegro's Public Service Obligation programme, which subsidises regular links with key European destinations, so frequencies should be reasonably stable.
The timing makes a twin-capital trip genuinely easy. Podgorica sits where the Morača and Ribnica rivers meet and is often skipped in favour of the coast, but it rewards a stopover. Stara Varoš, the old Ottoman-era quarter, holds the city's Clock Tower (Sahat-kula) and some of its most atmospheric streets. The cable-stayed Millennium Bridge is the modern counterpoint, spanning the Morača dramatically, while a short walk takes you to the old stone bridge where the Ribnica joins the main river. For a leg-stretch, Gorica hill — the city's namesake — is a popular walking and recreation spot right in town.
Nature is close at hand too. The waterfalls on the Cijevna river, nicknamed the Montenegrin Niagara, are at their best when the water runs high, and Lake Skadar — one of the largest in southern Europe and rich in birdlife — is an easy add-on with boat trips available. From Podgorica, the Adriatic coast at Budva or theBay of Kotor is barely an hour or so by road, so a Zagreb arrival could easily open into a longer Montenegro trip.
Who does this matter to? Anyone combining Croatia and Montenegro in one holiday — previously you'd likely route through Belgrade, Istanbul or Vienna. It also works in reverse for Montenegrins heading to Zagreb, and for Croatians after a quick, cheap city break somewhere genuinely unhurried. With 50-minute flights, three weekly frequencies and bags included from about €50, the practical barriers to seeing both capitals in one trip have just fallen away.
