Balkan Trip 3 - Walking Tour in Podgorica - 23 October 2026

I cobbled up and itinerary for another walking tour of Podgorica after deciding against going to Budva. Kotor and Budva are the two must see destinations in Montenegro as per travel experts. Now what should find its place in your itinerary depends on what kind of experience you want to have. I am not the beach type and not am I the cafe type. I prefer to explore historical sites, enjoy landscapes and scenery and dig out nuggets from locals.

Having seen what Kotor had to offer I thought time would be better spent in the capital city exploring some of the parks and churches there. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, Podgorica is arguably one of the greenest capital cities in the world. Walk from anywhere to anywhere in the city and you will pass through at least one park, so numerous are they. They are not only there, they are extremely well maintained for the people using them to enjoy. Such lung areas are a gift to the elderly and the young.

After a light breakfast of coffee and biscuits I picked up my backpack and left for the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was a good km and half away by foot. It the only Roman Catholic church in Podgorica. It was built in 1969 replacing a former city-centre church destroyed in World War II. The architectural style is brutalism, with the church featuring raw gray concrete, sharp geometric lines and an unadorned facade resembling a ship or industrial structure, and a soaring 130-foot bell tower. A small gazebo near the bell tower has a bronze of Mother Teresa sitting on a bench.

The size of the Catholic congregation is just about 2000, mostly native Albanians. The church premise also houses the Don Bosko Centre, run by the Salesian order, which includes a youth centre and educational programs. The main entrance to the church was closed. I went to the side entrance and rang the bell, as instructed. A kindly priest let me in, with the question "Are you from India?" I spent a few moments in prayer and bid farewell to the priest.

On my way to the next church, the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, I walked through the Karadordev Park. It is one of Podgorica's oldest and most central public green spaces, reopened in May 2025, after a major reconstruction project. The Park was originally laid out in 1927 and rebuilt in 1954, and it spans over 11,000 m² in the heart of the capital city. The park includes mature pine trees, conifers, and roughly 300 newly planted tree and shrub seedlings.

Central to the park is the bronze statue of Karadorde, the leader of the First Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, in traditional attire with a sheathed sabre. In March 2026, the park also received a new sculpture titled "Slovo Ž" by Milivoje Miško Babović honouring the 530th anniversary of the Oktoih, the first South Slavic printed book. The sculpture honours literacy, printing, and art.

When I reached what Google Maps determined is the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints, I was disappointed. The plaque outside a modern building, among many other commercial properties, confirmed it as a church. Neither did it look like a church, nor was it open to see what was inside. I didn't spend more time there after my knocks went unanswered.

The Church of St George was my next destination. I walked to the foot of the Gorica Hill and there it was, the oldest surviving Christian church and historical building in Podgorica. At the time of my visit, a senior priest was being interviewed with a photographer and drone operator in attendance. The church has a historic cemetery to one side and numerous cypress trees in the premises. The church belongs to the Serbian Orthodox denomination.

It was reportedly built between the 9th and 11th centuries and, thus, represents nearly a millennium of continuous liturgical life. Tradition also associates the site with the baptism of Stefan Nemanja, founder of the Nemanjic dynasty. The church features a modest single-nave stone structure, frescoes depicting biblical figures and Saint George, and an iconostasis. The interiors are not very elaborate, but the atmosphere is truly divine.

More than 2 km away by foot was the Temple of Christ's resurrection or the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ. It is a massive, new Serbian Orthodox cathedral. The construction of the Cathedral took 20 years between 1993 and 2013.

It was consecrated on 7 October 2013 to coincide with the 1700th anniversary of the Edict of Milan. The structure is a blend of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Italian architectural influences. The two pyramidal towers of the cathedral, alike the St. Tryphon Cathedral in the Old Town of Kotor, 26.7 meters high houses 17 bells, including an 11-ton main bell that ranks as the largest on the Balkan Peninsula.

The interiors of the church are rich with gold gilded frescoes, adorning it at multiple levels. It also has intricate stone sculptures, marble flooring and columns and a massive central chandelier. I couldn't tear myself away from the richness around me and the divinity that the church immersed me in.

Within the compound of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ is the monument to Nicolas Tesla that was erected in 2016. The sculpture honours Nikola Tesla’s scientific legacy, his connection to Montenegro such as translating poetry and receiving the Order of Danilo in 1895, and his Orthodox heritage near the prominent cathedral.

About 500 meters from the Cathedral is the Roman Square, also known locally as Vektra Square. It is the main modern business district and a popular social hub in Podgorica. The Square covers roughly 20,000 square meters, built around a large central fountain.

It is connected to the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ by an underground passage, which is the only one such in Podgorica. Around the Square are business centres, government ministries, major telecommunication and bank headquarters. The Square is home to numerous upscale cafes, restaurants, and outdoor terraces.

Walking through the France Presheren Park and Children's Park for about a km from the Roman Square, I reached the Petrovic Park. It is a historic forest park and cultural complex surrounding the 19th-century winter residence of King Nikola I of Montenegro. Built between 1891 and 1894, this neoclassical palace now serves as the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro, housing a collection of over 1,000 works of art from non-aligned countries and international artists.

The sculpture of Avtar Singh (1982) is on prominent display beside the former mansion. Another interesting sculpture within the palace grounds is the sculpture in white marble, Family (1987), by Zimbabwean sculptor Bernard Matemera. The royal mansion had also served as a military hospital during the Balkan Wars and housed the American Red Cross.

Within the grounds is also a small royal church founded by King Nikola, the Church of St. Dimitrius. The church was constructed between 1894 and 1900 as a private royal court chapel for King Nikola I and his family to serve their spiritual needs. The two elderly gentlemen sitting outside the church walked in to the church after me and said to each other, almost in bewilderment, that I was praying inside the church!

It was time to return to the accommodation. A last stop along the way was the Central Park with quiet, tree-shaded green space featuring a drinking water fountain and a children's playground. I had been famished by the 15,000 steps I had registered in the pedometer since this morning. There is a Korean restaurant in the ground floor of the apartment complex. There was no other customer there besides myself. I ordered a pork soup with tofu and rice. I told the chef to tone down the spice. The massive portion was just what sated my growling stomach.