Ulcinj, Montenegro · Europe
Ulcinj works well as a base: 20 minutes from Velipojë, 24km from Lake Shkodër.
Ulcinj is in Montenegro, with about 11,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Velipojë, about 16 km away.
Ulcinj (Albanian: Ulqin) is a town in the coastal region of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 11,488.
As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coast, it was founded in 5th century BC. It was captured by the Romans in 163 BC from the Illyrians. With the division ofRead more
the Roman Empire, it was a part of the Byzantine Empire. In the Middle Ages, the Serbian Kingdom and the House of Balsha ruled Ulcinj until the Republic of Venice captured it in 1405 as part of Venetian Albania. It was known as a base for piracy. In 1571, Ulcinj was conquered by the Ottoman Empire with the aid of North African corsairs after the Battle of Lepanto. The town gradually became a Muslim-majority settlement. Under the Ottomans, numerous hammams and mosques, and a clock tower were built. Ulcinj remained a den of piracy until this was finally put to an end by Mehmed Pasha Bushati. Ulcinj remained an Ottoman town for more than 300 years until it was ceded to the Principality of Montenegro in 1878. During World War II, the coastal town was ceded to the Kingdom of Albania before later becoming part of Yugoslavia and, eventually, the modern state of Montenegro. It is a former medieval Catholic bishopric and remains a Latin titular see.
Ulcinj is a popular destination for tourists, because of its Long Beach, Lake Šas, Ada Bojana Island and for Ulcinj Castle, parts of which date back two millennia. There are 26 mosques in the town and surrounding countryside. Ulcinj is the centre of the Albanian community in Montenegro.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Ulcinj.
Within an hour or so of Ulcinj: Stari Bar (20 km), Lake Shkodër (24 km), Rozafa Castle (26 km), Lake Skadar (28 km).
The nearest famous roads are P1 Kotor–Lovćen Serpentines (Ladder of Cattaro), Kotor Serpentine Road and Kotor Serpentine (Kotor-Njegusi old road).
Ulcinj is in Ulcinj, Montenegro, about 16 km from Velipojë.
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Places within a drive of Ulcinj. Keep the ones you like and add them to your trip.
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
ancient ruins
A sprawling ruined town beneath Rumija mountain above modern Bar: 2,000 years of Illyrian, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman layers wrecked by an 1878 siege and 1979 earthquake. An aqueduct, citadel and olive groves with a 2,000-year-old tree nearby.
20 km · about 25 min drive
natural wonder
The Balkan Peninsula's largest lake shared with Montenegro, surrounded by dramatic mountains and the imposing Rozafa Castle.
24 km · about 30 min drive
castle
A hilltop castle above Shkodër overlooking the confluence of three rivers and Lake Skadar, with a drivable access road to the gate.
26 km · about 30 min drive
national park
The largest lake in the Balkans straddling Montenegro and Albania, a serene national park with pelicans, water lilies, and island monasteries.
28 km · about 30 min drive
national park
The largest lake in southern Europe, with the Pavlova Strana horseshoe viewpoint on the winding road above Rijeka Crnojevića.
35 km · about 40 min drive
restaurant
Chef Altin Prenga's slow-food agritourism farm at Fishtë near Lezhë: the restaurant that reinvented Albanian cooking, serving whatever the farm and surrounding villages produce that day. Worth routing any north-Albania trip around.
37 km · about 45 min drive
landmark
A picture-perfect fortified island village connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, now an exclusive luxury resort.
46 km · about 55 min drive
scenic viewpoint
A roadside viewpoint above a near-complete horseshoe meander of the Crnojević river as it enters Lake Skadar.
50 km · about 60 min drive
Other places to explore near Ulcinj.
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