Lovćen (Jezerski vrh)
1,657 m
Montenegro
Also known as Ловчен, Lovćen, +5Also known as
Ловчен · Lovćen · Λόβτσεν · Monte Lovćen · mont Lovćen · Jezerski · Језерски врх
- Elevation
- 1,657 m
- Prominence
- 296 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- May–Jun
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2The way nearly every visitor reaches Jezerski vrh: drive through Lovćen National Park to the car park below the summit (about 1,540 m), then climb the 461 steps cut into the rock and through a tunnel to the Njegoš Mausoleum on the summit. About 120 m of ascent, 25–40 minutes.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 0.6 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +142 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 1,657 m
- Time Up
- 33m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 22m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Roads reach the national park from Cetinje (about 25 minutes via Ivanova Korita) and from Kotor up the 25 hairpins of the serpentine road via Njeguši (about 40 minutes). Pay the park entry at the gate and continue to the car park below Jezerski vrh, at about 1,540 m, where a seasonal café operates. From the car park 461 steps, partly in a tunnel through the rock, climb about 120 m to the entrance of the Njegoš Mausoleum, which occupies the summit (entry fee). The summit looks over the Bay of Kotor, the coast and the karst interior. Allow 25–40 minutes each way. The steps are steep but well maintained; in winter snow and ice cover the upper park from about December, roads may require chains, and the steps can be slippery.
Start
Parking for Lovćen1,509 m
- No public transport into the park; bus to Cetinje, then taxi or a tour
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parking for Lovćen → Jezerski vrh | 0.6 | 142 | 0 | 33m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Parking for Lovćen1,509 m
- Feature: Njegošev Mauzolej1,629 m
Entrance at the top of the 461 steps (not on route line)
- Summit: Jezerski vrh1,657 m
Key Passages
- 461 steps and tunnel to the mausoleum
Equipment
0/3 packedDownloads
Route confidence 75%Overview
Jezerski vrh (1,657 m), the second-highest summit of Mount Lovćen above the Bay of Kotor, crowned by the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović Njegoš. A road leads to just below the top, leaving 461 steps; waymarked paths from Ivanova Korita make a 3-hour loop.
Lovćen is the limestone massif that rises directly behind Kotor and above Cetinje, Montenegro's old royal capital, and the mountain that gave the country its name. Jezerski vrh is its second-highest summit; the highest, Štirovnik (1,749 m), stands about 1.5 km to the west. Since 1952 the central part of the massif has been a national park of about 62 km², protecting karst landscapes as well as old houses, shepherds' summer settlements (katuni) and traditional threshing floors.
Jezerski vrh is above all a national monument. Njegoš, the 19th-century prince-bishop and Montenegro's greatest poet, asked to be buried on its summit; the present mausoleum was built in the early 1970s and is reached by 461 steps from the car park below. The view stretches over the Bay of Kotor, the Adriatic coast and the karst interior.
For walkers, the mountain is an easy objective: the road does most of the work, and marked trails from Ivanova Korita (the park centre) make a pleasant half-day loop with a steep final section. Fitter hikers can come up from Cetinje or from Kotor via the old Ladder of Kotor and Krstac, a long day with 1,000 m or more of ascent.
Climbing Notes
No mountaineering skills are needed. Most visitors drive to the car park and climb the 461 steps in under 40 minutes. The Ivanova Korita loop (about 10–11 km, 470 m, 3 hours) needs basic hiking fitness; its last third is steep and exposed, so start early on hot summer days and carry water, as the karst is dry. Longer ascents from Cetinje (3–4 hours one way) or from Kotor via the Ladder of Kotor (a full day) are usually done one way with a pick-up at the car park.
The summit is often windy and much cooler than the coast. Snow covers the upper park from about December to April; the roads usually stay open but may require chains. Bring cash for the park and mausoleum fees.
History
Lovćen's dark forested slopes are thought to have given rise to the names Crna Gora and Montenegro ('Black Mountain'), first recorded in a 1276 charter. Njegoš chose the summit of Jezerski vrh as his burial place, and the present mausoleum was built there in the early 1970s (Wikipedia gives 1971). In the First World War Montenegrin artillery on Lovćen shelled the Austro-Hungarian naval base in the Bay of Kotor from August 1914, supported by a French battery in October; Austro-Hungarian troops, backed by battleship fire, captured the Lovćen pass on 10 January 1916, and Montenegro sought an armistice two days later. The national park was established in 1952.
Season
Best May–Jun- January: Possible
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Good
- May: Best (best window)
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Good
- September: Best
- October: Best
- November: Good
- December: Possible
- Jan
- Snow; roads may need chains
- Feb
- Snow; icy steps
- Mar
- Snow often lingers
- Apr
- Spring; snow patches possible early in the month
- May
- Good walking; car-park café reopens
- Jun
- Good walking; start early on hot days
- Jul
- Hot and busy; haze over the coast
- Aug
- Hot and busy
- Sep
- Clear, cooler weather
- Oct
- Clear views, fewer visitors
- Nov
- Cooler; first snow possible
- Dec
- Snow from about December
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- No mountain hut needed. Accommodation and restaurants at Ivanova Korita, Njeguši and Cetinje.
- Fees
- Lovćen National Park entry: sources quote EUR 2–5 per person (EUR 3 most often); annual pass for all five Montenegrin national parks EUR 13.50
- Njegoš Mausoleum entry: about EUR 8 for adults in recent reports (older sources give EUR 3–5); a combined ticket with the Cetinje national museums is available
- Kotor–Lovćen cable car (if used): about EUR 13 one way / EUR 23 return in recent reports
- Rules
- Lovćen National Park rules apply: stay on marked trails
- Getting There
Cetinje
Tivat Airport (TIV); Podgorica Airport (TGD)
- From Cetinje: about 25 minutes by car via Ivanova Korita to the car park below the summit
- From Kotor: the serpentine road (25 hairpins) via Njeguši, about 40 minutes
- No public transport into the park: bus to Cetinje, then taxi (about EUR 30–40 reported), or join a tour
- Kotor–Lovćen cable car to the ridge, then about 1½–2 hours on foot to the mausoleum; it does not run in strong wind and closes in winter
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure