Before Podgorica there was Cetinje, tucked in a high karst field beneath Mount Lovćen. For centuries this small, dignified town was the seat of Montenegro's prince-bishops and then its kings, and it still feels like a capital in miniature — low pastel streets, plane trees, and far more history than its size suggests.
What to see in Cetinje
The set pieces cluster within a few walkable blocks: King Nikola's modest palace, now a museum of the royal era; the Cetinje Monastery, guardian of remarkable relics; and the Billiard House (Biljarda), home of the poet-ruler Njegoš. The grand old buildings that housed foreign embassies a century ago now serve as museums, academies and schools.
Cetinje and Lovćen National Park
Cetinje makes an easy, cultured contrast to the beaches — cool, quiet and unhurried. It's also the gateway to Lovćen National Park, so many visitors climb from here to Njegoš's mountain-top mausoleum and drop down the serpentine to Kotor to finish the day by the sea.