Time spent in Podgorica is time spent away from Montenegro's stunning mountains and lakes, historic towns and coastal resorts - reason enough not to linger too long in the capital.
If you're stopping over, head for the town centre, where throngs of bar-hoppers enjoy street-side restaurants and cafés through the long summer nights. For culture, a visit to the old winter palace of Nikola I, Dvorac Petrovica, reveals a surprisingly varied collection of local and international contemporary art housed in an attractive 19th-century setting.
Much richer in historical detail is the old capital, Cetinje, 50km west of Podgorica. Its monastery and palace were home to the Petrovic-Njegos dynasty, which for two centuries supplied the poets, warriors, diplomats and rulers of the Kingdom of Montenegro.
Head north and you'll be rewarded with a thrilling drive through deep canyons and white-knuckle switchbacks, in a natural rock fortress that has for centuries thwarted invaders.
Dozens of walled churches and monasteries on craggy ledges still shelter unblemished frescoes of the Slavic saints, created by the Serbian master painters of the 13th century. To the northwest is spectacular Durmitor National Park, bordering one of the country's best ski resorts, Zabljak.
The hills rolling south of Podgorica down to the Adriatic are much more forgiving. Montenegro's coastline is studded with splendid fortress-ports - Budva, Herceg Novi and Kotor - and a host of picturesque stone fishing villages strung around the great blue fjord, the Boka Kotorska.
The ports thrived under Venetian rule, and behind each set of ramparts is a romantic jumble of fine townhouses, Romanesque churches, and cobbled squares.
Along the coast busy cafés serve grappa, grilled seafood and homemade ice cream - all part of the Italian legacy. For night owls, the beach clubs of Budva and Bar don't stop serving until dawn.
Print >