Cetinje is the historic royal capital of Montenegro, and now it is a small, quiet, and green town with many interesting places to visit. Most of them are located in the compact city centre, and it is very easy to reach them all.
Cetinje was founded in the 15th century and almost immediately became a capital when Ivan Crnojević, the Lord of Zeta, moved his capital to this geographically protected place near Mount Lovćen. Currently, with a population of approximately 14,000 people, it still retains its official status as the cultural capital of Montenegro.
The Blue Palace (initially built in 1894-1895 for the heir of the Montenegrin throne) is now the official residence of the President of Montenegro.
Cetinje is the cultural capital of Montenegro, so the largest museum in the country is here – the National Museum of Montenegro. The museum is divided into five large parts: Historical Museum, Artistic Museum, King Nikola’s Palace, Ethnographic Museum, and Biljarda.
King Nikola’s Palace, which is the former residence of the last Montenegrin king, and the Ethnographic Museum of Montenegro (it presents a collection of traditional clothes, carpets, bags, etc.) are located opposite each other.
Biljarda, the former royal residence, was built for Prince-Bishop Petar II Petrović-Njegoš and received its name from the billiard table in the central room.
The Cetinje Monastery, with its history that dates back to the 15th century together with the town, is the heart of Cetinje and maybe of entire Montenegro. It is a historical and cultural centre keeping several important relics: remains of St. Peter of Cetinje, the right hand of John the Baptist, particles of the True Cross, and others. The Monastery also has a nice green territory where you can walk around.
If you go up along the road from the Cetinje Monastery, you can reach the mausoleum of Danilo I, the Metropolitan of Cetinje. The pathway is very nice with picturesque views of Cetinje centre and nearby mountains.
And finally, on this path, you reach Eagle’s Rock. This mountain is the location of the mausoleum of Danilo I, who was the Metropolitan of Cetinje between 1697 and 1735, and the founder of the House of Petrović-Njegoš – this dynasty ruled Montenegro until 1918. From Eagle’s Rock, you can enjoy great mountain views, including Mount Lovćen views.
There are a lot of architecturally interesting buildings in Cetinje, which are former embassies. For example, this is a former French embassy.
The oldest Montenegrin theater is also in Cetinje – it is called Zetski Dom and has been working since 1884.
If you are a little bit tired of the different historical monuments and museums of Cetinje, you may go to Lipa Cave near the former royal capital, and then you will enjoy the fantastic worlds of a large system of caves. It was discovered occasionally in the 19th century, and later it turned out that there is a very large system of caves under the Montenegrin mountains. Scientists still explore those caves, and Lipa Cave is the only one officially opened for tourists.
Lipa Cave consists of different halls, each of which suggests its own strange and mysterious forms formed by water drops and a lot of time.
You will be offered a one-hour tour around Lipa Cave. In the future, this cave may become even bigger because scientists continue exploring several nearby caves.