April 30, 2018 - Kolašin is a small town located in Northern Montenegro. It represents one of the centers of Montenegrin winter tourism. Because of its altitude (954 m) and its closeness to the mountains Bjelasica and Sinjajevina, the city is considered not only an ideal ski resort but also a place where people can breathe in fresh mountain air any time of the year.
Kolašin is an easily accessible town by car and train. It is situated on the main road which connects the Montenegrin coast and Northern Montenegro. The city also has a station on the railway Beograd-Bar. Additionally, the international airport in Podgorica, located in Golubovci, is only 80 km away from the city.
Aside from the mountains, visitors are mostly attracted to the forest and national park Biogradska gora. The main elements which can be found in the national park (54 km²) are six glacial lakes, forest, mountain tops, streams, pastures and monuments.
The local's hospitality is an aspect of the city visitors notice right away. Since most people who visit Montenegro enjoy staying in family-owned hostels and rooms, the owners mostly greet people like they have been friends for many years. Eager to keep the cozy family atmosphere right from the start, the owners of accommodations usually present the guests some of the traditional meals of Montenegro and homemade juice.
Visitors of Northern Montenegro are usually surprised by how locals like to chat with others, no matter if they know them or not. While visiting Kolašin, tourists can quickly learn about all the best places to eat, drink, ski, fish, and more.
Kolašin’s surroundings create many possibilities to develop and conduct numerous sports and recreational activities. Considering that the city has substantial courts and sports halls, during the summer, younger football, basketball and volleyball national teams often come to the town to prepare for their future competitions.
During the last two decades, many areas of the city have been redecorated and reconstructed. In fact, not only both of the town squares have been rebuilt, but also new buildings for schools, high class hotels, restaurants and coffee shops have flourished in the city. While approaching the city, visitors can notice a great number of cottages around Kolašin. Not only the locals, but also people from around the world have recognized the town’s beauty and have built small houses for vacations here.
During a stay in this city, one shouldn’t miss the chance to see the river Tara that flows through Kolašin. Tara’s canyon is the longest canyon in Europe, as well as the second longest in the world (after The Grand Canyon). One of the many attractions of the whole country of Montenegro is, most certainly, rafting on the Tara river. The rafting route is 18 km long and it takes up to three hours to complete the adventure.
The nature up the mountains around Kolašin is well preserved, and the herbs that can be found are usually used by the locals to create home made natural medicine. Among many attractions, all visitors should definitely have a peek at the Botanical garden of Kolašin. The garden contains numerous mountain herbs from all Montenegrin mountains. The botanical garden was built in 1981 with the altitude of 1018 m. A great number of the herbs within the garden are endemic, while over 80% represent herbs that can be used for medical purposes.
Tourists really need plenty of time to get to know all that Kolašin has to offer. In fact, many of Montenegrin’s locals have yet to meet all the aspects of the city. Still, this small place that visitors have named “the intact Switzerland” has many things on offer to suit the needs of all visitors.
