Podgorica, the largest city and the national capital of Montenegro lies in central Montenegro at the confluence of the Moraca and Ribnica rivers towards the south eastern part of the country. Podgorica is the official cultural and commercial centre of Montenegro and is considered to be the countryâs prime city, as well as its administrative and economic hub.
Podgorica has a population of about 170,000 residents and includes the University of Montenegro along with most of the countriesâ higher education institutions. The city of Podgorica lies at the crossing of numerous historically significant routes, close to the Rivers Ribinica, Moraca, and Zeta; in the Sakadar Lakeâs valley and near the Adriatic Sea with a favourable climate in the fertile plains. The main feature of the city lies in the richness of the water bodies and is located mostly in a flat area towards the northern end of the Zeta plain unlike other parts of Montenegro.
Podgorica is splashed with modern architectural buildings on practically every corner, along with a good number of green spaces and parks. The city has a key location lying only nine kilometres from the International Airport, along with railway and bus stations located close to each other. Podgorica offers visitors great sites and sights, transport connections, decent and affordable hotels, and a lively nightlife scene. Podgorica also holds several cultural events, and has many cultural hotspots such as Crnogorsko Narodno, Dodest and Gradsko. One major tourist attraction is the magnificent Ostrog monastery, which lies close to Podgorica. The city also has a clear mountain river, River Moraca, which runs straight through its middle.
This city hosts many Montenegrin cultural events and institutions and has some great venues for the annual festivals, which mainly take place in the months of July and December. Alongside the Montenegrin National Theatre, which is considered the most important theatre in all of Montenegro, there are numerous art galleries and museums to explore.
Podgorica also offers a good number of quality restaurants, bars, cafes, pubs and wine bars with live music. The city also is home to delectable Montenegrin cuisines, which can be divided into Mediterranean and continental culinary delights.
In terms of the weather, he best time to visit Podgorica is during the spring and autumn seasons, as the summer season is very dry and hot and Podgorica usually gets crowded with tourists. Winters can also be a good time to visit Podgorica as the weather tends to be milder during winter months compared to other Balkan capitals.
Climate
In Podgorica, the weather is modified Mediterranean with dry, warm
summers and cool, mild winters. The Adriatic Sea has a major influence on the
weather of Podgorica as it lies around 50km from the sea and the closeness of
the Dinaric Alps towards the north also
contributes in altering its climate. The average yearly temperature in the city
is 16.4ºC whereas, no rainfall for over two hundred sixty days and are mainly a
feature of the spring while the longer rain periods are characteristic of the
late fall with the summers not seeing any rainfall for even one hundred days in
this city.
The annual rainfall recorded here is 1,600mm with the number of rainy days being only one hundred twenty and days having rainfall along with strong winds are around sixty. Snow is almost an unknown occurrence in Podgorica and it snows for no more than a few days every year. The relative humidity of the air in Podgorica is 59.6 percent, while the air temperature averages above 25ºC for over 135 days per year. All these features combined make Podgorica a city with a very favourable climate suited to holiday all-year round.
Summer
Podgorica is mostly known for its extremely hot and dry summers. The months of July and August commonly get temperatures over 40ºC, with the highest recorded temperature of around 45.8ºC. The average air temperature in this season is 27.4ºC, while the maximum sea temperature is 27.1ºC. Podgorica has the warmest temperatures, averaging 27ºC, and can get up to 31.8 ºC at maximum. The city gets very hot during summers; yet itâs convenient location and the presence of roads that connects it to the coast as well as mountain resorts, offer the visitors a chance to relieve the heat by either taking a refreshing swim in the Adriatic Sea, or going for an energising hike in the fresh and cooler air of the mountain resorts located in the vicinity of the city.
Winter
Having a modified Mediterranean climate, the winter season in Podgorica is mild and cool with some rainfall. In Podgorica the coldest time of the year is the month of January when the average temperature dips to around 6ºC. A possible minimum average temperature is 1.4ºC. During the winter season, frost is also a possibility in Podgorica but it hardly stays very cold for a long.