How to Visit Ostrog Monastery

Ostrog Monastery is one of the most important religious sites in Montenegro. It is a Serbian Orthodox monastery carved into the side of a cliff in the 17th century. The monastery is dedicated to Saint Basil of Ostrog, a bishop who built the monastery. It’s easy to visit Ostrog Monastery as a half-day trip either on a tour, during your road trip, or on an excursion from Kotor.

The monastery entrance is free. Many people were buying candles to light inside or donating coins in the boxes.

During my half-day visit, most visitors were religious, crossing themselves and kissing the monastery walls and such. Occasionally, a monk would be singing in the background. This all added to the experience and wonder of the site.

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A little about Ostrog Monastery

The monastery was founded in the 1660s by Saint Basil of Ostrog. He was a bishop known for his piety in childhood and his healing abilities. After his death, his relics were placed in the monastery, and it soon became a popular pilgrimage site.

You may even see some people walk barefoot to the top of the monastery—this is part of a religious pilgrimage.

The monastery area is much larger than just the upper monastery; this is the part that is built into the rock cliffs. There is also a lower monastery where there are dorms for monks and pilgrims, as well as the Church of the Holy Trinity. In between the two, there is a small Orthodox church.

How to Get to Ostrog Monastery

Ostrog Monastery is located about 50 kilometers from Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro. However, the country is small and with enough time, the monastery can be visited as a day trip from many places including Kotor.

Taxi

Taxis in Podgorica can take you directly to the monastery for about 40 euros. They can also wait for you for up to 2 hours and take you back. The drive to Ostrog Monastery from Podgorica takes approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Be sure your taxi takes the new highway—it’s the only option via google maps. Our taxi insisted he knew the way and took a terrifying old road that was completely unnecessary—adding some time to our journey and car sick feelings.

In our Tesla taxi!

From Niksic to the monastery will likely be around 20 euros, one way.

There are taxis waiting to take you to Niksic or Podgorica in the parking lot of the Upper Monastery.

Take a Tour

Don’t bother dealing with transport by booking a tour to visit Ostrog Monastery. This tour will pick you up from your hotel in Podgorica and this one will also visit Montenegro’s Niagra Falls. This all-day tour from Kotor will cover not only the visit to Ostrog Monastery but also the gorgeous Tara Canyon and Black Lake (which we spent 3 days at after visiting the monastery. Read the Montenegro Itinerary for all the deets if you wanna do it yourself!)

Train + Hike

The Ostrog Train Station is on the Podgorica and Niksic train line so it is possible to arrive by train from either city. There was just one taxi hoping for a customer getting off the train when we took the train to Niksic. As such, if you do the train option, prepare to hike up to the monastery. It’s a serious climb that will likely take at least 1.5 hours. Follow the trail up (or down) the mountain.

Do you see the train station in the distance?

Be sure not to miss the red sign turn-off if you’re hiking down to the train station. We took a wrong turn and ended up having the climb back up a road we had just hiked down… The signs switch from English to Serbian so we didn’t notice…

The timetables we found online were incorrect when we reached the station to take us from the monastery to Niksic. Prepare for this to happen to you. Here is my best attempt at getting pictures of the 2023 timetables with the intense glare. The train ticket was just 1 euro from the monastery to Niksic, which is what we did since we took a taxi to the monastery. You’ll pay the fare in cash on board.

We lucked out because we thought the train would depart at 4:04pm, when in fact it was actually scheduled for 4:34pm. We had to wait longer for the train, but it was better than missing it! If you’re late to the station, don’t expect to see the train. The train literally stopped for 40 seconds for us to jump on before taking off again.

Drive

Montenegro is a popular car trip destination in Europe. I saw license plates from all over throughout my 10-day trip. That said, I would not have wanted to drive on the winding roads of the Montenegrin mountains. There is a reliable and new highway from Podgorica to Ostrog that is on google maps. Be sure to follow the map to avoid the old route, which will take you on a “terrifying” (literally, according to Lonely Planet) route. Our taxi did this but I do not recommend it.

There are parking lots throughout the monastery’s three locations though most cars park at the upper monastery.

Inside Ostrog Monastery

I suggest you start at the upper monastery and then make your way down to the other sites. Like us,  you may need to wait in line to enter. The visit took us just 20 minutes.

You’ll start at the relics of Saint Basil and then follow the crowd through the rooms. This tiny room is a no-photo zone.

The mosaics are lovely as you climb from room to room as you follow the crowds.

Eventually, you’ll reach an open area where there will be an excellent view and more mosaics.

From there you’ll climb back down and exit. Stop in to see the burning candles.

At the gift shop, you can buy candles to place inside. There are also creams, oils, books, and knickknacks.

To the left is the gift shop and to the right is the candle room.

Next, hike down to the little church. Stop for ice cream! This spot also has a great view of the monastery. You can walk on the road or take the stair/trail combo down. The path is intuitive so need to worry about directions.

Then, visit Ostrog monastery lower section and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

How Long to Visit Ostrog Monastery+ Tips

The Ostrog Monastery opens at 6am. However, the closing time seems to be 4pm in the winter and 5pm in the summer. Sunset seems like it would be lovely from the monastery though I wouldn’t want to drive here after dark.

You can easily visit the monastery in 2 hours depending on how fast you hike and where you start. If you start from the train station, you may need 5+ hours to hike up, down, and for your visit. If you’re driving, you can see everything in about 1 hour or so. To spend more time at the monastery, you can also go for a walk in the surrounding area or get a snack at one of the cafes.

You should plan to wear long pants or a skirt/dress when visiting the monastery. I saw some women and men in shorts but they could still enter. However, the rules state to cover your legs and shoulders. There are shawls available at the gift shop entrance too. I’m not sure if you need to give a donation or payment to use but that’s an option for you.

There is often a line outside the upper monastery, especially during the summer months.