Montenegro Bay of Kotor, Montenegro

The mountain roads above the Bay of Kotor offer some of Montenegro's most impressive roadside views. As you climb away from the coast, the landscape opens up dramatically, revealing the bay's different arms, the surrounding mountains, and, from higher elevations, the Adriatic in the distance. The famous old road toward Lovćen and Njeguši is particularly scenic, with numerous bends and roadside pull-offs providing constantly changing perspectives.

This spot works especially well for a road-trip photo because you can pair the vast landscape with your car or campervan in the foreground.

I photographed this scene during sunset, when the low sun was disappearing behind the mountains and flooding the entire bay with warm golden light.

There are several places along the mountain road where you can safely pull off and experiment with compositions. I particularly like positioning the vehicle within the landscape rather than making it dominate the frame—the bay and mountains remain the main subject. At the same time, the camper adds scale and a sense of road-trip adventure.

For an image like this, I walked up a small hill because the elevated perspective clearly separates the vehicle from the road while revealing much more of the bay behind it. Golden hour and sunset are especially beautiful, although you need to expose carefully for the bright sky around the sun.

The famous Kotor–Lovćen serpentine road climbs from above Kotor toward Njeguši and Lovćen through around 25 hairpin bends. Along the climb, there are multiple small pull-offs and widened sections where you can stop and enjoy increasingly expansive views over the Bay of Kotor.

I recommend driving slowly and scouting for a pull-off where the view and road orientation work for your composition. Some stops accommodate only a few vehicles, so park only where you can get completely off the roadway, and never stop on a blind bend. The road can also get busy with coaches and other traffic during the main summer hours, so early morning or late afternoon/sunset is much more enjoyable for photography.

If you continue uphill, you can combine the drive with Njeguši and Lovćen National Park, turning the photo stop into a scenic half-day road trip from Kotor.