Danilovgrad

Danilovgrad sits on the river Zeta in the Bjelopavlici plain, roughly midway between Podgorica and Niksic — about 20 km from one and 30 from the other. It is the flat, fertile middle of the country, ringed by mountains on every side.

Stone. The town has carved and dressed limestone for well over a century, supplying facades and monuments across the region, and a stone-carving school still operates here. Sculpture symposia and workshops keep the trade visible in the streets.

Ostrog monastery lies within Danilovgrad municipality, about 20 minutes up the valley — the town is the closest place to stay if you want to reach the monastery before the coach tours arrive from the coast.

It is a planned town, laid out in the 1870s on the orders of Prince Nikola and named after his predecessor Danilo. That accounts for the straight streets and regular blocks, unusual in Montenegro and quite unlike the older coastal towns.

Zdrebaonik monastery, in the hills above the plain, holds relics and a quiet setting worth the short detour. The Zeta itself is used for swimming and fishing in summer, and the surrounding plain is the country's main fruit and vegetable ground.

Mainly as a base for Ostrog and as a break on the Podgorica–Niksic road. It is a calm, low-rise town with good river swimming rather than a sight in itself, and it is a cheaper place to sleep than either city.