Where to park in Virpazar (and how to avoid the 10:00 problem)

Virpazar was laid out around a river crossing, not a car park. The historic core is three small bridges and a square, all of it too narrow for parked cars, and the national park boundary limits what can be built around it. Everything funnels onto one approach road off the E65.

In July and August that road handles several hundred vehicles a day, most arriving in a two-hour band between 09:30 and 11:30 for the mid-morning boat departures. The result is predictable: free roadside spaces are gone by around 10:00, and the overflow gravel area is a ten to fifteen minute walk from the piers, in full sun, usually with a cool bag and a toddler.

If you are driving between June and September, arrange your space at the same time as your boat. Several operators hold spaces beside the departure pier for their guests, and private parking in Virpazar is the difference between stepping off tarmac onto a boat and starting your holiday morning with a fifteen-minute march.

It also matters on the return. Coming back at 21:00 from a sunset cruise to a car parked on an unlit gravel strip is nobody's idea of a good ending.

• The E65 exit is signposted 'Virpazar' from both directions; the turn is sharp and easy to overshoot heading south.
• Do not follow satnav routes through the old village core — several streets are effectively one car wide.
• Motorhomes should not attempt the village at all; park on the approach road well before the bridges.
• Arriving before 09:00 solves the problem for free, and gives you the better light anyway.
• The train from Podgorica (30 min) or Bar (45 min) drops you a five-minute walk from the square.