Đurđevića Tara Bridge. Images and Travel Tips

The Đurđevića Tara Bridge is one of the most memorable sights of Montenegro. It offers just a fantastic view of the surrounding mountains and the Tara River canyon.

The nature in these places is simply amazing. We’ve not seen such beauty anywhere else. High mountains covered with dense forests, small valleys, a mighty river somewhere far below …

And literally nearby on a zip-line (bungee, if simple) tourists fly by, somewhere below people enjoy rafting, sailing along the great river. This attraction costs 10 or 20 euros, depending on the bungee. There is also a small souvenir market nearby, although the prices are quite high there. On the other hand, sometimes you may come across unusual, unique things.

Getting to the bridge on your own is quite difficult and not very profitable — a rented car and gasoline spent will cost you quite a lot, maybe even more than a simple excursion. And if you also take into account that the roads in Montenegro are very difficult, twisted by simply unrealistic serpentines, it’s much easier to choose an excursion.

Alternatively, you can consider an individual excursion with a private guide.

We strongly recommend visiting this place. In our opinion, this is one of the most beautiful corners of the country, which we remember for many years. In general, if you have already arrived in Montenegro, be sure to add the Đurđevića Tara Bridge to the list of places that you have to see.

May be interesting: a selection of beautiful pictures of Montenegro or an article about the most important sights in the country.

The view from the Đurđevića Tara Bridge is fantastic. This photo was taken with an inexpensive digital camera and without Photoshop.

This is how the Tara River looks from about the middle of the Đurđevića Bridge

Near the Đurđevića Tara Bridge you can see a lot of pretty rural houses. People live here and enjoy this beauty every day.

Surprisingly beautiful mountains can be seen around the bridge. Everything is very green and fresh. This isn’t something you may see in big cities…

We visited the Đurđevića Tara Bridge during the excursion “Durmitor and Tara Trip“.

If you evaluate only numbers, the bridge does not seem very high: only 172 meters above the Tara River. But when you stand there, it seems that there are several kilometers beneath you. The scenery just makes your head spin. Wherever you look, there are the mountains and the mighty Tara river.

Đurđevića Tara Bridge. Main specs.

Until recently, the Đurđevića Tara Bridge was considered the largest automobile arch bridge in Europe.

Dimensions of the Đurđevića bridge

Length: 365 meters;
Height: 172 meters;
Number of arches: 5;
Longest span: 116 meters.

The bridge isn’t straight. It’s slightly curved.

There is practically no separate pedestrian zone on the bridge; tourists walk directly along the road.

This is how the Đurđevića Tara Bridge looks like. It seems to be quite low in the photo, but if you look down from the bridge to the Tara River, it seems that there several kilometers below you.

As you can see, the bridge is automobile. There is no separate space for pedestrians. Well, except for the ten-centimeter ledge at the handrails.

The Đurđevića Tara Bridge is not straightforward. It’s slightly curved. Of course, the most beautiful place for a photo will be exactly where the bridge bends over the abyss.

History of the Đurđevića Bridge

This huge bridge was built in just three years: from 1937 to 1940. It’s difficult even to imagine the titanic work that has been invested in it. Not without human sacrifices. Workers often neglected safety measures — several people fell into the abyss.

Two years after the opening of the bridge, it had to be destroyed. The Nazis captured the territory of Montenegro. The mountainous terrain, the vast military experience of the Montenegrin people and the knowledge of their native land helped the partisans.

In 1942, when the Italians approached the bridge, it was decided to blow it up. In order not to completely destroy the Đurđevića Tara Bridge, one of the engineers who built it (Lazar Jauković) developed a plan to undermine the central arch of the bridge (so that after the war the bridge could be restored).

The operation was successful. The only bridge around the Tara river was destroyed, and the Nazis stopped.

But engineer Lazar Jauković was out of luck. Nazis specifically searched for him, found and shot him right on the bridge.

After the war (1946), the Đurđevića Tara Bridge was quickly restored, and a monument to Lazar Jauković was build right here. Even now it’s noticeable that one arch is noticeably lighter, while all the others are quite dark.

It may seem paradoxical, but the bridge is named not in honor of the heroically deceased creator, but in the name of a wealthy farmer who once lived in these places. He offered jobs to local residents and always paid them honestly. Now the bridge is named after him and the name of the Tara River, over which it was built.

The Đurđevića Tara Bridge today

Today, the Đurđevića Tara Bridge is considered one of the most visited attractions in Montenegro (after the beaches, of course).

It’s still used as a automobile bridge, but it’s difficult to drive here due to crowds of tourists taking pictures.

The view from the bridge is unrealistically beautiful. Not a single photograph is able to convey even a thousandth part of this beauty — it simply does not fit into the lens. We tried to take a photo for you of the Tara River flowing under the bridge:

This is how the Tara River flowing under the bridge looks like. In life, this is just an amazing sight. We stood on a bridge, and somewhere far, far below us flowed a mighty river.

The surrounding rocks silently remind us that there is a canyon below us. For many millennia, the Tara River has carved its way among the rocks.

On the other side of the bridge, the Tara River is also beautiful. They say that the water here is so clean that you can even drink it. It wasn’t hard for us to believe it.

Near the bridge there is a camping, two bungee lines, from here you can go rafting or to the Durmitor park.

You can find information about banjo jumping here, but it was banned several years ago. It interfered with drivers.

To ride the bungee costs 10 euros (the one to the left, it has existed for 4 years) or 20 euros (the one to the right it’s certified according to all standards). It’s up to you to choose. The flight is not at all scary. But the view of the surrounding landscapes is really amazing.

There are two tarzans next to the Đurđevića bridge. One of them is old – the instructors have more experience (costs 10 euros), and the second one is new, certified according to all the rules.

Anyway, neither one nor the other had any troubles in the form of tourists falling into the abyss. In the photo there is a new zip line.

And this is an old zip line. Back in 2013, it was the only one. We cannot say anything bad about it, and the price is 2 times cheaper – only 10 euros per person. By the way, you can ride in pairs.

This is how tourists ride a bungee. The views are amazing. Most admit they expected more. They say that it was not scary at all and even a little boring.

Sometimes you can see people in life-saving jackets sailing under the bridge on inflatable boats. These are tourists who went on rafting.

Of course, the bridge is far from the river and the boat turned out to be very tiny. We hope that this will not prevent you from seeing active tourists.

There is a rafting center right next to the Đurđevića bridge, where you can sign up if you come by car.

Tourists will go down the Tara River on such inflatable boats.

Our impressions

If you find yourself in Montenegro, be sure to visit the Đurđevića Tara Bridge and a tour Durmitor and Tara Trip. This is one of the most beautiful places in Montenegro.

Of course, we will not leave you without a couple of our photos. Even on a simple phone, they turn out to be very good. Although, to be honest, we didn’t take a lot of pictures – we mainly looked around.

If there are few cars, you can try to sit on the road in the same way.

Tip: Don’t go here in a rented car. The road is very difficult. Lots of serpentines, tunnels, unexpected turns and other difficulties.