Last week I got back from a week long vacation in Montenegro. And it was AMAZING.

From what I had noticed, Montenegro is still building itself in the tourism industry, and isn’t yet that popular. So, today, and in the next upcoming blog posts, I will show you why you should definitely add Montenegro to your bucket list !

A little bit about Montenegro:

Montenegro is a country in Southeast Europe. It borders with Bosnia and Herzegovina to the north west, Serbia and Kosovo to the east, with Albania to the south, and with Croatia to the west.

Montenegro’s capital is Podgorica, and the country’s population is pretty small, only 620,079 people lives there !

After world War I, the country became a part of Yugoslavia (a country that contained Montenegro, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovenia & Bosnia and Herzegovina). Yugoslavia started to fall apart starting from 1992, when Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina decided to break up from Yugoslavia. Since then Yugoslavia contained only Serbia and Montenegro.

 Then, in 2006 Montenegro has declared itself as an independent country, and that was the final end of Yugoslavia.

Montenegrin is Montenegro’s offical language, but there are other local languages in Montenegro such as: Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Albanian. 

Talking about religion, most of the Montenegrins are Orthodox Christians, and 4% of the population are Catholics. Sunnis muslims are the minority religious in Montenegro.

Now, that we have learned some basic information about Montenegro, we can get started with the guide!

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Kotor:

I love Kotor, it is a gorgeous ancient town in the heart of Bay of Kotor. We actually stayed outside the city itself, but it was a five minutes drive into the city. 

Kotor is one of the top must-see places & attractions in Montenegro, and there is no way you can miss it !

What to do in Kotor:

First of all, this city is too pretty, so that’s a reason by itself to go there. But, we are going to focus on the old town part of Kotor.

1. Walk around the old city – if you have read most of my posts on different travel destinations, you probably already know that one of my favorite ways to get to know a new city, is walking around ! and I still stand behind it even today. I can assure you, Kotor is one of the prettiest towns in Montenegro, and it so fun and magical just walking around the old town, shopping for some souvenirs, smelling the delicious food that is being cooked in the restaurants, and just living the city by walking around.

2. Climb the walls of the old city – if you are into beautiful breathtaking views on a city from above, you can climb up the walls of the old city, up the hill, and look at a beautiful view of the whole area from the top of the mountains. This attraction is quite a workout, it’s climbing up 1350 stairs, but it is totally worth it and the view is just INSANE.

Entery costs: through May-October – 3 Euros. The rest of the months are free.

3. St. Tryphon’s Cathedral – Was first built in a Romanesque-Gothic architecture in the 11th century, and went under renovations after the earthquakes that damaged Kotor throughout history. The bones of St.Tryphon, the protector of the city, are reserved in the Cathedral.

Entery cost: 2 Euros.

4. St. Nicholas Church – The biggest Orthodox church in Kotor.

Entery cost: FREE.

5. Kotor’s Night Life – Kotor’s night life are pretty insane ! and as much it is important to travel there during the day, it is important as well as walking around during the night. 

There are so many great bars with pretty good prices, loud music blasting from different bars, so many people, so many tourists, it’s just crazy ! so much FUN. It is another great way of getting to know new people, walking around, drinking, having a good time !

Perast:

Perast is a beautiful quiet little town in Montenegro. It dosen’t attracts too many tourists, so it is less noisier and busier than other cities in Montenegro. 

Perast is a small town, there are only 500 people living in this small town, and you can reach one end of it to another in 20-30 minutes. That’s how small this town is !

What to do in Perast:

1. Churches and castles – During the middle ages, Venice ruled Montenegro, and there are twenty-two churches and six-teen castles from that time in the small town. Even though these building are pretty old after hundreds of years, it isn’t too hard to see how luxurious these building were during that time.

2. The islands near Perast – This is a must attraction ! there are two beautiful islands located near Perast. There are many boats to rent (with a driver) in Perast that will take you to the Our Lady Of The Rocks island. We took a private boat drive, and it was 30 Euros for all four of us, and we got a deal that included the parking ticket. So it was pretty nice. 

The islands:

– St. George Island – this island is actually closed for visitors, the monastery that is in it owns the island. There is also a cemetery on it, so even if visitors were allowed on the island, I don’t think it is one of the top things you’ll want to waste your time on.

But, from the outside it looks pretty. When you rent a boat to the Lady Of The Rocks island, they go first near St. George Island so you can see it, but that’s it.

– Gospa Od Skrpjela (Our Lady Of The Rocks) Island – this island is the most interesting one. This is an artificial island, that was built by Perat’s sailors hundreds of years ago on pillars that were placed on the bottom of the ocean. The island belongs to church that is on it. Also, on the island you can find a museum that explains the history of the area, and a small gift shop. Honestly, 30 minutes is enough to be on that island. There isn’t too much to do.

3. Walk around Perast – Like any other town, I highly recommend walking around this small beautiful city. If you are fully exploring it, it’ll take you around an hour. This town is beautiful and filled with many nice people and tourists !

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4. Sit down and relax at the “Pirate’s Bar” – WOW guys. Honestly, this is the best bar I have ever BEEN TO. This bar is located in Perast, but outside of the old town, right next to where you rent boats. This place is AMAZING. Also, you could come here with children, this is also a restaurant and they serve hamburgers and drinks. It is located right above the ocean, and you can go down the latter from the bar and swim !! also, a few stairs down you have a small and nice beach you can relax at. But honestly, this bar is much worth sitting at – they have great music, good vibes, great drinks (especially the local beer), and it is so much fun just sitting there, talking and drinking (even just water), listening to great music and looking at the beautiful view in front of you. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

       

Budva:

I think Budva is one of my favorite cities in Montenegro. It is one of the most popular and beautiful cities in Montenegro. Some people call her ” the Montenegrin Miami”. 

Budva offers a beautiful old city, amazing night life & beautiful beaches. She is also considered as one of the best cities for young-adults in Europe. But no worries, she is also perfect for a relaxing family vacation with kids. 

The city spreaded around a small half island, where Budva’s old city is located. 

What to do in Budva:

1. Visit Jazz beach & do some extremes  – First of all, Honestly I would go to there even if I wasen’t into extreme activities. This is such a beautiful beach, crystal clear water, the green mountatins around – Heaven maybe ?

Me and my brother went jet skiing, which was a dream of mine for SO MANY YEARS, and I finally got to do it there and it was so much fun ! We payed 50 Euros for 30 minutes. It was enough though, after 30 minutes it gets too much (for me personally at least).

Than the second time we went to Jazz beach we decided to go more extreme and went parasailing !!!!! We payed 30 Euroes each and that was the best 30 Euores i’ve ever spent. 

And WOW you guys. I think i’ve never felt more alive than in those 10 minutes we were in the air. WOW. I think wow is the only word I can describe it. 

So from Jazz beach they take you on a boat to their neighboor, beach, and from there you take another boat with a few more people that are also parasailing. Then you go to the middle of the ocean and the round begins. You are 10 minutes in the air, and I promise you it’ll be one of the best 10 minutes of your life !

2. Walk around the old city – once again, in Budva you also must walk around the old city. It is the same idea like in Kotor, but still, so pretty, great restaurants, and you also have an option to go on a tour on the walls of Budva (and here it is shorter, not 130 stairs ;))

3. Sveti Nikola “Hawaii Island” – this is a beautiful island near Budva. It is just a beach, but on an island, which is better than a regular beach 😉 I actually didn’t go there, I was near it when I went parasailing and saw that it isn’t something that I can’t live without visiting. So we skipped it. To get there you need to take a boat from Budva’s port. You could have a private drive that is around 20-30 Euros, or take a ferris, that costs around 5 Euros per person. 

4. Sveti Stefan – Sveti Stefan is an island, also near Budva, that is owned by a 5-star hotel resort, and where Vila Milocer (and Milocer beach) is located. The resort is pretty expensive, and you can mostly find there rich and famous celebrities (well, you can’t really find them, but they do stay there). From what I have been told, you can’t visit the island itself anymore, but you can see it from Milocer beach, and walk around the pretty hill, stay at the beach that is right near the island, and just look at it I guess 🙂

5. Milocer beach – Even though, I must say that Milocer beach is one of the prettiest I have seen ! crystal clear, terquoise water, so pretty. Also, before you go up the hill to see the pretty view on Sveti Stefan, if you are coming from Vila Milocer, there is a pink rocks beach. We went there and it was so much fun, we took some pretty pictures and enjoyed nature, and then we got kicked out of there because apparently it’s a private beach 😉 OOPS.

     

Tivat:

Tivat is another coastal town located in Bay Of Kotor, that contains 14,000 citizens. 

Tivet is a lovely popular town, that became even more popular after the renovation of the Tivet Airport in 1971. Also, fun fact, Tivet is the youngest town in Bay Of Kotor. And even though she’s the youngest, she offers many attractions.

What to do in Tivat:

1. Sveti Marko – In 1692, a tourist settlement was built there, with 500 Tahiti-style houses, without water supply or electricity. Club Med managed it, and until the Yugoslav wars, it was popular tourism destination. The guests of the island were coming mainly from Western European countries. It was a favorite target of young adventurers, who along with the sunbathing and swimming, spent their time here enjoying in various water sports.

Toady, it is mostly abandoned, making the island an exotic and mysterious destination. 

Also, fun story – there is a Greek Legend that says that the island was the gift of gods to Greek soldiers who healed their wounds after battles on the island. Out of gratitude, they swore that they would never wage war on their own again, but only protect themselves if they need to. Well, they broke the oath, and the gods sent a deadly storm which killed everyone on the island.

2. Porto Montenegro – walk around the marine and boardwalk of Port Montenegro. You can find here good restaurants, designer stores, beautiful pools and small beaches. Fun fact, this whole place is owned by Louis Vitton !

3. The Botanical Garden – the botanical garden is a lovely attraction, especially if you are traveling with kids. All of the plants in the garden were donated by sailors that brought some all kinds of exotic plants from their trips around the world. 

4. Day Cruises – Tivat offers a veraity of day cruises in Bay of Kotor. It’s definitely a fun adventure. You could rent a boat with a team that will take you to a private tour of the near beaches in Bay of Kotor. There is a ferris that takes you from Tivat to Kotor in a ship. It leaves Tivat everyday at 9:30 a.m and comes back to Tivat from Kotor around 17:00/18:00 p.m. The cost of the cruise is 15-20 Euros per person. 

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