| 6 mins read
By Joseph Francis
Unquestionably one of Europe’s most coveted holidaying destinations, Montenegro occupies an irresistible position on the Adriatic Sea. Formed by the rises of its great inland mountains, the country cascades into the Med in truly dramatic fashion. Its top spots – Kotor, Tivat, Budva – all shimmer and shine against the southern sun, and sunbathers, jet setters, honeymooners, hikers and more all flock to the country by their thousands. Here is a Montenegro tourist guide to help you find out why…
Sense the deep histories in the Kotor Old Town
No trip to Montenegro could possibly be complete without at least a short detour to the veritable jewel in its Adriatic crown, Kotor. Strung out along the base of its own mountain-shrouded fjord, this dash of red-tiled roofs and stone walls hides some of the country’s most romantic plazas, countless winding alleyways and the crumbling remnants of bulwarks dating back more than 1,100 years. Meanwhile, just out on the water sits the alluring Our Lady of the Rocks Church, which can be reached with the help of a Kotor tour guide and comes steeped in legend, packed with works by the famed artist Tripo Kokolja, and complete with gorgeous views of the Kotor Bay.
Hike, bike and hit the water in the Durmitor National Park
Sweeping down from the canyons of Tara to the highland massifs of the great Bobotov Kuk summit (the highest in the entire Durmitor sub-range), the Durmitor National Park is the stuff of legends. It draws outdoorsy travelers from the Balkans and beyond, beckoning with countless glacial lakes and swathes of fir and spruce forest. Hotspots include the mighty Tara River Canyon that is second only the Grand Canyon of Colorado in length, and the picture-perfect Black Lake, which makes its home of the plateaus of Meded Mountain. In recent decades, skiing and hiking have really taken hold here, with resort towns like Zabljak packed with Montenegro tour companies offering everything from camping gear to guided treks in the Durmitor hills.
Head to the heights of Mount Lovcen
Encompassed by the boundaries of its very own national park, the soaring peak of Mount Lovcen overlooks the shimmering Adriatic waters that pierce their way into the Montenegrin inland via the Bay of Kotor. A bulwark of carved rocks and craggy promontories, it’s the perfect introduction for travelers eager to sample the country’s famous highland terrain (Montenegro does translate to ‘Black Mountain’ after all!). But the spot isn’t just famed for its sweeping panoramas of the Kotor fjord. It’s also the home of the iconic mausoleum of Petar II Petrovic-Njegos (one of the most prominent Balkan poets and writers of all time), and also bears the scars of its place as a bastion of Serbian and Balkan resistance during World War I.
Wonder at the glorious Ostrog Monastery
Set deep in the cliff sides of the Bjelopavlic Valley, some three hours by car from Kotor and Budva, this breathtaking sight has become something of an icon of Montenegro as a whole. The whole structure, which is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful Serbian Orthodox Churches in the world, looks as if it’s been built in a large cavern chiselled and cut from the surface of the cliffs themselves. The site is divided into two separate sections: the Upper Church and the Lower Church. The first is the home of the revered relics of Saint Basil of Ostrog, while the lower area houses the current cloisters and monk dormitories and comes decorated in a series of gorgeous Byzantine-style frescos.
See the country’s modern side in Podgorica
200,000-strong Podgorica hails in as Montenegro’s largest and most buzzing city. A far cry from the laid-back Italo-esque towns that line the Adriatic coast, this burgeoning capital can be tricky to figure out. It’s encompassed by both the rising foothills of the Dinaric Alps and row upon row of Soviet-style tenements, while beneath the utilitarian veneer remains traces of Ottoman rule, especially between the enchanting Turkic Old Town and bazaar area (a real must). Meanwhile, café culture booms along the lively strip of Njegoseva Street and nightlife bubbles up in open-air bars and al fresco drinkeries all throughout the sweltering summer (check out the hotspots on Bokeska Street for some of the most popular). In short, Podgorica is a great way to glimpse the country’s more modern and cosmopolitan side.
Hit the beaches and bars of Budva
Sun-splashed and shimmering against the Adriatic, Budva occupies its own little panhandle on the Montenegrin coast, just a short way over the Lovcen Mount south of Kotor. Hailed as the country’s premier beach resort, Budva is now the gateway to its very own and eponymous riviera (the Budvanska Rivijera). And boy does it live up to the role. Brilliant white yachts bob on the shoreline; whitewashed villas and their red-tiled roofs glow above the marble-clad promenades; the pearly-white curves of Mogren Beach beckon with sunbeds and lapping waves, and countless beer bars and wine joints bustle along the sands. Then there’s Budva’s awesome Stari Grad (Old Town); a 15th-century masterpiece complete with Mediterranean fine-dining, weaving alleyways and great views of Sveti Nikola Island out at sea.
Rub shoulders with jet setters in the up-coming town of Tivat
Prized as the new golden boy of the Montenegrin coast, Tivat is being fuelled by moneyed millionaires, who can regularly be seen flitting in and out of the sun-splashed town on their priceless yachts. The place itself can be found on the beautiful Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor), and offers an altogether different experience than authentic, historic and perennially pretty Kotor behind it. The old naval port now houses colossal private vessels, and comes ringed with some of the country’s top fine-dining, while the seaside streets play host to elegantly resorted villas that looked plucked straight from the banks of Lake Garda and the like. The town is also perfect for hitting the village of Gornja Lastva; an historic hamlet of crumbling cottages perched high on the coastal mountains above.
Joseph ‘Rich’ Francis is a freelance travel writer who has travelled extensively in Asia and Europe. He particularly enjoys the jazz bars of Poland, the ski slopes of Austria and the beaches and cities of India.
Image Details and Licenses: https://flic.kr/p/6ZLnzu (stebul, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/84hK2s (stalkERR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/3duHMs (Michael Tyler, CC BY-SA 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/haiigT (Vladimir Varfolomeev, CC BY-NC 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/eZWB6d (Charlie, CC BY 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/fgbwvP (leosoueu, CC BY-NC 2.0), https://flic.kr/p/qK9E6t (Katarína Chovancová, CC BY-NC 2.0)