We didn’t think it was possible for the Dalmatian coast to get any better than Croatia, but Montenegro definitely gives it a run for its money. Montenegro is a very small country with a population of only around 650,000 people, but its popularity is starting to grow rapidly.
Our first stop was in the city of Kotor, which has made an appearance on several lists naming it the best and most beautiful places to visit in Europe. We’ve read that the city can get overrun with cruise ships in the summer but since December is off-season, we saw only one over the course of four days. We confirm these ships are MASSIVE! One pulled up and docked right outside the Old Town.
I don’t know what it is, but I am a sucker for towns/cities that are located in a bowl and surrounded by mountains. Kotor might be the best example. The city is tucked back into the Bay of Kotor and on the mountain above the town, are ancient fortification walls that protect the city and offer up some great hiking opportunities (they span about three miles). Three out of the four days we were in Kotor we made our way up the mountain to hike on the fortress walls and got some absolutely stunning views.
The other highlight of Kotor is the Old Town. At this point we have seen a lot of “Old Towns,” but Kotor felt like one of the most authentic. Some of this may be due to the fact that the city was completely dead the entire time we were there, which was amazing. It’s a little hard to imagine and visualize an Old Town and what it would be like if it were crawling with people taking selfies. We also made our way to the small town of Perast, which is a 30 minute bus ride from Kotor. The only reason to make your way to Perast is because of its proximity to the islands of St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks. When I say islands I believe the proper term is actually islets because they are so small. One contains a monastery because apparently (we have learned through our travels) they loved putting monasteries in really hard places to reach. The other island has a Roman Catholic church. We read that there isn’t really anything to do on these islets so we took a bus to Perast, took some pictures and got back on the bus.
Kotor is again another place that probably takes on a very different vibe when it’s warm out, but we really enjoyed our time here and always enjoy a town where if all else fails you can walk out your door and go on a hike.
Our next stop in Montenegro was about a 30 minute van ride to the city of Budva. Budva also has a picturesque setup right along the Adriatic coast and is a more lively town than Kotor in terms of bars, restaurants and nightlife. Unfortunately for us we only had one and a half days of sunshine and the other two days were a complete downpour, but we made the most of our outdoor time. When we arrived, we made our way to the very well-preserved medieval walled old city. The old city had the same awesome little hidden alleyways, cobbled streets and awesome shops, but Budva’s old town is RIGHT on the coast. It’s an added bonus that you can look over the walls onto the sea. On our full day of sunshine, we got on a bus that took us down the coast to the town of Sveti Stefan. You’ve probably seen pictures of this little island. It’s a private island with five-star accommodations that you can’t visit unless you have reservations (there is a guard blocking the bridge onto it). Famous people have gone and continue to go here all the time and I read that Novak Djokovic got married there. We snapped some pictures and then made the long four hour walking trek back to Budva along the coast. There were some road blocks (like actual roadblocks) along the way, but it was a good workout with some fabulous views. The other highlight was the food! Since it’s right along the coast, Budva reaps all of the seafood benefits. My personal favorite was the seafood risotto at a small local establishment that we had all to ourselves.
Despite some rain for the last couple of days, we really enjoyed our last stop on the Adriatic coast in Montenegro. You simply can’t do much better in terms of scenery that surrounds these small ancient towns. Montenegro is on the Euro, but don’t let that deter you because we found it to be very affordable, even more so than Croatia that is not on the Euro.