Upon booking my flight to Montenegro, little did I expect what I had in store. I can say with ease that it is one of the most beautiful countries I have visited!
My first stop was Budva, with the nickname ‘Mediterranean Miami’. I can see why. The beautiful sun in October and the endless bars/restaurants on the beach front made this such a perfect setting for a nice break by the beach.
In terms of where I would suggest staying. My recommendation is to be as close to the Old Town as possible. This is a prime spot for bars/restaurants as well as being so close to the beachfront. Budva Old Town is so beautiful, with cobbled streets and narrow walkways. It is a perfect spot to take a photograph or spend some time in many of the local bars and coffee shops.
From Budva, there are many towns nearby that you can visit. Podgorica is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes away (where I flew in) and Costs roughly €8 on the bus.
I opted for a day trip to Tivat. This took me 30 minutes from the main bus station in Budva and cost me €4 each way.
I was pleasantly surprised by Tivat. This is a place where you can find many high-end designer shops which are right next to the port ‘Porto Montenegro’. There are many lovely cafes and restaurants overlooking the port where you can enjoy a coffee while admiring the view. Tivat is a must visit during your time in Montenegro.
For my final stop in Montenegro, I opted to stay in Kotor. This turned out to be the best decision of the trip!
I have to say Kotor is a town I made my fondest of memories and best experiences.
Here you have many options and lots to do to cater for all types of interests. Kotor, has a much larger old town compared to Budva and also by the coast you can find many boat day trips to the blue cave costing roughly €40.
Kotor is an extremely popular destination as Dubrovnik is only a 2.5 hour drive away attracting many visitors for the day. There are also cruise ships docking for the day from various destinations round the Baltics.
I decided to do a bit of hiking during my time here. You can opt to pay €8 for the ladder of Kotor/ San Giovanni Fortress (which I did) and experience incredible views of Kotor Old Town from above as well as the sea and mountains. There are points on the way which you can stop for a break and the track is fairly easy as there are steps guiding you up. From top to bottom should take you 2/2/5 hours.
A couple of days after (and when my legs recovered) I decided to hike a nearby mountain. This was free of charge and although much harder. A much better experience once you hit the top! You can see pretty much all of Kotor.
To summarise. All of the towns and cities I visited in Montenegro had their own unique selling point to me and all their special features that made this trip so worthwhile. Kotor, Budva and Tivat in my opinion are really worth visiting. They are all super easy and pretty budget friendly to get around. Would I go to Montenegro again? 100%.