Must knows
1) Buses & public transport is very unreliable and might take much longer than expected, opt for walking, renting a car & taxis
2) As Montenegro is not EU, make sure to get a eSim for internet
3) English language is not always guaranteed, good to have a translator app with Serbian language downloaded
4) Hight differences are big, a 5 min walk in Google maps might be much more
5) Tivat airport & the roads around it are very crowded and not able to efficiently handle the amount of people there are, avoid if possible
6) Podgorica (the capital of Montenegro) is nothing to write home about as it is just a commercial center, spend your time in coastal towns & national parks
Day 1 : Budva
Although Budva is known for many beaches I would not recommend going to the beach there, rather use the beaches a little outside.
Wonder the old town & the Mogren beach footway
Have lunch at a pasta kiosk or take away and eat at the beach
Have dinner with a view
Booking ahead is advised and go 1h before sunset for the best experience!
Day 2: Kotor & Blue cave
Kotor old town & marina is great to wonder and see the famous Kotor bay. You can even take a boat ride if you want to see the blue cave & our Lady of the Rock.
If you have time you can also visit the Mountain coaster in Kotor for thrilling views of the bay.
Day 3: More small towns & Winery
Explore the small towns around the Bay of Kotor with a car for excellent views, foods, bars & local atmosphere. I recommend checking out Perast but there are many other places as well along the scenic drive around the bay. Also do not forget to stop for a swim in various beaches along the way!
I would recommend going to explore the surprisingly great Wine scene in Montenegro. There are may wineries - the one we visited was small but absolutely beautiful with great food & wine (book ahead).
Day 4: Go south
For a little different view of the coast take your car south and explore towns there. Few highlights below!
Sveti Stefan is a great place to wonder and have a rest at the beach!
For a bit of a thrill the Vodopad waterfall is a cool place to visit (please be advised that the drive there is not for the faint hearted or big cars!)
To end the day book a table at Giardino to enjoy the most beautiful sunset garden dinner.
Day 5 & 6: Durmitor national park
Take a drive to the Durmitor national park for minimun 2 days (as it is a longer drive and there is so much to do & see).
We recommend to have a pitstop during the way in Niksic, the home town of the most famous local beer. The prices at Niksic are already lower than the cost but restaurants are great!
Once arriving to Durmitor we recommend going to see the Black lake & the Tara Canyon bridge are not very challenging physically after a long drive. can also swim in the lake.
Just a warning, Black lake is one of the most magical places I have ever been to - if you are brave enough you
At Tara you can also take a zip line across the canyon which we highly recommend.
End the day with a great dinner at
The next day choose a hike to go to. We chose to hike the Prutas peak (intermediate) but there is also the famous Bobotov Kuk you can hike (challenging so do your research).
I highly recommend the Prutas Peak hike as it was absolutely beautiful and took around 6h to complete. Research all hikes you plan to go to as this one was partly also challenging and it was very cold on the top so appropriate clothes, shoes & snacks needed.
If you have some time
On your way to the airport or when driving towards Kotor etc. stop by the most expensive marina (for boats to dock) in Europe. Even more expensive than Monaco. It is beautiful with nice places to eat and watch the yachts go by!
The home for unique & authentic travel
