The best things to do in Montenegro

We had the opportunity to discover this beautiful country during an 8-day road trip organized by Travelbase, a travel agency. Our road trip to Montenegro was a real eye-opener: old towns and fishing villages, national parks and roads with breathtaking panoramas, mountains and lakes. This country bordered by the Adriatic Sea is sure to surprise you, and we had the impression of visiting several countries in a single week. In this article, you’ll find our complete guide to what to do and how to travel in Montenegro. We hope it will help you organize your stay in the Balkans, so let’s get going!

Visit Montenegro, what to do, what to see? Our must-sees

1. Kotor Bay

It’s impossible to visit Montenegro without passing through here! Also known as the “Bouches de Kotor”, this bay forms a huge canyon that’s well worth discovering. You can discover these incredible landscapes from the heights (with the famous Serpentine road) or from the sea by taking a boat trip. The towns on the Bay of Kotor are also worth a visit, including Kotor and Perast.

For all our advice on where to sleep and eat in the Bay of Kotor, we suggest you take a look at our full article dedicated to Kotor and Perast!

2. Durmitor National Park

Durmitor National Park is a real must-see on a travel to Montenegro! To get there, you’ll need to take the road towards the north of Montenegro and drive for a few hours. Once you’ve arrived in Durmitor Park, you can expect to take in the sights on route P14! The roads are incredibly beautiful, and at every turn you’ll see new landscapes, mountains, charming little houses and herds of cows. We loved it here and really recommend that you plan at least 2 days in the Durmitor region.

In Durmitor National Park, we recommend you see :

• The Bobotov Kuk
• The Black Lake
• The Vrazje Jezero

To find out more about these three places and get all our tips (where to sleep in Durmitor? Where to eat in Durmitor), we suggest you check out our article dedicated to Durmitor Park!

3.Ostrog Monastery

This stunning 17th-century site is a must-see if you want to see a Monastery built into the heart of the rock. People come here to admire the amazing architecture or as part of a pilgrimage.  Everything is free on site, from the entrance to the Monastery to the parking lot.

We chose not to go there because the road took us several hours out of our way, but apparently the Ostrog Monastery is incredible. If you have time on your Montenegro vacation, add it to the itinerary!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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4. Lake Skadar

The panoramic view of Skadar

You absolutely must go to the view point to admire the view of Lake Skadar! Here’s the GPS point to head to for an eyeful.

Virpazar

This small village is the ideal place to take a boat trip on Lake Skadar. You can book with one of the captains set up at a small stand in the heart of the village. For our part, we stayed one night at the Hotel Pelican and chose their boat tour, which starts at 6am. If you’re wondering what to do in Montenegro, this is one activity we loved. We really recommend doing this activity early in the morning, which allows for pretty light and no other boats. You’ll get incredible views of the lake – you’d think you were in Asia! The village of Virpazar also has a pretty little square with several restaurants for lunch or dinner.

Karuc

This small fishing village is located in the heart of Lake Skadar. There’s not much to visit in Karuc, but you can enjoy the pretty views over the lake. We also advise you to plan a drink in a hidden restaurant that picks you up by boat from a pontoon. Go to the Karuc pontoon and call the number on the sign (+382 (0)69 844 123) and a member of the restaurant team will pick you up by boat. Then you can go for lunch or a drink in this amazing place right in the heart of Lake Skadar!

5. Budva

Budva is a town on the Adriatic coast quite close to Kotor (about 45 minutes’ drive). The outskirts of the town are very built-up and touristy, not very attractive if you don’t like mass tourism. However, the walled town center is really lovely and worth a visit. We fell under the spell of Budva’s narrow cobbled streets and numerous terraced bars. We advise you to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds, or late in the day to have a drink and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

6. Bar and Petrovac

These two pretty towns by the Adriatic Sea look like great places to spend the day. We only saw them from the road, but it made us want to! If you’re looking for a more “beachy” day out during your stay in Montenegro, you can head to one of these two towns.

7. Bonus: a little passage through Albania to discover Theth

Our itinerary took us through the village of Theth in Albania, which allowed us to discover some incredible scenery along the way, a pretty church and an incredible waterfall at the finish. It’s up to you to see if you have time to make the detour on your Montenegro itinerary!

Visiting Montenegro, where to sleep?

If, like us, you choose to visit Montenegro by touring for several days, it’s advisable to take one night in each corner you plan to discover. As a result, we changed accommodations every night! This isn’t the most relaxing thing, but it allows you to see a lot of the country and discover many different places.

A hotel on the Bay of Kotor

This hotel is 1km from Kotor’s old town and 100 meters from the beach, which is perfect for enjoying a little peace and quiet during your Kotor vacation. The apartments all have balconies or terraces and the hotel has a superb swimming pool with an incredible view over the Bay of Kotor.

Unusual accommodation in Durmitor

If you ever want to have an original experience during your vacation in Montenegro, we recommend sleeping in a small traditional hut in the heart of the Durmitor mountains! For this, we recommend the Nevidio Eco Village for cabins with every comfort (bathroom and toilet), good bedding and a balcony with a view of the mountains. You can also have lunch and dinner on site, which is super convenient as there aren’t many towns and restaurants in the area. A great experience in Durmitor!

Visiting Montenegro, practical information

How to get to Montenegro

To get to Montenegro, the easiest and quickest way is to fly. There are several direct flights with Transavia:

• Paris Orly – Podgorica: 1 flight per week
• Paris Orly – Tivat: 3 flights a week

There are also a few direct flights from Lyon or Nantes. Alternatively, you can choose a flight with a connection, we had one in Serbia with Air Serbia, but we don’t recommend by the layover time is very short and you risk missing the next flight (like us 😂).

How to rent a car to visit Montenegro

During our road trip in Montenegro, we had a 4×4 and we recommend this type of vehicle to be sure to pass on all the roads in Montenegro if you want to venture out a bit everywhere!

3 little warnings about cars and roads in Montenegro:

• Cars are generally quite dated and mileage-wise, so we’d advise you to take out a good insurance policy in case you have a glitch while on vacation in Montenegro.
• The roads can be quite dizzying and narrow, so it’s not uncommon to have to pull over to the side to let vehicles in the opposite lane pass. It’s still doable, but we’d prefer to warn anyone who isn’t reassured on the road!
• Traffic is generally limited to 80 km/h and it’s forbidden to have even a drink while driving. Also, Montenegrin police tend to stop tourist cars (even for a very slight speeding ticket) and offer to pay their fine in cash… Be vigilant on the road and don’t be surprised if this happens to you (unfortunately…).

How to avoid overcharging in Montenegro

If you’re heading to Montenegro in the near future, we advise you to be careful with your off-pack. The simplest solution is to opt for an eSIM in advance of your trip. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to check out our opinion on Holafly.

Must-do activities in Montenegro

When to come and visit Montenegro?

The best months to visit Montenegro are between May and September. July and August will be quite hot and more touristy, but we were in that period and found it quite tenable. In the south of Montenegro, temperatures are higher, and at the end of July it was between 27 and 34 degrees. In northern Montenegro we had cooler temperatures (around 20 degrees) and quite a lot of rain, so bring a kway!

What is the currency in Montenegro?

The currency in Montenegro is the euro. You can pay throughout the country in euros and most of the time by credit card. However, be sure to keep some cash on you for small villages and restaurants that favor this type of payment.

What is the cost of living in Montenegro?

The cost of living in Montenegro is still more affordable than in France. A meal for one person will cost you between €10 and €15. By the way, the final bill will be higher than the one indicated on the menu, as they add an amount for service. But the prices are still very reasonable! Petrol (at the time of our visit) was at the same rate as in France. The most affordable hotel nights are between €10 and €30 a night.

How to find the best hotels to visit Montenegro?

In order to find the best hotels and benefit from the best conditions (security, cancellation…) we go almost exclusively through Booking.com for our trips. We recommend that you take a look at the available hotels and filter them according to their ratings. There are plenty of recent customer reviews, so there are no nasty surprises when you’re traveling!