Being one of the youngest countries in the world (declared their independence on June 3, 2006), Montenegro was one of our favorite places we went during our holiday.  Though we spent very little time in the beautiful country, 1 day, we would 100% go back and stay longer!

Tips:

1. The official currency of Montenegro is the Euro.  Bring Euros
2. Border crossing can be long, so make sure you allow at least an hour. Bring your passport! And don’t worry, the experience isn’t that intimidating. Everyone was friendly to us! (plus you get a stamp !!)
3. Try the local beer!
4. You will find most of the tourist here Russian.  Reason why – there is a direct flight from most major Russian cities into Montenegro.  Also Russians don’t have to have a visa to visit.

Transportation

We took a bus from Dubrovnik to Montenegro.  We highly suggest not taking Super Tours (via Viator) since the whole pick/drop off is a mess.  They tell each group different locations where the bus will pick you up and we of course were the first pickup at 7am and didn’t leave Dubrovnik till 8:30am.  On the way back, the bus dropped people off at their hotel instead of the pre-assigned stops.  Too much time on the bus! I don’t want to discount, the staff and experience once we got into Montenegro which was lovely, we just would hire a car next time.  Well worth the money!! A car hire would be about $350 for the day.

Sveti Stefan

Sveti Stefan is a small islet with a 5-star hotel resort on the Adriatic Coast, just south of Budva. Its a beautiful resort with lovely beaches.  Don’t expect a free beach bed and umbrella – it comes at a price of $75 per day.  We enjoyed the views from above since we were on a time schedule.

Budva

Budva was compared to Miami Beach.  We saw why once we arrived – sandy beaches, beautiful waters, lots of people and promotion posters for the nightlife.  There is an Old Town in Budva – a well-preserved medieval walled city.  Budva is 2,500 years old, which makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast. We enjoyed a lunch near the harbor and laid out on the beach during out 2 hour stay.

Kotor

Kotor s a fortified town in a bay near the limestone cliffs of Mt. Lovćen. The bay is combination of fresh and salt water which was interesting to swim in! Characterized by winding streets and squares, Kotor’s medieval old town has several Romanesque churches, including Kotor Cathedral.  We took a hike up the trail to enjoy the incredible views over the Bay.  We highly suggest doing this hike, but fill up those water bottles in the fountain, wear suitable clothes and embrace the sweat! We decided that Havaianas and bathing suits/coverups were the best gear for the trip.  (or not!)

Perast

Saving our favorite place for last! Perast is an old town just a couple kilometers from Kotor. Located on the Bay, this town was our last stop on our trip.  The group took boats to the islands across the way, but we decided to stay back because we found a beach club! Pirate Bar  was filled with a Russian friendly crowd, music was bumping and cold beverages were being served.  We found two spots looking at the bay and immediately jumped in the fresh/salt water.  It was so refreshing.  We could have stayed here all day, but as always good things had to come to an end! That doesn’t mean they can’t happen again….we will see you again Perast one day!