budva
Arriving in Budva:
Old Town Budva is a beautiful walled city nestled along the coast of the Adriatic sea and surrounded by mountains. Smaller than Dubrovnik, but with far fewer tourists, you can explore the city streets and enjoy the beaches in a more relaxing, less crowded manner! The harbor of crystal clear blue water is host to everything from fishing boats to mega yachts and every where you look, you are surrounded by beauty.
Exploring Old Town Budva:
Old Town is quaint and small and can easily be explored in an afternoon/day, so take your time strolling the streets, stop for meals, try local wine, and explore the sites. The major landmarks to see while you are in or near the walled city would be the Church of the Holy Trinity, St. Ivan Church, The Fortress Citadel (about €3-5 entrance fee), and the Ballerina Statue (located outside of the walled city, walk along the coast towards Mogren Beach and you will find a walkway that will lead you right to it. Takes about 5-10 minutes).
Beaches:
Budva is also surrounded by many beautiful beaches, all offering something unique: Jaz Beach is perfect for water sport activities, Becici Beach is one of the more quiet beaches in the area, Sveti Stefan is public but right near the world famous private island hotel, Mogren is walkable from old town and is one of the larger beaches in the area, and Slovenska, which has many bars and restaurants lining the beach. There are plenty of others to check out as well, but this list should help get you started.
Boat Excursions:
One activity that we highly recommend, is a boat tour with one of the local boats from the marina. Simply walk along the shore and you will be greeted by boat owners offering to take you for a tour. We opted for a half day excursion for about €60 per person, which included drinks, lunch, a boat tour through the bay over to a private beach and snorkeling with all gear included. The excursions can be tailored to what you would like to see and do, so be sure to negotiate prior to settling on a price. We also went to the marina the night before to reserve one for the following day so that we could set our pick-up time without having to try to find one the day of.
Must see sites
- Old Town
- Church of the Holy Trinity
- St. Ivan Church
- The Fortress Citadel
- Ballerina Statue
- Surrounding Beaches
kotor
Just a short 30 min drive away from Budva is the costal town of Kotor and it's stunning views from the top of the fortress. You can get there by taxi for about €25-30 each way or you can go by bus for about €5 (there are multiple departures per day that leave from the main bus terminal).
We would recommend getting an early start to your day if you wish to do the hike to the top of the fortress (€8 per person) because it does get crowded and hot, and the hike itself is no easy feat.... with 1,350 steps to the top, you will want to bring water and comfy shoes to make the climb, but the views over the whole bay are definitely worth it!
Once done with the hike, it will be time for some lunch, and in our case, a big glass of wine! You can enjoy some delicious seafood at Cesarica and head over to Old Winery Wine Bar to do a wine flight of local Montenegro wines. They also offer a charcuterie board pairing so you could easily turn this into your lunch stop as well.
Lastly, take a stroll through the cat filled streets of Kotor and stop to see the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon before heading back to Budva.
Must see sites
- Fortress Hike
- Cathedral of Saint Tryphon