Montenegro?

[BippityBobbityBoo]

Thinking of going in September but just read a few older threads on here saying it’s a bit grotty and chavvy and it’s put me off a bit. Anyone been recently? I love Croatia (going next week), is it similar? Which area would you stay in if flying into Tivat? Ideally somewhere busyish with nice bar’s restaurants and beaches.

TIA :)

Herceg novi is a lovely beach resort. Make sure you visit kotor and Budva as their old towns are gorgeous. The scenery is amazing and a boat trip would be highly recommended.

I’d rather do the above than visit Dubrovnik which whilst lovely, was small and less interesting than the above.

We went last September.
we didn’t visit the beach resorts along the south at all except passing through, so I didn’t experience that aspect at all.

we hiked in the mountains which was really good, then we came south and stayed in Kotor, which is a beautiful walled town. Lots of shops, bars and cats! Easy to get out on boat trips around the fjord or out to sea. We swam in the blue cave which was fab.

we travelled east to Dad something- ruined town, v interesting, and a noticeable change of food and culture as nearer Albania, (lovely mezze!), and we previously went north right to the Serbian border which again was noticeably different.

we then headed to Perast because that was was favorite place, large village on the fjord. We saw quite a lot of older Europeans presumably on coach holidays, couples, wasn’t noisy or party scene at all but I guess we were out of season.

I loved it. We don’t particularly like or do beach holidays with bars and like to experience the culture of where we visit, for me Montenegro had so many different aspects.

I’ve never been but every single person I know who’s been have raved about it and said it’s one of the best places they’ve ever been so following with interest!

I liked trogir particularly and split, and I stayed in a few beachy places whilst touring Croatia, but as in my post above, if I was to do it again I’d prefer Montenegro.

We sailed into Kotor but just for a day a few years back. Staggeringly beautiful. Lovely people, nice shops ( I was able to stock up on missing toiletries in local pharmacy) and restaurants. From a Google there appears to be low crime and good health service.

Thanks for all the info, I’m not so put off any more! I’ve realised how small it is, 2 hours north to south so still just trying to figure out where to base myself where it’s fairly lively along the coast (not lively lively, just plenty of restaurants, markets, boat trips etc). We won’t have a car. Any suggestions? X

Or actually probably two places, planning on a 10 day visit to two different locations 🙂

Kotor would fit the bill, then perhaps a beach further east?
we loved the mountains but it was pretty rural!

If you stay in kotor, the west side of the town is quieter to stay in than the east, less music bars!

Maybe it's changed in the last few years but when we went (around 2006 IIRC) it was definitely matching your description of grotty and chavvy. The area around Kotor bay certainly looked lovely as you looked out to the bay but turn back to the town and litter was strewn everywhere and the towns seemed to have an excessive number of bars playing very loud Euro dance music and frequented by scary looking russians. Also, the locals generally were not friendly.
However, from the other responses, it does sound like it has improved.

I come from that region (I won't be too specific) but I've been to Montenegro and its very nice, yes some places are grotty and chavvy but all places in the Balkans have areas like those. There are also many very beautiful areas in the Balkans!

@BippityBobbityBoo I've just come back - flew into Tivat, stayed in Kotor old town. Not at all chavvy or grotty, a lovely little place! Plenty of restaurants and shops, and an easy base for trips out elsewhere. I definitely recommend.

We went in 2012. How is that 11 years ago?! Flew into Dubrovnik and then stayed in Becici (sp). The hotel was very nice but the resort was only so so. The old town in Budva was lovely and we walked over for a few dinners. Our hotel was a Tui hotel, or whatever they were called then, and we ended up doing a few of their day trips even though we hadn't travelled with them. It was a beautiful country, just not as well developed for tourists as Croatia. Definitely worth a trip though.

Another one worth checking out is Slovenia, we did a couple of day trips from Rovinj and Opatija in Croatia and, again, it was beautiful.

What are the roads like?

Would it be straightforward to drive around?

@wheresmymojo

It's fine to drive around.

The roads are generally OK though in the summer it is very busy on the roads around Boka bay and Kotor to Budva due to the weight of traffic.

If you want to drive up the Serpentine road to Lovcen then that's very tricky but plenty of people do it for the spectacular views. There are lots of hairpin bends and the road is two way and narrow in parts.

The roads are easy to drive around from the main towns, very easy. You hardly need a sat nav as there's just one main road along the whole coast.

Montenegro is anything but chavvy! Beautiful. Great food. Would recommend Budva/Kotor. Also google Porto Montenegro for a day trip at least, the regent hotel there is also brilliant. For beaches/vibe look at Buddha Bar Tivat and Nikki Beach.

Perast is lovely but in summer I would hire a small boat constantly to get around as the roads can be packed!

Also consider inland for a few days, Zabljak (the black lake, coffee shops, hikes) or Kolasin. These are both ski resorts that are lovely for walking, exploring in the summer. Nearby is outdoor activities like eco camps (i recommend Camp Grab for a night or two), you can do white water rafting etc from there. It's a fantastic experience.

I spend extensive amounts of time there every year so let me know if any questions!

Beautiful country, about the size of Wales we hired a car and drove around. Had a hotel at a beach resort loved it

@cheeseandwine2019 Hope you don’t me asking but I’m going to Montenegro soon for the first time with my two children who are 12 and 9. We’re staying near to the bay of Kotor. Is there any where in particular you’d recommend we visit whilst there? Where are the nice beaches and places of interest?

@kkelly82 The beaches near Kotor are small and stony and swimming is usually off little pontoons. The view will be amazing from any of these and for this reason I prefer them to the more sandy ones near Budva. There is a place which hires out kayaks on the bay which your children would like.

The sandy beaches are around the Budva area (Town beach, Mogren, Jaz, Becici) or a boat trip to Hawaii (yes really!) - all will be very busy at this time of year. The road to Budva can be slow due to much traffic in the summer).

Other places to visit are Virpazar for a boat trip on Skadar Lake. This is fun and there are lovely views and if your children are good enough swimmers there can be the opportunity to swim off the boat.

You can visit Budva Old Town which is lovely (though the rest of Budva or Becici I don't rate at all) and also Sveti Stefan for charming views.

Perast is a nice place to go (along the bay from Kotor) especially for the boat trip to the island. A few years ago I hired a speedboat with driver for about £100 for a trip round the bay. I've no doubt the price has gone up now but it was certainly the way to travel.

Of course Kotor Old Town itself is charming and there is the opportunity to hike up to the fortress (please take water!). You have to pay for access to the path (was €8 - it maybe more now).

There are of course lots of cats everywhere which your children may like. Kotor Kitties a UK registered charity do good work sterilising as many of them that funds allow.

For longer trips there is the north of Montenegro but this can take a while to drive to so is probably not a day trip.

Hi! Sorry I meant to respond to this and I can see someone has beaten me to it with a very helpful response!

Kotor Aquarium (small but something to pass the time). Cats of Kotor. Just wandering around Kotor and taking it all in! There's not loads of specific child activities but of course the beaches make up for it.

Good beaches we tend to go to but these are outside the bay (but a short drive):

Plavi Horizonti (I think this will be the closest sandy beach for you)
Movida beach
Rambla beach Lustica bay
To be honest when you're driving around the bay you will find plenty of small spots you can pull over and enjoy a swim. Look at Orahovac too (couple of restaurants and more of a local beach but beautiful).

Other things but a drive away:
Lovcen cable car (just opened in July)
Ostrog monastery
Lake Skadar
Lovcen National park (even in summer it's nice and windy)
The town of tivat, visit Porto montenegro for the evening
Lustica Bay
Porto Novi

The last 3 are all "luxury" resorts but fun to walk around and often have something on. Google Lustica Bay Kids Club, there are activities on all day and I think it's around 5e an hour but it keeps your kids entertained and you can have a coffee!! They have a really active Instagram page.

Agree with the person before saying to hire a boat, soo much more of an easier way to see the bay. Anyway, hope this is somewhat helpful!

The main thing I would say is be prepared for the heat and the fact you may end up being inside from 11-3 everyday as the sun is very strong and intense!! Enjoy your trip!

Also lots of places you can hire pedalos, paddle boards, kayaks etc!

@ItsReallyOnlyMe @cheeseandwine2019 Thanks very much for your detailed replies. Super helpful to know of places close by and within easy driving distance to go and visit. I’ve made a note of everywhere that sounds like we’d want to visit. Great shout to hire a boat. Sounds like an ideal way to see the bay! Thanks again.

@cheeseandwine2019 Hi, hope you don’t mind me coming back to you. I wanted to ask you your thoughts on hiring a car verses using public transport. Given how hot it’s going to be we probably won’t be going too far but still want to visit places nearby such as Budva old town and Perast as well as driving around the bay. Also have you got a taxi from Tivat airport to Kotor and if you have how easy is it to get one? The owners of the apartment we’re staying in can arrange one for us at a cost of 30 euros but I don’t know how reasonable this is.

Hi! I would definitely rent a car, buses are plentiful but unreliable and especially if you're with kids it would be a nightmare. Eg. The bus from Tivat to Kotor was 2 hours late the other day and is meant to be hourly... I strongly strongly recommend a car. I think it will make your holiday far more complicated without one. Most don't have aircon. And traffic can be horrendous. Trust me on this one!!! If you weren't with kids it would probably be fine but a car will make your trip so much easier.

Taxis can be cheap but also just hit and miss depending on if the driver is trying to fleece you or not.... i actually think 30e is about right for a taxi to Kotor. You aren't going to get much cheaper than 25e I don't think anywhere else!!

Let me know if you need anything else!

@cheeseandwine2019 Thanks for the really helpful reply again. We weren’t sure whether a car was needed but now it seems clear that we will need one. I definitely don’t want to be waiting long periods of time in the very hot sun with two children! Also thanks for confirming that this seems a reasonable price for a taxi. Your replies have been super helpful 😊