Holidaying in Montenegro

[kkelly82]

Hi there. We’re going to Montenegro soon for a holiday with our 12 and 9 year old. We’re staying close to the bay of Kotor. Never been before so I’m looking for hints and tips on where to visit and any other useful advice from people who have been with children. TIA.

We went when our kids were a similar age. They enjoyed walking up to the fort, and we kayaked in the bay one afternoon. We were disappointed with a boat trip to the little island with the church on as we were packed in like sardines. I don't know if its possible to get a private boat trip might be better. We visited a beach on the lustica peninsula that was sandy and shallow, it was lovely surrounded by pine trees. We went there a couple of times. There was a great BBQ place called Tanja or something similar. We got take away from there a couple of times and had it in our balcony. But there were loads of lovely restaurants in the old town and it was lovely sitting out to eat and watching the world go by. We found the weather quite hit and miss with the rain sticking to the hills and we had some big storms. We went to Budva one day when it was raining in Kotor and it was glorious over there so if u have a car definitely try getting out and about if the rain is sticking.

@Sallyingon Thank you. That is all really helpful. Great to know we can kayak in the bay as our boys will enjoy that. We are planning on hiring a car so that’s a good point that if weather isn’t great in Kotor we can maybe drive elsewhere where it is brighter. Weather looks hit and miss next week but I think that’s to be expected in Montenegro.

Montenegro is a brilliant holiday destination! We went pre kids, also hired a car and drove around. There's a fantastic national park called Durmitor which is easy to drive to from the coast, so you don't need to stay there, although we stayed in Zablijak. You can go rafting on the Tara River canyon which is the highest gorge in Europe, it's very gentle, not scary at all, but incredibly beautiful. After the bay of Kotor, we went down to a place called Ulcinj (I think) near the Albanian border, and there's a big lake there for bird watching. The north/west coast is from the Venetian empire, whereas Ulcinj was ottoman empire, so the architecture changed dramatically in such a small place, which was really interesting. Very easy to drive around too. Have a great trip!

We visited Montenegro a few years ago and stayed in Kotor, Tivat and Budva and honestly had the BEST time. Paddle-boarding is great in the Bay of Kotor and would be perfect for kids, and there are loads of cats wondering around Kotor Old Town as well as beautiful walks. Tivat isn't far around the bay from Kotor and has a really posh area by the harbour with great restaurants and boutiques. You can take a bit more of a look at what we did if you needed any inspiration or tips - https://ashotoftheworld.com/blog/our-travels/europe/montenegro/