1-3 Days In Montenegro
While traveling with my family in Croatia, we decided to take a day trip to the beautiful country of Montenegro! Montenegro is a perfect day trip from Dubrovnik or Southern Bosnia. If you have a day or two here, read this blog to find out unique and fun things to do on your trip!
Our Lady of the Rocks
Mentioned in this blog
My Montenegro Itinerary
Day 1 : Kotor, Perast
Perast
My family and I decided to rent a private car and enter Montenegro through Croatia. We only had one day here, so we made sure to make the mosts out of it! Kotor is filled with so much beauty and it's a great place to start with especially if you're coming from Croatia.
Top sights in Kotor
The bay of Kotor
City Walls
Old Town of Kotor
Sea Gate
Castle of San Giovanni
Our Lady of the Rocks
Saint Tryphon Cathedral
St.Nikolas' Church
Top sights in Perast
Perast is also another small town that you can get access to Our Lady of the Rocks in. Many boat captains here will offer to take you, usually being around 5 Euros per person! Our Lady of the Rocks is a Catholic Church built on an artificial island that is definitely worth a visit. On a real island nearby, there is a small monastery built called St. George. This island is also accessible and worth a visit as well. Perast itself is a very small town but very beautiful at that. It's a great place to take a nice stroll and you should definitely add it on your itinerary.
Our Lady of the Rocks
Those two towns are all that I had time for, but there's so much more to see here that you should stay another day! If you're only here for a day, Kotor and Perast are the first two towns you should see since they're so close together and are so extremely beautiful. Both towns are big landmarks of Montenegro and so they're 100% worth a visit.
Day 2: Lovcen, Cetinj, Sveti Stefan
picture from Google
I didn't have the chance to get to go to any of these spots, but you must add them to your itinerary! Montenegro is filled with dozens of beautiful spots with breathtaking views when you visit!
Lovcen- Lovcen is a beautiful national park located in the SouthWest area of Montenegro. It's one of the highest points in Montenegro which means it has insane panoramic views from the top!
Cetinje- Centinje used to be the capital of Montenegro and is a great addition to your trip. Centinje was founded in the 15th century
Sveti Stefan - One of the most beautiful places in Montenegro, Sveti Stefan is home to a couple resorts that have breathtaking beaches! There are many beach towns by Sveti Stefan where you can relax and enjoy a day in the sun!
Day 3: Ulcinj, Budva, Ostrag Monestary
Ulcinj and Budva are both ancient beachside towns where you can relax under the sun and bathe in the beautiful clear blue water. Budva is not only known for its costal city but is also known for its nightlife! These two towns are a great stop if you're looking for more of. a relaxing beach vacation. Each city is very unique and filled with it's own beauty; they're also filled with cats! The cats in these towns are so sweet and always down for a quick cuddle! Ulcinj used to be an ancient seaport where people once said was a home to pirates!
Ostrag Monastery - This monastery is very unique since it is literally located ON A CAVE! The monastery was built in the 1600s and is carved on the side of a cliff. A great location to visit since it is one of the largest tourist attractions in Montenegro; and the monastery itself is said to have had performed some miracles to its patrons!
How to get around Montenegro
Kotor Old Town
There are multiple ways to get around Montenegro. The most cost efficient way to get around is by BUS! The country of Montenegro is very small with very few railway lines; and so buses and cars are the best way to get around. The buses are rarely over 5Euros which make it a great way to travel; and they're all safe to take. Make sure to book your bus ahead of time, especially during peak season (summer) to avoid complications with buses. I use Omnio.com or GetByBus.com. There are a bunch of other websites you can use as well but these two are great. You can also go down to the bus station and buy them there.
The way I personally got around Montenegro was by private driver! I left from Dubrovnik, Croatia and the hotel offered me a discount if I booked a private driver through them. The hotel only charged us 150 Euros for the entire day. This was very cost efficient for my family due to the fact that we drove from a different country and were able to go to a bunch of different towns and stop wherever we wanted! Montenegro and Croatia are usually very cheap in costs, and so hiring a private driver won't be that much money in the end.
I wouldn't recommend renting a car since the sights are very close together in proximity and the roads are very thin; so if you're not familiar with the roads it will be difficult to drive. Driving in Montenegro can be scary if you haven't driven there before, but on the bright side, there's usually not too much traffic.
St. George Monestary