Montenegro 2025

We chose to visit Montenegro as the first destination for our retirement trip because of its location just north of Croatia, but also because of the varied experiences from walking through old towns to hiking mountains to enjoying the seascapes.  

After flying into Dubrovnik in Croatia, we jumped in our rental car and made our way down the coast into Montenegro. The car rental agency had upgraded us into a BMW sports car so in addition to being beautiful the drive was also fun! 

Our first destination in Montenegro was in the old town of Kotor which is located at the end of Kotor Bay off the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Old town Kotor is closed to car traffic so walking through the narrow walkways, visiting the local shops and restaurants and seeing the historical architecture was really interesting and lots of fun. We made it a point to find each of the small churches in the old town area and walk through those that were open. We also hiked up the fortress walls that served to protect the town centuries ago. The hike was steep and challenging but the night time views of the town and bay were a huge reward!  

Since Kotor is a historical seaport we made sure to take a boat excursion to see the area from the water. Along the way we visited the historical islands off the town of Perast, Russian submarine tunnels from the cold war and ancient fortresses built to guard Kotor Bay. We also visited a private beach and the blue cave where we were able to take a swim in the beautiful and refreshing water!  

On our last day in Kotor we took a quick day trip we took a drive back up the coast to the beautiful town of Perast where we walked along the seaside, visited the local church and enjoyed a great lunch at a small beach club while looking out on the bay.  

While planning for our trip to Montenegro we learned about an amazing hike  in Prokletije National Park in the Grebaje Valley of the Accursed Mountains, also known as the Albanian Alps. This region lies in the northern portion of the country and runs along the Montenegro-Albania border. Our experience getting there proved to be a bigger challenge than we expected due to the  switchback and narrow roads being under construction over a mountain pass but we managed to make it despite a few hours of white knuckle driving!  

We made our way to the village of Grebaje and into Prokletije National Park where we stayed in an A-frame “bungalow” which was a small step up from camping. We were in awe of  the sights and sounds, with free roaming cows with their cowbells clanging, the sheepdogs herding and the towering mountains. The next morning we set out to hike the Volusnica  trail which connects three different peaks of the mountain range and gains more than 3,200 feet of elevation over just 6 miles. Along the way you even hike into Albania on one of the peaks. It was really strenuous but paid off with some of the most amazing views. We wish the pictures would capture how impressive these mountains were, but if you zoom in you might see some people on the trails.

We rewarded ourselves with dinner and a beer on the deck of a small restaurant at the base of the mountains, as we enjoyed the amazing view!

The next morning we set out for the town of Budva which sits along the coast of Montenegro.. Budva is a town that is built around an old town area but is being built up rapidly to accommodate the tourism to the area. We stayed near the old town area which had lots of restaurants and shops and bordered several small beaches and a large marina. We enjoyed exploring the area and spending time visiting the local churches and enjoying the views. 

The Budva Riviera is the coastline along the Adriatic. We explored by car one day, heading south to Lucice Beach and enjoyed the views along the way and an afternoon relaxing in the sun, recovering from our hike.  The next day we explored the coastline by private speedboat to see the gorgeous coastline  with caves and beaches and the coastal towns of Petrovac, Sveti Stefan and Sveti Nicola along with some of the natural beauty of the coast. Jumping in the water to see some of these we realized how hard it was to judge the depth of the water because the water was so clear and we even swam into the tiny cave pictured below!

1. Hiking into Albania on the Volusnica trail in Prokletije National Park

2. Living within the old town of Kotor

3. Boat excursions and swimming  in the Adriatic

4. Lounging at Lucice beach

5.  Driving  the coastline and countryside

6. Eating gelato almost everyday

7. Adventuring drive through the mountains

Lodging

Budva: Airbnb in Old Town Kotor

Grebaje Valley: Bungalows Prokletije

Kotor: Airbnb outside Budva Stari Grad

Transportation

Rental Car (Sixt) with pick up in Dubrovnik/drop off in Split

Note: Make sure you rental car includes border crossing! You will need extra paperwork for borders if you are crossing with a car.

Kotor Restaurants

La Catedral (pasta bar)

Konobas Scala

Senso (coffee and pastries)

Marshall's Gelato

other great coffee shops

Grebaje Valley Restaurants 

only 2 to choose from, unless you go 20 minutes into town

Budva Restaurants

no recs, touristy food restaurants 

Excursions

Kotor: Montenegro Globe (Blue Cave & Beach Adventure, small group)

Budva: Budva Boat Tours (3 hour Panoramic Ride with swimming, private)