Montenegro: Bay of Kotor, Durmitor, and Europe's Most Underrated Coastal Country

Montenegro is one of Europe's newest countries (it declared independence from Serbia in June 2006, following a referendum in which 55.5% voted in favour) and by some measures its most topographically compressed. In a country smaller than Wales or the US state of Connecticut, you can swim in the Adriatic in the morning and ski on Durmitor's slopes in the afternoon. The coastline is 293km long and backed by mountains that reach 2,522m at Bobotov Kuk. The medieval walled city of Kotor holds a UNESCO World Heritage listing. The Tara River Canyon, at 1,300m deep and 82km long, is the second deepest river canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. All of this exists in a country that received around 2.8 million international tourists in 2023, roughly one tenth of Croatia's visitor numbers in the same year, with correspondingly lower prices and shorter queues at most of the same attractions.

The Bay of Kotor: Europe's Most Dramatic Coastal Scenery

The Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska) is frequently described as the southernmost fjord in Europe. This description is technically inaccurate (it is a ria, a submerged river canyon, rather than a glacially carved fjord) but the visual effect is similar: a body of calm, deep water enclosed on all sides by steep limestone mountains, its inner reaches accessible only through a narrow entrance near Kamenari where the bay abruptly narrows to 340m. The effect from the car ferry that crosses this narrows is of being enclosed by the mountains on both sides simultaneously.

The walled old town of Kotor at the innermost point of the bay is the Bay's centrepiece. The town walls, built primarily by the Venetian Republic (which controlled Kotor from 1420 to 1797), run 4.5km in total and climb 260m up the limestone cliff behind the town to the fortress of St John. The walk from the old town to the fortress takes approximately 45-60 minutes and involves 1,350 steps. The views from the fortress over the bay and the surrounding peaks are exceptional. The walk is best done in early morning before the heat (June-August temperatures in Kotor regularly reach 35°C) and before the cruise ship passengers arrive, which typically happens between 9am and 10am on port days.

Kotor's old town, together with the Boka bay as a whole, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (inscribed 1979, expanded 2022). Within the walls, the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon (the patron saint of Kotor, martyred in 249 CE) is the most important building. Construction began in 1166 CE; a 1667 earthquake damaged the two towers, which were rebuilt in different styles in the 17th century, giving the facade its slightly asymmetric appearance. Entry to the cathedral costs €3. The Kotor Maritime Museum (€4) in the 18th-century Grgurina Palace is unusually good for a small regional museum, with a significant collection of documents and artefacts from the Boka navy's history as a semi-autonomous Venetian naval force.

Beyond Kotor, the towns around the bay each have distinct characters. Perast, 12km northwest of Kotor, is a baroque village of noble palaces built by Boka sea captains from the 17th and 18th centuries; it is home to the most photographed image in Montenegro, the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela), built on an artificial island that local tradition holds was created over centuries by fishermen dropping rocks into the sea on a specific date each year. A water taxi from Perast to the island costs €5 return. Herceg Novi at the entrance to the bay is a larger town with a pleasant old quarter, good beaches to the north at Igalo, and ferry connections to Dubrovnik across the Croatian border.

Budva: The Montenegrin Coast's Most Popular Beach Resort

Budva, 25km south of Kotor by road, is Montenegro's tourism capital and the centre of its package holiday industry. It has an old town (the Budva Stari Grad) that is smaller but similarly atmospheric to Kotor's, surrounded by its own Venetian walls on a small peninsula, and a series of beach coves extending south toward Sveti Stefan. In July and August, Budva is crowded, expensive by Montenegrin standards, and notably loud at night, as it has established itself as the Balkans' premier beach club destination.

For most independent travelers, the point of Budva is not Budva itself but Sveti Stefan, 5km south. Sveti Stefan is a 15th-century island village connected to the mainland by a causeway that was converted in 1960 into a luxury hotel resort. It is now operated by Aman Resorts (as Aman Sveti Stefan) and is private; the island itself, with its beautiful terracotta-roofed buildings and cypresses, can be photographed from the mainland beach but not entered unless you are a resort guest. A room at Aman Sveti Stefan starts from around €700-900 per night in high season and rises to well above €2,000 for the villa options. The beach below the causeway (Sveti Stefan Beach, publicly accessible) offers the same photographic vantage for free.

Durmitor: Montenegro's Mountain Heart

Durmitor National Park in the northwest of Montenegro, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980, is the interior counterpart to the coastal spectacle of Kotor. The park covers 390 square kilometres of high karst plateau, glacial lakes, deep canyons, and Black Pine forest. The central town of Žabljak (altitude 1,456m) is the highest town in the Balkans and serves as the base for most activities in the park.

The Black Lake (Crno jezero), a 20-minute walk from Žabljak, is the most visited lake in the park and one of the most photographed landscapes in Montenegro. Surrounded by Black Pine trees and with Bobotov Kuk visible behind it in clear weather, it is open year-round and free to visit. The park entry fee is €5 per person per day. Bobotov Kuk (2,523m), the highest peak in the Dinaric Alps outside of Bosnia's peaks, is a full-day hike from Žabljak, typically rated moderate to difficult, covering approximately 20km return and 1,500m of ascent.

The Tara River Canyon is the park's most dramatic feature. Running along the park's northern boundary, the Tara River has carved a canyon 78km long and up to 1,300m deep through the limestone over millions of years. White-water rafting on the Tara is the most popular organised activity in Montenegro; full-day rafting trips covering 18km of the most dramatic sections depart from Šćepan Polje (at the canyon's downstream end on the Bosnian border) and cost approximately €40-60 per person including transport, equipment, and lunch. Booking through a Žabljak-based operator rather than a Kotor or Budva tour agency saves 20-30% on the same product.

Practical Information for Visiting Montenegro

Currency and costs

Montenegro uses the euro despite not being an EU member state (it adopted the euro unilaterally in 2002, as did Kosovo). This makes it easy for European visitors. Prices are significantly below those of Croatia (which is the most relevant comparison for Adriatic coastal travel): a good restaurant meal in Kotor's old town costs €10-18 per person versus €20-30 for equivalent quality in Dubrovnik. A double room in a quality apartment or guesthouse in Kotor or Budva in high season costs €60-120 per night versus €120-200 in Dubrovnik.

Getting there

Montenegro has two international airports: Podgorica (the capital, 80km from Kotor) and Tivat (5km from Kotor, the most convenient entry point for the bay). Tivat is served from London Gatwick by easyJet in summer and from several European cities by Ryanair and regional carriers. The overnight ferry from Bari in southern Italy to Bar in Montenegro (operated by Jadrolinija and Montenegro Lines) takes approximately 9-10 hours and costs around €50-100 per person for a cabin in high season; it is an excellent option for those combining Montenegro with southern Italy.

Driving

A car is essential for exploring beyond the main tourist areas, particularly for reaching Durmitor. The road from Kotor to Cetinje (Montenegro's former royal capital) climbs 25 switchbacks in 4km and is one of the most dramatic mountain drives in Europe. The Coastal Road (Jadranska Magistrala) connects the bay towns to Budva and the southern coast.

When to Visit and How Long to Stay

May, June, and September are the best months for a coastal-and-mountains combination trip. July and August offer reliable beach weather but significantly higher prices, more crowded old towns, and cruise ship congestion in Kotor (the town receives up to five cruise ships per day in peak season, temporarily doubling the number of people in a space designed for a medieval population of 5,000). October is increasingly viable and sees the crowds fall away sharply after the end of the Croatian school holiday season.

A minimum of five days is needed to do Kotor, the bay, and Budva any justice. Add two to three days for Durmitor and the canyon to make a complete Montenegro trip. Eight to ten days total makes a very satisfying journey. Montenegro combines naturally with Bosnia and Herzegovina (Mostar and Sarajevo are 3-4 hours from Kotor by road) and with Dubrovnik (2 hours from Kotor, with the Albanian Riviera extending south from the Montenegro border as an increasingly viable add-on).

Montenegro is not undiscovered. A Guardian article in 2019 and a subsequent wave of Instagram coverage have made Kotor and Sveti Stefan familiar images. But "not undiscovered" and "overtourismed" are not the same thing. Montenegro has the infrastructure to handle visitors without the capacity crunch that makes Dubrovnik's old town nearly unusable in July. For Adriatic coastal travel without Dubrovnik prices and crowds, it remains the best option in Europe.

Related: Croatia Travel Guide: Dubrovnik, Split, and the Dalmatian Islands | Balkans Road Trip: Bosnia, Serbia, and Beyond