A trip to Montenegro is a mixture of nature, landscapes, wild beaches and welcoming local people. Montenegro, or by its other name Corna Gora, is considered among the knowledgeable one of the most beautiful pearls in Europe. High and black mountains, which gave the tiny country its name, deep bays, ancient churches and impressive landscapes, all draw here visitors who came especially, or emerged from Dubrovnik, in nearby Croatia, every day. In recent years, Montenegro has made Black Forest a very attractive destination for tourists but it is still unknown and many travelers find it difficult to plan a trip in Montenegro and decide where to travel in this picturesque little country, which is full of attractive tourist destinations. A trip to Montenegro passes through green mountains, spectacular beaches, and ancient and picturesque towns with magical castles from the Middle Ages.
A trip to Montenegro is attractive due to the short distances in the small country, because of the Mediterranean climate, and many opportunities for sporting activities – from horse riding jeep tours to white water rafting. In order to make it easier to plan your itinerary, we have concentrated the main sites in Montenegro for you.
Ulcinj
The town of ulcin is in southern Montenegro just off the border with Albania, it is an ancient coastal town that in the distant past became known as the center of action of the Adriatic Sea Pirates. Today the city is best known for its many beautiful beaches, the most popular of which is the sandy beach – a relatively rare Montenegro affair where many of the beaches are full of gravel and not sand – of Plazhe e Mahed (Long Beach). Bojana Beach is another well-known beach in Montenegro located on an island near Ulcin which also contains a number of pastoral beaches.
UlCin also differs from the rest of Montenegro in the large percentage of the Albanian population and the turrets sprouting from mosques in the city add to the unique feel of it as a slightly different city in Montenegro, and walking along the coastal promenade eating a delicious kebab on the way or a rich Turkish coffee mug only add to the magic that makes a holiday in Ulcinj a great experience.
Sveti Stefan
Sveti Stefan is a very small and picturesque island that is considered one of the top tourist attractions in Montenegro. It is located off the shores of the Budva Riviera not far from the city of Budva itself. It is a rocky island filled with Italian-style orange terracotta roofs, with a small strait connecting it to land. The island has been inhabited since the 15th century, then a fishing village was established on it until in the 1950s when Montenegro was part of Communist Yugoslavia, a decision was made to nationalize the tiny village – residents were evacuated and Sveti Stefan became a luxury resort.
The tourists who spent a holiday in Sveti Stefan include Marilyn Monroe, Sofia Lauren and Kirk Douglas, but the condition of the town were terrible during the fall of the former Yugoslavia. In 2010, the Sveti Stefan Hotel reopened as part of the Aman Resorts hotel chain. Sveti Stefan is a charming tourist destination but has one notable drawback: you can’t actually enter the village itself unless you are hotel guests, and organized trips in Montenegro are content with short stops for photos off the island’s beaches. By contrast, tourists can use the two seashores on either side of the strait, but note that they are covered with stone and not sand.
Mount Lovcen (Mount Lovcen)
Montenegro is a mountainous country with many high mountains but one of Montenegro’s most prominent tourist attractions is Mount Lovcen and its two huge granite peaks. Mount Lluvcen is located within Mount Lovcen National Park and is a source of pride for Montenegro residents. If you climb the mountain you can see impressive views of the city of Kotor, the surrounding hills and the Bay of Kotor. The nearby Njegoš mausoleum, with its round observation deck, is also a destination for Montenegro tourists and locals who want to pay tribute to the poet and philosopher buried there, Petar II Petrović-Njegoš who wrote Montenegro’s National Epic Poem “The Alien”.
Biogradska Gora National Park
Biogardska Gora National Park, nestled between the Tara and Lim rivers in central Montenegro, is a pristine nature site that offers hikers a glittering lake, streams, green meadows and one of the only remaining forests on the European continent. Although one of Montenegro’s smaller national parks, it offers the widest variety in terms of vegetation and animals, including 500-year-old trees. Most tourists head straight to Lake Biograd / Lake Biograd, a large glacier located in the heart of the park. Tourism development in recent years in the neighboring town of Kolašin has made it a starting point for walks around the park which is one of the must-see destinations in Montenegro
Cetinje
Cetine, a 15th-century town, is known for its many embassies built when it was the capital of Montenegro in the past. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, its location in a continental valley on the border between Europe and the Ottoman Empire made it a good strategic point for diplomacy. Today, the elegant estates built for high-ranking ambassadors from across Europe in Continental architecture style serve as museums, academic institutions, and administrative buildings. Other interesting tourist sites include the 15th-century Vlah Church and its fence, which may date from the Ottoman period, as well as the Cetinje Monastery, which contains a collection of early Christian religious symbols
Ostrog Monastery
The Ostrog Monastery is undoubtedly one of the attractions in Montenegro for tourists – it is a special structure located at a high point of the huge Ostroška Greda mountain rock, arguably the strangest architectural Montenegro in Montenegro – the entire monastery is hewn in a cave in a nearly vertical cliff, with only its white appearance In the distance as if it were part of the mountain. It features two inner churches decorated with murals, some painted directly on the sides of the rock. The Ostrog monastery was built in the 17th century as a hiding place for monks and Christians from the invasion of the Ottoman Empire and contains the remains of its founder, Swati and Celia.
Kotor
To many, Kotor is the leading tourist attraction in Montenegro – the city of Kotor located in Kotor Bay (which also includes other localities) is considered one of the best-preserved medieval towns in the Adriatic region. It is a walled fortress city hidden among the high mountains that surround the deep, azure canals of Kotor Bay water. Kotor’s stunning architecture reflects the different empires that ruled the area, and is best known for its ancient city full of well-preserved medieval Venetian streets nowadays filled with shops and cafes
Kotor’s most notable building is the 12th-century Cathedral of Saint Tryphon. The engraved stone altar found in the cathedral is a special example of a talented stone chisel art where Kotor was known in the Middle Ages. Those who climb the upper city walls to an uphill fortress will enjoy breathtaking views of the city and the bay – but note that this is a difficult climb that can be problematic for adults, people with disabilities or families who come to Montenegro with children
Perast
Perast is a beautiful little town northwest of Kotor and shares with it beautiful Kotor bay. The tiny, peaceful Perast is recognized for its landscaped stone villas and the multitude of its historic churches. Two of the city’s most picturesque churches are located on tiny islands off the coast of Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks and St. George – there are no doubt that these are attractive tourist attractions. There are 20 ancient churches in the continental part of Perast, among them the Church of St. Nikola, also a tourist attraction in Montenegro that is worth a visit because of the beautiful views of the bell tower. There is no tidy beach in Perast, but the rocks that leach along the waterline and prevent bathing are a popular destination among tourists who go to sunbathe and rest.
Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park is a wild forest that surrounds the Zabljak Mountain Village and is a recommended tourist destination in Montenegro for nature-seeking travelers and families looking for outdoor activities while hiking in Montenegro. The park, nestled among the Dinar Alps, boasts the rising peaks of the Durmitor Mountain Range, 18 glacial lakes known among them as the Black Lake and the Tara River flowing through it, and where the world’s second largest natural canyon is located after the Grand Canyon – Tara Canyon
The park’s fauna includes 163 species of birds and mammals – from wild boars to brown bears, and also Europe’s largest variety of butterfly species. If you are planning a trip to Montenegro in the summer, enjoy recreational activities such as white water rafting, camping and trekking in the park. If you are planning a winter break in Montenegro you can enjoy winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding in the park
Budva
The city of Budva is located in the middle of the Montenegro coastline in the Montenegro Riviera named after it – the Budva Riviera. It is a medieval old town well transformed with a charming and vibrant ancient city and has a wealth of tourist attractions, beaches and a large number of important cultural institutions to Montenegro, including the ancient urban citadel, and the home of the Serbian writer and politician Stefan Mitrov. But Budva’s well-known nightlife is one of the key factors attracting young tourists and making it the most popular tourist destination in Montenegro
At night you will find crowds of tourists visiting the many bars, clubs and restaurants, and during the day you can sunbathe on one of the 35 beaches in the area. There are also quite a few attractions in Budva for families coming to Montenegro with children such as a local amusement park and the “half submarine” where you can sail and see the sea water from a glass floor in the ship’s stomach
