Montenegro
Montenegro is a small Balkans Country that borders Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Albania and disputed Kosovo. It’s a rugged country of mountains that give it the name Montenegro or “Black Mountain”. It’s one of the developing nations in Europe, being in the lower tier of European wealth by nation, but it is growing. Tourism with its beaches, and hiking opportunities has become a big industry for the country and Kotor is a cruise port visited often on Adriatic and Mediterranean cruises. We visited Kotor and Budva in 2019 when we took an Ocean cruise that also stopped in Dubrovnik.
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Getting to Montenegro and Transportation
Montenegro lies on the Adriatic Sea and the main way tourist arrive is by cruise ship at the Port of Kotor. That is how we visited the country in 2019. The country has two international airports as well. The capital city of Podgorica that serves a variety of European Airlines with many of them being seasonal flights for the summer season. Montenegro has a flag carrier named Air Montenegro that is relatively new and serves a few cities in Europe. The second international airport is Tivat on the coast that handles the bulk of its flights during the summer months as well. There is limited rail service to Serbia and few European standard highways in the country. Buses are the main way of getting around the country and can take you to most cities. Montenegro isn’t the most connected country by far but is somewhere you can get to with a change of planes in Europe or by a cruise.
Country Information
Montenegro is a small nation along the Adriatic in the Balkans Region. It’s currently not a member of the European Union but has applied. The official language in Montenegrin which is similar to Serbian and has both a Latin and Cyrillic Alphabet. Albanian, Croatia, Serbian and Bosnian are also spoken in the country. When we visited, everyone we encountered spoke English, so we didn’t have an issue. The country is a Republic with a single parliament chamber. The currency like in Croatia is the Euro. They are a relatively young country having only gained independence from Serbia in 2006. As with most of the former Yugoslavian countries, they are a developing nation that is less wealthy than the Western European countries. At the time of this writing in 2026 the US State Department rates Montenegro a Level 1 country meaning it is in the safest category of countries. Do take normal precautions but we felt safe in all the areas we visited. As always do your own research as things can change and only you can decide to travel.
Bay of Kotor
The first place we saw in Montenegro is the beautiful Bay of Kotor. It’s a large area that looks like Norwegian Fjords but it’s not a Fjord. We had not visited the Fjords of Norway or any other region like that yet, so we didn’t know what to expect. It’s actually a sunken river valley carved through the rock over millions of years. As you enter the bay a small peninsula juts out where the 1850s Fort Punta Oštro sits at the Southernmost point of Croatia. As our cruise ship sailed through, we were flanked by tall mountains that went into the sea. As we got closer to Kotor, we could see the small harbor islands that are home to Saint George Catholic Monastery that is a 12th century Benedictine church. Seeing Kotor, you can see the city walls that climb into the mountains. The Bay of Kotor is part of the greater UNESCO World Heritage Site of Kotor. It’s a very nice scenic sail that’s well worth experiencing!
Budva
We headed out of Kotor to the Adriatic Coast and one of the major tourism areas of Montenegro. We passed through mountains and hills as we headed to Budva. Budva is a very old city that has been inhabited for over 2,500 years. It’s not too far from Tivat Airport and is called the Budva Riviera for its beaches, restaurants and hotels. We walked past many restaurants and shops that reminds me of an area like Cancun in a way. We headed to the Old Town in Budva.
Old Town Budva
We headed into the Old Town that is walled by large medieval period town walls with large gates you pass through. The nearby Venetians ruled the area during time when the walls were built. There are plenty of walkways inside with shops, restaurants, and boutique hotels. We headed to a very unique square called the Square of Churches that is flanked by the Orthodox Church called the Holy Trinity Church and the Church of John the Baptist. The Church of John the Baptist was constructed in the 7th century, and the Holy Trinity Church was finished in the early 1800s. We went inside the Church of the Holy Trinity to see the beautiful frescos of stories from the Bible and the lives of the saints. Orthodox Churches are usually painted in beautiful colors and have ornate alters. Nearby the churches is the Citadel of Budva which is the inner keep or fortress of the old town. Today its a museum and a place of cafes and a great viewpoint of the water and nearby islands. After our visit to Budva we headed back to Kotor to visit its UNESCO World Heritage site Old Town.
Budva Tour Options
Kotor
After visiting the beautiful Adratic city of Budva, we headed to Kotor where our ship was docked. Before we got to Kotor, we stopped at a nice carpet store as the Middle East and countries like Kotor have amazing carpets. They are truly works of art that are hand made with intricate knots and beautiful designs. It takes the weaver/artist days at least to hand tie each knot. We purchased a carpet for our art collection and headed to Kotor.
Kotor is a city that is slightly smaller than Budva and has a very different atmosphere. It is another ancient walled city but it’s not on the Adriatic Coast but in an arm of the Bay of Kotor. The city is a UNESCO World heritage site with its well-preserved walls, historic churches and famous hikes like the Ladder of Kotor that is a set of 70 switchbacks that take you to a high overlook over Montenegro. There is also the San Giovanni Fortress Stairs that are 1350 steps that take you to a fortress that overlooks the gorgeous Bay of Kotor. The fortress falls for the city climb high into the mountains. The city was sieged multiple times by nations/empires like the Ottomans, French, British and Habsburgs. The old town is protected by medieval walls as well.
Old Town Kotor
We headed to Old Town Kotor and started at the Sea Gate (main gate) that mixes time periods. While it’s a medieval wall, there is the seal of the former Yugoslavia and the quote “What belongs to others, we don’t want, what is ours, we will never surrender.” that is from Yugoslavian leader Tito. Flanking that is the Winged Lion of St. Mark that is the symbol of Venice that ruled Kotor for nearly 400 years. From there the old town is full of historic churches that are of different denominations such as Orthodox and Catholic. There are squares like the Arms Plaza with its 1602 Venetian Clock Tower. There are also plenty of great shops and restaurants in the old town. If you are a cat lover like we are then Kotor is also great for you. They have a belief that cats are good luck after they were said to have protected the Old Town. There is a cat museum and plenty of well fed and taken care of cats around. They are an unofficial symbol of the Old Town, and you can find plenty of them on souvenirs. We didn’t have a tremendous amount of time in Kotor, but we did get to see quite a bit of the old town.
Kotor Tour Options
Conclusion
Montenegro is a beautiful nation that is developing after the struggles of the 1990s. It has a wonderful coastal charm with its beaches, and the Bay of Kotor with its Fjords. It’s full of beautiful mountains and historic fortresses, and cats in Kotor. While the country is a little more difficult to get there if you are flying, driving or going by rail, it’s well worth the visit and we would like to explore it further someday!
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