At a glance…
- Days To Spend: 2, or more if you’re taking day trips
- Get Around: By walking
- Get In and Out: By car
- Pay: With a bank card or cash, in Euros
- Speak: In Montenegrin, Serbian, or Croatian, but English will suffice in tourist areas.
- See: Budva Old Town, the Beaches, Kotor, Sveti Stefan, Lake Skadar
- Should you go?: Yes, absolutely
The internet is rife with pictures of Croatia, it’s blue waters and Venetian-inspired cities. What gets less notice however, and is equally, if not more, beautiful, is it’s southern neighbour, Montenegro. Set amongst the dramatic scenery of mountains and the azure waters of the Adriatic, Budva is a town not to be missed in the Balkans.
General Impressions
Montenegrins may well be the kindest and most welcoming people I have met during my travels thus far. Everyone was incredibly helpful and kind to us. Just as an example, in one of Budva’s markets, we were given a multitude of free samples from every stall we went to, and once we decided to purchase some homemade cherry wine, we were given a pot of olives for completely free, without even asking.
Transport
Getting Around
Budva is very small, and basically everywhere is walking distance. Public transport is fairly basic, and we never used it, but it shouldn’t be necessary.
Getting In and Out
We rented a car to go on day trips, and this is a very good choice, as it’s quite cheap and gives you the freedom to roam. More importantly, it allows you to stop along the way and admire the amazing views.
Coaches between major towns exist, but we never used them. From what I gathered they are fairly decent in terms of speed and comfort, but far inferior to renting a car.
Food
Montenegro made me very nostalgic for Poland, as the cuisine is very similar. Meats in sauce, potatoes, even schnitzels are common place. However, there is also the unmistakeable influence of Italian cuisine, with many delicious pasta and seafood dishes. The final influence that makes up Montenegrin cuisine, is the Balkan tradition of grilled meats, which are filling and hearty. One thing to note about Budva in particular, is that it’s very easy to eat a filling dinner for 5 euros, as well as have an unsatisfying meal for 15. It’s very important to avoid toursit traps, like the restaurants on the beach where the food is average and overpriced. We found it’s worth simply asking the locals for recommendations, as they’ll be happy to provide you with the best places to eat.
Drink
It is tradition to drink a shot of rakija, a brandy that is popular over all of the Balkans, when visiting someone’s house in Montenegro. Such is the welcome we got in Masanovic Winery, when we arrived there for our wine tasting, which brings me perfectly onto the other drink that Montenegro is famous for – wine. Wine production in Montenegro is dominated by the Plantaze vineyard, which owns the biggest vineyard in Europe. Unfortunately, their wine is not the greatest, and Montenegrin wine really shines when it comes from a small producer like Masanovic, where they take extreme care to produce the very best wine they can.
Money
Despite not being an EU country, Montenegro uses the Euro (due to historical reasons – they used the German Mark before Germany adopted the Euro). Card machines are accepted quite widely, and ATMs are common.
Language
Montenegrin is spoken in this country, which bears a very close resemblance to Serbian and Croatian. Strangely enough, both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet are used, though it seems that Latin is becoming the more common choice. Most menus and and tourist signage are written in Montenegrin, Russian, and English.
Time
Budva itself is very small. It’ll take a day to explore most of it, and perhaps another day to enjoy the multitude of beaches. However, Budva is also a good base to explore other Montenegrin towns and sights, such as Kotor, Sveti Stafan, and Lake Skadar.
My Favourite Parts
Budva Old Town
Budva has a small, but charming, old town, with narrow, picturesque streets, and 2 small churches that are quite pretty on the inside. The whole old town can easily be explored in an hour.
Mogren Fortress
Overlooking the town of Budva from the top of a hill is Mogren Fortress. Getting here involves a rather enjoyable (though short) hike through the forest covered hill. To begin the hike. you have to make your way to Mogren Beach, and follow it round the cliffs until one reaches a rope, which has to be climbed u. After this, you have to follow the path upwards. There are a few forks and the path is unmarked, but as far as I can tell, the paths leads either to the fortress or a dead end. There are a few other hikers around, so it is worth asking them for directions if you’re unsure. At the top, you a rewarded with the ruins of a fortress, as well views across the entire Budva Riviera.
The Beaches
It would not do to talk about Budva without mentioning its beaches. They are generally pebble beaches, but the crystal clear blue waters more than make up for it. My favourite was the Ricardova Glava Beach, which is located in the Old Town. There is a small stone pier from which you can jump, and you get to swim around the old city walls, providing a very atmospheric and enjoyable experience.
Lake Skadar
Shared with Albania, the massive Lake Skadar is the perfect place for water sports. We went kayaking on the lake, which was not only fun, but also allowed us to discover beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, it does seem like driving to Lake Skadar is the only easy way of reaching it from Budva.
Kotor
Located a short drive away from Budva, Kotor is one for the history nerds. The Old Town of Kotor is much larger and prettier than that of Budva, and features many old churches as well as an old fortress. Unfortunately, we did not enter, as we didn’t want to pay the steep entry price of 8 euros.
Sveti Stefan
A very pretty island that is actually an exclusive resort, which means you can’t enter unless you have a reservation for one of the restaurants. Fortunately, it’s the outside that’s really worth photographing anyway, and the pretty beach is available for the public to use.
Places I’d Avoid
Palazzo Night Club
I have to say, this was the worst clubbing experience I’ve ever had. It started off badly when the lady at the front acted like she was doing us a favour letting us in, when the club itself was practically empty. Then you had to stand at some tables where you were constantly harassed to buy drinks by the multitude of staff. In fact, there was more staff there than customers. You couldn’t leave your table, or the bouncers would firmly bring you back, and you couldn’t have an empty glass or you’d be bothered to buy another one of their overpriced drinks. Overall, a terrible experience and one we left very quickly. Instead, I’d recommend exploring Budva at night for ethereal views of the sea. and a beautiful marina.
Conclusion
Budva, and indeed the whole country of Montenegro, is a land of stunning vistas, beautiful seas, and friendly people. There’s few reasons to NOT visit this small Balkan nation!
We May Roam 