Include Montenegro in Your Balkan Tour

Recommendations by Balkan Tales
Where to stay: Hotel 1, Hotel 2, Hotel 3
Where to eat: Dobrotski Dvori, Konoba Portun, Konoba Bonaca.

The ancient town of Kotor is a must see  landmark if you would like to go on a Balkan tour. The town is picturesque, but also the surroundings with limestone cliff make it impressive. The Kotor old town is very small and can be seen for a day, but if you would like to spend some more time enjoying the Montenerian views we can recommend to spend there more time. From Kotor you can go to the beach in Budva, do different day trips to Cetinje, Ostrog monastery or Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Things to do in Kotor

• Explore Stari Grad (Kotor Old Town) on Foot
• Hike to the Kotor fortress on sunset
• Go to the Kotor beach
• Visit the Kotor Farmer’s Market
• View the Old City Walls at Night

In ancient times, caravans passed and took rest there. In the late 19th century, a school, a church, and the captain’s home were built. For all three the construction started on the same day. But the buildings were demolished in the Balkan Wars, and only Sv. Preobraženje now can be seen. It commemorated the victory against the Ottomans.

Two churches are located in the upper part. In one of them St. Basil’s relics can be seen. The wine, growing right out of the rock, is another must to marvel at. In the lower part there is a church built in 1824, the monks’ dwellings and rooms for pilgrims.

Pilgrims traditionally walk from the lower to the upper part barefoot. Before coming into the church where prayers are made, in front of St. Basil pilgrims donate to the monks: clothes, blankets, or other essentials like soap.

Skadar is connected to the Adriatic via the Bojana river. The Drin connects it to another famed lake, Ohrid. The water flowing in comes with the Morača river. Other sources of water lie at the bottom. The inflows from karst springs are special characteristics for the area. There is a massive inundation on the northern side. Among the small islands, in Skadar, are Beška where two churches are located, and Grmožur which was a fortress with a prison.

The canyon is at the north side of the park. You can do rafting and enjoy the most stunning views from the water.

A bird’s eye view is available from Mount Ćurevac, which is 1,625 meters high. There is a road climbing to the mountain from Žabljak town. Black pines, brown bears, gold eagles, peregrine falcons and other species can be spotted in the Durmitor Park.

Among the palaces we recommend, the Bujovic Palace, by the waterfront, an imposing edifice of hewn stone. See the year on the stone tablets featured on the facade, it is 1694. The design was made by a Venetian architect named Fontana.

The Our Lady of Skrpjela, ”Our Lady on the Rock” island is artificial. It was formed in centuries of throwing rocks and also sinking wrecks of ships, this is how the plateau was formed on which the church was built.

The other island, in local language called Sveti Đorđe, is natural. There is a monastery dating from the 12th century.

Extreme water sports are for more adventurous tourists, who will love the winds auspicious for wind surfing.

You also don’t want to miss the freshly caught fish, prepared in the local restaurants .

Book a room out of the accommodation facilities offered by the resort, known as Aman Sveti Stefan. Not just rooms, but, too, cottages, plus 8 suites, will offer comfort. The original walls of old times, plus traditional style doors and windows, make the resort picturesque.

For staying in a suite, there are 8 suites that can be booked, located in the Villa Miločer, dating from the 1930s, a former residence of the queen Marija. Two of the suites are spacious, covering 125 square metres each. The upholstery in them is leather, and there is a plethora of silk and rugs of wool. In all suites you will find fireplaces in the living rooms as well as in the bedrooms, and fantastic ocean views from the first floor. The bathrooms are the epitome of elegance, with antico stone flooring.

For aficionados of swimming in pools, there are two pools, one overlooking the sea and called Cliff Pool, and the other one in the south part, with a poolside equipped with a terrace.

The old town attracts from the height of a hill with medieval ambience and fantastic views of the coast. There is a citadel-fortress, with a tower, the beautiful palace, and the former Slave Square, where slave markets used to be held.

Along the Ulcinj riviera, the Velika Plaža beach is attractive with beauty and with 12 km of sand. It is divided by the other famous beach Ada Bojana. This beach is ideally situated for kite surfing. The water is shallow and warm, and the wind is constant. There are no strong currents or tides.

Lying on the slopes of Lovćen, and being part of the national park of the same name, this picturesque village draws tourists with its architecture in folk style, and also with its local cheese called sir, and the prosciutto called prsut, which are specialities contributing to the appeal of Montenegrin cuisine. You will not find many inhabitants there, the houses are merely 50.

You can reach Njeguši from Kotor, or from Budva. As you reach the height of it, be certain to admire the view on Kotor Bay. As always legends abound here as well. The M shaped road leading to Njeguši is said to have been the first letter of the road engineer’s wife’s name.

Forests combined with six glacial lakes and ridges form the landscape. The park is one of the five parks that Montenegro offers. The peaks there are over 2,000 meters high. Two rivers, Tara and Lim, border it on both sides.

Biogradsko lake is the lowest located glacial lake you will see by the very entrance.

Festivals in Montenegro

• Days of Camellia
• International Klapa Festival
• The fair of Montenegrin souvenirs – Budva
• Theater city – Budva
• Tivat’s cultural summer
• Fascinada
• Mimosa Festival
• Sea Dance Festival
• Bokeljska Noc
• Budva Carnival

Here you can see a list of the Montenegro’s festivals 

UNESCO

Cultural (3)

• Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor (1979)
• Stećci Medieval Tombstone Graveyards (2016)
• Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries: Stato da Terra – Western Stato da Mar (2017)

Natural (1)

• Durmitor National Park (1980,2005)