Sunday 28 January 2018

Montenegro.me

Arrival and where to stay. 

You'll most likely fly into Podgorica most likely stay somewhere around Budva :) My tip would be to not stay directly in the city of Budva: there's not much to do and there're much more charming places to be - rent a car and you'll be free to explore the beauties of Montenegro, but will at the same time be able to have some peace and quiet if you find a cosy little village, close to the beach, without having to fight the hoards of tourists at the public beach or flocking under your windows at night.

Dangers and annoyances. 

People in Montenegro are in general extremely nice and welcoming, but do beware of the local drivers, the police and parking in areas that seem to be used only by the locals. Unfortunately, I actually had to waste the whole day because some idiot messed up my windscreen wipers and I had to register with the local police (who are NOT efficient by even the lowest standards) only for the rental car dude to ignore my police report once he saw that I ACTUALLY have it :-)

Drobni Pijesak, Petrovac & Sveti Stefan

  • Given we stayed in the tiny village of Rafailovići (a 30-minute drive to Budva), an easy excursion to a new beach was to go to Petrovac and to Drobni Pijesak
  • Visit Sveti Stefan - a wonderfully beautiful hotel island on the shores of the Adriatic Sea next to Budva

Budva (things to do in and around):

  • Roam around the Stary Grad (Old Town) of Budva, check out Crkva Ivana Krstitelja (St. Ivan Church), visit the harbour and the market.
  • Enjoy beautiful sunsets by the sea with a bottle of wine. 
  • If you're driving pretty much anywhere from Budva, you'll most likely have to pass by the biggest lake in Europe, Lake Skadar - a pretty scenic largest stop even if you're not planning to make a one-day trip of visiting it. 

Ostrog Monastery & Skadar Lake 

  • Ostrog Monastery - Ostrog monastery is also informally called "St.Basil's wonder" as no one knows how the hell you can build a monastery in a cave on a vertical cliff.

Bar (things to do): 

  • Watch the sunset at one of the beach bars in Bar (no pun intended) and eat seafood (squid and octopus I've tasted there are a reason to live per se!!!)

Lovćen National Park (things to do):

  • Drive the serpentine road to Lovćen National Park and c
    heck out the views of the Kotor Bay from the scenic Cetinje-to-Kotor road.

  • View the Bay of Kotor from away from the Njegoš Mausoleum
  • Descend the 462 steps of Njegoš Mausoleum, the final resting place of Petar II Petrović Njegoš, Montenegro's most beloved son.
  • Taste the original ham (Njeguški pršut) and cheese (Njeguški sir) in the village of  Njeguši

Bay of Kotor 

  • The Bay of Kotor can be found on a number of Most Beautiful Places To Visit Before You Die (and for a reason!). It's worth coming to Montenegro even if the Bay is the only thing you'll do there. One could rent a boat or a canoe, visit the artificially created Island of St.Mary 
  • The city of Kotor is worth spending the whole day in: walking the city walls and visiting the little shops... There's also an inside-the-mountain corridor leading to Njegoš Mausoleum up to Jezerski Vrh.

Risan & the Roman Mosaics 

  • Get some muscles from the muscles farm next to Ljuta
  • Have a look at the Roman mosaics in Risan
  • Ostrvo Sveti Đorđe (Island of Saint George) - an islet just off the coast of Perast in Bay of Kotor.

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