Montenegro is a Balkan country, relatively preserved from tourism. The interior of the country includes beautiful national parks in the heart of the Montenegrin mountains. It is a country where you can eat very well for a very affordable price.
For citizens of the European Union, a valid identity card or passport (valid for at least 6 months) is sufficient for a tourist stay in Montenegro. There is no need for a visa.
In order to help you, as always, to organize your trip in the best and quickest way possible, we reveal you our itinerary, on our personalized map. As well as our tips, tricks and best accommodations to fully enjoy your stay.
Sommaire
- What to do in Montenegro? Bay of Kotor, Budva, Black lake…
- Our ideal itinerary of 8 to 10 days [map]
- Day 1 – Podgorica -> Lake Shkodra
- Day 2 – Virpazar, Lake Shkodra, Murici beach -> Ulcinj
- Day 3 – Ulcinj, Long beach / Velika plaza + visit of the old town
- Day 4 – Ulcinj -> Budva, Mogren beach + visit to the old town
- Day 5 – Budva -> Kotor, Kotor beach + visit of the old town
- Day 6 – Kotor -> Durmitor National Park
- Day 7 – Durmitor National Park, black lack hike “Crno Jezero” to Podgorica
- Day 8 – Podgorica
- Where to stay during your stay in Montenegro?
- Practical information (flight + travel)
What to do in Montenegro? Bay of Kotor, Budva, Black lake…
The Adriatic coast offersauthentic villages (Kotor, Budva, Ulcinj…) and beaches with clear waters (Velika plaza, Mogren beach…).
We advise you to discover the bay of Kotor by boat, you can book your ticket, in advance, for an excursion of 3 hours during which you will explore this incredible natural place and you will bathe in its caves with translucent waters. In short, an essential part of our trip!
Also the nature lovers will be satisfied with the multitude of proposed hikes.
Lovers of old stones and beautiful coves will find their happiness along the Adriatic coast.
Our ideal itinerary of 8 to 10 days [map]
- Jour 1 – Podgorica -> Lac shkodra
- Jour 2 – Virpazar, Lac shkodra, plage Murici beach -> Ulcinj
- Jour 3 – Ulcinj, plage Long beach / Velika plaza+ visite de la veille ville
- Jour 4 – Ulcinj -> Budva, plage Mogren beach + visite de la veille ville
- Jour 5 – Budva -> Kotor, plage Kotor beach + visite de la veille ville
- Jour 6 – Kotor -> Parc national du Durmitor
- Jour 7 – Parc national du Durmitor, randonnée black lack / Crno Jezero -> Podgorica
- Jour 8 – Podgorica
Our suggestions for longer itineraries:
- If you’re staying for 10 days, we recommend staying an extra day in Kotor and another in Durmitor National Park.
- Extra day in Kotor – walk on the city heights with a view on the Kotor fjord
- Extra day in Durmitor National Park – cayoning in the Tara River and zip-line 1km long and 125m ascent
- If you’re staying for 12 days, you can keep to the 10-day itinerary, then after your visit to Durmitor National Park before returning to Podgorica, we recommend spending 2 days in Kolašin National Park. We hesitated for a long time between the two parks, we had excellent feedback from travelers we met during the trip. It’s a ski resort in winter, with great hiking opportunities in summer.
- Day 10 – Biogradska Park (admission €3) is home to a pretty lake, Gora Lake, which you can walk around for around 4km before enjoying a well-earned picnic.
- Day 11- Climb also to Bendovac (about 3h of ascent from the lake), in order to have a beautiful view on the lake below.
Day 1 – Podgorica -> Lake Shkodra
After picking up our car in the early afternoon at the airport, we familiarized ourselves with the Montenegrin roads by driving from Podgorica to Lake Shkodra. More precisely to the town of Virpazar to spend the night.
We took advantage of our excellent accommodation to rest, get advice for our 8-day itinerary and try our first Montenegrin specialties offered by our hosts.
➡️Hébergement à Virpazar: L’appartement Milena est spacieux et fonctionnel. Le petit déjeuner est inclus. L’accueil est très convivial, à votre arrivée des spécialités du pays vous seront offerts.
La famille propose également des excursions à la carte sur le lac shkodra. Stationnement gratuit devant l’appartement. L’appartement est situé au calme en dehors du village de Virpazar.
Day 2 – Virpazar, Lake Shkodra, Murici beach -> Ulcinj
Departure around 10 am from our accommodation in Virpazar towards Ulcinj, we chose to take our time to connect the two cities.
So we opted for the route along the Shkodra lake, in order to enjoy incredible views and especially a refreshing swim in the lake.
To do this, enter the town of Donji Murici or directly the beach of Murici(plaza Murici) in your GPS. It is a mountain road, narrow and winding where two cars cannot pass each other. It is thus necessary to redouble caution and patience, in order to benefit from these beautiful landscapes anda beautiful beach almost deserted.
After an excellent picnic and a pleasant swim, we take the road again towards Ulcinj, 36 kilometers of mountain road await us as well as about twenty kilometers on the national road.
➡️Hébergement avec piscine à Ulcinj: Les bungalows de l’Holiday Park Olive Tree sont situés dans une oliveraie. Le lieu est idyllique et idéal pour se reposer. La vue de la piscine est incroyable. L’accueil des hôtes est chaleureux. Parking gratuit.
➡️Restaurants à Ulcinj: Verre avec vue sur mer au coucher du soleil au « Sunset beach bar » (cocktail 5€), resto de poissons « Hari » (15€ les 300 grammes de poissons grillés), en sympathisant avec le serveur vous aurez peut-être un digestif d’arack offert 😉
Day 3 – Ulcinj, Long beach / Velika plaza + visit of the old town
After a morning enjoying the nice pool with view of the hotel, we left in direction of Long beach / Velika plaza.
This beach of ashy sands is very pleasant and some parts are not very frequented. To avoid the crowd, following the advice given by our hotel, we went as far east as possible.
This part of the beach was almost deserted, because we learned it on the spot, it is reserved for kitesurfers. As a consequence, swimming was forbidden in this area, so we went back on our steps…
Ask your accommodation before leaving to indicate the accessible part for swimming. Take advantage of your visit to Ulcinj to stroll through the old town at sunset.
Day 4 – Ulcinj -> Budva, Mogren beach + visit to the old town
We reached the walled city of Budva after a good hour of driving. Our hotel was located in the heart of the city, an area difficult to reach by car. We left our Skoda in a free parking lot located 1 kilometer from the hotel.
We recommend you the pretty cove with clear water accessible from Budva on foot in only a few minutes : Mogren beach.
After enjoying the sunset , we went to dinner in the heart of the ramparts. The old town is very pleasant, on the other hand it is a very touristy town, we preferred Kotor, more authentic.
➡️Hébergement à Budva: Sailor House appartement spacieux situé au cœur de la veille ville. La plage de Mogren est accessible à pied en seulement quelques minutes. Parking gratuit à 1 kilomètre.
Day 5 – Budva -> Kotor, Kotor beach + visit of the old town
The mouths of Kotor were a real favorite for us. The city is aUNESCO World Heritage Site. Located only about 30 minutes from Budva, we had the whole day to enjoy this magical place.
Numerous creeks line the bay, we spent the afternoon at Kotor Beach accessible by foot from the old town. The water is clear and refreshing, with the beautiful mountains of the Kotor fjord in the background. Sunbeds and umbrellas are available for 5€.
In the evening we walked through the streets of the old city, to contemplate the many churches and small squares, each more adorable than the other. On some summer evenings you can enjoy free concerts. We loved our visit to Kotor and its mouths.
➡️Hébergement à Kotor : Apartement Magic Sea View, l’appartement est entièrement équipé et très propre avec une incroyable terrasse offrant une vue sur la splendide baie de Kotor. Il est situé à quelques minutes de la veille ville et à proximité d’une belle crique. Nous avons adoré notre séjour, nous aurions dû rester une nuit supplémentaire pour profiter pleinement du lieu et du logement. Parking gratuit sécurisé sur place.
➡️ Explorer la baie de Kotor en bateau : si vous souhaitez un panorama différent sur la baie et ses falaises, n’hésitez pas à réserver un tour en bateau d’environ 3h qui vous fera découvrir plusieurs grottes aux alentours puis vous pourrez vous baigner à l’écart de la foule.
➡️ Excursion d’une journée pour visiter les 3 lieux les plus célèbres du Monténégro depuis Kotor, l’incroyable baie de Kotor, Durmitor et son fameux black lac et monastère d’Ostrog, un haut lieu de pèlerinage. Réservez votre billet au meilleur prix.
➡️Restaurant à Kotor : Pržun, les plats de poissons sont excellents !
Day 6 – Kotor -> Durmitor National Park
After driving along hairpin roads with beautiful views of the Bay of Kotor, we arrived in Zabljak, a town located at the gateway to the Durmitor National Park.
Count on about 3h30-4h travel time, small distances can take much longer than expected in Montenegro. We enjoyed the freshness and the pleasant atmosphere of this ski resort.
➡️Le meilleur rapport qualité / prix : Eco camp chalets pod gorom, les chalets en bois sont situés dans un endroit paisible en pleine nature, à Durmitor / Zabljak. Toute la famille est adorable, Tatjana parle très bien anglais et pourra vous donner d’excellents conseils. A noter que les sanitaires sont communs, ce n’est absolument pas dérangeant sachant qu’ils sont très propres. Parking gratuit sur place.
Day 7 – Durmitor National Park, black lack hike “Crno Jezero” to Podgorica
After enjoying the coolness of the night, we headed to the Black Lake ” Crno Jezero “, located 2 kilometers from the city, for a short hike.
Despite the bad weather, the 7 kilometer walk around the lake was very pleasant, alternating between forest and lake shore. The water is emerald blue, admire the mountains reflected in it.
The restaurant on the lake offers very good trout with a good local beer. We then drove back to Podgorica.
Visite: Lac noir « Crno Jezero » : entrée au parc 3€ par personne.
➡️Hébergement à Podgorica: Aerodrom Lodge sur Airbnb, ce logement est tout simplement parfait, propre, bien équipé et surtout avec une belle piscine situé dans un oasis de verdure. Jamie est un hôte adorable qui fera tout pour que votre séjour se passe au mieux ! Parking gratuit sur place.
Si vous n’avez pas encore Airbnb et que vous souhaitez tester (nous vous le recommandons), en passant par ce lien vous recevrez 25€ de réduction sur votre première réservation. Nous recevrons également un petit crédit à utiliser pour notre future réservation en retour !
Day 8 – Podgorica
Last day in Montenegro, it’s time to pack again, after having enjoyed the swimming pool of our accommodation we took the direction of the airport in order to return our Skoda and to take our plane towards Paris.
L’organisme Evaneos propose des circuits organisés 100% personnalisables.
Nous vous conseillons de contacter un expert local pour demander un devis gratuit et sans engagement, afin de gagner du temps dans la préparation de votre voyage et vous donner plein d’idées !
Where to stay during your stay in Montenegro?
3 accommodations with good value for money
1. Notre coup de coeur avec piscine : Les bungalows de l’Holiday Park Olive Tree à Ulcinj sur la côte
2. Avec vue : Apartement Magic Sea View à Kotor sur la côte
3. Le meilleur rapport qualité / prix : Eco camp chalets Podgorom à Durmitor / Zabljak dans les montagnes
Practical information (flight + travel)
How to get to Montenegro (by plane)?
The international airport is located in Podgorica (the capital).
From France, you can find flights from 90€.
We recommend the Skyscanner website, which we usually use, to compare prices of different airlines and find your flight at the best price.
Note that low cost flights do not leave every day to this destination. It is therefore interesting to change the dates of your trip and take an extra day off, if possible, to get a really good price.
There are also very few direct flights, so you will certainly have to make a short stopover.
How to get around (by car)?
For more freedom, we opted for a rental car that we picked up and dropped off at Podgorica airport.
There are no highways in Montenegro, you will use the national road or winding mountain roads. So short distances can take much longer than expected, you will be driving on average 40-50 km per hour. Be patient, this freedom will offer you unforgettable views !
Pour comparer les prix des locations nous vous conseillons le site RentalCars. Pour vous donner une idée de tarif, en plein mois de juillet, nous avons trouvé une voiture pour 33€ par jour en réservant quelques semaines à l’avance.
Le loueur Alamo proposait le meilleur tarif. Il n’a pas d’agence à l’aéroport, un employé vous attendra à l’arrivée et au départ de votre vol. Notre voiture avait déjà quelques rayures que nous avons bien noté sur le contrat lors de l’état des lieux.
Montenegro is already over!
After being charmed by the Adriatic coast, its beautiful beaches and picturesque villages, we also loved the interior of the country. The mountains of the Durmitor National Park conquered us. We also appreciated the great kindness of the Montenegrins. It is a country that we wish to discover again!
Have a nice trip to the Balkans! Feel free to leave us a quick note or 5 stars below, to tell us if you’re planning this trip, to ask any questions you may have, here or on Instagram, we’ll get back to you with great pleasure.
