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.
What to do in Montenegro? Bay of Kotor, Budva, Black lake…
The Adriatic coast offersauthentic villages (Kotor, Budva, Ulcinj…) and crystal-clear beaches (Velika plaza, Mogren beach…). As you know, we love beaches!
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!
Nature lovers like us will be delighted by the multitude of hiking trails on offer.
Lovers of old stones and beautiful coves will find their happiness along the Adriatic coast.
Our ideal 8- to 10-day itinerary [map]
- Day 1 – Podgorica Podgorica -> Lake shkodra
- Day 2 – Virpazar Virpazar , Lake shkodra Murici beach -> Ulcinj
- Day 3 – Ulcinj Ulcinj Long beach / Velika plaza + visit to old town
- Day 4 – Ulcinj Ulcinj -> Budva Mogren beach + visit to old town
- Day 5 – Budva Budva -> Kotor Kotor beach + visit to old town
- Day 6 – Kotor Kotor -> Durmitor National Park
- Day 7 – Durmitor National Park black lack hiking / Crno Jezero -> Podgorica
- Day 8 – Podgorica Podgorica
Our suggestions for longer itineraries:
- Si vous restez 10 jours, nous vous conseillons de rester une journée supplémentaire à Kotor et une autre au parc national du Durmitor.
- 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
- Si vous restez 12 jours, vous pouvez conserver l’itinéraire de 10 jours puis après votre passage au parc national du Durmitor avant de revenir à Podgorica, nous vous recommandons de passer 2 jours au parc national de Kolašin. Nous avons longuement hésité entre les deux parcs, nous en avons eu d’excellents retours des voyageurs rencontrés pendant le voyage. C’est une station de ski en hiver qui offre de belles possibilités de randonnées en été
- 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 ? -> Shkodra Lake
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 in Virpazar: The Milena apartment is spacious and functional. Breakfast is included. A warm welcome awaits you, and you’ll be offered local specialities on arrival.
The family also offers à la carte excursions to Lake Shkodra. Free parking in front of the apartment. The apartment is quietly located outside the village of Virpazar.
Information and prices Milena apartment
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 with pool in Ulcinj: The Holiday Park Olive Tree bungalows are set in an olive grove. The location is idyllic and ideal for relaxing. The view from the pool is incredible. A warm welcome from our hosts. Free parking. Night from 50€.
Information and reservations on Booking
➡️Restaurants in Ulcinj : Drink with sea view at sunset at the ” Sunset beach bar ” (cocktail 5€), fish restaurant ” Hari ” (15€ for 300 grams of grilled fish), if you make friends with the waiter you might get a free arack digestif 😉
Day 3 – Ulcinj: Long beach / Velika plaza + visit to 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
After a good hour’s drive, we reached the fortified town of Budva. 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 the pretty, crystal-clear cove just a few minutes’ walk from Budva: 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.
➡️Notre Budva’s favorite: Hotel Astoria, a beautiful address in the heart of the old town. Mogren beach can be reached on foot in just a few minutes. Free parking 1 kilometer away.
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 in Kotor: Apartment Magic Sea View, the apartment is fully equipped and very clean with an incredible terrace overlooking the splendid bay of Kotor. It is located a few minutes from the old town and near a beautiful cove. We loved our stay, we should have stayed an extra night to fully enjoy the place and the accommodation. Free secure parking on site.
Magic Sea View Apartment information and calendar
❤️ Explore the Bay of Kotor by boat: if you’d like a different view of the bay and its cliffs, we recommend you book a boat tour lasting around 3 hours, which will take you to several caves in the vicinity, then allow you to swim away from the crowds.
➡️Restaurant in Kotor: Pržun, the fish dishes are excellent!
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 best value for money : Eco camp chalets pod goro m These wooden chalets are located in a peaceful natural setting in Durmitor / Zabljak. The whole family is lovely, Tatjana speaks very good English and can give you excellent advice. Please note that the sanitary facilities are shared, which is not at all inconvenient given that they are very clean. Free on-site parking.
Day 7 – Durmitor National Park, black lack hike “Crno Jezero” to Podgorica
After enjoying a cool night’s sleep, we headed off to the Black Lake ” Crno Jezero “, 2 kilometers from town, for a short hike (park entrance €3).
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.
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.
Where to stay during your stay in Montenegro?
3 accommodations with good value for money
1. Our favorite with pool : The bungalows at Holiday Park Olive Tree in Ulcinj on the coast
2. With view: ApartmentMagic Sea View in Kotor on the coast
3. Best value for money: Eco camp Podgorom chalets in Durmitor / Zabljak in the mountains
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 advise you to use a flight aggregator to compare the 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!
To compare rental prices, we recommend the Discovercars comparator. To give you an idea of prices, in the middle of July, we found a car for 33€ per day by booking a few weeks in advance.
The Alamo rental company offered the best rate. There is no agency at the airport, but an employee will be waiting for you when your flight arrives and departs. Our car already had a few scratches, which we clearly noted on the contract during the inventory of fixtures.
We recommend you take the DiscoverCars full coverage (about €8 per day online, often more expensive at the counter). may seem to represent an additional cost at the time of booking (it’s sometimes higher than the rental price), but above all it’s a way of traveling with peace of mind. A simple impact on the windscreen or a small fender-bender can quickly become costly, and this kind of detail can ruin a trip.
Traveling in the Balkans can hold a few surprises, so it’s best to be well prepared! We explain everything in our article on travel insurance + 5% Chapka promo code.
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.
