As you walk in a semi circle around the bay of Kotor and its sparkling waters you will hear lots of car honking and general chaos. A lot of police patrol the harbour front and they are quite interesting to scrutinise. They wear those wide…Read More

As you walk in a semi circle around the bay of Kotor and its sparkling waters you will hear lots of car honking and general chaos. A lot of police patrol the harbour front and they are quite interesting to scrutinise. They wear those wide peak caps like the cops in San Fransisco and I did notice that their gait was an extremely lazy one. I remember being very hot and sitting on a bench in the shade across from the marina and just finding the police patrols comical. It was like something out of Top Cat and talking of Top Cat they have those old fashioned tin bins in Kotor like Top Cat and his pals used to scrounge in for tit bits.


Across from the marina you will see many different entrances to the Old Town.Once inside this urban settlement, you will feel a bit strange. Well, I did. I thought the town was a bit eerie but it could be the fact that it is closed in on all sides and this gives it a claustrophobic feel. I don't know if it was just my imagination running wild but I imagined being part of a computer game as a trader in a medieval town.There are many cobbled squares and twisting narrow streets, generally filled with people as day trips from Dubrovnik drop passengers off for the day. The stone buildings are indeed very mystical and the many cafes, bars and restaurants blend in well in these ancient and picturesque quarters. At night the fortified walls are illuminated making the steep mountain slopes behind the town a magnificent spectacle to view. Look further afield and the many churches, palaces, decorated gates which enhance the walled city suddenly come alive and it is like walking through the tattered pages of a history book. Each doorway you enter through becomes another chapter in the history of Kotor. As you stand in the main square looking at the cathedral and then up into the hills you certainly feel as if you are trapped in a scene of antiquity, a city of traders, sailors and pirates.

So once inside this mystical city what next? There are lots of wonderful buildings to admire but I think the first adventure to go on if you are up to it is to walk the city walls and visit the fortress of Saint Ivan. This fortress is easily accessible by walking the walls and up the stairs to the top of the mountain where the city walls completes its ring. One thing I did realise when I attempted this journey was how out of condition I was. It is a very steep ascent but the path way up is stepped which in theory should make it easier. It was a very hot day and I had only gone half way and was terribly out of breath and should we say, perspiring quite a lot. There are look out points at certain intervals which was a good thing for me as I could catch my breath and pretend to look cool when other fitter walkers passed by and said, Hello. So as not to look knackered I held my breath, smiled and pretended to take a photo of the view. Once I reached the top I was relieved because then I could really get my breath back and take some photos and boy, what a view. It is so panoramic - a natural setting with the bay and the mountains as the backdrop. Amazing. You can see the whole of the bay and the entrance of the fjord and the walled city. Having been astonished by this wonderful view I then started my descent and you would think it would be easier walking down but it wasn't. My legs were trembling and I felt quite shaky all over. What made it worse was that there were some people running up and down the mountain and one bloke even passed me twice. How embarrassing is that? I was glad to reach the end of that adventure, find a little cafe in one of the squares, order a beer and get my breath back. Well, at least I can tick that event off my list of adventures with a note - never to try again!

As I have already mentioned there are several squares in the old city. The city is quite easy to navigate and whatever crooked street you take it will always lead you back to the main square which is the largest. This square is called Trg od Oruzja. In olden times this was the square where everybody congregated. It is the focal point of the city and still today lots of people gather here, mainly tour groups waiting to be led on a magical mystery tour.

The architecture of the city has many influences. I spotted Venetian, Austrian and French influences and a touch of Russian.

As you walk away from the cathedral square you will see a smaller square with some orange trees and underneath these trees lie about twenty bin cats. They were always asleep whenever I passed and I have many pics of them . They were very scrawny and so varied in colours - real street cats.

Another popular venue to visit is the Maritime Museum. You will be aware after being in Kotor for a couple of hours that the city is very influenced by the sea. The museum is located in the Palace Grgurin which is very stylish in a Baroque way. Details of opening times can be viewed at the tourist office inside the old town or there is a kiosk outside the walls also. Not all people working in the offices speak English. The museum depicts the history of Kotor's seamen from the 9th century and illustrates how successful the Boka fleet and its navy actually were. Models of old sailing boats, portraits of seamen, old navigational equipment are all on display. Also geographical maps, engravings and some nice water colour paintings of the surrounding coastal areas are displayed. These interesting articles are a testimony of the glorious days of Kotor's navy and sailors and the many battles between themselves and the pirates who roamed the Adriatic.

Shopping
~~~~~~~

Shopping in Kotor is quite interesting. Apart from the souvenir shops selling kitsch and overpriced goods there are some very trendy boutiques which sell expensive shoes and designer clothes. Most of the shops are small and busy so it can be a bit of a hectic experience. There is an excellent bookshop near to the Bar Montenegro. It is one of those old fashioned bookshops that is crammed full with books and the shop is too small to hold all the stock so piles of books are lying on the floor and block your entrance to the shop. The young guy who owns the shop is very friendly and helpful and can speak some English but not very much. Only snag is that most of the books are in Serbian. For some reason I bought 5 Serbian/English dictionaries. I think at the time I was thinking that the whole family could learn Serbian. Actually, it is quite an easy language - much easier than Polish.

So there you are - the old town of Kotor. Geographically - very unusual. An ancient city filled with chaos and a fjord of amazing beauty.

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I knew nothing about the bay of Kotor until I received a postcard from my son saying that he had visited this medieval town in Montenegro and he thought it was really strange because the bay was actually a fjord. I was fascinated with the…Read More

I knew nothing about the bay of Kotor until I received a postcard from my son saying that he had visited this medieval town in Montenegro and he thought it was really strange because the bay was actually a fjord. I was fascinated with the picture on the postcard which was an aerial shot of the closed town and the fjord.I vaguely remember reading somewhere that Montenegro was once very fashionable with film stars in the 60's and Sveti Stefan was the place to go.

So the last time my husband and I visited Korcula in Croatia we decided to take a couple of days out and visit this strange place. We caught a bus from Orebic to Dubrovnik and stayed in the old town overnight so we could catch the earliest coach to Kotor from the main coach station in Dubrovnik.

As we said goodbye to the old town of Dubrovnik it started to drizzle. It was one of those humid days where the sun was desperately trying to get out but the clouds kept pushing it back.

Usually, I spend my journeys window gazing but this time I was too busy listening to two Australian lads who were sat behind us.They were talking of all the trips they had been on and the countries and cities they had ticked off their list. Every now and again I would look through the window and see the odd villa and palm tree and think - Oh yes, this is very Mediterranean. But still that drizzly, humid mist was in the air - a bit like you get in the hills of Madeira or even in Norway.

I also remember the road to Kotor seemed to be a steep decline and then suddenly we turned a corner and were on a narrow flat road enveloped by high mountains on both sides with villas and luxurious gardens tumbling down the hillside.

When we first saw the sight of the fjord I can remember thinking that it was pretty spectacular with the craggy mountain of Lovcan as its backdrop and high above the fortified town the verdant hillside formed strange shapes and colours and played tricks on my eyes. The sheer beauty of the bay came from the bright blue waters and the startling white of the yachts anchored in the harbour.

The walk from the bus station was an interesting one as the environment on that side of the bay is similar to most Balkan towns - a little bit rough and ready with hawkers and people trying to sell you rooms for the night. As we hadn't booked a room we knew we would have to get into a discussion about a price for a room but had been warned by our son about haggling and not to take the first price.

We were approached by an old lady dressed in black with a slightly hunched back. As we couldn't speak any Montenegran we just had to mime and hope for the best. This lady didn't really say much - just beckoned us to follow her. She had a huge black umbrella which made her look even more like a crone from Macbeth.

Eventually we reached the old town through one of the many entrances. The walled town is one of the oldest settlements in Montenegro and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is at the very end of the Bay of Boka Kotorska and as you tread through the cobbled streets you feel the age of time passed. The squares and streets are filled with churches, monuments and ancient houses where people still live.

Our little old lady was one of these people who lived in this urban settlement and as she led us through a wooden gate up to some steps and through her door I started to get goose pimples and a bit of a shiver down my spine.Perhaps I had been there before in another time.

The apartment if that's what I could call it was very tiny consisting of one living area with a table and kitchen combined and then next door was a very small bedroom which was all made up and ready for her guests. The room was very quaint and traditional and had quite a damp smell. My husband and I looked at each other and nodded our heads to say, No, but then felt bad about saying that we didn't want to take the room. We bowed our heads and shook her hand and then left. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the room - it was just too claustrophobic and I knew that if we had taken it we would have felt bad about coming in late and disturbing her plus we couldn't speak the lingo and I really didn't want to spend my time in Kotor nodding my head and smiling all the time.

To be honest, the rooms spooked me and I was glad when we closed the gate and we were back in the fresh air.

Next stop was the tourist office to see if we could find another room or even a hotel. The tourist office was actually a travel agents and the lady in there was very helpful and told us that if we walked to the top of the town there was a cafe/bar that had rooms above the building and they were to rent. So off we went.

Unfortunately, this little trip to the cafe didn't turn out to be a positive experience of Montenegrans or Kotor. Having made the proprietor understand that we were looking for rooms he told a young girl to take us up the stairs to the top of the building where the rooms were situated. At the top of a long staircase where two small sized rooms with a bed . TV, small table and a separate bathroom. We were allowed to look at both rooms and were left on our own to decide. They were both tacky and not finished. Cables were sticking out of orifices in the wall and the bathroom in one of the rooms hadn't been finished. Still, we weren't fussy and we were both tired by then so we thought that if the price was reasonable then we would take one of the rooms. But the price wasn't reasonable - we were being asked to pay 60 euros for the smallest of rooms. My husband adamantly said NO and that the proprietor was taking the Michael because we were foreigners. A few words were exchanged between my husband and the proprietor and by then people in the bar were staring at us.

By this time my head was splitting and I felt desperate to find a room so we trundled off to the travel agent's again and told her our story of woe. She said that the guy was out of order and said had we thought about trying a hotel. She could recommend the Hotel Marija which is a small hotel within the city walls.

Off we went again to find the Hotel Marija which we did and it was in a super location and the reception staff were reasonably friendly and welcoming so here we decided to stay for the night.

(Review of hotel coming up in my journal about Kotor).

So on our first day we were taken in by the spectacular beauty of the bay and the mountains and we immediately fell in love with the ancient churches, scrawny cats sleeping under the lemon trees, cafes filled with noisy, chatty locals and visitors, but not bowled over by Montenegran hospitality.

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Walking around the top of the city walls is a must for any visitor to Budva.When we found the entrance up near the citadel, the sign on the locked iron gate made it apparent that entry was no longer free as suggested by our guidebook.…Read More

Walking around the top of the city walls is a must for any visitor to Budva.

When we found the entrance up near the citadel, the sign on the locked iron gate made it apparent that entry was no longer free as suggested by our guidebook. Enquiring at tourist information we learned that we could visit the walls every hour on the hour and that somebody would meet us by the entrance to collect our 1 euro admission fee and unlock the gate.

The path followed by the walls is roughly three sides of a rectangle, with the fourth taken up by the massive Fortress of St Mary (open in summer only). Along the first stretch the views were of St Nicholas Island, the Adriatic and the Montenegrin coastline to the south. The second side offers views of Budva’s marina and the new town nestled below the mountains. The final stretch is the least interesting, with views across the public carpark towards the Hotels Avala and Mogren.

The walls themselves are studded with turrets and bastions and chutes presumably designed for pouring hot tar and similarly unpleasant substances over the heads of anybody trying to force the city gates. The turrets and towers are all open to explore and it’s easy to imagine yourself as a defender of the city as you search the sea for pirates and invading armies through the narrow archery slits.

From all parts of the walls it’s also possible to look back into the old town itself. Glimpses into people’s backyards and along narrow lanes from above gave a sneak look into local life. In the summer, with the sheer number of tourists who apparently visit Budva, the residents no doubt feel a bit like animals in a zoo and turn their backs to the walls, but in the winter everybody’s laundry is in full view.

The views were marvellous and we had good fun climbing around and exploring every lookout and staircase. It must have been about 40 minutes before we approached the end of the walls and saw the same lady waiting patiently there to let us out. She had a little longer to wait because we were still enjoying the walls and I especially wanted to climb the final turret, which offered views again towards the sea, this time north towards the rocks and down over the palm-leaf umbrellas of the cafes on the town beach.

The beach cafés would be the perfect place to cool down with a beer if you’re treading the stones under the open summer skies or warm up with a coffee if you walked the walls in the windy winter, like we did.Close

The Montenegrin city of Kotor has, without a doubt, already established itself as Dubrovnik-light. It has all the qualities of i's cousin to the north, but just on a smaller scale, and with about half the tourists, although I'd expect that to change fast. As…Read More

The Montenegrin city of Kotor has, without a doubt, already established itself as Dubrovnik-light. It has all the qualities of i's cousin to the north, but just on a smaller scale, and with about half the tourists, although I'd expect that to change fast. As Dubrovnik gets overcrowded, those sick of the crowds have pushed farther south into Montenegro and have reached Kotor. Luckily, most seem to only come for the day, or at the most, stay for the night.

Kotor has everything you need to be a top tourist destination. It has a stunning location on the Boka Kotorska (for my money a more impressive location that Dubrovnik), an immaculate walled city, sunshine, and a towering fort looming over head. Luckily, the place is so small, that it will never become the destination Dubrovnik is, but for those who make the trip, it can be equally rewarding.

The trick, I discovered by accident, is to arrive nice and early in the morning. As I said before, most tourists come to Kotor for the day from either Dubrovnik or Budva, therefore they don't arrive until lunchtime and leave before sunset. Thus, for the dedicated traveler who arrives in the morning (9-10 am), you can have the city almost to yourself.

Kotor's old city, tucked into a corner of the Boka Kotorska, hidden behind a set of triangular walls has all the charms of Dubrovnik, smooth marble streets, towering cathedrals, funnily named squares (e.g. "Square of Milk"), and plenty of outdoor cafes. What it doesn't have though are hordes of sunburned British tourists prancing around in shorts and piercing your ears with glottal stops. The town is surrounded by 20m-high walls and has only three gates, one complete with drawbridge. Once inside the maze of alleys and corridors are enough to keep you wandering for an afternoon and the churches are awe-worthy, particularly the Cathedral of St. Tryphone. St. Tryphone, easily Kotor's best monument, dates all the way back to 1166, and is a magnificent piece of work.

Wandering around the rest of the Old City, you will find a Maritime Museum, which would be skipable if it weren't for a collection of surprisingly nice paintings, as well as a couple more fine churches.

Although, I highly recommend saving all that for later in the afternoon. If you arrive in the morning, the first thing to do, without a doubt, is head up to the Fortress of St. Ivan. At 1,350 steps, the hike isn't exactly an easy one, and will be much better in the morning when the sun is still hiding behind the mountains. The hike would be a bit more painful if you weren't stopping every 10 feet to take a picture. The views only get better as you go up. About halfway up the steps you'll reach the aptly-named Chapel of Our Lady of Salvation, which was oddly enough built by Black Plague survivors. Once you reach the top, the view will be unforgettable. So sit on the ruined walls, have a drink, and snap away. While the fortress itself is nothing spectacular, I particularly enjoyed sitting there, taking it all in, and thinking about all the people over in Dubrovnik fighting the crowds who won't find a view half as nice as this.


If you do the fortress first, by the time you get down the crowds should be arriving, making it a perfect time for a lunch at one of the hundreds of outdoor cafes. By the time you finish, the crowds should be dissipating and the rest of the city will be yours.

My one regret with Kotor is that I didn't stay overnight. I can imagine that the city at night is serene and peaceful. The city has very few hotels, but there are some inside the old city for surprisingly reasonable rates. To this day I still wish I could have had one night of wandering around the streets of the old city in solid moonlight. It must look perfect. So that is my suggestion to you, stay overnight. Not only will you get to see Kotor at all stages of the day, but you could also get some time to explore nearby attractions on the Boka.Close

The drive from Rozaje to the Mediterranean coast is perhaps one of the most beautiful drives in all of Europe, certainly in the Balkans. It is also one of the more frustrating. On the map it looks no longer than 100 miles, but in reality…Read More

The drive from Rozaje to the Mediterranean coast is perhaps one of the most beautiful drives in all of Europe, certainly in the Balkans. It is also one of the more frustrating. On the map it looks no longer than 100 miles, but in reality it takes much longer than expected. The whole way the road is a narrow two lanes and wends its way up and down the towering mountains for which Montenegro gets its name. All in all it took me nearly 6 hours. 6 hours of stop and go, getting stuck behind lumbering lorries, and risking death on a few blind corners, but the pure beauty of the drive, and some of the excellent stopping points made it all the more worthwhile.

Montenegro is starting to wake up to its full tourist potential and although these outer areas of the country are still protected from the cruise ship hordes, don't expect them to be for much longer. The Montenegrin government is launching a full-on advertising assault. The good part of this is that it is investing plenty of money into its tourist infrastructure, which means that all the roads are dotted with convenient brown signs marking every possible sight of interest. Everything from the smallest church to the best Roman bridge is marked by those standard brown signs that denote tourist spots. For now most of these spots are left almost un-visited, which was fine by me. I was in no rush to get anywhere, so I made a pact with myself to stop at basically every brown sign I saw on my way down to the coast. Some weren't worth it, and some were, but isn't that the fun of traveling?

Descending into the crumbling industrial town of Berane, I noticed a brown sign pointing the direction to the Pillars of St. George, so I thought I'd give it a go. The road soon turned into a narrow dirt path that took me into the outskirts of the town, past an abandoned military airport, through a few backyards and then finally to the Monastery of Djurdjevi Stopovi, which dates back to the 13th century. Sadly it was closed. From the outside it looked impressive, but after repeated knocks on the door with no avail, I had to pack it in. Strike one.

Leaving the smokestacks of Berane in the distance, the road joins up with the major road that enters Montenegro on its way from Belgrade. Now, this is the main artery of Montenegro, its lone connection to Serbia, its partner in government and trade, so you'd think that this would have to be a main highway. Well, you'd be wrong. The road is just as narrow and winding as any other road in the region. Driving along, through seemingly hand carved tunnels, you can see just why Montenegro has never really been "conquered" by any invaders. Getting into the country is nearly impossible. The Montegrins seem to like their relative isolation, and when you live in a country this beautiful, I don't blame them.

Along the road from Berane to the coast, I happened to notice another brown sign, one for the Moraca Monastery. After my last monastery experience, I was a bit doubtful, but when I pulled up and saw a parking lot full of cars, I felt a bit better. The Monastery is a popular one with Montenegrin and Serbian tourists who stop on their way to/from the coast, and I could immediately see why. It's located on the edge of a large canyon, surrounded by towering mountains and beautiful gardens. I couldn't find much information on the monastery, as the guide-book said nothing and all pamphlets were in Montenegrin, but it didn't matter much. The small compound, with its white walls and budding roses said enough. Inside, the church had lovely frescoes and icons that were easy enough to admire. As the sun was shining, I decided to linger for a while and get a break from the car. The quiet and the smell of late spring provided a nice break and rejuvenated me for the rest of the drive.

From the monastery, the road pushes on through the less-than-stellar capital of Podgorica before it finally crests the last hill and the whole of the Mediterranean appears in front of you. Here you have to be careful, the initial view is so amazing that you might just drive yourself off a cliff admiring it. Luckily the road is dotted with plenty of view points so you can pull over safely and peer down a good 1000 meters at the town of Budva and the Mediterranean. I've personally never seen anything like it.Close

As far as the "typical" tourist track in Montenegro goes, I was doing it completely backwards. The standard route is to come down from Dubrovnik in Croatia, hit up the coast for a day or two, and then head back into the confines of Montenegro's…Read More

As far as the "typical" tourist track in Montenegro goes, I was doing it completely backwards. The standard route is to come down from Dubrovnik in Croatia, hit up the coast for a day or two, and then head back into the confines of Montenegro's more-traveled northern partner. Maybe if they are lucky, their cruise ship will pull into Budva, but the farthest inland most tourists get is the former capital of Cetinje. I was all turned around, and the border guard at the Kosovo border let me know it.

Climbing the narrow road that ascends from the plains of Kosovo nearly 2,500 meters towards the Montenegrin border, I could tell that this was definitely the road less traveled. When I finally reached the border, at the absolute highest point in the mountains, only one other car was ahead of me. It had Montenegrin plates and was parked in front of a small log-cabin, I soon learned that this Lincoln-log style house was the border station.

I pulled up and a guy leaning out the window of the cabin motioned for me to approach. It was the start of summer, but up here in the mountains it was near freezing, and the border guards wrapped themselves in army-issue parkas. When I reached the window a border guard gave me a huge smile and a dobar don (good day). I responded in kind and then handed over my American passport. He looked at it, laughed, and gave me that look I had gotten used to. "What the hell were you doing in Kosovo!" He asked. "Tourism," I told him.

The guard shook his head, "Well I think you'll find that Montenegro is much better for that!" He told me and then proceeded to ask where I wanted to go in Montenegro. I told him I wasn't sure and asked if he had any suggestions. A large smile came over his face, "Budva," he answered, "you have to go there! The women in Budva are the best in the world!" I smiled back. Having traveled plenty as a single young man, I'm used to hearing local men tell me how beautiful their women are. The guard noticed my unimpressed smile, "I'm serious," he said, slightly offended, "all the best looking women in Serbia and Montenegro go to Budva. They're young, tall, and want to find men, especially a nice American like you." He winked; I blushed. "Well, then I'll definitely head down there," I told the guard as he nodded in approval.

I had been in Montenegro no more than 15 minutes and I could already tell that I was going to like it. The border guard and his enthusiasm was just a small sample of the overall pride and love was to discover that Montenegrins had for their country, and by the end of my trip, I started to feel the same way. The warmth, the hospitality, the natural beauty...all of it left a special mark. I can't wait to go back.

And since most border police don't like you taking pictures at the border, enjoy more pics of Montenegro.Close

I long considered whether I should even bother writing an entry on Dubrovnik or not. It is one of those places that has been so covered on IGO and other sites that I wondered what I could even add to the discussion. I mean I…Read More

I long considered whether I should even bother writing an entry on Dubrovnik or not. It is one of those places that has been so covered on IGO and other sites that I wondered what I could even add to the discussion. I mean I spent all of two nights there, what did I really know about the city anyway? Then I thought about it, and decided "Why not?" But I decided that I should try and approach it from a different angle than other journals. I shouldn't try and cover the city in one entry, that'd be impossible. If you want a thorough review of Dubrovnik and all its sites, then I refer you to one of the excellently written journals by guides Owen Lipsett or Mutt, whose opinions I have complete faith in. No, I've decided that I am going to write this entry to share my brief thoughts and experiences in Dubrovnik and to advocate one thing, that you go against the grain and visit Dubrovnik as an overnight trip from Montenegro, rather than the other way around. Blasphemy, I know, but that's my opinion on the matter.



The whole point behind me writing this entire journal was to advocate Montenegro as tourist destination in itself, a place travelers should want to make the prime destination, rather than always thinking of it as a compliment to Croatia. So, in this entry I am going to continue that trend and advocate that you can actually think of Dubrovnik as an extension of Montenegro.

The fact is that Dubrovnik lies at Croatia's extreme southern tip, not even 30km from the Montenegrin border. It is farther away from the rest of Croatia than it is to Montenegro. It actually makes a bit more sense to include Dubrovnik as a part of your Montenegrin trip than to include Montenegro as a part of your Croatian trip. Croatia has plenty to offer, that I can attest to, so take your two weeks for the rest of Croatia. See Split, Hvar, Zagreb and the others and then reserve a special second trip just for Montenegro and Dubrovnik. It's easy enough to do.

If you are coming straight from Europe, I even suggest flying in and out of Dubrovnik, seeing the city for two nights and then renting a car and heading off into Montenegro for the rest of the trip. It'd be a fine trip. I happened to be coming from the other direction, only because I was on a two month Balkan odyssey that started in Macedonia. After seeing a good chunk of Montenegro I decided it was time to head north to Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik (or Ragusa as it used to be known) is one of those cities I had dreamt about seeing for years. Being a history nerd I was fascinated by the old Ragusan Republic, a progressive independent state that played the Ottomans and Venetians off each other. A city of learning and sophistication that abolished slavery in the 15th century. The whole drive up I could barely contain my excitement. It's just to bad an over-zealous Croatian border guard had to dampen that. Apparently a single young man driving in car with Macedonian plates is "suspicious." They decided to basically tear apart the car, convinced that I was smuggling drugs. Good thing I wasn't.

Dubrovnik is one of those cities, that everyone talks about, that everyone wants to go to, and is completely flooded by tourists, but for good reason. It is absolutely fantastic. It's beautiful, amazing, and unlike anything else you've seen. It is one of those few places, like Prague, where no matter how many tourists there are around, your experience just can't be ruined. It is that spectacular.

From the towering walls, to the glistening marble, to the fountains, Dubrovnik is special. The Adriatic sparkles, the sun bounces off marble statues, and the red tile roofs stick out majestically. Around every corner lies something amazing, something beautiful, or something spectacular. For me the tourists just melted into the background as I lost myself in the history, the architecture and the grandeur.

Dubrovnik is special, without a doubt, and it warrants every bit of time you want to give it. I just urge you not to forget about its southern neighbor, a land where hospitality flourishes in lush mountains of green. A place where the height of the people is as legendary as their bravery. Montenegro, my real "pearl of the Adriatic" (sorry Mutt!).Close

Budva: the magical town of beautiful bikini-clad ladies that the border guard had warned me about, the Cancun of the Adriatic. Although, I think I'll take Budva over Cancun everyday.I didn't have the heart to tell the border guard, simply because he seemed so excited,…Read More

Budva: the magical town of beautiful bikini-clad ladies that the border guard had warned me about, the Cancun of the Adriatic. Although, I think I'll take Budva over Cancun everyday.

I didn't have the heart to tell the border guard, simply because he seemed so excited, but I was more interested in walls of Budva's old city than the bust sizes of its ladies. Although the whole thing does show the two faces of Budva. To many foreign travelers, it's a mini Dubrovnik. They come for its quaint old city, cafes, shops, and maybe a dip in the sea. But for the hordes that come down from Belgrade, Budva is all about hedonism. They come for the clubs, for the booze, and for the hard-bodies. It's Serbia and Montenegro's summer destination.

Let's start with what I found to be Budva's finest asset, the stari grad (old city). Sure it isn't as large as Dubrovnik, or even Kotor farther north, but it is equally as charming. While Dubrovnik was nearly destroyed by the Serbian army, Budva was almost leveled by an earthquake in 1979. The Yugoslav government, though, didn't just let the city sink into the sea, and undertook an aggressive restoration campaign. Today, you can sort of see how the town seems a bit too "new" but unlike in Dubrovnik they were still able to use most of the same stones, thus preserving much of the original feel. It is now the signs in English and the odd Irish pub that remind you that Budva's old city is more-or-less an outdoor museum.

The highlight of the old city is certainly the fortress, which you can enter for a small fee in order to get some excellent views. For the best views, however, you need to hop up onto the walls. For now, a tour of the walls is free, unlike in Dubrovnik, but I wouldn't expect that to last.

Budva is also very much a city of churches, with plenty to see. The best way to go about it is to just wander the old streets (in one afternoon you'll be able to walk down all of them) and check things out. There are plenty of nice shops and cafes.

Back outside of town, a large boardwalk extends along the shore of the bay. On the seaside you'll find Budva's public beaches, where the aforementioned bunnies are, and on the other side you will find a plethora of restaurants, bars, food stalls, and t-shirt stands selling shirts with slogans such as "where the hell is Montenegro." At night this is the place to be as families and couples crowd the area for evening strolls. Outdoor clubs attract the singles who come to see and be seen and Budva parties deep into the night. While I was there, a famous Serbian pop star was holding a concert in Budva's main square. TV crews were everywhere, as were the requisite screaming teenie-boppers. In Budva, you can never really know what to expect.Close

Budva is one of the oldest towns in the Adriatic, originally a Phoenician settlement, the Greeks and Romans have also played their part as have the Venetians and Serbs. In 1944, like much of Montenegro and Croatia - Budva gained independence (as Yugoslavia) from fascist…Read More

Budva is one of the oldest towns in the Adriatic, originally a Phoenician settlement, the Greeks and Romans have also played their part as have the Venetians and Serbs. In 1944, like much of Montenegro and Croatia - Budva gained independence (as Yugoslavia) from fascist Italy.

In 1979 it suffered a disastrous earthquake but I didn't actually find out about that until after I'd been there and there's definitely no sign of it these days. The first time I visited, I stayed in a rented room from a family which were advertising "sobe" outside of their house. This cost 6 euros per person but will undoubtedly be more expensive now. The last time I visited, I was staying in Kotor.

The old town of Budva is undoubtedly cute with narrow cobbled streets, nice architecture and a fort but it doesn't really appeal to me, the streets are always filled with hordes of tourists following each other with postcards and ice cream in hand. Whilst the beach has fine sand and there are plenty of good cheap eateries around, the strip is so packed that it sometimes feels as though it's the only beach on the Adriatic. Rich millionaires from Serbia and Russia use it as their personal playground whilst their also loads of expats from Ireland and UK who have invested their due to the property boom. Budva could be Varna in Bulgaria or Praia da Rocha in Portugal, any resort with very little character.

I'm sure it wasn't intended that way but that's what has happened over the years! It is worth visiting though when in Montenegro simply for the use of the beach.

I wouldn't like to stay there again though. Nearby Sveti Stefan has an interesting history and used to be a fishing village but it's now just a single resort which is often used by celebrities.

This part of Montenegro is the most popular and by far the least interesting for me. I'd recommend Kotor, Herceg Novi, Niksic, Cetinje and Skadarsko Jezero over Budva any time. I honestly can't see why people would go all the way to Montenegro to go to a resort style place which could be found anywhere in the world.Close

Kotor, located on the Montenegran riviera is a place I have very fond memories of. In the corner of "the only fjord in Southern Europe" (it's actually a submerged river canyon though), Kotor certainly doesn't lack class. With a background of limestone cliffs, it's no…Read More

Kotor, located on the Montenegran riviera is a place I have very fond memories of. In the corner of "the only fjord in Southern Europe" (it's actually a submerged river canyon though), Kotor certainly doesn't lack class. With a background of limestone cliffs, it's no wonder it was used in the last Bond film.

Like all over the former Yugoslavian countries from the Croatian coast, to the Slovenian and Macedonian lakes, the Montenegran seaside has the same stunning jade colours.

These days there are almost as many Serbs living there as Montenegrans, rich Serbs noticed the possibility of a property boom and put their money into the town. Now Kotor is a bustling little town with a healthy amount of tourism but still gives off a small village feel. Restaurants are pleasant and the water is just the right temperature (unless you go in January!). There are no sandy beaches but Budva is just a few kilometres away and this town has great sandy beaches even if it is a bit of an Adriatic Las Vegas.

City walls lead 4.5km into the hillside and are topped with a chapel and a fortress where you can see down across the bay and the town of which the main building is the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon, another UNESCO building. The town is relaxed and we often had a meal after a days walking/sunbathing/swimming and bought a few bottles of wine and drank them on the city walls before heading back into the town to one of the nightclubs or taverns. If you hire a car, visit the nearby Black LakeClose