Let’s discuss some practical information that may be useful for you during your stay in Montenegro as a tourist.
Montenegro is a candidate for entering the European Union. Suppose you are a permanent resident of the European Union, the United States, or the United Kingdom (or have a valid visa). In that case, you can stay in Montenegro up to 30 days without any other special visas or documents. Passport holders of other countries have either 30 days in Montenegro without a visa or 90 days over 180, so check the exact rules for your country.
Montenegro’s currency is euro. On the Adriatic coast, you can pay by card almost everywhere (except bakeries and some bus stations). But if you go to national parks like Durmitor or Prokletije, you’d better have some cash with you.
Entering national parks is paid. Here are the current prices:
Durmitor, Lake Skadar – 5,00 €
Biogradska Gora – 4,00 €
Lovćen, Prokletije – 3,00 €
You can buy an annual pass for entering all the national parks of Montenegro, valid for one calendar year, from January 1 to December 31. Its price is 13,50 €, so this can be a good deal if you plan to visit several national parks.
You can buy the tickets before entering the national parks, or online, on the official site Nacionalni parkovi Crne Gore
During your stay in Montenegro as a tourist, you have to pay tourist tax, which is 1 euro per day for adults, 0.5 euro per day for teenagers 12-18 years old, and free of charge for children younger than 12 years old. If you stay in hotels, usually there is nothing to worry about. They will pay it automatically for you and print your confirmation. But if you need to pay it yourself for some reason, you should go to Tourist Information point (they can be easily found in all cities and towns), tell them your name and address, and have this tax paid.
There are three mobile operators in Montenegro: Telekom, Mtel, and One. It is convenient to buy a SIM card with a tourist prepaid option. For example, Telekom suggests tourist prepaid options for 7, 15, and 30 days. It can be prolonged if necessary and includes phone calls, internet, and SMS. Certainly, in hotels, cafes, and restaurants, you can use Wi-Fi almost everywhere.
If you plan to explore the national parks of Montenegro, especially the mountains, offline maps (like Maps.me, these offline maps work well here) will be useful for you because sometimes there may be no stable Internet connection available.
When is the best time of the year to visit Montenegro? It is not easy to answer this question. Traditionally, July and August are considered to be the high season, perfect for beach rest or exploring mountains (Durmitor and Prokletije). During these months, the weather is predictable, there is a minimal amount of rain, and the water is warm. And after all, it is a traditional vacation time! But on the other side, the Adriatic coast may be overcrowded, and the prices are higher. So it may make sense to prefer June and September for the beach rest, and April-June, September-October for all other activities. As for winter months, they are perfect for visiting Adriatic coast towns without crowds (perfect for visiting Kotor, Perast, Risan) and also for winter activities (skiing, etc.) in Kolašin and Zabljak.