Montenegro is a small but very diverse country so it offers a plenty of things to see and to do. Here is our top 10 list of things to do in Montenegro.
1. Walk around Kotor Old Town and look at the Bay of Kotor
If you have only one day in Montenegro, you should probably spend it in Kotor. Many cruise ships visit Kotor so spending here only one day is a real possibility for the passengers of these ships. Anyway, one day or all the summer – Kotor is 100% worth visiting. Walking around its well-preserved medieval Old Town, visiting the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon built in 12th century, climbing City Walls and St. John fortress – all these things you can do in Kotor. You will definitely understand why Kotor is included in UNESCO world heritage sights list. Finally, it is great just to relax somewhere in a cafe, drink coffee and look at the Bay of Kotor which is usually called the southernmost fjord of Europe (well, not exactly true because it was formed as a river system and a rising sea level. But its views are fantastic!).
2. Enjoy beaches of Budva Riviera
If you like resting on a beach, then Adriatic Sea coast and especially Budva Riviera offers a great choice for you. Mogren, Ričardova glava, Jaz, Kamenovo – all of these beaches are waiting for you during summer season. It is safe to swim here, water is clear and many beaches have got the Blue Flag. The mountain views around the beaches are fantastic – you won’t be disappointed!
3. Go to the top of Mount Lovćen and visit Petar II Njegoš Mausoleum
Lovćen is a national park, mountain and the very important place for every Montenegrin. They say, every Montenegrin should visit Lovćen at least once in a lifetime. On the top of Jezerski vrh there is the Mausoleum of Petar II Njegoš. You can go here by excursion bus, car, cable car from Kotor. The bravest tourists go to Lovćen by foot from Kotor and this way takes about 5-6 hours for well-trained people.
4. Join the boat tour at Skadar Lake
Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Southern Europe, is one more national park. It is birdwatching paradise, there are a lot of bird species here including pelicans, seagulls and herons. You can enjoy the nature of Lake Skadar during a boat tour, usually the starting point of these tours is Virpazar village.
5. Visit breathtaking Durmitor National Park
Durmitor National Park is also included into the list of UNESCO world heritage sights. Durmitor is located in the Northern Montenegro and belongs to the Dinaric Alps. It has several peaks higher than 2,000 meters including the highest peak – Bobotov Kuk with its height 2,523 meters. Here you will also find river canyons (including the largest river canyon in Europe!), lakes, forests. Durmitor is well-known by its endemics and biological diversity.
6. Discover Ostrog Monastery
The most famous monastery and pilgrimage place in Montenegro is Ostrog Monastery. Ostrog Monastery was built in 17th century directly into the cliff. The Metropolitan Bishop of Hercegovina supervised its construction and after he died, he was acknowledged as Saint Basil of Ostrog and was buried here. The monastery consists of lower monastery and upper monastery. It is pilgrims tradition to go 3 km from lower monastery to upper monastery barefoot.
7. Go skiing in Montenegro
Montenegro is not only about summer, beaches and Adriatic Sea coast. There are several ski centers here, for example Kolašin two ski centers Kolašin 1450 and Kolašin 1600. Durmitor National Park also has its ski resorts like Savin Kuk.
8. Visit Porto Montenegro and other luxury marinas
There are several marinas for yachts in Montenegro, including Porto Montenegro, Porto Novi and Luštica Bay. These luxury marinas include not only harbours itself but a lot of restaurants, shops and places for walking around and spending your free time. Located in Tivat, Porto Montenegro is the most well-known marina and luxury resort.
9. Go to Lipa Cave
Lipa Cave is one of the largest cave systems in Montenegro. It was discovered in 19th century but it is still investigated by scientists and they find more and more passages. Lipa Cave is situated between Cetinje and Podgorica so it is not difficult to get here. They suggest 1 hour tours around the cave from April to October.
10. Try Montenegrin cuisine
While staying in Montenegro, enjoy the local food, it is tasty, hearty and usually not very expensive. It includes a lot of meat dishes (like pljeskavica or ćevapi). On Adriatic sea coast you can also try fresh fish.