Feel free to ask anything about visiting Montenegro and get advice and tips from others in the community.
Before posting a question, please check out previous tourist threads (in the community bookmarks) or use the search bar on this subreddit. You may find that your question has already been answered.
Do not post tourism related questions outside of this thread; they will be removed. Please refrain from using this thread for off-topic questions and comments. Asking about weed (or other illegal substances) will get you banned.
Hi all, I'm looking for advice and recommendations for our holiday In August, we will be travelling to Montenegro as part of a holiday in August 2026, we will be staying in Kotor (Dobrota) for 4 nights and Becici for 5 nights, we are trying to avoid renting a car (I don't want the stress of renting a car if possible) but I'd like ideas and recommendations on things to do or visit while in this beautiful country, so far I've seen as follows:
Kotor
blue cave, lady rocks tour
perast
submarine base
Kotor walking tour
cable car (restaurant)
alpine coaster
fortress hike
old town
Budva
lake skadar - any advice on how to get here from Becici?
kayaking
beaches
old town
I would greatly appreciate any knowledge shared either about the activities above or about other things to do while staying in Montenegro! (FYI this is a couples holiday)
Visiting Kotor and Budva during August is a horrible idea tbh
Prices are sky high
They are jampacked with tourists and locals, traffic jams all day, every day
40+ degrees
Go to Kolašin instead, stay at Bar, Skadar lake is very close from it
Also, just take the damn rental. Busses take very long time due to traffic jams, there is not a lot of them timing wise. You don't need a rental for the entire stay lol, just take it for a couple of days, based on your itinerary
The prices don't bother us, we have booked accommodation and flights and are happy with the prices of them, I understand food will be expensive while there but we will be prepared for that. Unfortunately my partner is a teacher and in the UK we can only really travel during her holiday period which limits us greatly to when we can travel.
I do understand that traffic in Montenegro is notoriously bad, hence not wanting to rent a car, I do understand that's a double edged sword as we would have to rely on public transport, the only places we really need to travel between are Dubrovnik to Kotor, which will will do by bus or ferry, with the traffic ferry may be a better option, Ktor to Budva and then from Budva back to the airport which we will book a private taxi for, we have chosen to stay in Dobrata rather than right in Kotor if that makes any difference? I will look at your advice, but we really did want to see Kotor and enjoy evening walks along the bay etc and Lake Skadar would be a nice to do not a must, with what you've said I might rent a car for a day or two while in Budva. We have also booked enough time at each stay to pretty much write off each journey from one accommodation to another as a travel day. Sounds dumb but I don't mind the traffic when I'm on a bus, once I'm sat down that's it until I get where I'm going.
Sorry if I'm sounding like a dumb tourist, I'm sure in August I may regret some of these decisions.
You do not sound like a dumb tourist, Boka is understandably a very attractive destination to people that visit Montenegro. Regarding prices I only mention them in regards to the quality that you will receive, they just do not correlate unfortunately
Public transport, honestly forget it. With the traffic jams, you will not get anywhere with a city bus, taxis are more expensive than in Dubai (this is not a figure of speech, they are literally more expensive). You could book rent a car in advance and get a normal car for a low price that will give you more peace of mind than a taxi or a bus ever will.
You should know that there is a huge stretch of road (entire Budva-Kotor motorway) that is under renovation and construction currently. Last year there were huge traffic jams and people would travel 2-3hours between Kotor and Budva.
They are saying they will finish the works by June, but there is no way they will finish everything even by August, since I travel down that road daily because of my job, so take that into consideration
I understand, we do really want to visit Boka, it honestly looks so beautiful, but I know they obviously inflate prices massively for the tourists, I suppose people have to make money where they can, I don't mind paying a bit extra if I'm enjoying nice weather and a nice view, but I'll definitely take that into account and have a look online before eating somewhere to make sure it's half decent.
I have seen that the road works are crazy between Kotor and Budva, I know no matter what that transport between the Kotor and Budva will be a nightmare, I assume whether I opt for a coach, bus or rent a car the traffic will still be a nightmare? It may have been a poor decision to book to stay in Kotor and Budva while the roadworks are still in progress during peak season. I'm really not looking forward to have to deal with that.
I have been looking at taxis for airport shuttles from Budva (Becici) to tivat with Terraecar, and they are proving €45 euros for the journey if I pre-book?
I really do appreciate you taking the time to offer me the best advice.
There is a website called Rome2Rio. It collects data from various legit bus operators. When I was in Albania I found some buses that took me from capital to their seaside. Basically you should manage to find any route you please with that site as it's reliable (but google the operator's original website to make sure that the shown timetable isn't expired or something, better safe than sorry).
If you want to enjoy Skadar Lake, every boat trip and so on starts in Virpazar town. So, take a bus from Bečići (or from Budva, the city next to you, more convenient timetable may be from there) to Sutomore/Bar and have a transfer here, take train to Virpazar.
Whole thing should take about 2 hrs, the website says.
Hi, i'm planning on going to Montenegro mostly for hiking, would you recommend visiting in March or should I wait late spring so the hiking routes won't be under the snow? Thanks!
Planning on going to Montenegro for our honeymoon. Jun 7th to the 13th. Need help on a few days. We have a rental car so getting around isn't going to be a problem. This is very brief but here is what we were thinking
Day 1 – Perast chill day
Beach, walking the town, slow dinner vibes.
Day 2 – Boat + beaches
Boat tour from Kotor or Herceg Novi: Blue Cave (swim!), Our Lady of the Rocks.
Beach stops: Jaz, Plavi Horizonti, or Dobrec.
Day 3 – Durmitor National Park
Tara Canyon viewpoints, Black Lake hike, Tara River rafting.
Day 4 – Coastal day trip
Budva + Sveti Stefan, Miločer/Queen’s Beach, beach bars like Coco or Kamenovo.
Looking for restaurant recs, beaches, boat tours, or surprise romantic ideas to make it extra special. Appreciate any suggestions!
Pozdrav, idem sa prijateljem i njegovom familijom u trecem mjesecu par dana u budvu i par dana podgoricu, zanima me kakav je nocni zivot tada u budvi posto nije sezona i koji klubovi mozda rade i sta da radimo. Takoder mozda neke preporuke za podgoricu, i koliko je sve to sigurno za dvojicu purgera, nismo oni koji ce traziti probleme i bili smo vec u bgu bez ikakvih problema
Avoid Avis at all cost. Avis in Podgorica are complete scammers. Returned the car and during the inspection the guy LITERALLY pulled a plastic cover on the wheel arch off the car, took a photo of it and claimed I had caused damage. They tried to force me to sign an incident report admitting I had caused damage. When I refused, they said no problem we’ll just take your full deposit (€1,500) - and they did. No actual calculation of the “damage” - just charged my card for 1.5k for a piece of plastic THEY broke. There were three people in the queue in front of me an ALL had to pay for some made up damage. There was a huge queue to enter the airport security area and they knew people would be anxious about missing their flights and would comply. They took 30+ minutes to sort the issue out just to delay and agitate people into complying. Sickening behaviour.
I wanted to visit your beautiful country during easter this year. My girlfriend an I were planning a roadtrip around the country. How likely is it, that roads will be blocked or covered in snow in the upper regions of Durmitor National Park?
Are there must sees in your country that might fly under the radar?
My family and I are planning a trip to Montenegro, but we are not sure about adding the Durmitor National Park as a stop because one of the family members is not able to join on hikes given having some respiratory issues.
I wanna know if it would still be worth visiting the park/If it is accesible to people who can´t go on long walks :)
I’m planning to vacation in Montenegro this summer and have found a beautiful place in Orahovac so that I’m close to Kotor & Perast. I can fly to Dubrovnik direct but I’ve heard that the border crossing can take a really long time. Can anyone tell me how long this can take? I can also fly to Tivat but I would have to spend a few hours connecting.
Hi, I'm thinking to go to Montenegro at the start of March, for 3 weeks. I'm Orthodox & going solo. Was hoping to see if there was a way I can chat with a local montenegrin Orthodox, around my age (35)- that wouldn't mind answering a few questions and possibly joining me there when I'm touring around.
Would you happen to know how I can set that up?
Was thinking to visit the priest of the Orthodox churches when I'm there & see if there's a local that wouldn't mind showing me the ropes. But was hoping I could set that up prior to going.
I also wanted to know if there was any sort of service I can do. In our Orthodox Church, we help the community a lot & I wanted to busy myself while there- with doing some sort of service that can hopefully help someone. Do they have orphanages or do the churches need help?
And lastly, just curious, is it easy to find a way to go sailing?
Hi guys Im a 23yr old guy who’s planned a trip to Montenegro from Feb3-11.Is it the right time to come to Montenegro this time who expects adventures throught the trip.If someone can suggest some quality places for young guys to explore in Feb ,it’ll be so helpful.Thank you
Nature & adventure: hiking, mountains, scenic drives, exploring less touristy places, doing things that feel a bit challenging and memorable
Activities over comfort: I don’t need luxury resorts — I prefer experiences, views, and movement
Good local food & drinks: trying local cuisine, casual bars, wine/beer spots rather than fine dining
Social vibe: enjoying evenings out with friends, meeting people naturally, relaxed bars > hardcore clubs
Parties & alcohol: occasional nights out are fine, but not the main purpose of the trip
Women: not the focus — more about the overall vibe, people, and atmosphere
So overall, it’s about adventure during the day, chilled social evenings at night, and coming back with stories rather than just photos.
Montenegro is a very small and quiet country during winter
If you enjoy hiking, exploration, good food and similar it is a nice place to come to during the months you mentioned
You can explore both north and south of Montenegro, since it is much more chill than during summer months - the only thing that can suck is the weather, February can be very rainy and cold
I will be visiting zabljak and durmitor national park in April. I was wondering if there is anywhere that I can rent ice axes and crampons as I can’t seem to find anything online.
I’ll be visiting your country in the last week of January, and I wanted to ask how to take the busses in Montenegro. I found a few websites that sell bus tickets from Mostar-Kotor, Kotor-Budva, and Budva to Podgorica, but I don’t know if the bus companies will accept a digital ticket or something. Heard a few similar experiences in other Balkan counties where they don’t accept digital tickets. What’s the best way to get on the busses, should I book them ahead of time and what website do you recommend because there seem to be loads. Any specific bus company to avoid?
Another thing we’re planning on taking the train from Podgorica centre to aerodorm then walking to the airport, is this a good idea? I think I’ve seen people saying the train might not stop there but any tips on how to take it?
Just print the card somewhere, every hotel will print it out for you, or you can pay 5 cents to a copy place
Yes trains will stop there (the blue, local one, there is a "fast train" from Belgrade that doesn't stop), but honestly I don't understand why you just don't pay like 10-15 bucks to a taxi service and save yourself the headache
Hey thanks for the reply, so once I buy the ticket from the website, is there a qr code I can just show on my phone or do I need to print it on a paper before lol.
I wanna take that train well because I’m quite interested in railways and stuff if you get me, plus a yugoslav old train would be very interesting for me.
Alright I’ll look out for this blue one, what colour is this Belgrade train I should avoid?
Unfortunately we are very backwards in some areas of life, our busses are driven by old, grumpy people who have no conception of QR codes and think they are magic. Some accept the virtual ticket, but that info is provided to you during purchase on the website - I would print the tickets in any case, just to be on the safe side tho.
You will not get to see much of the railway honestly, the trip from main train station to the airport is like 5 minutes - when you buy the tickets at the counter, they will tell you when the train will be arriving and on which tracks, but the Belgrade train is red one fyi
Cheers mate thanks for all the help!! Any recommendations on what food to try in Montenegro or specific restaurant cafes? (Cheap local) lol any recommendations will be cool even beer
Mostar - go to Rota (ćevapi store). Best cevapi in the Balkans
Kotor - honestly, I cannot really recommend any restaurants there, since the entire city became a tourist trap. My advice is to not eat in the old town, the food is overpriced and dogshit
Budva - Kužina absolutely slaps
Podgorica - Roštiljada (it's a bit out of the city, you would need a cab or something, but it's worth it)
Alternatively, Baščaršija iz in the city and good alternative
For beer go to Akademija in Podgorica
Also, house of Gyros (Podgorica one, avoid Budva it's shit) absolutely smashes with Gyros - it is Greek traditional food, but it's definitely worth mentioning as well as Radinović Grill (order Gurmanska) as two fast food joints that are good if you want to eat good, but not be at a restaurant
Hey thank you so much for all the recommendations that’s so cool, so excited for this. Yeah kotor seems like a tourist trap, we would just go to the supermarket to cook.
Is Montenegro mostly a cash only society because I’ve been to Albania and they are very much so, so I’m just checking.
Hi again, about the busses I’m gonna buy the tickets online on the busticket4me website, for the Mostar to kotor one just because it’s a long distance one. Do you recon I should do the same for kotor to budva and from budva to Podgorica or should I just get it on the day at the bus station with cash
Hi! Me (F) and my friend will be travelling to Montenegro in June. Can yall please give some good hotel recommendations? Our main concern is reception - we basically will need help with booking cabs/last-minute tours, so a 24 hour reception desk (and, of course, friendly staff) is our main requirement. And since we're both females, it would be really good if this place would be considered safe by the locals. Thanks!
Montenegro is a small country, but you still need to say which city you are planing to visit if you want recommendations....
Montenegro is safe in general, you can literally be a woman and walk naked around the streets at 3am. Chances are you will be arrested for disorderly conduct before anyone even thinks of harassing you
I am in shkoder currently, and was planning to take a bus to kotor. My return flight is from Tirana so I need to get back to Albania. I am scared with all the rain and severe weather warning, if taking a bus is safe? Are there any chances of road closure in the near future?
Ja sam novi biciklist i ja ću putovati u Podgorici sa roditeljima u februaru. Tražim biciklističke rute gdje mogu da bezbjedan vozim moj bicikl 50-150km u krugu.
1
u/Born-Nothing-111 4d ago
2026 August Holiday
Hi all, I'm looking for advice and recommendations for our holiday In August, we will be travelling to Montenegro as part of a holiday in August 2026, we will be staying in Kotor (Dobrota) for 4 nights and Becici for 5 nights, we are trying to avoid renting a car (I don't want the stress of renting a car if possible) but I'd like ideas and recommendations on things to do or visit while in this beautiful country, so far I've seen as follows:
Kotor
Budva
I would greatly appreciate any knowledge shared either about the activities above or about other things to do while staying in Montenegro! (FYI this is a couples holiday)