Towards the end of European summer, we spent 3 days in Montenegro with friends. The plan came about as our friends that live in New York were going to be in Italy for a wedding. Since they would be in Europe, we had to meet up! So we hatched the plan to meet in Montenegro for a long weekend to get some quality sunshine days and some quality time with our pals!
As Montenegro is not yet fully on the tourist path, it is far less crowded than some of its nearby heavyweights, Greece and Croatia. That’s what makes Montenegro such a gem to visit! It’s still unspoiled, the scenery is drop-dead gorgeous, the food is delicious, the sunshine plentiful, and the people lovely. Having never been to Montenegro before we weren’t sure what to expect but whatever that was, Montenegro exceeded. Check out how we spent 3 days in Montenegro!
Check out my Greece Blog Posts3 Days In Montenegro Itinerary
Day 1 in Montenegro:
- Beach Day at our hotel in Herceg Novi
- Dinner in Tivat
Day 2 in Montenegro:
- Beach Day in Budva on Sveti Nikola island
- Dinner in Budva Old Town
Day 3 in Montenegro:
- Kotor & Bay of Kotor Boat Trip to Blue Cave
- Fly Home
Day 1 of 3 Days in Montenegro
On Thursday evening we flew from Rotterdam to Dubrovnik, grabbed our rental car and drove to our hotel in Montenegro. Our hotel was right on the Bay of Kotor in Herceg Novi – making it a great location to spend our first day in Montenegro! As we arrived at 9:30pm at night, we count day 1 from Friday, the day after we came to Montenegro!
Beach Day
Waking up in Montenegro was wonderful. We hadn’t seen anything of the country as we had arrived in the night. However, it was worth the wait when we saw the view from our room’s balcony! Excited, we quickly ate breakfast and went straight down to the hotel’s beach. As the beach part of the hotel’s waterside is the furthest to get to, most people staying at the hotel opt for staying pool-side. So – we scored the beach to ourselves almost all day.
Herceg Novi
Around 3pm, we decided to leave the hotel and head into Herceg Novi town for a late lunch and some groceries. We encountered a stunning restaurant on the water serving up traditional Montenegrin food – and it was delicious and cheap! We ate Cevapi & fries and a side salad to share, and each had a Montenegrin beer with our lunch. YUM! I first had cevapi in Mostar, and was so thrilled to see it on the menu here!
After getting groceries for our Airbnb, we drove to Tivat via the ferry (Kamenari to Lepetane). The ferry runs on a ‘full boat’ basis. Once the ferry fills up, it sails. The crossing takes just 10 minutes from one side to the other, and is much faster than the long drive around the bay (though the drive would offer stunning views no doubt!).
Tivat
Tivat was just 5 minutes drive from Lepetane ferry landing, where we arrived around 6pm to wait for our friends who were driving from Dubrovnik that evening. After our friends arrived at the airbnb, we drove down to Tivat centre for dinner. We stumbled upon Volat Lounge Bar, which is perched right on a small inlet. Definitely recommend as the food was great.
Day 2 of 3 Days in Montenegro
Time goes by in Montenegro. We woke up to gorgeous views over the bay from our airbnb in Tivat. With a great balcony, with our friends we drank coffee and enjoyed the views and the relaxed vibe.
In the late morning we drove to Budva ready for another day on the beach! The drive from Tivat to Budva is approximately 45 minutes. Our first stop upon arrival was the beach front for some lunch. Seeing Budva online and seeing Budva in reality were two different things! Budva looks gorgeous online, and while it is gorgeous in person – there were SO many people on Budva beach that it was hard to appreciate!
We sat at one of the beach front restaurants for lunch – choosing more cevapi and montenegrin salad – and came up with a game plan. We decided to go to Sveti Nikola Island which looked like it had to be less crowded than Budva beach!
Sveti Nikola island
We organised a boat to take us to the island with our waiter at the restaurant. 20 euro total for the 4 of us return on our own private boat. The part of the island that seems inhabitable is rather small. Yet – it was much less crowded than Budva beach so we were very happy with our decision! We found the furthest beach had 4 sun loungers next to each other so we grabbed those, set up our towels and got to business – lazing in the sun! We spent the afternoon taking dips in the water Adriatic Sea, and drying under the beating sun with a glass of Montenegrin wine in hand. Not a bad day if you ask me!
Budva Old Town
Once the sun was going down, we met our boat captain and took the boat back to shore. We all did a quick change of clothes by our car and went for a wander into Budva Stari Grad (old town) to find somewhere for dinner! Budva Stari Grad feels and looks like a miniature Dubrovnik. With its narrow cobbled streets, red tiled roofs, tiny shops and gorgeous understated restaurants within the walls of the old town – Budva really is charming.
One thing I found out when I was in Croatia is that this part of the world knows how to manke pizza. It’s not just for the Italians! So when we saw a cute tiny pizzeria surrounded by vines and cute hanging plants within Budva’s old town – I was happy!
Day 3 of 3 Days in Montenegro
Another slow morning spent relaxing in the sun, coffee in hand on the balcony was extra-enjoyed on our last morning in Montenegro. As it was our last day with our friends in Montenegro, we knew we had to see Kotor.
Bay of Kotor Boat Trip
We had only been in Kotor for 60 seconds before we were booking ourselves onto a private boat tour of the bay. It was high up on my list and lets face it, a boat trip sounds way more appealing than a hike. (Hiking to the Kotor Viewpoint takes one hour and something I hope to do on my next trip to Montenegro!).
We jumped on a boat with the best boat captain Montenegro has to offer, and his name is Peter. Ask for him when booking your private boat! Peter drove us through the Bay of Kotor towards the secret submarine hideout. Built by the Yugoslav army, this tunnel (built into the side of the mountain) is completely invisible from air, land and sea – when closed). The tunnels were used to hide from the enemy and are super awesome to see! I think this might have been one of my Montenegro highlights!
We continued our boat trip to the Blue Cave. As expected – the water of the cave is exgtremely blue! We were lucky enough to arrive right as one boat was leaving, so we had the cave to ourselves. Peter yelled at us to get into the water as we were alone – which isnt always the case – so we all jumped in ( I fell in..) and had a quick swim in the refreshing water!
After our dip in the cave, Peter took us to a quiet and secluded inlet with the bluest water I’ve ever seen! We swam for 15 minutes or so before jumping back on board to continue our tour.
The last part of our tour was a stop on the island which houses a church – Lady of The Rock. We had a quick look but did not go inside as the line was long. The coastline along Montenegro is gorgeous with rocky caverns and empty beaches, hillsides, abandoned old churches, and even a fort on an island. Taking the boat tour was a fantastic way to see Montenegro from another angle!
After we got off the boat at the end of our trip, it was time to head back to Dubrovnik. Our time in Montenegro had come to an end. But – what a fantastic few days!
Getting To Montenegro
We flew to Montenegro from The Netherlands, where we live. As Montenegro isn’t as busy with tourists, it also has no direct flights from The Netherlands. We had to fly from Rotterdam direct to Dubrovnik with Transavia – whom I always like flying with. The flight took a fairly quick 2 hours.
Once we landed it took 5 minutes from my plane seat to the rental car company outside in the parking area of the airport. We picked up our rental car and drove 45 minutes to Herceg Novi where we stayed for night 1 of our 3 days in Montenegro.
Border Crossing Croatia to Montenegro
The border between Croatia and Montenegro is a short drive from Dubrovnik Airport – maybe 20 minutes. As we pulled up to the border crossing on the Croatian side, we found ourselves in a long line of cars. However, they moved fairly quickly and in under 10 minutes we had passed out of Croatia. A few hundred metres further we encountered the Montenegrin border. The same long line of cars, and the same waiting time to get in.
We crossed the border from Croatia to Montenegro at about 8:30pm on a Thursday night, and it was busy. We again crossed the border back into Croatia on Sunday at 6:30pm and it was slightly busier – however each time it took about 10 minutes at each border, maybe less. Make sure to factor this into your journey, especially if you have a flight to catch!
For us, there was nothing out of the ordinary with this crossing – besides the epic views after crossing into Montenegro!
Where To Stay for 3 Days In Montenegro
Our first night in Montenegro was spent in Herceg Novi. We didn’t want a long drive after our flight from Rotterdam, so staying just 15 minute drive into the country of Montenegro was perfect for us. We stayed along the Bay of Kotor, and our hotel had a private beach. In my opinion – this was KEY. There aren’t a whole lot of large public beaches in this area of Montenegro so having a beach at the hotel was important!
Our last 2 nights were spent in an Airbnb in Tivat. What made Tivat a great place to stay was it’s proximity to the ferry (5min), Budva (45min) and Kotor (15 min). Kotor seems to be the biggest draw card for staying along the Bay but it is not necessary to stay there if you want to visit Kotor. Tivat was great!
Thanks for checking out my blog post on how to spend 3 days in Montenegro! We absolutely LOVED Montenegro and felt it’s a fantastic place to visit. We found the country on the whole is very laid back and everyone we met was very friendly!
Keen to head to Montenegro? Let me help you!
Make sure you get the cheapest flights via Skyscanner!
Need accommodation? Get your place booked on Airbnb! Or more of a hotel person? Search Booking.com!
Let me know if you are heading to Montenegro and if you have any questions for me!
Feel free to share your adventure with me via social media – too!
And above all – have fun!
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Australian expat, married to a Dutch guy, living in Amsterdam. Previously lived in London for 3 years, too! Lover of travel, coffee, brunch, beaches, fresh flowers, and family. Now a new mum, navigating life with a baby!
One thought on “How To Spend 3 Days In Montenegro”
Like your new style, love the highlighting .
Envious again obvy