H O W T O P L A N T H E P E R F E C T V A C A T I O N I N Montenegro When To Visit Montenegro has a season for every visitor Where To Stay Find the perfect destination for your Montenegro holiday 19 Personal Help P A G E S Get personal help from a Montenegro destination expert PAGE 1 MONTENEGRO PULSE The Montenegro Vacation Booking Guide Our booking guide to Montenegro, featuring a step-by-step guide to booking your dream holiday, travel tips and more. 02: WHEN TO VISIT 11: ACCOMMODATION Choose the perfect season for Find your perfect villa, your visit. apartment, hotel or guesthouse. 03: WHERE TO STAY 13: VISAS Climb the Explore the perfect destination Check quickly online to see mountains not so or destinations for your stay. whether you need a visa. the world can see 10: GETTING HERE 14: PLAN YOUR ACTIVITIES Choose from the range of See all things you can do in you, but so that you international airports. Montenegro. can see the world 11: CAR HIRE 15: BONUS TIPS Decide whether car hire is right Staying connected, what to for you. bring, money and more. PAGE 2 MONTENEGRO PULSE When To Visit Montenegro Montenegro’s tourism season is The weather is great for the Most Montenegrins are very seasonal and goes from beach, as well as outdoor Orthodox Christians and March to the end of October. activities and sightseeing. celebrate Christmas on 7th Between November and the January. Most businesses will end of February few tourists Outside Season: March, April, be open on 25th December and visit and you’ll find a lot less and November are good closed 7th and 8th January. things to do. months to visit if you like cooler weather. February is carnival month and The best time to visit depends you'll find lively carnivals and on what kind of holiday you In March and April, you’ll find local fairs in Herceg Novi, Kotor like. Montenegro offers you the country getting ready for and Budva. everything from a lazy beach the tourist season. All the most holiday to an exciting, popular attractions are open, If you’re keen to explore adrenaline-packed holiday. and you’ll find activities on Montenegro between Knowing what you prefer will offer. These months can be wet, December and March, help you get the most out of so if you're looking for a lot of I advise planning to stay on the your stay. outdoor activities, May would coast and then going inland if be a better choice. the weather permits. The coast Peak Season: July and August rarely gets snow and is a safe are peak season . You can November's weather is hard to bet, but Montenegro’s expect the weather to be the predict, but sits around 15-20° mountainous interior is snowy hottest and most consistent, C / 59-68° F. Most activities will from November to March/April with a very small chance of rain. have shut down for winter, but and the roads can be closed, Most European holiday makers you’ll still be able to visit making it difficult to plan a stay. have to travel in these months attractions and see the sights. The ski resorts in Kolasin and because of school holidays, so Zabljak are busiest in winter this is the busiest time in Winter Season: December with regional tourists coming to Montenegro. The traffic is busy through to March is very quiet ski. along the coast and there can in Montenegro. There are still a be traffic jams. The prices for few tourists though and I wouldn’t recommend things like hotels, restaurants attractions like museums are Montenegro as a ski holiday and taxis are also highest. open year round. You won’t destination. The ski fields are find group tours or activities small and the roads can be Shoulder Season: May, June, over winter, but you can book closed when there’s a heavy September and October are the private tours. snowfall. ideal months to visit Montenegro. Montenegro is ideal for a quiet Personally, we prefer Kopaonik winter getaway, especially if in Serbia which I recommend The weather is great – around you want a quiet Christmas whole-heartedly. The trails are 25° C / 77° F - and the traffic is getaway. Christmas is very low- excellent, the prices low (€115 light. In general the atmosphere key here, with a few small for a week’s ski pass) and the is calm, you have plenty of Christmas markets, plenty of facilities are excellent. space on the beaches, and festive lights in the towns and accommodation is cheaper. mild temperatures. PAGE 3 MONTENEGRO PULSE Where To Stay Like the weather in Montenegro, it’s best to choose the area you stay in based on the type of holiday you want to have. Idyllic Beauty in the Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor is one of the most The beaches in the bay are The Bay of Kotor is perfect for: popular locations for tourists. mostly small and pebbly. If • Culture and history you’re staying close to Tivat or • Mediterranean feel It’s got history, beauty, quaint Kotor, sandy beaches like Jaz • Small, seaside hamlets seaside villages and all the (Budva) and Blue Horizons • Boutique hotels quintessential Montenegrin traits (Lustica Peninsula) are just a • Scenery that most people come for. short drive away and are ideal • Central location for activities for little kiddies. In general you’ll have sea views, will The main towns to stay in are: be not far from at least one restaurant With the exception of Herceg • Kotor (usually easy walking distance but Novi, the towns are generally • Herceg Novi certainly within 2km/ a mile or a short fine for anyone with physical • Tivat taxi ride), will be close to small disabilities. Herceg Novi has a • Perast beaches and will have access to taxis lot of stairs, limited footpaths and the bus along the road that runs and is quite steep so it won’t Click here to explore the Bay around the bay. suit everyone. of Kotor > PAGE 4 MONTENEGRO PULSE The Buzzing Budva Riviera The Budva Riviera is arguably the Budva is perfect for: most popular holiday area on the • Parties Montenegrin coast… however, it’s not • Nightlife for everyone all year around. • Large hotels • Beaches It's just as if I have It’s stunningly beautiful, with magical sunsets, olive groves and iconic Sveti If you like the thought of Budva returned to town Stefan. It’s also home to some of the but not the 24/7 parties, choose most luxurious and high-end hotels one of the many small hamlets from the most and restaurants in Montenegro – along the Riviera, like most notably Aman Sveti Stefan, a Rafailovici, Milocer, Sveti beautiful fairy tale five-star resort. Stefan, Rezevici or Petrovac. of my childhood During the peak season of July and Click here to explore buzzing - Sofia Loren August it’s a bustling, busy, jam- Budva > packed place full of beach bars and glistening bodies under the sun. During other months it's still got that resort vibe but without the intense crowds. PAGE 5 MONTENEGRO PULSE A World Away on Lustica Peninsula Lustica Peninsula is about as polar coast of the peninsula That’s not to say it's completely opposite to Budva as you can get. which includes the hamlets of isolated – Zanjice and Miriste It’s wild, rugged and has no public Krtole, Krasici and Bijelila. This beaches and Almara Beach transport, so a car is essential This is part has lots of old fishermen’s Club are humming all summer authentic coastal Montenegro. cottages mixed with new with boats, people and parties. apartments and villas. These, along with Blue The peninsula is filled with olive Horizons beach, are also great groves and small farms where you There’s also an abundance of beaches for children. can buy their prosciutto, honey, restaurants but not many cheeses, olive oil and rakija (the shops. Lustica is where you can Lustica is perfect for: Balkans’ beloved brandy – don’t go get the best of both worlds. • Rustic charm home without trying it!) – all • Secluded getaways homemade. The interior of the peninsula • Quiet and on the Adriatic Sea side is a • Exploration The roads are largely unmarked, half- lot more wild and rugged. This gravel and there are great swathes of is where you’ll find private Click here to explore Luštica bush. villas, peace and quiet and lots Peninsula > of opportunities to explore. The exception is the Bay of Kotor PAGE 6 MONTENEGRO PULSE Off The Beaten Track Bar Bar is a town on the southern coast the more polished Bay of Kotor and are generally cheaper than on the of Montenegro. Definitely off the Budva Riviera. The main complaints Budva Riviera and the Bay of Kotor. beaten track, the town appeals to from foreign tourists are loud music Bar is home to Montenegro’s port, more intrepid travelers looking for a on the beaches, rubbish on the where you can catch a ferry to Bari in more authentic Montenegrin beaches and sub-par service in Italy and it’s also the only place on experience. hotels. the coast you can catch the train to Belgrade. The town has an historic old town You can have a great holiday here, and palace and possibly the world's especially at some of the small Bar is perfect for: oldest olive tree. Bar’s main seaside locations like Dobra Voda, • Off the beaten track exploration attractions are the beaches and but please don’t expect western- • Authentic Balkan experience these bring in lots of what we call level service or amenities or you’ll be • Low-key seaside holiday ‘domestic’ tourists from elsewhere in disappointed.