Montenegro is called a European resort with non-European prices.
Usually people go there to see mountains, lakes, gorges, and then they go down to the coast. We had recently traveled through the Tara National Park in Serbia and were fed up with mountains and lakes. I wanted to jump into the last car of the outgoing summer and swim in the sea before the start of the school year.
We usually go to Turkey, but this time we chose Montenegro. We went there by rented car from Belgrade to take a ride along the coast and visit the Bar, Budva, Tivat and Kotor.
For residents of Belgrade, Montenegro is a fast budget sea. This is a popular destination for weekend trips. We did not take into account that in Serbia it is customary to take vacations in August. People go to rest with whole enterprises. For example, a restaurant or a store is completely closed — everyone is on vacation. This creates an insane load on the Adriatic coast.
Budva and the Bar in season are truly hell on earth. People are everywhere, on the city beach you have to step over them to find a place where you can put a towel. On private beaches, a chaise longue and an umbrella cost from € 20. There is a lot of garbage near the shore. We tried to find a quiet, clean place, but failed.
Traffic jams are terrible. According to my feelings, they were everywhere. In Kotor, the road from the center to the hotel took an hour on foot or 40 minutes by car. There is a very narrow road there, cars in one lane are trying not to move the right wheel into the bay, cars on the opposite side are trying not to scratch the side of buildings. In the Bar and Budva, all we did was stand in traffic jams, looking for where to park the car, or waiting in line for parking. To swim on Sveti Stefan beach, once we waited for a parking space for 1.5 hours.
The cutest beach I’ve ever been to is not a beach at all, but just the coastline of the Bay of Kotor. Every hundred meters there is a small, three meters wide, descent to the sea — it was quiet, secluded and very beautiful there. Kotor is an incredible beauty. The old town with seals is a special love. I also liked the oyster farms in Perast.
For two people in five days we spent about 750 € on car rental, apartments in Kotor and related expenses. In my opinion, this is very modest for a high season. Prices in Montenegro are lower than in the rest of Europe. The average check in a restaurant in the Old Town or on the beach for two was 60 €.
I think such a failed vacation was my mistake. You can’t go to the coast in August, you can’t use a car in resort towns. And Montenegro is a country of mountains, not the sea. We wasted our time there trying to enjoy a beach holiday.
Of course, we will go there more than once, but we will focus on traveling on lakes and hiking. Kotor is definitely worth a second visit, we haven’t been to Herceg Novi yet. Let’s go back to the coast. And perhaps not to Budva.