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Written by Savi, 46 Comments

Montenegro might be an unusual destination but it offers an incredible mix of stunning panoramas, turquoise beaches, historical cities, seaside eateries, and offbeat hikes. As its neighbour Croatia becomes more and more crowded (thanks Game of Thrones!), Montenegro presents the perfect opportunity to relish similar panoramas at half the cost. A road trip through Montenegro is an ideal way to explore offbeat European towns & cities that have so much to offer. Here’s everything you need to plan a memorable road trip to Montenegro.

Sunset at Przno beach in Montenegro
Beautiful sunsets are almost guaranteed 🙂

 

Best time to visit Montenegro for a road trip

Traditionally summer months (June-September) are considered the best time to visit Montenegro. Warm weather and gorgeous beaches are almost a given that time of year. But so are crowds!

If exploring is a priority for you, then we’d suggest visiting Montenegro during shoulder months (March-May). The weather is just beginning to warm up, prices are low, and there are barely any tourists around. However do beware that the sea can be quite cold this time of year. We visited Montenegro during the month of April and had a great time.

 

Accommodation for your road trip in Montenegro

Montenegro is a small country. This means it is easy to explore it within ten days. We’d suggest staying in one place and driving in a different direction each day. There are a number of places that work well as a base for a road trip in Montengro. But we’d suggest staying close to Budva but outside the main town. This way you are close to large supermarkets, ATMs, and restaurants but you feel miles away from the hustle bustle of Budva. There are plenty of hotels and B&Bs in the area but we’d suggest choosing a scenic, beach facing hotel room– this is the most budget-friendly, convenient, and functional choice. Make sure you choose an apartment that has free parking and great views. 

If you’re on your honeymoon or celebrating a special occasion and living in an apartment isn’t what you have in mind, then Aman Sveti Stefan is a great option.

gorgeous view from Airbnb apartment in Budva montenegro
This was the view from our apartment’s balcony

 

Renting a car for your road trip in Montenegro

A roadtrip in Montenegro will take you to some really stunning places. But we’d recommend not renting a car here unless you have experience driving on narrow winding roads. That’s because there are plenty of them in Montenegro and you’ll really struggle parking, driving uphill and other such. But if you are comfortable driving, then there’s nothing better than a road trip in Montengro. Here are a few things to keep in mind while renting a car for your road trip:

  1. Don’t rent a 4X4 as some roads are very narrow. Instead rent a small car with good pick up as you’ll be going up a lot of hills
  2. Check a price comparison engine for the best deal as car rental prices can vary dramatically. We checked prices and booked our car here
  3. If you fly into Tivat (Montenegro) and fly out of another country (eg. Croatia) then you have to pay a one way drop off fee which reflects on all websites when you make your booking. However do beware that if you’re dropping your car in another country, you also have to pay an additional sum for a Green Card over the counter while renting your car. This is approximately €5 per day of rental. We ended up paying €65 even though we crossed the border just once to drop our car and catch our flight from Dubrovnik, Croatia. You could save some of this fee by making 2 separate car booking. Pick and drop the first car in Tivat after exploring Montenegro.  Rent another car from Tivat airport just for one day and cross the border and drop it off. This way you will pay the Green Card sum just for a day but it does require additional effort and well, inconvenience.
  4. There is a LOT of police presence on the roads. As always, be careful and stick to speed limit, especially in hilly areas as roads can be narrow and winding.
Beautiful and scenic roads albeit narrow and windy

 

Budgeting for your road trip in Montenegro

Montenegro is much cheaper than most European countries. You can use the breakdown of costs below to estimate the expenditure for your trip.

  • Accommodation: €20-€30/night for a nice apartment
  • Food: €20/day if you stick to buying groceries from supermarkets or €40/day if you prefer dining out
  • Car Rental: €30/day for a car
  • Fuel: Expect to spend around €100 on fuel for this entire trip

 

Highlights of a road trip in Montenegro

  • Scenic views and beaches at Sveti Stefan, Przno, and Budva
  • Hikes at Skadar National Park and Durmitor National Park
  • Old world charm of Kotor and Perast
  • Beaches at Ulcinj
  • Day trips to countries like Albania
couple at Blizikuce church at vantage point of Sveti Stefan
You’ll get plenty of stunning views like this one

 

Day by day itinerary for a road trip in Montenegro

Day 1 – Pick up your car from Tivat and drive to your apartment

Irrespective of where you are flying from, spend your first day picking your rental car, driving to your apartment, and settling in. If you’ve followed our advice above, chances are you would’ve ended up with an apartment that is a short drive away from Budva. Stop by one of the many supermarkets in Budva to stock up on provisions for your roadtrip and take the evening to relax with some local wine or a hot cuppa tea as you drink in the views from your apartment.

old town of Budva in Montenegro
Old Town of Budva – as pretty as it gets

 

Day 2 – Visit Sveti Stefan and take some memorable photographs of Montenegro

Sveti Stefan is one of the jewels of Montenegro and it is right at your doorstep. As you near Sveti Stefan, you will see several view points where you can park your car and drink in the view. Marvel over the characteristic orange rooftops jutting out in the sea. The islet is rimmed in turquoise waters.

Spend the afternoon lazing at the beaches near Sveti Stefan. Most of the beaches are privately owned by Aman Sveti Stefan but there is a small stretch to the south of Sveti Stefan, which is free for all visitors. The beaches in the area are rocky and pebbly but boast of spectacular views, so don’t pack a picnic. But go for a swim by all means. For sunset, we’d suggest driving to Blizikuce Church for one of the best views of Sveti Stefan. Most tourists don’t know about this church but it is popular amongst locals for wedding photoshoots as it boasts of a stunning view of Sveti Stefan and the surrounding coastline. Highly recommended!

Sveti Stefan view point photo
The classic postcard photograph – Sveti Stefan
Sunset from Blizikuce church

 

Day 3 – Explore Kotor and go on a hike

The historical city of Kotor is as charming as they come. Jazz music resounds in alleyways dotted with outdoor restaurants and quaint bakeries. It reminded us so much of Split, Croatia. If you enjoy a bit of easy hiking, the city also offers two hikes that boast of great views of Kotor Bay – try the St. John Castle hike or Kotor Fort hike to make room for dinner. For the best views over Kotor Bay, we’d suggest hiking during the the day. Make sure you carry water, sunscreen, and a hat with you.

If you’re not in the mood for a hike, then you can also drive to a viewpoint which offers similar panoramas over Kotor Bay. For this, drive from Kotor to Cetinje on E-80.

Kotor vantage point hike
Hike to get this beautiful view of Bay of Kotor
view of Kotor Bay from old road to Cetinje
If you have a car, drive towards Cetinje on the old road to get this view

 

Day 4 – Spend a relaxing day in Perast

Perast is one of Montenegro’s most charming villages and my personal favourite. It can get terribly crowded during summer months, but if you visit during shoulder season, then you’ll fall in love with it within seconds. Park your car and spend a lazy day in Perast. Take a boat ride to the artificial island of Perast (make sure you bargain!!), walk along the sea and photograph the stunning Boka Bay, or find yourself a table overlooking turquoise waters and linger over cocktails.

Perast in Bay of Kotor - a boat ride to the island
Perast was one of the prettiest towns we visited on this road trip

 

We loved Perast on our road trip in Montenegro

 

Day 5 Skadar National Park, Bend Lake, and Cetinje

After a relaxing day in Perast, it’s time for a long drive to some of the most gorgeous sights in Montenegro. Start your day by driving to Skadar National Park. As your enter the park you will see incredible views of mountains upon mountains upon mountains. These tiers of mountains make Skadar National Park fascinating to explore. Drive around, go for a short hike, or picnic – the choice is yours!

But do not forget to stop at the Bend Lake – a natural phenomenon so gorgeous it’ll leave you speechless.  Rijeka Crnojevika provides a great view of Bend Lake and if you love waking up in the lap of nature, you can even book a stay at Gazivoda hotel, which offers a great view of Bend Lake.

On your way back, stop by Rijeka Crnojevika bridge, sometimes also known as Cetinje Bridge for a boatride in sylvan surroundings. We won’t blame you for thinking you’ve stepped back in time.

Savi at Bend Lake – the panoramas here are stunning, to say the least!

 

Cetinje Bridge in Rijeka Crnojevića
Cetinje Bridge (Danilo’s Bridge) – right out of a fairytale 🙂

 

Day 6  Relax at Przno’s beaches or drive to Ulcinj’s beaches

If all that exploring on Day 5 left you exhausted, then take Day 6 to relax at one of the beaches in the vicinity of your apartment. Przno has several pebbly beaches and beachside eateries ideal for a relaxing day in the sun. But if you’re happy to drive some more or you’re craving powdery beaches, then head to Ulcinj. Ulcinj is home of some of Montenegro’s prettiest beaches – spend the day sunbathing, reading, and picnicking

Beaches and sunsets – always a yes!

 

Day 7 Drive to Lovcen National Park

We’re sure Day 6 of your road trip in Montenegro left you feeling totally relaxed. Day 7 is reserved for exploring another National Park that boasts of incredible panoramas. Lovcen National Park is famous for an iconic viewpoint. Drive upto the parking lot and make sure you have comfortable shoes on as you’ll need to climb 460 steps to the top.

The never-ending staircase leads visitors to a mausoleum with great views. You can pay €3 to enter the mausoleum for THE photo that you see in brochures and catalogues. But if you’re not interested in exploring the mausoleum, we’d suggest not paying the entrance fee. The views before the entrance are equally stunning. So save your money and enjoy the free views before the mausoleum unless you want to explore the actual mausoleum.

Mars like view at Lovcen National Park
Look at the view – Mars? 😉

 

Views at the top of Lovcen National Park

 

Day 8 Take a day trip to another country

Montegro’s close proximity with other countries such as Bosnia, Albania, and Croatia make it easy to plan a short day trip. However we’d suggest booking this day trip with a local tour agency instead of taking your car across the border as that can often translate into fines, border checks, and wasted time. If you haven’t visited Croatia before, we’d definitely recommend a day trip to the country. The two of us drove through Croatia a couple of years ago, so we decided to visit Albania.

We booked a day trip to one of its oldest cities Shkoder & Rozafa Castle with Montenegro Travel Service after reading good reviews about them online. We opted for a private tour instead of a group tour and it cost €140 per person. We were punctually picked up from our apartment early in the morning and the entire tour went seamlessly. We spent a long time exploring Rozafa Castle and the rest of the time in Shkoder’s historic centre. This little taster of Albania has tempted us into planning a longer trip to the country soon.

view from Rozafa castle in Albania
Hello Albania 🙂

 

Vibrant centre of Shkoder – loved walking around here

 

Days 9 & 10 Relax and/or explore Durmitor National Park 

You’ve explored the sights and sounds of Montenegro on this road trip. It’s time to spend the last couple of days relaxing and taking it easy. If you’re in the mood for a drive, then we’d suggest visiting Durmitor National Park. However do check weather conditions before embarking on that trip. For instance the road leading to Durmitor National Park was completely snowed under when we visited Montenegro so we spent another evening on the beautiful beaches 😉

Sveti Stefan public beach with free access
Make sure you go in April May – you’ll have the beaches to yourself

 

That’s it. 10 days and an epic road trip in Montenegro. The country is bound to surprise you and we can promise you’ll come away thoroughly rejuvenated. If you have any questions regarding driving in Montenegro or planning a visit to the country, leave them down below and we’ll try to answer them for you as soon as possible. For more road trip inspiration, read all our articles for road trips around the world.

46 thoughts on “The Ultimate Guide To A Stunning Road Trip in Montenegro 

  1. Hey Savi & Vid, after you instagram-ed your photo in Montenegro, I was waiting so badly for an article from you as I had decided for a trip to Croatia and Montenegro for my honeymoon. Thank you so much for penning down a relaxing yet beautiful article on this. Looking forward for more where’s and wear’s 🙂 Love.

  2. where would you suggest to stay in kotor or Budva.
    we have 3 and a half days and we want to visit persat, budva, kotor, lovern national park and durmitor national park. we are travelling with a 5 year old and would have a car with us in mid october.

    we dont intend to hike durmitor national park with a child would you recommend us going there for the views. Can you suggest a good itinerary for 3 and half days.

    1. Book an Air BnB on the outskirts of Budva as we suggested in the article – we have a detailed video on how to pick the best one on our Youtube channel. Would recommend skipping Durmitor if you have just 3.5 days!

  3. As always a detailed and perfect itinerary by you guys. Every little detail is well covered up. Just wanted to ask you is schengen visa works for countries like Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia Herzegovina?

    1. Thanks. Yes it does but visa rules change frequently, so it’s best to run a quick Google search before booking flights 🙂

  4. Hi Savi & Vid,

    Absolutely love your articles and picture 🙂 We are planning a trip to Croatia and thinking of doing a day tour to Montenegro – I gather that a valid Schengen Visa along with a valid US visa should suffice for Indian nationals ? Is that so ? Could you help me out with the visa requirements since I’m unable to find anything conclusive online.

  5. Hey Savi & Vid !

    Love all your posts and pics, they are truly breathtaking !! We are planning a trip Croatia in a couple of months and planning on a day trip to Montenegro from Dubrovnik, I gather that a valid Schengen visa + valid US visa should suffice for Indian nations – could you please help me out with the visa required please , unable to find anything conclusive online !

    Thanks
    Sneha

  6. Never knew I wanted to go to Montenegro but you’ve got me dreaming of those turquoise waters and orange rooftops 😍

  7. Hi Savi & Vid,

    Thank you for such a lovely itinerary 🙂 My wife and I are planning to stay in Budva for 3 days and looking for the right place. Unfortunately I am unable to reach your exact suggestion through the link you have shared. Could you please tell the name of the AirBnB or add a link to it?

    Thank you 🙂

    1. Hey Aneesh,

      The availability of apartments keeps changing so it’s best to just search for the one that suits your needs and requirements. The one we stayed at was in Przno so perhaps you could narrow down using that. Sorry don’t have the direct link 🙁

  8. Hi Savi & Vid,

    Love this article! Is Montenegro safe for a female solo traveler? And what are the other options to commute within the country, if I don’t rent a car?

    1. Hi Shriya,

      While it is safe, driving might be quite important as public transport is not very effective 🙁

  9. Hi
    Always have been fascinated with these small European countries.
    Didn’t expect it can be worth a long trip of 10 days. Super excited after reading ur blog.
    Me n my husband are planning a 8 day trip to Serbia and Montenegro..
    keeping Belgrade for 3 days and 5 days for Montenegro.
    What should be the best itinerary for 5 days in August?
    Should keep one base as Budva or to have a night stay at Kotor?

    1. That sounds like a great idea. Stay put in one place – perhaps Budva or even Przno – and rent a car to see some of these gorgeous places in Montenegro. We’d say prioritise Perast, Lovcen, Kotor, and Bend Lake (Skadr).

      have a great trip

  10. Hello Savi and Vid, I just saw on the visa website that if you have a valid usa / uk visa then you do not require a schengen visa to enter. would that be true? I wanted to check, is driving comfortable there? I realise it will be on the right side of the road and very unlike driving in India, and do you need International driving license or would the Indian driving license suffice for car hire and for driving?

    Thank you for this lovely article. Will really help in planning in this trip.

    1. Hi Pratibha,

      As these visa rules keep changing we’d suggest getting the latest information directly from the respective consulate 🙂 Indian driving license was fine.

      Have a great trip to Montenegro and share photos with us 🙂

  11. Thanks for the detailed itinerary post. This is so helpful. Just had a question if this destination is easy to travel with young kids or more suitable for adults?

  12. Hi you guys! Thank you so much for the detailed itinerary of Montenegro! We (my & wife) are tempted to visit it in October or November. Will it still make sense to visit all the places you suggested from weather perspective?

    Also, I stay in Pune. Do I have to go to Delhi to obtain a Montenegro visa (We do not have a schengen visa) or I can obtain it from anywhere?

    Thanks in advance
    Ashish

    1. Hey Ashish,

      Yes, Montenegro will be beautiful in October too however can;t really predict the weather. As for the visa, it’s best you call consulate of Montenegro and check with them – it’s always best to get in touch directly with them instead of relying on forums and blogs (in our personal experience) as visa information keeps changing. Get it in writing from them (whatever they say)

  13. Hi guys, your blog is very well written and I plan to follow the same for my trip to Montenegro. Could you please recommend which place would be a better option to land from Mumbai, Tivat Airport, Montenegro or Dubrovnik, Croatia. The options aren’t too many and the cost goes up. Would be great to have your thoughts on it. Thanks once again for writing such a beautiful blog and making it so informative.

    1. Hey Shanay,

      You’re welcome. Both options are fine – if you do land in Dubrovnik, you can rent a car and drive to tivat. However, crossing countries here in a rental car does add to the costs as you need to buy a special permit (ask your rental agency). If you’re not planning to explore Dubrovnik/Croatia, then I’d suggest fly into Tivat and rent a car there.

      Have a great trip

  14. Road trip is a great way to travel in a budget if you have budget segment then you can plan a road trip with your partner moreover to take enjoy places you can also visit local market of that place which you are going to visit.

  15. Hey Savi,

    I love your blog and you guys are travel/couple/life goals. Since the time I have seen your posts on Montenegro I have been wanting to visit. I am planning a trip with my friends to Montenegro soon but the flight prices are really high like around 65-70k. Just wanted to know if there are any via flights which would be a bit cost effective.

    Thanks,

    Aneri

    1. Hey Aneri – try flying directly to Rome/Paris/Istanbul (whichever has the best fares) and then take a flight to Montenegro – works out much cheaper that way 🙂

  16. I would recommend a visit to Cetinje, the old capital of Montenegro (several small museums there and a lot of history) and a boat trip on Skadar lake and in Kotor bay. Durmitor mountain and the lakes and Tara canyon are well worth a visit in the summer, too.

    1. Hey Natasa,

      Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions for Montenegro 🙂 We did do a trip to Skadar lake and in Kotor bay, but would love to do the others when we are back in Montenegro 🙂

  17. Incredible route! It’s great how well you have taken advantage of the visit. It seems difficult to think that there is so much to see and enjoy in such a small country. I had it signed up for next year, but looking at the post, maybe I will need more days to do the route I had planned. It is too much to do in a few days.

    Thanks a lot for your suggestions

  18. Hi

    This is going to be my first solo trip ever and i have planned it for Montenegro.

    Can you please guide me for 6 days itenary. which places i should prioritize to visit.

    TIA

    1. Hey Vrushali – you should definitely include Sveti Stefan, Przno, and Budva on your itinerary. Have the best time in Montenegro 🙂

  19. In your article you mention a Blizikuce Church for sunset, there are quite a few churches shown on maps within Blizikuce area. Do you know which one you visited exactly?

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