On this journey, the plans were to travel "a little further" to Eurasia from almost the most east point to the westernmost. The idea for this route was conceived after a trip in 2011, when we drove from Sea of Japan to the North Sea in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the same year, they advanced to Atlantic Ocean at Cape Roca in Portugal. So, everything is in order.
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But just Turkey was not enough for me. And if you drive around Chernoy, then Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova are also under attack. Damn, well, then Ukraine must be bypassed, and this is Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland. And if you walk around, you can take it to the west and hit Greece, Montenegro, and then Italy is nearby. And above it is Switzerland. And away we go. And away we go. So much so that there were 17 countries.
After the cold Siberian winter of 2017, a slightly less cold spring came. Everyone immediately wanted to bask in the sea. The past ten months since our last trip to the three Transcaucasian countries hinted that it would be high time to go on vacation. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to catch a hot ticket to any Thailand this time. And I didn't really want to give 130,000 rubles for the tour for 10 days, in BB format. Therefore, our eyes were turned towards the western seaside resorts. By chance, I come across a rather lucrative offer from S7 Airlines in Montenegro. With a little thought, we decide to spend a couple of weeks of vacation in this European country. A flight from Kemerovo to Tivat and back costs only 69 thousand rubles for two adults and two children (6 and 9 years old). Economy basic fare without luggage, but with hand luggage 10 kg for each passenger, which is quite enough for the things you need on vacation. For Siberians, taking into account two flights for a total of 8 hours each, this is a very profitable option.
We have issued a Bulgarian visa, for a period of about a week, (70 euros - for an adult; 35 euros for a child; including health insurance), a green card (about 30 euros). After browsing the Internet and taking into account the stories of friends, we reserved on booking.com an apartment in Zabljak (for 2 days at 35 euros / day), in Kotor (for 3 days at 30 euros / day).
I'll tell you about a 3-day excursion around Montenegro on a Mazda2 rental in September 2016. I booked the car in advance at a well-known rental company in Budva and got almost what I expected: Mazda2 1.5 MT 2015 without defects, without faults and WITHOUT SPARE WHEEL. The lack of a spare wheel for our route was unpleasant surprise, I asked the manager to give another car, no matter more expensive or cheaper, but with a spare wheel, which he could not do that day, like everything is scheduled. Well - I look with despondency at a small can of chemistry, which they carefully put in a niche for a stowaway and on my way. Throughout the trip, and especially at night, on a mountain road, this thought is in my head: "Be more careful, go around stones, we are without a spare tire." The Mazda2 itself handles brilliantly, and after restyling it received a new interesting design and a level of comfort that is good for a compact car. For the convenience of the stratum, a "recoil" system is built into the slide. What is the reason for the fact that our Mazda2 did not take root?
Brief conclusions: The Balkans is a region, as if specially created for travel. Very beautiful and varied nature, concentrated in a relatively small area; warm climate and sea; a hellish mixture of cultures and beliefs; rich story; tasty and inexpensive (compared to western Europe) kitchen; a friendly attitude towards Russians and a language close to understanding (except for Albania) make a vacation in the Balkans rich and unforgettable. We will come there again with great pleasure, and maybe more than once.
Vacation in June was planned for a relatively long time for us - 3 weeks, in connection with which it was decided to eliminate this topographic injustice and take a ride through the former federal republics of Yugoslavia. I understood that even 3 weeks would not be enough to more or less thoroughly see all 6 young states that were formed after the collapse of the SFRY. I definitely wanted to get to know fraternal Serbia, relax for 3-4 days at sea in Montenegro, be sure to visit the mysterious Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then how will it turn out. At the same time, such transit Schengen countries as Poland, Slovakia and Hungary would also not like to fly without looking, without stopping.
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Practical information
For whom: for young people and middle-aged people
Duration: 6 days
Price per person: 530 €
The cost of the route in Montenegro includes:
- accommodation in a 4 * hotel (25 € per day),
- transportation costs (taxi, bus, boat)
- food costs (lunch, dinner - 30 € per day)
The best season for traveling to the resorts of Montenegro is the season from August to the end of September.
It is better to book hotels and transport tickets in advance (1-2 months before the trip). It is best to travel between the resorts of Montenegro by buses that regularly depart from city bus stations. For large companies a good alternative (in terms of price-quality ratio) would be a taxi. The best place to stay during the route through Montenegro is the resort town of Budva, which is connected by regular communication with all the most important regions of the country.
The specificity of Montenegro - prices in hotels are much higher than in the private sector, therefore, with a long stay in one place, it makes sense to find a budget option in advance. Prices for food and accommodation are in the middle range.
Do not forget to print out the city routes included in the Montenegro itinerary.
Description of the route in Montenegro
One of the main features of rest in Montenegro is that the largest resorts of this small country located in close proximity to each other. If desired, go around the most scenic spots The 2 main tourist areas of Montenegro - the Adriatic coast and the Bay of Kotor are possible in just one week.
The first day. Podgorica and Budva
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Time to visit: 1 day |
Our route in Montenegro will begin with arrival at the main international Airport located in close proximity to its capital - Podgorica. From Podgorica airport you can get to the capital by road or rail (they are located opposite each other) from where you can go to the main point of our excursion program and, in combination, the largest resort Montenegro - the city of Budva. This resort is the most important transport hub in the region and will become a reference point in further movements around the country.
Bus Budva-Bar
Travel time: 40-50 minutes
Ticket price: 4 €
Day four. Kotor
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Time to visit: 1 day After an active immersion in the historical heritage of Herceg Novi, you can relieve tension and relax on one of the largest beaches of the peninsula (located across a small strait towards Budva) - Zhanits. Next to it there is another local attraction - or the Plava Shpilya grotto, a boat trip to which can also be included in the program. Bus Budva-Herceg-Novi Sixth day. Podgorica
Return to Podgorica. Walk through the city and farewell in one of the largest shopping malls in the Montenegrin capital. Bus Budva-Podgorica Taxi Budva-Podgorica |
Ideally, use this route (it is built on the basis of one of the most popular excursions in Montenegro Maxi Montenegro tour (Cetinje + Lovcen + Njegushi) :
If Google maps or the navigator refuse to plot the route Lovcen - Kotor, then plot the route in parts. There is a road Kotor - Lovcen, it is of good quality and very interesting. Above Kotor there is a serpentine road of 26 loops, the road is narrow, sometimes it is difficult to get away with oncoming cars. But nevertheless, this does not prevent large sightseeing buses from traveling there. Drive boldly, but take your time, drive carefully.
The route is very interesting, the road is not annoying. Highly beautiful views to the Budva Riviera. In 2017, the road over Budva was repaired, the Budva-Cetinje section is in excellent condition. Above Budva, there are many viewpoints along the road. And the views that open here on the entire Budva Riviera are some of the best in Montenegro.
Excellent viewpoint with gorgeous views of the entire Budva Riviera Cetinje- a small cute town, cultural capital Montenegro, but there is nothing particularly interesting there. Several museums, temples. It's nice to walk along its neat streets, plunge into its cozy atmosphere. It's quiet and peaceful here. You can sit in one of the cafes in the center, eat or order ice cream, drink coffee.
The car can be parked in a large free parking lot in the central part of the city. Free parking in the center (42.38713, 18.92652)
Such cars can be found there in Montenegro 
Nice church in Cetinje 
Construction in Cetinje, one of the museums 
One of the houses in the center of Cetinje 
Central street of Cetinje 
Building in the center of Cetinje 
Very nice square in Cetinje
Mount Lovcen(coordinates: 42.399902, 18.837514) , to the mausoleum of Njegos from Cetinje there is a very pleasant, high-quality road through itself Lovcen park... There are very few oncoming, and actually, passing cars. Open your windows, enjoy nature, and breathe in the wonderful fresh mountain air! it national park, local cars rarely drive here, mainly on weekends. The main road Kotor - Cetinje runs to the side. Not far from the mausoleum there is a fork where you can turn to the town of KOTOR. That is, there are 2 roads to the mausoleum - from Cetinje and from Kotor. In front of the mausoleum there is free parking (coordinates: 42.398000, 18.840162)... It's not big, but when there are no seats, cars just line up along the road. The entrance to the mausoleum itself costs several euros, behind the mausoleum there is observation deck, which overlooks the Boko Kotor bay. If the weather is clear, then from the top point you will see the whole of Montenegro! We were not very lucky with clear weather, but in general we liked the views very much, well, it was not hot, this is also a plus! 
Then we headed towards Kotor. The view of Kotor from the top of the serpentine is simple, a b a l d e n y !!! It is something! No words, no photos, no videos! I highly recommend it (again, better in clear weather)!
HERE . Coordinates: 42.40086, 18.7935. The entrance is free - take pictures - I don’t want to! When we were on this site, the thunder also rumbled (you can hear a little on the video). The road is very narrow in places. But there are a lot of such roads in Montenegro - this is the road to the Ostrog monastery, and along the Skadar Lake, and to the Crnojevicha River.
I wrote about this viewpoint in the article .
In my opinion, this is one of the most interesting places in Montenegro!
In general, I liked the route very much. If you are by car, I highly recommend taking this route! A lot of positive impressions are provided to you! In my opinion, this is one of the main routes that are required to get to know Montenegro!
You can also go in the opposite direction: Kotor - Lovcen - Cetinje - Budva. But it was the first variant of Budva - Cetinje - Lovcen - Kotor that I liked more.
Our video. How we climbed by car from Kotor to this viewpoint:
Every novice tourist asks me the same question - What is the first thing to see in Montenegro?
I always answer - Boka Bay of Kotor... Causes:
1 - Incredibly beautiful combination of mountains and blue bay.
2 - Fresh seafood
3. Architecture from the Venetian era
4. Possibility of short hikes in the mountains, boat trips, yachts.Where to rent a car in Budva, Kotor, Tivat or Herceg Novi? I advise you to use the service MyRentaCar or contact the guys from which - balkanets.com
I will try to briefly give recommendations on the route with links to old posts:
Tivat - Kotor - Prcanj - Stoliv - ferry Lepetane Kamenari - Herceg Novi - Risan - Perast
Route on the map. It may not be possible to see everything in 1 day. Then split it into 2 days. 
TIVAT
I advise you to start the morning from the yacht marina Porto Montenegro... A leisurely stroll along the luxury boats will give you the right charge for the day. If you want to know the history of the Tivat Gulf - go to the Maritime Heritage Museum and the submarine "Hero" ()
Passing by a 5 star hotel Regent, you can make gorgeous photos for Instagram.
My must-have ritual is a latte in a restaurant Al Posto Giusto... Great European cuisine, with light soups, salads, pizza and hot apple strudel with two scoops of vanilla ice cream! Also nearby like a Lebanese restaurant , it is better to stop there for lunch, or order Lebanese coffee in cezve and cardamom, they will bring you with oriental sweets.
Porto Montenegro embankment flows smoothly into the embankment Tivata - Pine... Here the uncle sells boiled corn and cotton candy all year round, sometimes I include a child in me and buy! And the other day the old sailing ship "Yadran" returned to Tivat, Tito himself sailed on it!
KOTOR
If you got to the old Kotor at the same time with a couple of liners, then you will want to hide like an ostrich away from the crowd of thousands.
And here there is a wonderful path along the city, you can climb in three places near the bastions. The easiest and most understandable staircase is at the Cattaro hotel and the Maximus disco ( on the map). The second entrance is at the Summer Theater of the River Gate. The third staircase is located at the South Gate of Gurdich -. The trail is free, there are only a few people, the views are gorgeous!
You will look into the windows of ordinary residents' houses, and not into restaurants ... take pictures of red roofs.
I have a couple of historical essays about Kotor - and.
Giggle
We parked our rented Skoda at the lighthouse to take a walk with our beloved temple of the virgin.
Oh, what a house and wisteria! All readers of my blog know that Prcanj for me is No. 1 in the bay.
Read about the Church of the Theotokos and the town
Another 500 m ahead, and we brake at the fish restaurant "Bokeshki gushti"
Amazing - a weekday April day and two rows of tables are occupied
An abandoned sanatorium can be seen behind. That's why I love Prcanj - ancient architecture + silence
We order fried calamari, beer and green salad
If you have a lot of time, just take a walk along the embankment, or climb to
Prcanj is followed by a small town Stoliv... It seems nothing remarkable, but in the summer there is an excellent beach cafe and new pebbles are brought in, I advise! From easy hikes up the mountain, I recommend climbing into an abandoned village, views from St. Elijah Church chic, climbing up will take about 20 minutes
People in Stoliv were already sunbathing in mid-April! In the bay, beaches with inventory are all free, sun loungers are usually in front of mini-hotels or near cafes.
STRAIT VERIGE- the narrowest part of the Bay of Kotor. From here you can see two islands - the Virgin on the reef and St. George
A view from there to the neighboring town of Igalo. There you can visit Villa Tito, there are excursions in Russian, 3 euros, all
The Russian flag is still flying in the center of the old city!
The greenest and most floral city by the sea is definitely Herceg Novi
What to see in the old town and its surroundings.
We parked the car just above the embankment, went down to the Sea Fortress and went for a walk along the sea
In the photo there is a tunnel where in the 20th century a train went to Dubrovnik. And in the sea are the remains of the Venetian Citadel, they have been there since the 1979 earthquake.
Herceg Novi is a mixture of Yugoslavian architecture, old fortresses and bright houses, in contrast to the gray and formidable Kotor. If you have seen the city center in past trips, then go up by car at the border of two countries or to the village.
MORINA
This town is famous for its restaurant "Chatovicha Mlini". But I rarely go there, it's very pretentious and expensive, albeit picturesque. I advise you to take a break in a cafe in the summer. Tramontana, there is also a great beach with free sun loungers. We in Morin slowed down for 5 minutes to sit on a bench overlooking the bay
RISAN
This city is usually missed by tourists, and you just look at the street, paved with river pebbles! It is the oldest in Risan, rumored to be built in the 12th century. Goes up from the market. Salt was once traded on it, which is why it was called Gabela (from Italian - excise duty on salt). On the sides of the street there are three dozen palaces, almost all of them are abandoned. Unlike Kotor, Budva and Perast, this city fell under the Ottoman rule for two centuries.
After passing 50 m along Gabele, on the right you will see an arch, go to the abandoned Ivelichi Palace- surname known in Russian Empire, many were generals, captains. The most famous - Marko Ivelic came to the service of Count Orlov, became a senator of Russia.
The palace is abandoned, it seems like the Polish archaeologists wanted to take it away and restore it, but so far not destiny ... Nearby I drew attention to the doors to the neighboring house, the anchor speaks of the presence of a sailor
What else to see in Risan? In the center stands the Orthodox Church of St. Peter and Paul. It was built for almost 2 centuries, the last Italian architect died in the temple, part of the vault collapsed on it. The iconostasis was ordered in Russia, in the city of Kozlov, and the frames for the icons were made by Venetian masters.
After a couple of minutes walk you will reach the 2nd century AD Roman mosaics. Entrance - 3 euros, give a brochure in Russian about the sights. Roman mosaics and ruins were discovered in 1930, this is the former villa of a noble city dweller. Now 5 mosaics are on display, 2 more are under restoration. I read in the news that soon it will be allowed to make weddings on Roman mosaics. Receive Additional information can be here - [email protected]
There is a beach in Risan, however, it blooms in the second half of the summer ...
Near the church of St. Nicholas in the city center (1 euro) to see the rooftops of the city
- Visit the museum of the city and find a picture of how Captain Marko Martinovich taught the naval sciences to the Russian boyars sent by Peter I. similarities to Venetian or Dutch.
- Take a walk on the stairs across the city, you can climb to the Orthodox Church, there are beautiful views
The Perast Museum has several floors and rooms - sailors' clothes, weapons, medals and certificates, palace interior items.
Entrance - 2.5 euros. I liked the exposition. But first I advise you to read the book "The Second Arap of Peter the Great" by Dmitry Chegodaev to get acquainted with historical characters and events
here .
If you look closely at the manuscripts, they are made in Italian, 5 centuries under the Venetian and Austrian rule in the Bay of Kotor official language was Italian. How they have preserved Serbian today is a question ... Either "thanks" to the parents, or because of the migration of people. I was told in the museum that all 12 noble families of Perast did not leave descendants in the 21st century, their palaces were either abandoned or sold to other people. Subsequently, Montenegrins and Herzegovinians descended from the mountains to the sea, bringing the Serbian language
You can see this model of the bishop's palace in full size, you can even get through the fence :)
The route along the Bay of Kotor can be safely divided into 2 days, and at the peak summer season it is better to leave after lunch, so that there are no traffic jams at Kotor and leave cruise ships with ten thousand people
I will end the post with a colorful photo from Perast. It seems to me that the entire Boka Kotorska Bay was created for Instagram and creative people. I wish you a pleasant journey around the bay, it will be love at first sight!
Stay in one place for the whole vacation, even at the sea, even in good weather, even in such a lively resort town like Budva - you must agree, it's boring. And if the sun has disappeared behind the clouds and there is no point in going to the beach, then you definitely need to go somewhere, to see something. And then the question arises - go buy a tour or head towards the rental office. The first option gives you the opportunity to completely relax, and sipping from a pre-filled flask the local Vranac, calmly listen to the stories of the guide, but this, of course, is not as interesting as independent travel by car. Would I go sightseeing bus to Zabljak by a short road, through the pass? And we went, having absolutely no idea what awaits us there ...
Yes, at the beginning of September, when the peak of the season is already behind it is quite difficult to find an inexpensive "live" car in a rental office in Budva, it is better to order in advance. But we were lucky - we managed to take a gasoline Toyota Yaris, and the distributors did not even ask to leave a deposit. Strange, but for some reason diesel cars are not favored in Montenegro, although the terrain is very conducive to this. So, the flasks are full, the prosciutto is purchased, it's time to go!
Budva is left behind
While we were buying food and filling the flasks, the weather improved significantly, and we immediately turned to the nearest beach to continue our vegetable holiday, the sun is hot, but the decision was made, and we leave further from the sunny coast to the harsh (as it turned out later) Montenegrin distances. From a poster that bought up half of Montenegro Russian company smile after us.
Route planning was carried out practically on the go, using a navigation program. The road is still good, there are not many cars, there is beauty on the sides!
Even passengers are sometimes distracted from the flask to bite prosciutto admire the views
We stopped in front of the tunnel to take a breath and have the courage to photograph majestic mountains, and the road on which they just drove.
At the fork after Shavnik, we turned left, and immediately realized that they had made a fatal mistake why Montenegro is called Montenegro
Meanwhile, the road was getting narrower, and the temperature overboard was getting colder.
We climb to the pass, the road has narrowed so much that you can go further only on a donkey, crossing with an oncoming car can cause problems. Front tight turns, of which there are a great many, we signal to the horn so that the oncoming Kamaz does not accidentally crush our tin can to warn of its approach. But, cars on this road practically do not drive, because all smart people are driving along a different, good road through Mojkovac
There are no oncoming and passing cars, but there are cows
And finally, people! True, it is not clear what they are doing there, it is very similar to some kind of ritual. They did not begin to find out the details, so that we would not be accidentally sacrificed
In the meantime, it is not getting hot outside at all, probably, it was necessary to take warm clothes with you. But who knew that the temperature difference with Budva would be as much as 20 degrees!
We quickly inspect the sights that fall on the way - and rather back to the car, it's warm there, there is a stove
By all appearances, the places here are not touristy.
Abandoned houses, gloomy, deserted
But still, among this despondency, as it turned out, there is life
Fences serve a purely symbolic function.
The purpose of such bridges in front of some houses remains a mystery.
Eerie-looking dwelling, and the bumper of the car is made of natural wood!
We got to Zabljak, looked at Black lake, and went to look for a lodging for the night. Dinner at a hotel in the vicinity of the city cost a ridiculous amount, several times cheaper than in Budva, and it was very difficult to finish all the offered meat, but we did it!
Because there was nothing more to see in Zabljak (or maybe there was, but we did not know what else to see there), the next morning we went to Return trip... The thermometer in the car showed +3, it was very cold in the T-shirt, I had to flinch until the interior warmed up. The fog crawled through the mountains
We drove back along a different road - through Moykovac, along the way there is a very beautiful bridge
But he, probably, has already been seen 100 times on tourist brochures and in guidebooks.
As we approached the coast, it got warmer, the sun appeared more and more often
The houses are no longer so scary, the stove in the car was turned off
When we passed Lake Skadar, it got hot, turned on the air conditioner
If you liked the village houses presented in the topic and you may be in search of a "new homeland", you can check the prices for real estate in Montenegro. The site also has many offers of townhouses and apartments in the cities of Montenegro.
By inertia, we reached Stefan, you can relax again!
