In each one of them you can find restaurants with home-made food and fish specialties, cafés with beautiful terraces and excellent cocktails, hotels with pleasant staff and unforgettable views of the sea. You can find a most beautiful sunset, an explosion of colours and emotions, contrasts between the mountains and the coastline only on the Montenegrin coast.

 Ulcinj

Bar

Sveti Stefan and the Budva Riviera

An image synonymous with Montenegro, the small island of Sveti Stefan is picture postcard perfect. Since the 1960’s the resort has played host to numerous film stars, royalty, and other members of the jet set. The town was built in the 15th century by locals seeking refuge from the Turkish occupation. Known as Pastrovici the island is supposed to have been the starting point for pirating expeditions by local sailors. The resort is soon to undergo renovation and will re-emerge as an exclusive resort, once again to host the rich and famous.

The Old Town of Budva itself is an architectural delight. Within the town walls are churches dating back to the 7th and 8th century. Budva is well known for it’s summer festivals celebrating theatre and poetry. The coastline around the Budva area boasts many fine beaches including Jaz, Becici and Slovenska, as well as many hotels. Close by Przno and Becici are well known tourist destinations for the region.

 The Bay of Kotor

Herceg Novi

A medieval town founded in 1382, formerly known as Castel Nuovo, Herceg Novi is actually the ‘youngest’ town in the Bay of Kotor. Known for it’s fortresses, the Spanish tower, Mare fortress, Kanli Kula and Citadel are now used as open air stages for concerts in the summer months. The town has many gardens with sub tropical plants and in the eastern part of the town is the Savina Monastery, originally built in 1030 and rebuilt in the 15th century.

A 7km long promenade stretches from Herceg Novi to Igalo, the nearby holiday resort with a highly regarded health spa centre and rehabilitation facilities. Mineral sea mud and springs here provide a relaxing range of therapies. Many shops, restaurants and cafes can be found along the promenade.

PLACES TO VISIT:

Perast

The small, baroque town of Perast sits on a hillside beneath the towering mountainsides of the Bay of Kotor and was founded principally as a defensive citadel protecting the inner bay. First mentioned as a town in the 1320’s, Perast is protected as a UNESCO heritage site today and real estate prices here are among the highest in Montenegro.
 

Sitting before the town, in the still, clear waters of the bay are the two tiny island churches of St George and the Lady of the Rocks. St George is a natural island whilst the latter is an artificial island built in the XV century. A church was originally built over a sandbar and the island grew over the centuries with the addition of rocks and stones. Every July, the founding of the island is celebrated by groups of men who row out to the island in boats and deposit rocks and stones in imitation of the founding of the island.

Kotor

Archeological finds suggest the existence of Kotor dates back to Illyrian times, followed by Greek and Roman settlement thereafter. Taking on a Slavic character in the 7th century, Kotor has long been the most important town in the Bay of Kotor.

Today the walled old town with steep battlements clinging to the mountainside almost vertically above are a sight to behold.

Within the town walls narrow, paved streets conceal architectural treasures such as the Cathedral of  St Tryphon St Tryphon which dates back to 1166.  Shops, houses and  small hotels are hidden amongst a maze of alleyways with squares and gardens now home to open air cafes and restaurants. The harbour quay outside the old town is a relaxing place to take a stroll and watch boats arriving into Kotor. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site this town is not to be missed.

Tivat

Formerly a summer resort for the local nobility, Tivat is located at one end of the outer bay with the foothills of Mount Lovcen sweeping up to one side and the gentler hills of the Lustica pensinula on the other side. Tivat has an international airport with direct flights from London in the summer.