Sending Postcards from Montenegro

I’ve always wanted to send a few postcards from Montenegro. I had been longing to visit this country ever since I received some postcards from a good friend who had grown up there. I loved looking over this friend’s photos from what seemed to be her endless summer holidays. I was wishing I could visit those beaches along the Adriatic sea, the magnificent fiords and the impressive scenery of the National Parks. So with a few post cards in my hand, I set about turning this dream to see Montenegro into a reality.

Montenegro

Montenegro is a beautiful country that is located in Eastern Europe and shares it’s borders with Croatia and Serbia. It’s often the subject of the most underrated countries in Europe and rightly so. The world has yet to fully catch on how truly beautiful and diverse this country is. Possessing rugged mountain ranges, national parks, and stunning secluded beaches. Once a playground for the rich and famous during the 1950s and 60s, it’s now beginning a revival of it’s hey day.

Herceg Novi

Herceg Novi is a seaside town that sits towards the entrance of the Bay of Kotor. It’s an easily accessible drive from Dubrovnik Croatia, being just over an hours drive between the two towns. The city or town (I can’t make up my mind with that) has more of a village feel, it’s quiet and has a slow pace. The walk along the beach promenade is lovely and there are little cafes located along the way. At the centre of Herceg Novi is the old town or Stari Grad. A walk around the old town will have you up and down a lot of stairs and in and out charming narrow streets. Herceg Novi is known for it’s stairs, so you will burn quite a few calories as you go about the old town.

Perast

Perast is located along the Bay of Kotor and boasts some great historical and cultural attractions to visit. Our Lady of the Rocks and the views from the Saint Nikola Church are not to be missed. A small little village that’s big on charm.

Photo by Marjan Lazarevski

Kotor

Right at the heart of the Bay of Kotor is the well preserved medieval walled city of Kotor. The old town of Kotor is a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the most popular stops for visitors to Montenegro. The old town is quite a maze and the fun part is trying to find your way around. Many shop fronts, cafes and hotels all operate from the original buildings throughout old town, which gives it a great old world experience.

Porto Montenegro, Tivat

Set to rival Monte Carlo, Porto Montenegro is the new playground for those with oversized luxury yachts and open wallets. The luxury port is operational with a five star luxury hotel and Yacht club all open but there is still some ongoing construction within the area. The yacht club has a gorgeous infinity pool where you can sit, sip your cocktails and graze on food all day long. The yacht club costs 40 euro to enter, then it’s sit back and enjoy the luxury lifestyle. Porto Montenegro sits right beside the old township of Tivat.

Budva

Photo by Vladimir Varfolomeev

Budva, situated in what’s called the Budva Riviera due to around 17 beaches located along this stretch of coast. The beaches of Budva were once the hangout of Hollywood movie stars such as Sophia Loren, Kirk Douglas and Princess Margaret back in the day. Unfortunately war had left these beautiful beaches all but forgotten by the rest of the world for a long time, and thus thankfully has yet to be ruined by mass tourism.

Sveti Stefan

Sveti Stefan is yet another well preserved walled fortress, that is surrounded by some gorgeous beaches. Sveti Stefan is a little islet that is connected to the mainland via an isthmus. The Sveti Stefan fortress dates back to around the 15th century, with it being destroyed and then rebuilt in the 17th century. In the 1930s a luxury Villa Milocer was built on the island and it became the holiday residence of the Queen of Serbia. Since then it has extended to include a high end luxury hotel (Aman Sveti Stefan) with it’s own private beach.

National Parks

Photo by Julen Ruiz Luzuriaga

Montenegro has some spectacular National Parks throughout this diverse country, four of which are listed below.

Durmitro National Park
Biogradska Gora National Park
Lovcen National Park
Skadar lake National Park

Where to Stay

I stayed at the Hotel Aurora in Herceg Novi and the Boutique Hotel Astoria in Kotor.

How to get there

Air

There are two main airports in Montenegro, Periodic and Tivat Airports. The Tivat Airport is the most convenient to the major tourist towns along the coast.

Car

I took a private transfer from Dubrovnik old town to Herceg Novi. The young fellow that drove me was very nice and spoke English well. Border control was smooth, as all I had to do was handover my passport from the car.

If you are interested in having private transport to from Dubrovnik to Herceg Novi then below is the company I used. They were very reasonable on price.

intravel.montenegro.net