The tiny country of Montenegro may be small, with a total population of just 623,000, but it boasts some impressive coastline. It is one of the few countries we have visited without bothering to explore the capital (Podgorica). Instead, we spent 2 days driving along the Montenegrin coast, entering from Albania to the southeast and departing via Croatia in the northwest. Along the way, we stopped to peek at the exclusive island of Sveti Stefan and visited the imposing walled towns of Budva and Kotor. After spending the night in Kotor, we drove along the spectacular Bay of Kotor, with several stops to admire the view along the way.
Montenegro 2 Day Road Trip Itinerary
| Day 1 | Drive to Budva Sveti Stefan Budva Kotor Accommodation in Kotor |
| Day 2 | Drive to Croatia Bay of Kotor |
Montenegro Day 1
Drive to Budva
Today we leave Albania with its crazy drivers and intermittent roads and head for Montenegro. After a cheese fest of a breakfast, we drive to the border which takes ages to cross. Not because it’s particularly busy but because it’s particularly slow and queuing is apparently arbitrary.
Finally, we’re through and cross into the rural south of Montenegro. After about a mile, a red light appears on the dashboard, the car starts beeping and displaying a ‘check engine’ sign. Not the best start to the day. After a few miles of driving along little gravel roads in the middle of nowhere, wondering what on earth we’re going to do if we break down, we reach the highway, which runs along a ledge between the mountains and the bright blue Adriatic Sea.
Sveti Stefan
We stop briefly at Sveti Stefan, a private resort on an island just offshore. It’s very pretty but you can’t set foot on the island without a hotel reservation.
You can, if you wish, use the private beach for the day for a mere €100.
Budva
We decline and instead continue to the town of Budva. On the outskirts of town we find a Hertz office and stop to discuss the warning light. He says to ignore it, it’s usually due to buying ‘bad petrol’ and should disappear next time we fill up and are no longer driving on Albanian fuel.
BudVa Old Town (Stari Grad)
Budva is a beautiful Venetian town circled by a turreted wall overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Inside the walls, the Old Town with its marble pavements and labyrinth of narrow streets is a wonder to enjoy, either at street level, or looking down from the city walls.
City Walls
Very roughly speaking, the old town forms a square on a peninsula, with a wall running round three sides. A highlight of a visit to Budva is to walk around these historic City Walls for fantastic views of the old town and across the bay. There are entrances at either end, so you can either enter at one end and exit at the other, or turn and retrace your steps. Arriving in Budva, you will be close to Entry Point 2. We walked from here to the main entry point, exited and continued to explore the old town from there.
The walls are open daily from 9 am until 8 pm. Entry costs €3.
Church of Saint John (Sveti Ivan)
Exiting the walls brings you to the Church of Saint John (or Sveti Ivan as he is known locally). This 17th Century church has an imposing bell tower which can be seen from across the city.
Citadel
At the end of the walls is the Citadel, built by the Austrians in the 19th Century (hence the inscription in German as you enter through the gate). There is a small museum, a library and a restaurant inside, but the main reason to visit is for the architecture (and the spectacular views).
The Citadel is open daily. Entry costs €3.50.
Church of the Holy Trinity
The 19th Century Church of the Holy Trinity is constructed from whitish and pink hewn stone. The pink stripes and rows of bells put me in mind of a wedding cake.
Ričardova Glava Beach
Nestled in a bay beneath the city walls is Ričardova Beach. Not the place to go for peace and seclusion, this popular beach has bars, a gazillion (expensive) sunbeds and a view to die for.
Ballerina Statue
A short walk along the promenade from the old town brings you to the Ballerina Statue. This striking bronze sculpture of a girl dancing, created by sculptor Gradimir Aleksic, poses gracefully on a rock overlooking the sea and the old town.
Kotor
From here, we head 14 miles north up the E80 to our final destination of the day; the walled city of Kotor. Upon arrival it’s super busy and we can’t park anywhere nearby. We end up parked miles away from town and have to pay €10 for the privilege.
Sea Gate
We enter the old town via the Sea Gate. There are three gates in the city walls, built by the Venetians in the 16th Century. The main entrance to the town is via the 16th Century Sea Gate, so-called because the sea once reached right up to the entrance.
Sitting rather incongruously above the gate are a red star, commemorating the city’s liberation from the Nazis, and a carving of the Madonna and Child sitting between St Tryphon and St Bernard.
There is also an an oversized bench – obligatory to stop and take a dangly legged photo.
Accommodation in Kotor
The address of our apartment is Stari Grad (Old City) 281. We have no idea what this means and it’s not on the map, so we have no idea how to locate it. After a lot of wandering round the maze of narrow lanes, we find it up some steps in an alleyway.
The owner, who said he would meet us there, is nowhere to be seen. We text, but get no response, so end up sitting in an alley for an hour. I am not happy. The old man goes to see if Tourist Information can help. A semi naked man comes out of the neighbouring apartment, sits next to our luggage and starts singing and pouring water over his head and everything else in the vicinity, including our luggage. I am even less happy. Finally, the old man and the owner appear. His explanation; nobody has ever found the apartment unaided before. Usually, when they ask for directions, the person they ask texts him to say visitors are on their way.
The accommodation wasn’t great and the old town is extremely noisy at night. In addition, with no parking nearby, you have to carry your belongings through the hordes of jostling people to reach your accommodation. With hindsight, I would suggest staying nearby rather than in the old town itself.
We take some time to unwind, then wander round the old town, although to be honest, we’ve seen most of it already trying to locate No 281. The town is heaving; a cruise ship the size of a small country has just docked.
Clock Tower
In the main square, you will find the symbol of Kotor; the 17th Century Clock Tower. It sits atop a former prison, complete with pillory once used to shame delinquent citizens. Above, is a watch tower.
Cats
My favourite thing about Kotor is that cats are revered. There are cats everywhere; real cats, cat souvenirs, there’s even a Cats Museum where, if you so desire (between May and October), you can see thousands of feline themed books, prints, coins, medals, advertising, postcards etc. Entry costs €1. We (I) took lots of pictures of cats!
St Tryphon’s Cathedral
Kotor’s cathedral is named St Tryphon’s Cathedral because it holds the saint’s remains (they were en route to Dubrovnik, but ended up in Kotor due to a storm). The building dates from the 12th Century, although much of it was damaged during an earthquake in 1667. Financial issues at the time meant that the reconstruction remained unfinished, thus the left hand tower is two metres shorter than the right.
Gurdić Bastion & Gate
At the southern end of town is Gurdić Gate, watched over by the formidable Gurdić Bastion. Follow the corridor to the gate and pass through it to admire the wonderful view of the Bay of Kotor.
Town Walls
Rather than just surrounding the town, the fortifications of Kotor’s Town Walls run high up onto St John’s Hill. You can scale the 1200 metre, 1350 step line of wall interspersed with fortresses for a view across the town and the bay beyond. There are two entry points; one near the cathedral and a second just inside the River Gate. Our prolonged accommodation issues meant that we no longer have time to complete the climb. Instead, we admire the view of the walls from the bottom and then go in search of beer!
Entrance to the walls costs €15 between May and September.
St Mary’s Collegiate Church
Built in 1221, St Mary’s Collegiate Church is one of the oldest churches in Kotor. Inside, you will find 14th Century frescoes and a glass coffin containing the body of Saint Osanna; claim to saintly fame – being walled into a small cell attached to a church in order to devote her life to prayer.
River Gate
The third city gate, River Gate, is on the northern side of the city leading to a bridge across the Škurda River. Across the bridge is a shopping centre, where we stocked up on provisions for a picnic with a spectacular view.
Park Slobode
Just outside the old town, nestled between the River Škurda and the bay, is Park Slobode. Here, you can escape the confines of the walls, enjoy the view and watch the comings and goings in the port.
Montenegro Day 2
Last night was an accommodation fail. The apartment is over a hostel bar where they played music so loud the walls vibrated until 2 am. By 7 am, the church bells were ringing and the old man next door was singing again. The bed was uncomfortable and there was no hot water.
Breakfast is ‘included’ – this means the owner has left some eggs and jam in the fridge. There’s no bread, but we can go and collect some from his mother’s shop.
Drive to Croatia
After we have cooked our eggs, we pack and trek back to the car. Leaving Kotor is hard work. The Queen Victoria, a cruise ship which has a population larger than the town itself, has moored and thousands of disembarking passengers are simultaneously attempting to cram themselves through the Sea Gate leaving us fighting against the tide.
Bay of Kotor
We only have a 57 mile drive today across the border to Croatia and the city of Dubrovnik. After the chaos of Kotor, the first 30 miles of our journey hug the Bay of Kotor; a beautiful almost figure of 8 kink in the Adriatic.
The views are spectacular and we take our time, with plenty of stops to photograph the bay along the way.
- Trip taken: September 2018
- Updated: August 2025
I hope you found the above information useful. For guides to more destinations in the 50+ countries we have visited, check out my full list of Independent Travel Itineraries here.
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