In this post we’ll cover transport, accommodations, must see locations, and family activities along the coast of Montenegro, as well as some helpful tips!
Montenegro is known as the gem of the Adriatic! The coastline of this Baltic country offers up that beautiful Adriatic blue ocean color, set amongst imposing cliffs that rise majestically from the sea, creating a striking contrast against the vibrant waters. Having visited once before, I knew that Montenegro was somewhere I wanted to experience again with my spouse and kids, as there are countless hidden coves and picturesque beaches waiting to be explored, along with charming seaside towns where you can enjoy fresh seafood and local culture. If the allure of sun-drenched shores and the promise of creating unforgettable memories together doesn’t appeal to you and yours, then I don’t know what will!
In my opinion, there are several must see spots along the coast of Montenegro which include Budva, Sveti Stephan, Kotor and really the entire Bay of Kotor, as well as Petrovac.
To visit Montenegro with kids, renting a car is optimal for both flexibility and maneuverability. In summer, expect congestion as most roads are one lane and traffic backs up through towns and around popular beach spots. For this trip, we flew into Dubrovnik, Croatia and drove through Montenegro before visiting Albania. Dubrovnik’s close proximity to the Bay of Kotor makes it easily accessible from Croatia. If flying directly into Montenegro, the coastal city of Tivat has a small airport as well as in the capital, Podgorica.
Helpful Tip: f you’re driving from Croatia during peak summer months, plan to leave early to avoid long border crossing wait times. We picked up our rental car at 9am at the Dubrovnik airport and waited a couple of hot, sticky hours to cross the border into Montenegro in August. If you are planning to cross borders with your rental car, make sure it is allowed before you reserve your car. You usually need to pay an extra fee for a ‘green card’ that insures your rental car in each additional country, and costs vary between rental car agencies. Some countries are easier to get a ‘green card’ for than others; we had to shop around quite a bit to find a rental car company that covered us for both Montenegro and Albania.
Budva
My favorite old town in all of Montenegro is undoubtedly Budva. Once a Venetian port, during the Venetian Republic, which reigned over Budva from 1420 to 1797. Budva boasts stunning stone-walled fortifications that grace a particularly beautiful stretch of beach, making the stari grad (old town) an undeniable feast for the eyes. Renowned for its nightlife that draws visitors from near and far, Budva also offers a relaxed, family-friendly vibe during the day, allowing families to explore the historic ramparts, unwind on the sandy shore, and wander through the charming old town.
For a small fee you can pay to walk the ramparts and visit the citadel -which offers splendid views of the shoreline, Venetian architecture and the old town alike. There is also a small maritime museum and library here.
A simple door from the old town opens up to the best beach, Plaza Ricardova Glavs – where you and yours can lay out your towel and stake your precious real estate for the day just outside the city walls for free. My kids and I snorkeled for a bit along this beach and were surprised at the amount of fish we saw. Paid loungers are available at the beach club, although 2 sunbeds will set you back about 50 Euro.
A short walk down a beach trail leads to Mogren beach. From the beach club, continue down and you will see a frequented trail along the coast that offers spectacular views of the Budva stari grad and beach.
En route is an outfitter offering parasail excursions, small boat and kayak rentals. We spontaneously decided to go parasailing with our kids, and were so glad we did! The highlight for me (besides the excited screaming of my kiddo hanging a couple hundred feet in the air next to me!) was soaring above the private island of Sveti Stefan before coming back down to the boat for a soft landing. Seeing the dramatic Montenegrin coastline from the sky is a real visual treat, while making some pretty great family memories.
Mogren beach is also a nice choice for a change of scenery from Budva beach.
Where to eat: We ate burgers at the highly rated Piano Nobile steakhouse in the center of the old town. The food was good and the friendly service was made even better by a cheery server who provided helpful tips and tidbits about growing up in Montenegro. Konoba Stari Grad serves up local cuisine and is also highly rated. Most restaurants in the old town are expensive for the region, so keep that in mind if you decide to eat out in the stari grad.
Sveti Stefan
A short 15 minute drive south from Budva brings you to fantastic beaches overlooking the luxurious private island of Sveti Stefan. This 15th century fortified island grew over time as a quaint fishing village. It is absolutely worth a stop off the highway at the viewpoint overlook to oogle over this beautiful island, which is now a luxury resort, playing host to the rich and famous. The beaches in front of the island are a nice spot for a walk or swim on the beach. There are paid loungers and stretches of free use beach here.
We found a beautiful cove a bit further up the beach by following a short walking trail through a park and forested area to the next beach, called Milocer. At the far end of Milocer Beach is a man made cave to a seaside dock, which our kids loved exploring! You will also pass directly in front of the picturesque Villa Milocer. This 19th century villa is blanketed in olive trees and was built for royalty, literally. The villa was built for a former Serbian queen as a summer residence, and is now owned and operated by the same hotel group that operates the luxurious Sveti Stefan hotel. The villa is currently closed, allowing easy access to more common folk, like us (!) to the beautiful beach in front of the villa.
View of Milocer beach and Milocer Villa from the walking trail
Petrovac
An additional 15 minute drive south down the coastline leads to the 600 meter long stretch of beach in Petrovac. Petrovac has a much more local Baltic family holiday feel to it than nearby Budva, which feels more exclusive. We stayed for 5 nights here in August and watched as the beach packed out with families daily by mid-morning. The beach boardwalk is full of restaurants, gelato stops and tourist shops. In the evening, dining here is a treat as you’re afforded beautiful beach views while indulging in delicious fresh seafood. Our kids enjoyed spotting various marine life while we waited for our food. In the evening, various vendors set up on the beach. Our kids enjoyed playing on a bouncy slide for a couple Euro.
You can find various boat tours and excursions from the bay in Petrovac, including a glass bottom boat, trips up the coast to Budva and other excursions.
We rented double kayaks with our kids and enjoyed exploring nearby caves, less accessible coves, and paddled out to Kamenjak, a 16th century church built atop a small island. It is a great paddle out to this archipelago of 2 small islands, and even more fun to climb the stairs to the church. If you visit Kamenjak, be a bit cautious at the top as it felt (and looked) like the foundation under the deck was failing.
A nice activity our kids enjoyed was walking to Kastio Fortress, complete with canon. Kastio Fortress was built by the Venetians and sits on a rock outcropping at the head of the bay. My kids especially enjoyed watching folks cliff dive from various rock outcroppings surrounding the fortification into the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic below.
From the street behind the fortress you can find a walking path that leads to the fortress overlook. From here, you can continue on a lovely cliffside walk called, Rezevici, that connects Petrovac to Perazica Do beach. The mile long trail affords spectacular views throughout.
When you first arrive to Perazica Do beach from the walking path, you will come across an abandoned hotel build and gravel car park. Keep going and you will arrive at the lively and more remote beach. A beach bar offers up food and rents out palapas with sun loungers. There are also free areas to drop your towel and gear.
Perazica Do beach
Where to Eat: The best dining in Petrovac is along the bay, close to Kastio Fortress. We ate at most of the dockside restaurants during our stay and didn’t have one bad meal.
Kotor
Kotor’s old town is most definitely on the tourist track, having a port that is accessible to cruise ships, and is part of the young backpacker circuit. Having previously visited this gem 10 years ago, I was not at all surprised at just how crowded it has become. The entire old town is a UNESCO heritage site, and similar to Budva and Petrovac, was once a Venetian port. Needless to say, it’s popular for a reason! To truly enjoy the feel of the old town, without battling the crowds, exploring early morning or late evening when the crowds dissipate is best in my opinion.
Recommended Activities
Hike the old city wall up to Saint John’s Fortress!
One morning we woke up early in part to beat the throng of other tourists, but mainly to beat the August heat to climb the walls of the old town fortifications that tower above the old town.
The higher you reach, the more spectacular views you are afforded of Kotor Bay and the nearby Accursed Mountains.
There are turnstiles towards the back of the old town to access the ascent up the old city walls and up to Sain John’s Fortress. We left early enough that they weren’t yet charging for entrance, and walked right on through. During business hours (8am-8pm in summer) there is a 15 Euro fee per person, which seems a bit steep. The activity is a ‘must do’ if you’re mobile and have a moderate level of fitness. Our kids needed some encouragement, but did great – slowly ascending the some 1,300 steps. They tried to count them all, but lost track more that once!
At the top, there are plenty of structures for kids to explore and climb around on, a nice reward for the challenging climb up.
On our way down, we ventured a bit off course to follow a path to an old church called the Chapel of Saint Ivan. We then had coffee at a local spot with a great view of the bay before following some switchbacks on the Ladder of Kotor path back down into Kotor’s old town. I recommend this route, as it makes the hike into a loop instead up simply up and back down. There are plenty of gelato stands in the stari grad to use as an incentive for your kiddos, post hike.
Take a boat Tour around Kotor Bay
A great family friendly activity in this area is taking a boat tour of Kotor Bay. The views of the old cities surrounding this bay are best seen from the water and I highly recommend taking a boat tour around the bay if you visit Kotor. Just outside the old town of Kotor, multiple tour operators advertise various boat trips, departing from the small marina, just a short walking distance outside the old town. We opted for a private boat tour to visit the blue cave in Herceg Novi, submarine tunnels and the famous Lady of the Rocks island church.
Travel with kids has taught us that paying more to book a private tour often pays off, especially when traveling with younger kids. While we had a great time on this particular tour and had more flexibility with a private boat, in retrospect, joining the group tour would have been fine for this particular trip. There are multiple vendors selling tours just outside the stari grad gates or you can pre-book on various platforms such as Viator.
Swimming out of the blue cave
Part of the boat tour traverses into one of the many old submarine tunnels used by the Yugoslov Navy during the Cold War.
Eat Some Fresh Oysters from Local vendors!
The Bay of Kotor is well known for its delicious sweet fresh locally farmed oysters and mussels. One of my best memories from Montenegro was finding a local vendor and sharing a delicious meal on a floating restaurant. Our kids loved watching as the oysters were pulled out of the water and shucked while we waited. The oysters were paired with a delicious Montenegrin white wine, that our server suggested and a mussel pasta. Our kids aren’t the most adventurous eaters, but our 7 year old tried his 1st oyster here, which was nothing but entertaining. While oysters aren’t really their thing (yet!) they ate up the seafood pasta easily enough. This was hands down my favorite meal, and much more affordable than restaurants in the heavily trafficked tourist corridors of the old towns.
Go Beach Hopping in Kotor Bay
For those escpecillay hot summer days, we enjoyed swimming and paddle boarding at the many beaches just outside Kotor’s old town and further afield. From Kotor Beach, you can continue beach hopping down the coastline of pretty much the entire bay.
One afternoon, we walked to the nearby Boka aquarium, which our kids enjoyed in neighboring Dobroda. A family fee of 21 euro felt more than fair for entry here. While the aquarium is small, it’s a nice respite from the summer heat and a fun educational activity for the littles.
Perast
The nearby seaside town of Perast is known as ‘the Pearl of Boka Bay’. Once a Venetian port, the townspeople tell tales of their history of fighting off pirate attacks . The town has a nice promenade along the Bay of Kotor with exclusive boutique hotels, various eateries and boat trips out to the nearby Our Lady of the Rocks island church. If arriving by car later in the day, parking can be a real challenge during peak summer months. If you’re planning to take a boat tour leaving from here, some operators advertise free parking for their customers. As we had already taken a boat tour, we continued on until we found parking off the road and walked a bunch of steps to get down to Perast. Similar to Kotor, meandering around the charming old town is the best way to experience this quaint historic coastal town.
Where to Stay: We chose Petrovac as our home base, and took day trips to nearby coastal locations, such as Budva and Sveti Stefan from here and found this the most relaxed option to explore the Montenegrin coast without having to move frequently. We booked the Ambassador Apartments through booking.com, which I heartily recommend. This affordable option was a large apartment with AC (not a lot of properties in Europe have AC) and was operated by the hotel next door, which allowed free use of the hotel’s indoor and outdoor pools, breakfast buffet and free parking, as well as prime real estate overlooking the promenade and backing up to the coastal walking path. Our kids also enjoyed the poolside lunch menu for those relaxing afternoons lounging around after exploring.
One common question we have when traveling with kids is whether to stay in the heart of the old towns or further afield for more space and flexibility. Old towns are charming but are often crowded, have limited parking, and can be more expensive. We struggled with this choice in Kotor, trying to figure out the best place to stay with our kids. In the end, we reserved a small apartment with parking just outside the old town, and close to the beach. For us, the comfort and flexibility were more important than the charm of staying in the stari grad. I think it really boils down to you and your family’s style of traveling and finding what works best for you. If you choose to stay in Kotor old town, some nice spots that we looked into, but ultimately didn’t choose to stay at are Apartman365Kotor and Apartment Leo.
Just outside the old town along the bay in Kotor are a variety of affordable small apartment and holiday rentals. We rented from a lovely host who had children’s books on the folklore of the local area and a stand up paddle board to enjoy on the bay. A few options just outside Kotor’s old town and close to the Kotor Bay are Apartments Windrose and BMB Apartments Kotor.
Helpful Tips:
Montenegro uses the Euro as their currency.
If you are traveling through Montenegro, plan to buy filtered water as the tap water in some locations is not safe for drinking.
If you are traveling by car, only book accommodations with parking, as parking is scarce in the high summer season.
We found Montenegro to be a wonderful family destination, enjoyed our interactions with locals and made lots of fun family memories together!
We hope you’ve found this post helpful! Have you visited Montenegro? What was your favorite memory?
The Atlas Expeditions 