Montenegro

Montenegro has the second fastest growing tourism industry in the world. It is restoring its place as the ‘must-be-seen-in’ destination for A list celebrities as it was before the war broke out. Sophia Loren, Sylvester Stallone and Claudia Schiffer holiday here. And many stars are buying or have already bought second homes here including the likes of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones, Venus and Serena Williams and WORLD Tennis TOP 1 Novak Djokovic. Pamela Anderson visited in 2009 with a view to investing in a spa hotel.

So what’s the big attraction(s)?

Over 100 Beaches; Packed full of relics from an amazing history; Covered in beautiful Nature including 5 Montenegro national parks which make it ideal for outdoor activities, a great choice of Nightlife to suite all tastes; a huge variety of Festivals throughout the year; and a Mediterranean Climate with plenty of sunshine.

The real charm of Montenegro is that it packs all the above into what is a tiny country, at the right time of year you could be snorkelling in the clear blue Adriatic Sea in the morning and skiing down pristine slopes in the afternoon.

For further reading, you may find the following websites informative:

Lonely Planet Guide , Wikipedia: Montenegro , Wikitravel: Montenegro

Best Beaches in Montenegro

Choosing between the 117 beaches along the 283km (170 mile) coastline can be a challenge. With its calm warm waters, Kotor Bay is perfect for swimming.

Further afield your choices include:

Numerous secluded coves on the Lustica peninsula and some beautiful beaches such as Arza.

Long and sandy Jaz Beach, on the way to Budva, is considered by many locals to be the finest and most beautiful in Montenegro.

Budva, 2 km’s further south also has long wide sandy beaches and a popular man-made 50m high bungee jump.

Of these beaches Slovenska beach is the busiest and, at 1.6 km’s, one of the longest on this part of the Adriatic coast.

Along the Ulcinjska Riviera, you’ll find many fine sandy beaches, some stretching as far as 13km (8 miles).

Becici beach has won International competitions for being ‘Europe’s Most Beautiful Beach’. It’s long grey and sandy beach is a 45 minute drive from Kotor.

If you need to be naked to fully enjoy a beach then there is a nudist beach in Ulcinj, about a 2 hr drive from Kotor.

And there’s the iconic Sveti Stefan made famous and frequented by Sophia Loren and Burt Reynolds back in the 1950′s and now undergoing major redevelopment. There’s a good selection of a-la-carte restaurants and bars here.

Montenegro Culture and Sightseeing

Kotor

The 2,000 year-old town of Kotor is considered one of the best preserved medieval cities in the world. Listed as a world natural and cultural heritage site by UNESCO. Cars are banned making it a very relaxing place to explore with its maze of alleyways and courtyards hiding churches, fashion boutiques and cafes. Dating back to 1166 and built on the site of an older pre-Romanic church, St Tryphon stands proud against the beautiful backdrop of the surrounding mountains.

Other examples of sacral architecture in Kotor Stari Grad (Old Town) include, St Ana’s Church from the late 12th Century, Luke’s Church (1195), the Church of Santa Maria Colegiata (1221), the Orthodox Church of St Nicolas dating from the early 20th century.

Perast

Situated in Kotor Bay, and also under UNESCO protection, Perast boasts some of the best preserved examples of Baroque architecture in this part of the Adriatic. The Bujkovic Palace which now houses the Perast Town museum is surrounded by numerous manors and churches erected in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Off the coast from Perast are two very photogenic islands. A Benedictine abbey has stood on the Island of St George since the 12th century. The nearby Isle of Gospa of Skrpjela was artificially created by piling up stones around the rocks. Since 1452 this became a cultural event called Fasinada where, every July 22nd, boats sail around the Island dropping more stones in the water to reinforce the island.

Cetinje

The journey to this former capital of Montenegro from Kotor is a must do trip. The road is full of hairpin turns and plenty of places to stop to admire the incredible views of Kotor Bay and the the Adriatic coast. Along the way there are numerous museums as well as the King Nicolas Palace and the Monastery of Cetinje, home of a relic of the hand of St. John Baptist.

If you fancy some exercise then contniue on from Cetinje to Lovcen and to the mausoleum of Petar II Petrovic Njegos, a famous writer, philospher and statesman of Montenegro. The rather imposing mausoleum is built on the summit and involves a lot of steps, which make the breathtaking views all the more… breathtaking – and stretch all the way to Italy on a clear day. Having got your breath back and worked up an appetite you’d do well to head for the village of Njegusi where Montenegro’s famous cheeses and hams are made. Wash these down with some very fine local mead (honey wine).

Ostrog Monastery

This magnificent 17th century monastery (one of the most visited sights in the Balkans) is housed in a sheer cliff face. From its vantage point high up in the mountains, there are fantastic views of the Bjelopavlici plains below.

Montenegro - undiscovered destinations