Please sign in to post.

A Week in Montenegro - Trip Report

I generally do in progress trip reports.

My Spring Fishing Trip to the high country of Montenegro.

Fishing is as much an excuse as it is a reason. The trip is about a week in length and does three days fishing and three days on the coast just watching life go by. Along the way are two wineries, and olive orchard / oil producer, cooking with mom and possibly paragliding. No guides but private transfers and all set up by Dijana who you see me shamelessly promoting on the forum whenever someone is traveling to Croatia, Montenegro or BiH.

For those of you that will only indulge in the romance of the rails while in Europe and for those of you who have a personal prohibition on early morning flights or for those that covet a particular disdain for pricing games of discount airlines; as this trip begins with a 07:30 discount airline there is no need to continue to read.

04:30 taxi pickup booked on the app the night prior for a Budapest, District VI pickup to the airport. As is generally the case, CityTaxi was about 5 minutes early. Cost with the tip was 12.000 ft and it took 30 minutes door to door. Within 1 hour of leaving home i was near the gate eating breakfast.

Wizz didn't check any carryon sizes or weights and never has in the 6 or so times I've flown with them. Flight left on time. 1:10 flight to Podgirica.

Posted by
22878 posts

I need to backup. A few years ago I recommended the tour agent in know in Montenegro to some close friends. They went and had a great time. This year they said they would stop in Budapest on the way to Albania. They did, and I scheduled my fishing trip to start the day they were to leave Budapest. The agent called a few weeks ago and asked if I would be on the same Podgorica flight as my friends. What? Turns out they enjoyed Montenegro so much that they were stopping for the night on the way to Albania and the agent was taking care of the transfer to the Albanian border. I surprised my friends with the news the day before.

Dijana met us at the airport in Podgorica and took us to mom's house for lunch, then to my friends hotel in Petrovac. Then after a short tour for me had a driver take me on the 2 hour drive to my hotel in the high country. It was a beautiful cool sunny day. Couldn't be nicer .... until about half way to my hotel the rain came pouring down.

My fishing guide, I guy I used on a previous trip, showed up on time this morning. We spent the day looking for a river that wasn't too swift or too dirty from runoff to fish. I got about 30 min of an attempt at serious fishing in before we quit. But in the process I got a tour all over Northern Montenegro. Stunning country. No regrets.

It will take a week for the rivers to return to normal, so tomorrow I head back to the coast (plan B) to enjoy the beach and the weather. Fishing will have to wait till October. (Or maybe ill bet a charter and fish off the coast) But, again, no regrets.

Posted by
520 posts

The only thing I know about Montenegro is that is where the great detective Nero Wolf was (fictitiously) born.

Posted by
22878 posts

RobertH, it's beautiful enough to get me back 4 times.

Sp after being raised out of the mountains I am in Budva. The old town is a mini Dubrovnik and the main city has a bit of a Soith Beach Miami feel. I've done old town twice so staying onthe beach in the city this time.

Great hotel. Great food everywhere. Ocean views and rest and relaxation.

Tomorrow off to a vineyard and an olive orchard / oil producer.

Unfortunately circumstances in Budapest are requiring i return the following day. Twp days early. So i loose a 75 euro Wizz flight ticket.
But the beauty of being here is its ony an hour flight home. When people come to Europe and limit their exploring to trains. They miss many unique opportunities.

I will make up for it another trip.

Posted by
289 posts

How are you getting around, for example to the oil producer/vineyard, or between towns? Are you using the travel agent or is it possible to use public transportation? I'm sorry your trip is getting cut short, but as you say - next time.

Posted by
22878 posts

I know a guide here. You might have noticed that I shamelessly promote her. Private transfers here and BiH are very reasonable. Busses would take twice the time and are sort of ... well... pre-developed economy in style. The fact that everything else here is 25% or more less expensive than in the West means the cost of the driver is more than offset.

Poor Dijana has had to rearrange everything twice. First for the rain and then for my early departure. From my end, it's just a phone call.

Posted by
289 posts

Got it, thank you for taking the time to reply! I am at a pre-pre stage of planning a trip to Croatia, and Montenegro has me fascinated....

Posted by
22878 posts

If you want to do Montenegro, do it well. Montenegro is so much more than Kotor. 4 days is a good start.

Dijana Krkotic, Guide & Tour Designer
Doclea Travel
+382 69 277 749
[email protected]
www.docleatravel.com
and let her take care of the details. Do a forum search with her name for references.

Montenegro Places, Along the Coast
Bar https://youtu.be/T36CVTupIu0?si=sXTLf4Ya-BtgqkKG
Budva https://youtu.be/GF7hyxB8Xq4?si=re2lmDTm5pRNpioH
AND the Hotel California https://youtu.be/Ap45GkYMZKo?si=JzlPKod0-ozyPS2e
Čanj https://youtu.be/aiX21f1KWeg?si=9QtS92tZTA50vz_S and https://youtu.be/Z1d818hYy-0?si=Pk_gwlLoQ3GEKibP
Herceg Novi https://youtu.be/nNtT4Mh2ZTc?si=E8XAPiylEc7xlH0m
Kotor https://youtu.be/G7QgBl7XNKU?si=pK1etsEr8UcAlofr
AND Cable Car https://youtu.be/8hVesPAkxac?si=dpFGnxLafV8_zkU5

AND Mountain Coaster https://youtu.be/xiL15FSCIZ0?si=bDDkdsQP_irga6F2
Perast, https://youtu.be/q2nckBnc7_M?si=CohK_4nsI6l7chEB
AND Hotel Conte https://youtu.be/zYJcm2zlXA8?si=w7VstV-oLoVEQLr7
Petrovac https://youtu.be/IfUfXuuGPEg?si=JTG1d9INazz1QUc4
Pržno https://youtu.be/nBq5pHl9EsY?si=xkdTasO0IsRUrC6d
Risan https://youtu.be/gtQjsylYQPI?si=lOu2_06ACSEhX1oT
Tivat https://youtu.be/qQ9SDwZ4scg?si=bmA1Si8PQ684cXkw
Ulcinj, https://youtu.be/SBY7G9HHw5s?si=wjPy2V0P1mhua7Cs

Montenegro Places, Inland
Gusinje https://youtu.be/-DOZ2-U9yUw?si=-yOpR723rlEsJIK7
High Country: https://youtu.be/TC8q0G8JxZE?si=PDJQIK7lJwoGQrAe

Ostrog Monastery https://youtu.be/ixrJu6qv46M?si=WML9Hs2hOQCsKZwE
AND Hotel & Restaurant Sokoline https://youtu.be/miNV1FVK7qI?si=iZC_lViMUEk6JGI
P1 Mountain Road https://youtu.be/QSz5hZVNxQ8?si=kAUpMBWDbSSztzt5
AND Prosciutto at Zora https://youtu.be/08il6EXog3o?si=PkQ6Rrueu6c_-U98
Stari Bar, https://youtu.be/OBU56OT78fw?si=tzF65lSmOXSEpWKZ
Tara River Canyon https://youtu.be/9aGMZB8hB5Y?si=NFKsf6YtGAX2uVCa
AND Motel Tara MB https://youtu.be/wGuRybkymEI?si=TGgevmpFSCGTghPq
Virpazar https://youtu.be/bw3JxXcdDo4?si=4i0wZj-J-VLyFpbz

For some of the outdoor activities look at this thread: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/no-place-like-rome

Posted by
289 posts

Unfortunately, a proper trip to Montenegro is not going to happen anytime soon. I am hoping a trip to Croatia happens in 2027, but even that is uncertain. Thank you for all the information though - I am saving it.

Posted by
9625 posts

The only thing I know about Montenegro is that is where the great detective Nero Wolf was (fictitiously) born.

That's where I first learned about Montenegro, too. Robert, do you remember the one book where Nero Wolfe took Archie back to Montenegro? It was very interesting, and really made me want to visit there. Maybe one of these days.

Thanks for the report, Mr Ë. Sorry the fishing didn't work out, but it sounds like the scenery more than made up for it!

Posted by
22878 posts

This morning I headed off to visit an olive plantation / oil producer. Amazing. A picnic table in front of the "manor house" next to a grove of 500 trees. Oil sampling and explanation and history. Bread and oil, dried figs marinated in oil for 2 weeks, goat cheese in oil, olive spread on home made bread, prosciutto, pomegranate juice ... all home made, sourced from a neighbor. Incredible. Amazing owners.

Then off to a 500 year old mostly abandoned village built into the side of a mountain with views for miles. The one business is a wine producer. More locally produced food and pretty darn good wine.

Switchback narrow mountain roads with 300 foot cliff walls on one side and 300 foot vertical drops on the other. Plenty of stops in the along the way for views. Thank you Dijana.

Posted by
6774 posts

Mardee, that book was "The Black Mountain."

I still have a shelf full of Nero Wolfe books, but I haven't read them in years. There they sit, waiting for me...

Posted by
520 posts

@Mardee: Nero Wolfe, in that book, details, a little, what made him leave Montenegro and never go back until that book.

It was too dangerous.

And at the end of the book he starts putting on all the weight he lost for the disguise and vows again, to never go back.

Did not leave me with warm feelings about visiting*.

edit*: But then, I was a kid. I just assigned it to "probably-not-a-good-idea/this-is-the-opinion-of-this-author" and went on with my life.

Posted by
9625 posts

Jane, yes! I still have a copy of that book! The thing I remember most about it was Nero digging up some cheese out of the ground that had been fermenting there for quite some time. Evidently it was a tradition in that area. I forget what it was and I’m not at home now so I can’t look it up.

Posted by
22878 posts

Thanks for the report, Mr Ë. Sorry the fishing didn't work out, but it
sounds like the scenery more than made up for it!

Mardee, the last day more than made up for it. It was the sort of day I search for when traveling. Each visit i love this place more. But it's the sort of place where you have to know someone to be able to find these sorts of things. I hope more people who visit Croatia make time for a day like I had in Montenegro. Or even when visiting Budapest or any city with a Wizz flight here. For me it was a 1 hour morning flight down and a 1 hour afternoon flight back so the time here for the cost really works well ... even if only 2 or 3 nights.

Sure, you really need to hire transfers here to get to the good stuff, but the cost of a hotel for a night here plus a transfer is about the same as a hotel in Dubrovnik and the cost to walk the walls.

Posted by
22878 posts

Remember where I live. Its different. The flight is 1:10. Door to door in Budva is 4 hours more or less. I couldn't drive SATX to Houston in less time.

Oh, I bought about 3 weeks prior. Probably paid some extra on the round trip because of that. But my Uber from the airport in Texas costs about as much as the flight.