Hi Everyone,
To make it brief, I'll be traveling to Europe in July for about a month and a half. I have enough time to spend more than just a day in Montenegro, but is it necessary? Of course, I want to see the bay of Kotor and do the hike to the fortress, but are there other parts (Budva, spending time in Podgorica, etc.) that set it apart from Croatia?
Thanks!
-Matt
Yes, Montenegro is worth more than a day. I didn't have a rental car so didn't have the opportunity to visit Lovcen or Durmitor National Parks, which sound lovely, but all of the following were interesting:
As has been previously mentioned on this forum, the most direct-looking route from Kotor to Cetinje is a road with dozens of switchbacks, which many would prefer to avoid. It would be easy to take a different route and still see Cetinje.
Much of the countryside is dramatic and hilly/mountainous, especially over toward Serbia. Try to get beyond the coastal towns, nice though they are.
In my opinion, the most interesting thing about Podgorica is its name. With limited time available I'd skip it.
I only spent a day in Montenegro but wish that I had spent longer. In particular, I want to go back to see Durmitor National Park. I only saw the coastal towns (Perast, Kotor, Budva), which are unique but also similar to Croatia. If you want to do the coast only, you could do that in a day. If there's anything inland that piques your interest, you'll want more than a day.
Yes, definitely. I did a only a day trip and it was too rushed. The mountains definitely set it apart. I would take the switchback road up the mountain (as long as you're comfortable with heights) ; you will get an incredible view of a fiord-like bay that's very different from what you see in Croatia. It's worth going up to the mountains. Budva, while a bit interesting, feels like a Russian luxury yacht playground. It was probably my least favorite sight of them all, but still worth checking out (quickly).
