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Kid Friendly Base - 3 Nights - July

Posted by (North Carolina ) on

Hello, my family of four (8 and 10) will be taking a trip to Montenegro and Croatia next July 2026. We hope to spend 3 nights in Montenegro with the remaining trip in Croatia (7 nights). With this said, I cannot find reasonable, 1-stop flights either into or out of Montenegro, from the USA. We prefer a one stop flight so we are leaning towards flying into (or out of) Dubrovnik and out of (or into) Split.

What base would you recommend in Montenegro to stay 3 nights? We prefer to be less than 2 hours from Dubrovnik in case this is the airport used. We enjoy hiking, swimming, seeing scenic areas, eating local food, etc. I do not mind driving in a foreign country too so a rental car will probably be used.

Thanks in advance.

Posted by
6445 posts

A lot may depend on how long you wish to drive on arrival. The most popular place for a first foray in Montenegro (it was in my case anyway) is Kotor, and that is about an hour and a half (border wait times can affect this I believe).

Posted by
1032 posts

We stayed for three nights in Kotor (and one in Herceg-Novi, much closer to Dubrovnik) and that worked out very well for us. We also rented a car. Your options for airports are Dubrovnik (which looks like it's about two hours from Kotor), Tivat (just outside Kotor- but mostly European low cost carriers) and Podgorica (which is also mostly European low cost carriers). From Kotor it's very easy to drive up into the mountains, the old capital at Cetinje, and further down the coast towards Budva. You're also very close to beautiful Perast and just driving that coastal drive between Herceg Novi and Kotor is amazing. Lake Skadar is also in day trip distance. I've heard Bar is very nice as well but we decided it was too far to go and come back in a day. Good luck with your planning.

Posted by
302 posts

Thanks for the reply and information. We are still trying to find reasonable flights from the Carolinas (US).

If my family decides to fly into and out of Dubrovnik (better flight options from US), would it be realistic to have a base in Montenegro or just take 1 or 2 day trips from Dubrovnik. We would also want to stay in the Split, Croatia area for 4-5 nights. It looks like the drive between Kotor and Split is about 5 hours. The total trip would be 10 nights.

Thanks again.

Posted by
24987 posts

I would stop in Perast on the way, but maybe skip Kotor. Fly into Split and out of Podgorica. I would stay in Budva. A little further from Dubrovnik but better situated to see more of Montenegro in day trips. From Budva you can reach Ostrog, the Tara Canyon, Ulcinj, Stari Bar, the lake. All pretty drives.

How to plan things? Do a forum search for "Dijana". Especially with kids, getting the most out of this is going to be important. It will come with a cost, but this is one of those locations where local planning advice will pay off and I dont say that about many places: Dijana Krkotic, Doclea Travel +382 69 277 749 (WhatsApp, Phone, Text), [email protected], www.docleatravel.com. I go back every year and I still start with her help. She is also a mom so might have some good insight for the enjoyment of the kids.

In Dubrovnik I know a really great mom guide that might have ideas to keep the kids occupied and make the trip more special for them: Nera Pavlovic, +385 98 183 4365 (WhatsApp, Phone, Text), [email protected], https://www.linkedin.com/in/nera-pavlovicb2186873/

Posted by
24987 posts
Posted by
72 posts

Mr. E. What would you recommend in Tara canyon to do as an activity? Looks like there is a lot including white water rafting. What is the hotel in the canyon like?

Posted by
24987 posts

That Fly Guy, I'm sorry, i missed this until just now. I hope you got your answer. If not: Zip lines, rafting, fishing, hiking, swimming, just a beautiful place.

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