Montenegro

Does your tour begin in Dubrovnik or in Ljubljana? The itinerary on this website indicates a tour route running from Ljubljana to Dubrovnik. I'd expect the transfer from Montenegro to Ljubljana to be somewhat awkward and time-consuming.

Kotor, unfortunately, is (or was, pre-COVID) a major cruise port--though I think not nearly as heavily visited as Dubrovnik. But there's a benefit to that: I believe you'll find day-trip options from Kotor to places like Budva. I got around by public bus, but I'm a patient person and realize that approach is not for everyone. Still, Montenegro is a small country, so a lot of places can be visited by public bus without subjecting yourselves to a great deal of travel time, and you have a pretty generous amount of time available.

I enjoyed the vibe of the Turkish-style section of Ulcinj, the old capital of Cetinje, Budva, the drive around the fabulous Bay of Kotor and the atmospheric historic center of Herceg-Novi. Montenegro gets considerable tourist traffic these days, but the bulk of it seems to be concentrated in a few places along the coast (Kotor and Budva being the places where tourists are most prevalent). Visiting places like Herceg-Novi and especially Ulcinj gets one off the beaten path and could be quite an adventure. I imagine hiring a driver (or just a taxi) for a day or two to facilitate visits to places farther away from your base or not on bus routes would be reasonably affordable since there are two of you. An English-speaking driver might be helpful in a place like Ulcinj, which did feel quite foreign in 2015.

I've read good things about the national parks in Montenegro, including Lovcen, but to my knowledge they aren't accessible by public transportation. There is a lot of really lovely scenery in Montenegro, not just in the national parks, so time spent in transit isn't wasted.

On the other hand, as far as I'm concerned, the capital of Podgorica is very skippable, though I confess I didn't research the local museums.

I know we have some other posters who've seen parts of Montenegro I've missed; I trust you'll hear from them soon.

The previous post is absolutely correct. Traveling from Montenegro to Ljubljana would be a terrible headache. If you want to see Montenegro, do it at the end of the RS tour. The transfer from Dubrovnik to Kotor is easy and fast. Also, Kotor is a popular cruise ship stop, so I'd plan to be out of the city during the peak hours and return in the evening after the cruisers have returned to their ship.

There is non-stop service from Podgorica to Ljubljana; but only on certain days of the week so you would have to coordinate that. But the airports on both ends are easy and small. The flight is only about an hour. Wouldn't bother me.

I know a pretty outstanding guide in Montenegro. Send me a pm and I will give you her contact information. She can guide or just plan if you dont want a guide; maybe set up ground transportation for you. She will do neighboring countries too.

James, we would appreciate getting information on the guide you recommend for Montenegro. It would be reassuring to have someone to handle all our travel needs. Rick Panowicz

Dijana Krkotic
dijana@docleatravel.com

pjparp, she designed a trip and is doing part of the guiding for a couple of friends who are over there right now: having the time of their life. Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Budapest .. 3 weeks.

Thanks again James. We have them working on a 7day Montenegro visit with her scheduling the entire trip. As suggested, they will pick us up in Dubrovnik and take us back to Dubrovnik for our flight back to Seattle. I am feeling comfortable with their expertise and will post our experience upon our return. Thanks again for your input. Rick P

I guess pjparp and James already found their reliable guides, but for future travelers to Montenegro I would definitely recommend these two agencies Boka Bay Travel and TourbyNef

I was with a large group of 12 people, and this is the first time to seen agencies sharing their work - really stunning country and people! As 12 of us had different opinions, 4 of us went on a speed boat ride around Boka Bay, and the rest of them took the tour by minivan to Lovćen mountain. Hope this will be helpful to someone.

If you are concerned about cruise ships calling on tiny Kotor while you are there (certainly a valid concern) check crew-center com. The 2022 scheduled port calls should be listed soon. There are other websites with this information as well. cruisemapper.com is also a good one. Once you’ve got the dates, you can plan your outside-of-Kotor travels to avoid the crush.