Short trip to Montenegro, with Budapest

I am not quite seeing the benefit of flying in and out of Vienna when you are just overnighting there. Why not do roundtrip Budapest, now that you are focusing that direction? Could you see about changing your flights if you have already bought them?

As far as luggage, there are great inexpensive storage options available in Budapest if you can’t drop it off at your lodging before you can check in. And yes, flying home from Budapest is often very early. If I can’t void that, I often just don’t go to bed…..

Good point, and yes, flying out of Budapest is really early. The options we are seeing are around 6:45 AM, which means a very early wake-up. Since we usually like to walk around Budapest quite late on the last night, that is a bit of a downside. We can stretch it, but we are still debating whether the convenience is worth it.

One small advantage with Vienna is that VIE to MCI is on a single ticket. Immigration would happen at ORD either way, but having one protected itinerary gives a bit more peace of mind if there are delays. That is least concern, as layover at ORD is 8 hours. BUD to ORD will be one ticket and then ORD to MCI another one.

So it’s less about "must see Vienna" and more about sleep, pacing, and risk management on the way home. Still weighing both options. You are right on this.

I read in your profile that you visited Montenegro, along with many many other places. How did you like it ? As I mentioned we have visited Hallstatt, Salzburg, Lauterbrunnen, Paris, and Venice, and we loved them, especially for scenery, landscapes, and photography. Montenegro is less talked, so still curious if we if this would not feel underwhelming in comparison to what we have already experienced, given the limited time and jumping around.

I have flown through Belgrade a half dozen times in recent years and Air Serbia is hit and miss in all respects. Get a flight with a 90 minute layover. If you pick dates carefully you can maybe use the Wizzair direct flights. My experience with Air Serbia has been when I took Wizz in one direction then had to use Air Serbia in the opposite direction. Austrian Air also flies from Podgorica to Vienna if you can make that work for your plans. That was direct. The difference in travel time from Podgorica or Tivat to Perast isnt a deal breaker and Podgorica has more service.

Perast, Hotel Conte is the place to stay. Arrange a guide with a car to take you down to Kotor or up to Herceg Novi. They are reasonable in Montenegro. If you read the posts on Montenegro, you have a name for setting up the guide.

The rest of it is so contrary to my way of things that I am not going to be much help. Anything short of 3 nights in Budapest and Montenegro I have no idea what to suggest.

I completely agree , with such limited time, it’s hard to give (or take!) perfect advice. I am still juggling the days and trying to see whether I can realistically add time somewhere, but for now I am working within some fixed constraints.

Most of what I am drawing from is general reading rather than firsthand knowledge, places like Kotor, Budva, and Durmitor National Park keep coming up as highlights, which is why they are on my radar. I’d definitely welcome your perspective on whether that makes sense or if I am being overly optimistic.

Unfortunately, Wizz Air does not operate on my travel days. Given flight availability and timing, one option I am considering is flying Budapest --> Podgorica (TGD) and then Tivat (TIV) --> Vienna, which would let me do something like this for the Montenegro portion:

June 17 – Arrive Vienna late evening, overnight

June 18 – Morning train to Budapest, full day & overnight

June 19 – Budapest during the day, evening flight (6:45–9:25 PM) to Podgorica on Air Serbia, pick up rental car, overnight in Podgorica

June 20 – Early start: drive to Žabljak, Black Lake, Tara River Canyon, Durmitor National Park

June 21 – Early morning drive, visit Budva Old Town, continue to Tivat airport for 2:45 PM flight to Vienna, overnight Vienna

June 22 – Fly home from Vienna at 10:30 AM

I know this is fast and probably not "ideal Montenegro", but I’m trying to see whether it is workable at all.

Yes, Wizz’s limited schedule usually put me on Air Serbia or Austrian Air one way or the other, but the Wizz non-stop when it worked was wonderful. Because of getting back when I flew Austrian the ticket all the way to Budapest was about the same price, so I am among the few that have flown from Vienna to Budapest. With Air Serbia I have never been on an on time flight so watch the short layovers or be sure there is a later flight you can get on if you miss your connection.

Great stuff. In my opinion better than the Slovenia idea. Wish you had just one more day though.

June 19 – Budapest during the day, evening flight (6:45–9:25 PM) to
Podgorica on Air Serbia, pick up rental car, overnight in Podgorica

June 20 – Early start: drive to Žabljak, Black Lake, Tara River
Canyon, Durmitor National Park

June 21 – Early morning drive, visit Budva Old Town, continue to Tivat
airport for 2:45 PM flight to Vienna, overnight Vienna

I am still working to count my PTo and vacations and see if I can add :-)

If I feel rushed (which I am I guess), would you pick "Durmitor National Park + Budva" or "Perast + Kotor + Lovćen + Sveti Stefan", from scenic point of view? We are going with kid, so not going on long hikes.

I am guessing you saw the videos I posted so you know why I keep going back. Its that and it’s the level of in-country support that I get. Means I get to see and do a lot more, more efficiently and with more enjoyment.

Without the long hikes I would say Perast + Kotor + the P1 + Budva (which is where Sveti Stefan is located). But you need to see if Sveti Sefan is re-opened yet or not. I can ask for you. If you are interested in home cooking I know someone for that too.

Perast, you, your wife and the little one in a picture postcard ancient stone hotel with a dining terrace that looks out over one of the prettiest pieces of water in Europe. If you get lucky at dinner a masted ship will come into the bay around sunset and make its way up to Kotor. I have good memories in Perast. You can also arrange to do the tour of Our Lady of the Rocks from Perast. Some of the tours go out to locations for swimming in the bays crystal clear waters or duck into caves. Kotor is interesting for what it is, a walled city from the time of the Venetians, much like Dubrovnik but smaller and more accessible. Lovely for a few hours. Then the P1 takes you up the mountain where you can find prosciutto houses and see how its made and have a great lunch. On the back side of the mountain are some wineries if that interest you, a very nice family run olive orchard and one winery up the side of mountain in an otherwise abandoned 500 year old village. Budva is a sweet walled old town on the coast. Not at all large but very comfortable and some decent beach access. A little further down is Sveti Stefan, but like I said if its open. If not still some good beaches on the causeway to the island.

The shame is that there are not less then three trips in Montenegro. The one above, the one further down the coast and taking in the lake and the one north to Ostrog and the Tara Canyon. Each is unique and each blows me away each time I go back. Speaking of which I will be back in the Balkans either the last week of May or the second week of June. The problems is fishing in Bosnia or rafting in the canyon or bumming on the beach.

I am sorry, did I mention I like Montenegro. I know you want to drive it yourself and that’s not a bad idea except at Perast where you cant get the car to the hotel …. Let the hotel explain. Well, to think of it you cant in Kotor either and Budva you can only get close if you know where to park. Still with some help, a good idea. Pay for a little planning advice and those sorts of issues will be resolved. Where to sleep at Podgorica has an interesting option, maybe at someone’s house (the home cooking I spoke of).

Get yourself just one more day. And if you need luggage storage (i didnt really understand everything) I know a few decent options in Budapest.).

Hallstatt, Salzburg, Lauterbrunnen, Paris, and Venice, and we loved them, especially for scenery, landscapes, and photography. Montenegro is less talked, so still curious if we if this would not feel underwhelming in comparison to what we have already experienced, given the limited time and jumping around.

Mr. Ë is the expert so I will leave all other answers to him and just try to answer this. I’ve been to all those places and loved them as well. Just for me, I love places less or more based on factors I have a hard time describing.

Paris and Venice are cities so they are in a different category - and would you try to compare those to each other? Maybe you compare them to Budapest.

The nature in Austria is so beautiful but so is Montenegro. You have both mountains AND crystal water AND old walled cities - all in a fairly small area which is accessible. And if you have a chance to delve into the history and meet some people, I think you will find more depth. Food’s not bad either. 🤣

I have been to a lot of places, but am rarely underwhelmed. Places are just all different.

Thanks much. This is really helpful.