Budva.

The metropolis of Montenegrin tourism, thanks to the great number of beaches and hotels, make Budva a most desirable tourist destination.

Budva can be a day trip from either Kotor or Tivat, or as I would suggest, staying the night down there as it’s a huge city and I only dipped my toes into the Old Town.

A quick 30-minute drive to Budva from Tivat with stunning coastal views along the way will give you a wonderful sense of the landscape of beautiful Montenegro. 

Once you arrive, head straight to the Old Town. Similar to all of the others I’ve seen throughout this trip, but Budva’s Old Town feels even smaller, clean, and with more narrow alleyways.

Find the small door that leads out to the beach on the west side of the walls. Grab a glass of rose at Konoba Tari Grad, Plazni Grad Budva and enjoy the atmosphere. Yes, it’s touristy, but to finally feel the sun on my face and the warmth from the sand on my toes was exactly what I needed. Summer months are way too crowded, we’re told by the locals, so end of September/beginning of October is a nice time to visit Budva, aka the party capital of Montenegro.

Tips:

• It was good to go to Kotor first – Tivat was way too quiet with absolutely nothing going on. Budva was better during the low season because at least it had more people around.

Transportation: We tried to get a cab to drive us around the countryside and then to Budva and Tivat, but he wanted 60-100 EURO. Way too expensive! Day trips through a tour company are only 30 EURO. Instead, our hotel in Tivat organized a driver to take us to Budva and back to Tivat for only 30 EURO. 

Croatia: Love the country, didn’t like the people.

Bosnia: Love the country and the people.

Montenegro: Need to explore more of the country, people are good.