Places to visit

What to see in Montenegro

Montenegro’s coastline runs for 293 km, from Herceg Novi in the north-west to Ulcinj, the southernmost town in the country, and most of what visitors come for is on the water or close to it. At the northern end is the Bay of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Kotor has its walled old town and the climb to St John’s fortress; Perast, home to about 240 people, looks across at two islands, Gospa od Škrpjela and St George. Herceg Novi sits at the entrance to the bay, and Tivat, with the airport and the Porto Montenegro marina, on its inner shore.

The middle of the coast is the Budva Riviera: the old town and citadel of Budva, the beach at Bečići, almost two kilometres long, and Sveti Stefan, whose hotel reopened on 1 July 2026. Further south are Stari Bar, a ruined hilltop town with an olive tree more than 2,000 years old, and Ulcinj, where Velika Plaža is the longest beach in the country: 13 km of fine, dark grey sand carried down by the River Bojana. Beyond it lies Ada Bojana, a river island in the Bojana delta with a 3 km beach.

Inland, Cetinje was founded in 1482 and remained the capital for more than four centuries, until 1946; on the road up to it from Kotor is Njeguši, a village at about 900 m that gave its name to the local ham and cheese. The present capital, Podgorica, has the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, the largest Orthodox church in Montenegro, and the cave monastery of Dajbabe on its outskirts. In the mountains, Žabljak stands at 1,456 m: the base for Durmitor in summer and for skiing in winter.

Where to stay in Montenegro

For a first visit without a car, the Budva Riviera is the easiest choice: it is 20 km from Tivat airport, you can walk the seafront, and buses are frequent. Families with small children usually want sand and a beach that shelves gently, which means Bečići or Velika Plaža. Kotor, Perast and Herceg Novi have little sand — you swim from concrete platforms and fine shingle — but they are quieter. The resorts are compared side by side in where to stay in Montenegro, and the beaches in Montenegro’s beaches by type.

Distances are short. Budva to Kotor is 22 km, about half an hour; Budva to Sveti Stefan 9 km; Bar to Ulcinj 27 km. In July and August, allow one and a half to two times as long on the coast. Buses link the coastal towns, but viewpoints, the mountains and the more remote beaches are far easier with a hire car.

Entry prices for the main sights

Kotor’s old town is free to walk into; you pay only to climb the walls to the fortress, €15. Budva’s citadel costs €5, and Stari Bar €5 (€1 for children aged 6–14). A boat from Perast out to Gospa od Škrpjela is about €5 return; landing on St George is not allowed. Mamula, the island fort off the Luštica peninsula, is now a hotel and you cannot land there on your own: most people see it from the water, and any visit is on the hotel’s terms. Prices checked in September 2026.