Ultimate Balkans and Transylvania Travel Talk Tour: Montenegro, Day 13
Day 13: Thursday 20th October 2022
Start: Trebinje, Herzegovina via Kotor
Finish: Budva, Montenegro (Currency: Euro)
Temperature: 17 degrees leaving Trebinje, 26 by the end of day in Budva, Montenegro, getting much colder overnight.
This morning we had a sleep in, with breakfast from 8am and a departure at 9am. The Hotel Central park was conveniently located and had a surprisingly good breakfast selection. Bojan told us he had a word with them and it was vastly improved on previous years, so that is great news. Their coffee machine produced a reasonable espresso shot too. We then had 2 hours straight to Budva due to nowhere to stop, Bojan told us the only place to stop would be the side of the road so we were well behaved and everyone made it to Montenegro before we took a break. Montenegro translates to ‘Black Mountains’. The border crossing was complete by 10:30 am and we had one stamp given when entering Montenegro.
On the bus our hilarious guide Bojan advised us how to look out for local Montenegro males; look out for the popped collars and sunglasses on designer clad men. Apparently he has had previous tour group members tell him that Montenegro had the most ‘masculine men’ they’d seen. He warned us that the men here will ‘look’ but shouldn’t cause us any problems. But he said (which we had to laugh at) ‘if you feel like people are watching you, it’s because they are.’ Too funny. Bless his soul, he’s honestly such a sweetheart.
Apparently Montenegro had many problems with pirates in this area near Kotor back in the day. Bojan explained that these days they don’t have a pirate problem but they do have a mafia problem. Driving around the edge of the coastline into Kotor, I can understand why. The coast looked straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. We spent the drive in oohing and aahing at the crystal blue water and beautiful green mountain islands surrounding the bay.
Upon arrival we were whisked to the meeting point for our walking tour with the local guide George who walked us around the inside of the old town. Then a few of us decided to face the ‘Great Wall of Kotor’ and hike up the 800ft mountain to take photos from the Ruins of the Fortress Walls. Forty minutes and 1,220 stairs later, we made it triumphantly to the top. In total, I believe about six of our group did the full hike, with one member doing it in 17 minutes. The ‘Church’ which sits a little way up the mountain also has some spectacular views, so if you just want an elevated view of the bay below, the church is a great spot to take photos. Be warned – wear good shoes with grip and prepare to be in the sun the entire time. At some places the cobblestone steps were worn smooth and were slippery despite the heat of the day. The ‘stairs’ also only cover ¼ of the walkway, with the rest of the ascent being rocks and stone rubble beside the stairs, which means when people are coming past, often you would need to step off the stairs to let them through. The views from the top were beautiful and worth the hike, so we took the opportunity to take photos and shameless selfies. The descent only took us 20 minutes and so we had time to walk back toward the bus and find lunch before departing. We found a fantastic little place called Fortuna Food for prosciutto sandwiches and fried kippers which were delicious!
The beautiful vistas continued throughout the drive to Budva where we stay tonight. The Aleksandar hotel felt as though it was located in the middle of nowhere, until we walked out the gate and only a few metres from the pool, the pebble beachfront expanded to the horizon. The rooms were modern and clean, but some people had trouble with wifi and management.
Bojan isn’t allowed to ‘tour guide’ in the city so we stood on the boardwalk for the start of the walking tour, before making our own way along the beach into the Old Town and seeing the sights. Including several churches and the statue of the ‘dancing girl’ which Bojan described as a ‘mermaid’ statue!
We then walked back to the hotel to change before returning to the strip and hunting down a restaurant we’d seen with a sign for ‘mussels and wine’ for 7.80 euro. Restauran Olimp. The food was fantastic! Half our group ordered local lamb and the others ordered the mussel special. From there we went back into the Old Town and found a little bar called Casper where we ordered cocktails and sat in the garden.
At this time of year, the ‘scene’ is apparently pretty quiet (much to my relief) so the nightclubs and beach clubs a few people were looking for, seemed not to be open. In the end we made our way back to the hotel along the beachfront, taking in the lights on the waterfront.
Note: Our guide mentioned to us that due to accommodation issues in Budva, the overnight stay is likely to be dropped from the tour, driving directly to Albania instead. Keep an eye on future itineraries for 2023+ as this may change.
Tips:
On the drive from Trebinje to Montenegro, sit on the right hand side of the bus (in direction of travel). The coast views are stunning and those of us who were on the other side did not get the beautiful vistas that those on the right hand side did.
Public bathrooms in Kotor are mostly ½ a Euro each so if you can, bring some spare coinage with you.
Wear good hiking shoes with grip if you plan to climb to the top of the Fortress Ruins.
Accommodation: Aleksandar Hotel, Budva