Budva, Kotor, & Ulcinj, Montenegro

Village along Coastline of Montenegro

Calamari & Pizza Lunch 
- Budva, Montenegro

Restaurant in Old Town - Budva, Montenegro

Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

Beautiful Montenegro Coastline 

Budva, Kotor, & Ulcinj, Montenegro (5/1-3/2011) - The stunning rugged coastline with fine, pink-tinged beaches has vaulted Montenegro into recent international popularity.

We arrived at sunny Montenegro and unfortunately it rained on us for a couple of days. There was some break in the rain to enjoy the beautiful Montenegrin coastline.

Staying in Budva, we also visited Kotor, Ulcinj, Perast, and took a bus ride down the coast past Sveti Stefan. The coastal area around Budva is called the Budvanska Riviera and it is beautiful. 

Budva is a beach resort town with a small beautiful Venetian-style old town (Stari Grad) that is fun to wander with its boutique and cafe-filled vestige of medieval architecture. During the summer, Budva turns into a party town along the beach.

Just north, in the stunning Bay of Kotor, we visited the much larger beautiful walled old town of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the best preserve medieval ports in Europe. 

Kotor was founded in the 9^th century and its labyrinthine marbled lanes and Venetian-style palazzos (small squares) are now developed with shops and restaurants. We love wandering these walled old towns that wind around revealing eye-candy scenes at every turn and Kotor is one of the best. It is 'just' 1,300 steps up to the St. John's Fortress for unforgettable views.

Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

On the way south to Albania, we passed picturesque Sveti Stefan (see photo), a 15^th century walled city on an island that has been turned into a city luxury hotel that was a favorite of the rich and famous until the recent Yugoslavian civil war. 

Ulcinj, Montenegro

We also stopped in Ulcinj in southern Montenegro. Ulcinj is now known for having one of the largest beaches in Montenegro but in the past it was a pirate’s lair and center of African slave trade. We walked up the old castle and had wonderful views of the beautiful Montenegrin coastline and had breakfast with new friends we met.

Map of Montenegro

Some recent history... Montenegro with a population of less than one million was the only republic of the former Yugoslavia that supported Serbia during the 1990’s civil war and gained a peaceful independence by referendum in 2006.

 

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