Holidays in Montenegro 2021 - our review. Prices, accommodation, all inclusive

Our trips to Montenegro:

• September - Herceg Novi, Zabljak, Becici
• August - Budva, Kotor, Becici

We decided to refute the statement that it is good where we are not. We chose a vacation in Montenegro. And they did not lose: we are here, and we are HO-RO-SHO. Beaches, pine trees, marinas with yachts. Inland - lakes and mountains, better than which, everyone knows, there is nothing.

I give all the passwords and appearances: where, how and how much, based on personal experience - even this article I am writing while lying on the beach. Kidding! There is no internet. From the hotel room 🙂

From the editor. The text was originally written by a friend of ours who had a rest in Montenegro that year. We used it to prepare for our own trip, and then we updated, supplemented and diluted with cool photos 🙂

Flights and charters to Montenegro

The country has 2 international airports: Tivat (main) and Podgorica. There are direct flights from Moscow and St. Petersburg. For the most part, they fly to Tivat, less often to Podgorica.

Prices depend on the season. The cheapest in late autumn, in October / November, and in spring, in March / April - from 7,000 rubles round trip per person. In the summer, a flight for 15 thousand is good luck. Charter flights that are not part of the tour cost the same as regular flights, sales are rare.

The victory was cheaper (about 16 thousand), but we were not satisfied with the presence of only hand luggage of an unknown size. In this limit, one first-aid kit was placed, and with surcharges, about the same money came out.

Prices for tours to Montenegro in 2021. Where to buy a cheap tour?

In Becici, as in many other places in Montenegro, the first coastline is built up with hotels. Looking at the fence of one of them, I began to doubt that traveling on my own was the right choice. Behind the fence - a huge green area, playgrounds, animators. Nearby are sun loungers for adults, waiters are serving drinks, and 50 meters away the sea is splashing: beauty!

In fact, all-inclusive vacation in Montenegro is not the most budgetary (and is it of high quality?). In 2021, last-minute tours for a week in 2 * apartments - from 55,000 rubles for two (with a flight from Moscow). A 4-star hotel costs 15 thousand more. But the cost of a voucher for 10 days is from 75,000 rubles.

Good prices for all inclusive (or not included) tours can be caught on one of our favorite sites:

• Travelata
• Level.Travel
• Onlinetours

Loved ones, because they show the most favorable prices, having previously compared them for all leading tour operators and finding the lowest possible ones.

Where is the best place to relax in Montenegro? Resorts

We climbed to the fortress in Kotor / But so many people in a season in Budva

The resorts of Montenegro can be roughly divided into coastal and mountain clusters.

The most popular seaside destinations (from north to south):
the first six are located conveniently to Tivat airport

Concrete beach in Herceg Novi

In the depths there are ski resorts where you can relax in Montenegro in winter:

• Kolashin: prices for Europe are very affordable; day ski pass - about € 20 versus at least € 40 in the Alps. But rather suitable for beginners, the longest track is 5 km
• Zabljak: strictly speaking, a year-round resort, because is located in the Durmitor National Park. Eco-tourism, hiking with ski poles, stunning natural locations and stuff like that

We had a family trip planned for three (two adults and a child). Request: see the country, buy / sunbathe shallow and go on a yacht. The route turned out as follows: we arrive in Tivat → rent a car → go to Herceg Novi, rest for a couple of days → then to Durmitor (Zabljak) for 3 days. We rent a car and split up: my husband - to sail near Kotor, we - to beach in Becici.

Expectations / Reality: the Internet has relentlessly insisted that Becici is a great option for children's holidays. My impressions - I liked Herceg Novi more. More atmospheric, quieter, more soulful. The beaches are smaller, but mileage is not important for children. Although the entertainment infrastructure is worse.

From the editor. And our Montenegro turned out to be even larger: the two of us, sister, mother and aunt. The task was simple - to relax, so we chose Budva (for the beach) with a trip to Durmitor, Kotor (for beauty) and Becici (again for the beach). The conclusion was unexpected - we would return to Montenegro at sea, but only to Kotor, to the Dobrota region. Although there are no conditions for a classic beach vacation, it is so calm, atmospheric and hilly-mountainous in a European way that you forget about the "pop" Budva and Becici at once.

Season in Montenegro: when is the best time to relax?

Kotor is our favorite resort. Because of the mountains, the sun rises here later and the sun sets earlier, but the water warms up like everywhere else

The high season on the Adriatic lasts all summer, from May to September. It is hottest in July: during the day it warms up to + 35 ° C, the water temperature is + 25 ° C. But the climate on the coast of the Balkan Peninsula is mild and subtropical. It cannot be compared to sticky stuffy Turkey, so Montenegro (and neighboring Croatia) is the ideal destination for July and August.

People most of all at the same time. It becomes a little freer in the fall, with the end of the school holidays. As a big fan of the velvet season (the best time to relax), I chose the end of August - the beginning of September for the trip. I wanted beaches as deserted as possible, autumn discounts, but still warm sea.

The September discounts are really good. Car rental is getting cheaper by 30 percent. Housing becomes noticeably larger, there is plenty to choose from. The weather also did not disappoint: you can swim even after night rains.

What about a visa? For Russians, the country is visa-free for a period of up to 30 days, but from May to October the period increases to 90!

"Unbroken" sights of Montenegro are the Sadlo mountain pass and the Piva reservoir. Both can be seen on this tour

Prices in Montenegro in 2021

Less lyrics, more numbers. Prices for holidays in Montenegro in 2021:

* In the country, the official currency is euro, prices are indicated in it.

In order not to bore the sums of those who are still only thinking about rest, we wrote a separate article about prices in Montenegro. Click if interested 🙂

Voli is a popular store, but we often bought at Aroma / Here is such an independent lunch came to us for only 12 euros for three (also for 2 times)

Food prices - where to buy?

If you plan to cook at home, you can buy groceries at the supermarket.
Most Popular: Voli, Idea, Aroma, Franca, MegaMarket.

The choice of products is quite familiar to a Russian person: there is rice (and even buckwheat, but expensive, for 5 euros each), milk, eggs. Meat can be fried directly in the store on request. Vegetables-fruits in the markets are of the best quality, but in supermarkets they are cheaper. It is customary to buy bread in "bakers", although in stores it is no worse.

✓ There are many good pizzerias in Montenegro (large meat pizza - about € 10). And pasta for € 7 is a real casserole of pasta!

✓ Fast food (hamburger, sandwich) - € 2-3.5.

✓ Restaurants have gigantic portions. We usually took one main course (€ 10 on average) and one vegetable salad (up to € 5) for two. This is enough to overeat.

Cafe-restaurant tips (verified by us personally):

• Budva - local cuisine in Kuzina, pizza in Sambra or a piece in the Old Town (if you enter near the Pizana beach), ice cream in Moritz Eis.
• Herceg Novi - Tri Lipa
• Kotor - Konoba Akustik
• McDonald's and others like him are not in Montenegro.

Perhaps, I will say an outrageous thing, but we did not like the cuisine of Montenegro. In fact, this is one meat (pork, lamb, beef) and indistinct salads (chop everything larger and sprinkle cheese). The locals do not know how to cook pasta, but about normal coffee - I'm not even talking about cappuccino, but about Americano! - you only have to dream. Our guide asked in advance to bring ground coffee from Russia, because Montenegrin is specific (as in Turkey).

All inclusive - is it worth taking?

Montenegro is a “non-package” country. Every resort has a variety of cafes to suit every budget. Renting a house with access to the sea is also not a problem. Another argument against all inclusive in Montenegro is the absence of a language barrier: Russian and Montenegrin are similar, even without English one can explain. The menu and service are almost entirely Russian-speaking.

On the other hand, a beach holiday in a mode when everything (food, entertainment) has already been taken care of by others is a special pleasure. A week in a 4-star, popular with tourists Iberostar Bellevue in Budva will cost 160,000 rubles for two. More budget option: 4 * hotel Slovenska Plaza Lux (also in Budva) - a little over 120,000 for 7 nights.

Best hotels in Montenegro: where to stay?

View from our apartment in Budva

The best hotels in Montenegro, according to tourists' reviews:

Each of these hotels can be booked independently - via Booking or RoomGuru. There is also a scattering of inexpensive guesthouses and apartments.

Private sector in Montenegro - how to search?

Herzen Novi and Becici

Montenegro is a country where you can rent a house in the private sector the old-fashioned way, asking: "How much does it cost to stay?" in a house with a sign “SOBE Apartmani” (I can't vouch for the exact translation, but the general meaning: rooms for rent). Many constant fans of the Montenegrin sea solve the housing issue in this way.

However, progress has also reached these shores of the Adriatic Sea. For those who like to plan everything in advance (like me), there are hundreds of apartments on popular Internet resources.

Our experience: we booked 3 options in 3 different places: two with Airbnb (which is what you want! Don't forget our discount of up to RUB 4,000) and one through Booking. All accommodation facilities are private property of Montenegrins. All of our hosts are very helpful, and generally excellent people with an ordinary life: they have children, grandchildren, dogs, husbands, wives and neighbors running in for a cup of coffee.

Prices in the private sector start at 1000 rubles per day. An apartment, apartment or villa with all amenities and a kitchen, on average, costs 3000-7000 rubles.

Some tips. In Kotor, I recommend taking housing in the Dobrota area - it is quiet and calm there, and tourists from cruise ships do not reach the local mini-beach (the water is cleaner there). In Budva, we focused on the area near the bus station: if you are without a car, it is convenient to get from there to anywhere in Montenegro. And by the way, tk. there were 3 newcomers in our company who did not use Airbnb, we registered and booked accommodation for each of them and saved 6,300 rubles 🙂 Get a coupon >>

What to see in Montenegro? sights

Sveti Stefan island. It can be reached on foot along a very picturesque road from Becici or Rafailovici / Djurdjevic Bridge - you probably already know about it 🙂

Natural attractions of Montenegro (prices for 2021):

• Durmitor - a national park with a canyon of the Tara River, an arched bridge of Djurdzhevich, the purest lakes and other beauties of the mountains. The most recommended place in Montenegro (and us too).
• The park itself is free, but entrance to the Black Lake: € 3, children under 7 are free
• How to get there?
• - Group excursion from Budva: € 35
• - Individual excursion (up to 6 people): € 320 per Tripster (our choice, guide Oleg has been living in Montenegro for 10 years and knows almost everything about the country, it seems!) Or € 55 per person in local agencies.
• - Rent a car and get there on your own.
• Tips.
• 1) Bring a jacket, the temperature is lower in the mountains. 2) Ideally, drive yourself by car.You can rent a hotel in Zabljak and set aside 2 days for Durmitor (1 day oh-oh-very little). But the main disadvantage here is the road, it is a steep mountain serpentine, and inexperienced drivers will find it hard. "Golden mean" - an individual tour with a guide, which we took (and even us, passengers, continuous turns, turns tired). Another plus of this excursion is the extended program. If the "group members" do not climb further than the Black Lake, then we saw Susice, and the Sadlo mountain pass, and the Piva monastery with a lake. But for two, this, of course, is not at all profitable. Therefore, there are group bass tours.

• Skadar lake - boating of all sizes and colors, white pebble beach and the possibility of privacy after the bustling coastline.
  Rowing boat rental per hour: € 9
• Biogradska Gora - a popular eco-tourism destination in summer, ski slopes function in winter.
• Route Becici-Sveti Stefan - walking tour for 1.5-2 hours one way with beautiful landscapes!

Historical landmarks. Almost in all large cities there is an old part - houses with tiled roofs, temples, monuments. Most popular with tourists:

• Kotor
• Sveti Stefan
• Budva
• Bar

Stand apart Christian monasteries... The most famous of them is Ostrog. Located in the mountains, at an altitude of 900 m; operates from the 15th century to the present.

Montenegro beaches

Old town beach in Budva. Like any other, there is a paid area with sun loungers and free towels.

I would like to describe a beach vacation in Montenegro with the adjective - picturesque. Almost 300 km of the coastline has an incredible variety of beaches: black, white, pebble, with sea urchins, concrete (without hedgehogs). Surrounded by pine trees, in the city center, shallow, deep. Choose - for every taste!

There is one but: all of them, except Becici, are located outside the resort areas. It is not very convenient for a tourist to get there without a car. This is probably why the beaches remain the most that the main stream of people will pass them.

The top five are:

• Jaz is a pebbly and sandy beach near Budva. Well equipped, sun beds and other amenities for a fee (within € 10)
• Becici is a wide sandy and pebble beach. On paid sites (€ 6-8 for a set of sun loungers), guests can enjoy cocktails from the nearest bar, which the waiter will bring to the place of rest
• Plavi Horizonte - fine sand, gentle descent, a lot of shade from the green surrounding the beach. Located in the Tivat area
• Ploce is a beach 10 km from Budva. A place for get-togethers, parties and other active beach holidays (and it happens, yeah!)
• Velika Plazha - a healing sandy beach near Ulcinj

What about the beaches in popular resorts?

Holidays in Montenegro with children

Why yes"?

+ In summer, Montenegro is ideal for families with children, and primarily because of the climate. It is, of course, hot here, but it warms up to a maximum of +35, and not to +50, as in Turkey. Plus, a large selection of resorts. For a classic beach holiday, we recommend choosing Becici, Rafailovici or Petrovac. At worst - Budva.

+ There are living creatures in the sea (we personally saw fish, crabs, starfish and an octopus), children are interested. Children aged 7-12 are not visible above the water: they constantly dive with masks.

+ In Budva and Kotor along the coast there are many playgrounds with slides and swings. We suspect that the situation is the same at other resorts.

+ Almost any property provides free cots for babies up to 3 years old.

+ Short transfer from Tivat airport to popular destinations (30-50 minutes).

+ Food in Montenegro is simple and straightforward. Feeding a child is not a problem: scrambled eggs, soup, pasta, kebab (the same cutlet) and French fries (where can you go without it!) Can be found in any cafe.

Why not"?

- Many beaches are either concrete slabs without a gentle descent, or a pebble embankment (Easter cakes cannot be sculpted). Although there are many exceptions: you need to look at photos or write to the hosts (or stop near the "successful" ones described above).

- If you arrive at the airport of Podgorica, you will have to drive along the endless serpentine for an hour and a half ... Even we, adults, were seasick.

Infrastructure and transport

Montenegro has mixed feelings. You look to the right - neat houses, mountains, cliffs. Europe like Austria or Italy *! You look to the left - a dump. How so? In fact, the country really has a problem with the accumulation of garbage.
* note that the similarity with Europe refers to central Montenegro, not to the coastal resort.

The country is safe enough. When booking a sun lounger, staff ask you to leave something (towels, circle) as a guarantee of a refund if you are away during the day. The door can be left unlocked at night. Restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies are everywhere where tourists live. Bank cards are not accepted except in the markets.

Public transport is represented mainly by cars. As in Russia, most buses are minibuses. There are a lot of people in the summer, the cars are packed to capacity. Prices depend on distance and carrier. A bus from Budva to Kotor costs € 3.5-4, from Kotor to Tivat € 2.5. You have to pay for the luggage separately - € 1.

Taxis are expensive. The prices announced at the parking lots are clearly too high (€ 7 for 3 km!). They did not try to bargain, perhaps they are dumping.

Since we flew to the Podgorica airport at night, we chose not to bother and pre-order a transfer to Budva by KiwiTaxi. It cost 38 euros per car, which is very adequate by the standards of Montenegro.

Rent a Car

Prices for cars in season from a local agency / Prices for gasoline (on average, € 1.35 per liter ≈ 100 rubles)

If active rest is supposed, it will be difficult without a car in Montenegro. You can get to the mountains only by road. Some beauties (Sadlo pass, for example) cannot be seen during a group excursion - the roads are narrow, only passenger cars pass.

There are several convenient aggregators for car rental around the world:

• Rentalcars - International
• Myrentacar - works with local distributors

Our experience: this time we booked a car through Rentalkars. The best offer was € 30 / day. However, Montenegro is not a bit of Europe, and private traders are cheaper. Upon arrival in Becici, a neighbor offered us a car rental for € 10 per day (even if you are lucky too). Gasoline - € 1.3 per liter.

If you, like us, are "non-leading", then it is easy to move between cities by buses, and to the mountains - to postcard views - to take excursions.

Reviews about the rest in Montenegro

In Montenegro, you can either walk along the embankment in a beautiful dress, or climb stones and dirt roads to viewpoints 🙂 The second photo is on the way to the fortress of St. John in Kotor (free route for locals)

Like any resort, Montenegro has its own passionate fans and opponents. Someone is not satisfied with the relaxed service, someone does not see the point of going abroad when the beaches are similar to the Black Sea. Someone needs shopping, which is unimportant in Montenegro.

As always, when it comes to people's opinions, everyone has their own. For many, Montenegro evokes warm feelings. Proof of this is the large number of Russians actively buying real estate (€ 1300 per sq / m). And more often not for business, but to come to the sun-sea from the cold northern regions.

We liked Montenegro. We tell in the video about the little cons, the big pluses, and why it is worth coming here!

Pros and cons of Montenegro

Total that we have. Pros:

• A large number of interesting places that are easy to reach (as part of excursions or by car)
• Without a visa (but this item may disappear in 5 years, the country is a candidate for the European Union)
• Low prices compared to European beach vacations
• Close (with a flight from Moscow - about 3 hours, which is especially important when traveling with children)
• Got it (no language barrier)
• Good ecology

Disadvantages: Crowded during the season; non-Turkish beaches (few sandy ones), and still an expensive flight.

Separately about the service: unobtrusive, pleasant, but relaxed. It is unlikely that any of the staff will try to anticipate the wishes of the guest. They will do it if you ask.

By the way, I completely forgot about the fact that it is possible not to book via the Internet, but to negotiate on the spot. I had to remember 🙂