BUDVA, Montenegro – A small country in the southwestern Balkans, Montenegro is a popular travel destination with more to offer than just swimming in the Adriatic Sea and sunbathing.
The country’s coast presents a wide range of water-based attractions, including parasailing, scuba-diving, yachting and fishing. The picturesque beaches are perfect for those who just want a quiet stroll to take in nature, though sand-beach lovers could be somewhat disappointed as much of the coast is covered with small and large stones.
Locals proudly call this their very own riviera. According to the famous French underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, it’s the cleanest and the nicest part of the entire Adriatic. After visiting Montenegrin sea resorts, it’s hard to disagree.
Those with bigger budgets can enjoy jet ski rides along the seashore or just rent a yacht and go sailing with friends. The yacht rental can set you back from several hundred to a couple of thousand euros per day, depending on the size of the yacht and number of days you want to rent it.
But don’t let the congestion of luxury yachts lining the coast fool you into thinking the country has no affordable attractions.
Local towns on the seaside are rich with ancient authenticity and have beautifully preserved historic centers. One such marvel is Kotor located in the eponymous Kotor Bay. Together with its small fortress and surroundings, the town is now on the UNESCO World Heritage list. It also boasts the narrowest street in the world – about just a half-meter wide.
The only country in the eurozone that is not a part of the European Union, Montenegro has in recent years become popular among tourists from post-Soviet countries, who come because they don’t need visas as well as the better value.
Some 10-20 euros, for instance, will buy you a big and delicious dinner for two at local restaurants.
Montenegrins, who enjoy both access to the sea and the mountainous terrain that cover more than half the country, have learned to make not only good seafood but also delicious meat dishes.
Throw in some very affordable and good local beer, wine or rakija, a popular Balkan fruit brandy, and it becomes the ideal summer plan for those hungry for warm weather, sea and a bit of adventure.
But if you take a couple days off from lying on a beach you won’t regret it. The small country, which can be crossed by bus from the east to the west in three or four hours, along with well developed and affordable bus routes, makes traveling easy.
In the middle of the country you can stumble upon a nearly 400-year-old Ostrog monastery, the country’s top Orthodox holy site, and located high up in the mountains. It offers a splendid view, overlooking local villages. A paved narrow winding mountain path, on which cars can often not pass one another, runs up to the monastery. Surprisingly, there have never been any traffic accidents there.
Further northeast lies the Tara River Canyon, the deepest in Europe. Besides the breathtaking height of the bridge which stands some 170 meters above the river, the place is a great location for rafting. The best for this, however, is May or June, when the river swells after the winter snowfalls, compared to a much drier July-September season.
Half an hour further north you find Durmitor National Park, which houses mountain-bound lakes and peaks reaching some 2,500 meters above sea level. In reality it’s not so much the beauty of the local nature but rather the tranquility of the place that make it so special and worth visiting.
Kyiv Post staff writer Yuriy Onyshkiv can be reached at [email protected]
