Why go?
If your only impression of Montenegro is in association with the
Eurovision Song Contest, think again. Europe’s best kept secret, crushed
between Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, and Albania, is a bewitching kingdom
of karst mountains fringed with pines, deep canyons, azure seas, and medieval
cities, permeated with churches, monuments and monasteries. But if history
doesn’t float your superyacht, Montenegro has a double life: it’s also a
playground for the rich, the cool and trendy, and the hyperactive with world
class marinas, party beaches, adventure activities, vibrant nightlife and up-market
restaurants.
Oh! And bears still lurk in the forests!
The History of Montenegro
Proudly independent, Montenegro has been successively ruled by the
Venetians, Ottomans, Austro-Hungary, and the Italians and Germans during World
War II. Afterwards as part of Yugoslavia Montenegro spent 50 years as a
communist state, gaining independence from Serbia in 2006. In the recent civil
war Montenegro united with Serbia to bomb neighbouring Croatia, in particular
its city of Dubrovnik. Some bad feeling still remains between the two
countries, but in spite of its turbulent history and a population of mixed
religions including Islam, Roman Catholic and Serbian Orthodox, people now live
together in enviable harmony.
Arriving …
We flew via EasyJet to Tivat airport on one of their new
twice-weekly flights from Manchester. The arrival in Montenegro is spectacular
and for those sitting next to the window, a little unnerving. With mountains on
one side and sea on the other, the runway at Tivat is scarcely visible until
you hit the tarmac. Emerging from the airport, the mountainous karst landscape is
immediately apparent. Five minutes on our journey and the road plunged in to a
long, unlit tunnel through the mountain. From this we emerged into what could only
be described as a vast sea-filled valley: the spectacular Bay of Kotor.
The bay is often described as the Mediterranean’s only fjord and
it’s easy to see why: dramatic mountains dotted with white, craggy outcrops plunge
straight down thousands of feet below the water’s edge. At the far side of the bay
the medieval city of Kotor, a UNESCO world heritage site, nestles below its bastions,
citadels and fortress. From our apartment in Muo we had romantic views across
the bay with its daily flotilla of cruise liners, luxury yachts and smaller
craft. Tides are non-existent; access to the sea is from small jetties and tiny
shingle beaches punctuated by waterside bars and restaurants.
 |
| The Bay of Kotor |
 |
| Kotor Old Town |
Montenegro highlights
Surrounded by walls that date from the 9th century, Kotor
is one of the world’s best examples of a medieval town.
Inside, a maze of marbled passageways, and hidden steps lead to the walls and
rooftop areas with panoramic views over the bay. Brooding and atmospheric, the town is home to churches,
cathedrals and mosques, but it’s also full of back street bars, promenading
locals, and spacious piazzas with sophisticated restaurants and shops.
We gaped at the huge cruise ships whilst sipping cocktails outside
the gate to Kotor’s Old Town. At dusk, we watched from our balcony as lights
formed a golden semicircle around the city walls, hearing the church bells
strike with a melancholy, gradually diminishing cadence.
On the second day we braved the vertiginous road up Mount Lovcen to the Njegos Mausoleum where 461 steps took us to the dark tomb of the hero of
Montenegro, Petar II Petrovic, guarded by two stern granite giantesses, with
views extending from the Bay of Kotor as far as Albania and Croatia.
Across wild mountains, we drove to Ostrog monastery, an Orthodox
sanctuary and place of pilgrimage for followers of all religions. Slotted
Petra-like into the vertical cliff 900 metres above sea level, no-one can
explain how the cave chapels with their ancient frescoes were created.
We visited Perast, the romantic village at apex of the bay of
Kotor, where we took a boat trip to the island of Our-Lady-of-the-Rocks with
its Venetian-style church. In beautiful Budva, we ate fresh mussels in a shaded
courtyard restaurant. With its maze of old streets, surrounded by the
sapphire-blue water of the Adriatic, the town, set on the sandy beaches of the
Budva Riviera, resembles a mini Dubrovnik - without the tourists.
Top highlight was perhaps the day we climbed the 1350 steps to
Kotor’s fort 260 metres above sea level. We began our hot and steamy ascent
from the North Gate for the price of three euros, accompanied by a hundred or
so equally hot and steaming tourists, to enjoy unforgettable views of the Bay and
beyond. Descending, we rashly decided to
lose the tourists by following the semi-circle of the walls down a precipitous,
fast disappearing route. Clinging on to various rocks and vegetation, we landed
on a path surrounded by untamed nature, wild flowers and brightly coloured
butterflies, and a feeling of complete isolation far above the busy city.
 |
| The descent from Kotor Fort |
But two weeks is not enough to explore this small, surprising country. For example, the Tara Canyon plummets to a depth of 1300m, only 200
metres smaller than the US’s Grand Canyon. From here you can go on full day or
half day rafting trips for a white knuckle ride. There’s also the famous island
resort of Sveti Stefan beloved by celebrities, the deserted village of Stari
Bar, and the capital city of Podgerica or the former royal city of Ceninje,
both of which are well off the western tourist track. Then there is a plethora
of hidden or not so hidden beaches including the vast Jaz beach where the likes
of Madonna and the Stones have performed. Plus, the Morača Monastery and
canyon; the glacial lakes of the Durmitor National Park; Lake Skardar; wine
tasting; cycling or hiking in the Lovćen National Park, there’s no end to the
magic of Montenegro.
Food in Montenegro …
Typical Montenegrin cuisine is homely and hearty. Rest easy in the
fact that there aren’t many (if any) of the ubiquitous chain food outlets like
McDonalds but there are excellent pizzerias and Italian restaurants. Lovers of spicy
food may be disappointed to learn that there is only one Indian restaurant in
the whole country in the capital city of Podgerica where the dining scene is more
international. There is, however, a classy Lebanese restaurant – Byblos - which
recently opened in Tivat, where meze appetisers and dishes such as baba
ganoush, tabbouleh salads and kebab platters are served in Arabic tents,
complete with draperies, tapestries and chandeliers.
 |
| Byblos |
In Montenegro, ingredients are natural and organic with an
emphasis on meat and fish. Lush vegetables, olives and cheeses are sold fresh
from the markets and air dried ham is a speciality. Bakeries sell rather stodgy waistline expanding pastries such
as bureks and gibanica. The local red wine called Vranac is excellent and costs
around three euros for a glass, the white wine is not quite so good but the Krstač is very palatable. Typical desserts include crepes, pancakes and delicious
fritters or doughnuts served with honey or jam. Cured meats, local cheeses,
soups, stews (čorba) and polenta feature
on most menus. Visiting one mountain restaurant, I was slightly perturbed to
discover dishes described as ‘Cooked Head’, and ‘Grilled or Cooked Bowels’ but
I suspect that something was lost in translation!
Further afield?
Visiting Montenegro offers a golden opportunity to visit Dubrovnik
in Croatia, dubbed one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a mere 17km
from the Montenegrin border. Many people will be familiar with Dubrovnik as
Kings Landing in the epic series Game of Thrones (which makes it even more
unmissable). It took three hours to get there, mainly because of a slight delay
at the border, but the picturesque drive was in itself reason enough for going.
Dubrovnik is a different world in terms of the number of tourists,
but it still holds an atmosphere of mystery and romance. We walked the city
walls, ate seafood in a shady square, explored the marble streets and drank
beer in a bar set on the rugged rocks looking over the Adriatic.
When to visit
Montenegro’s main industry is tourism. At present the majority of
tourists seem to be Russian and other Eastern Europeans. But there’s also a
growing band of British visitors arriving via Montenegro Airlines from London
and EasyJet from London. RyanAir offers flights to the capital city of
Podgerico. Significantly, EasyJet have recently added two flights a week from
Manchester which are proving popular (prices from £100). Our visit was in June
and places seemed very quiet. The main holiday season is from July, August and
September when the temperatures are pretty high and can reach 40 degrees,
however a visit in May, June or October is recommended, when prices are lower
and temperatures still well above 20 degrees. The skiing season runs from
January to March, mainly in the Durmitor mountains so tourism continues all
year round.
Montenegro uses the euro as the main currency even though they are
not part of the EU. I'm not sure how that works but prices pre Brexit were
favourable i.e. you can get a beer for less than two euros.
There are many good value places to stay and Montenegro whether it's a boutique hotel, self catering villas or island luxury you seek. For our
first week, we stayed at Kotor Vista, a lovely apartment overlooking The Bay of
Kotor in Muo. Our second week was spent in the beautiful 5-star Regent Hotel in
Porto Montenegro, Tivat, a new award-winning superyacht marina which was
formerly a military shipyard Arsenal.
Porto Montenegro offers the height in luxury and service – most rooms
have a balcony with a sea and marina view, there's a gourmet restaurant, luxurious
spa and outdoor pool. They even leave you a present at your bedside every night
to thank you for staying there! Expect to pay around 300 euros a night for a
double unless, like us, you are there (thanks to a cancelled flight due to bad
weather), courtesy of EasyJet!
On
the day of my own visit however, the company was less exalted. On entering the foyer, the only form of life seemed
to be the two young men behind the reception desk whose heads were barely
visible over the counter. Two rather
more visible marble heads mounted on plinths; those of the founder KT Paul and
the former General Secretary, Dr SD Malaiperuman, formed a stern welcoming
committee from behind their cordoned off shrine. Overall, there was a feeling
of calm and wellbeing in the sunlit entrance that was welcoming and homely. 
