Montenegro: Europe's new destination

Montenegro is Europe’s latest must-visit destination that balances medieval atmosphere and mystery with outdoor adventure and chic beach resorts. We took one of EasyJet’s new flights from Manchester to have a look …

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 9^th 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.

Where to stay

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!

Regent Porto Montenegro Hotel in Tivat

Regent Porto Montenegro at Tivat Marina

For a video of the cruise ship Sirene leaving the Bay of Kotor, click on the link below
https://youtu.be/TfkgP-jJdt4 

Adapted from an interview with Steve Rudd, author, traveller, journalist and musician for The Driffield Times & Post. You can visit Steve's website with many interesting interviews at steverudd.co.uk