Montenegro - the pearl of the Mediterranean
The first barrier was crossing the boarder from Croatia; fortunately we skipped most of the traffic jam by taking a little de-tour through a forest and mountain sideroad that ends right in front of the boarder. But after leaving Croatia there was a long queue again for entering Montenegro. We moved meter for meter, but it took ages.. Mostly because they checked for an international car insurance that many tourists did not seem to have.
Again a few tips im travelling Montenegro upfront
- Get an international car insurance if travelling by car (they carefully check at the boarder)
- The local currency is Euro (even though they are not a member of EU)
- Learn a few Montenegrian words (locals are very appreciated)
When we first stopped to take some cash, we were quite surprised that Montenegro uses Euro as a currency. We learned that despite being not in the EU, they import all Euros and use it as a currency, but don't print or issue themselves. Prices seemed to be a bit cheaper than Croatia, double rooms around 30€/night and meals around 6-8€, also more street food options available (i.e., slice of pizza for 1,50€).
The coastal road kept on being scenic also in Montenegro (=black mountain after the black mountain forests), but with higher and bigger mountains beyound the coast. This leads to many dramatic viewpoints that you can stop, especially since there was not too much traffic.
Our first stop was Budva, a small copy of Dubrovnik, and known as a party place. But it has much more to offer than clubs and nightlife. With 2,500 years, Budva is the oldest city at the Adriatic coast, all around it there is famous beaches - Ploce, Hawaii and Jaz just being three of Montenegros 117 beaches. Due to the comparably small size of Montenegro (only as big as Schleswig-Holstein, Germany), we used Budva as a starting point for a range of day trips to the surroundings - amongst others to Hawaii island (on a boat trip where they served rum & coke at 9.30 AM) and Montenegros former cultural and religious centre Cetinje.
For me, most impressive was the area and national park of Skadar Lake, the biggest fresh water lake in the balkan region with plentyful birdlife and flora. The peace and quiet on our boat ride but also on the steep scenic sideroads through the dramatic mountain ranges were astonishing and beautiful. Plus there were locals selling local products from fresh fruits to wine and honey. It made me feel like I belong out there also! Even though I tortured our small car up some steep side roads, the breathtaking scenery at some points was totally worth it.
In general, temperatures were a bit more modest compared to Croatia and "only" around 34 degrees. Nevertheless, sunscreen and the regular dip in the sea to cool down were essential in Montenegro as well. Nights were much cooler even, which should have led to better nights sleep.. but since we stayed in a party place and some of our fellow hotel guests didn't seem able to take their party to the beach clubs, nights were rather short.
Our last day in Montenegro we spent on a boat trip again, visiting Unesco World Heritage listed historical town of Kotor, the island Our lady of the rocks, some caves and beaches. At the time we've been to Kotor there was also the Queen Victoria cruise ship ankered there, we felt so small standing right in front of it ;)
Unfortunately we missed Europes deepest canyon and the Yara/Yapa river. But at least it gives a perfect reason to come back to this wonderful country 😬
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