Montenegro – Budva

Budva, Montenegro

If you want to see near -complete fortified city walls that look out on the sea with viewpoints and bastions, then Budva is the place. Walk along the top, but mind the drop into the sea as often there are minimal barriers ! Stand at the sea lookout and gaze across the Adriatic on one side, down onto the city terracotta tiled roofs on the other and across to the nearby wooded mountains – try getting that all in one panoramic photo! The small marina has moored fishing boats, rowing boats and the occasional mega yacht on a palm tree lined promenade with restaurants and bars – idyllic. There are several beaches (a major draw) but avoid the big tourist ones and head for the small one near the sea walls, Here are golden sands, clear waters and a gentle lapping of the waves. Grab a beer at the sea bar and indulge in the beauty of Budva !

I visited here as part of my 3 week road trip I did to see parts of Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina by hire car from Podgorica, Montenegro.

This was combined with crossing the border into Croatia and also Bosnia Herzegovina, eventually returning to where it all started.

See below for the other destinations on this trip. Travelling by car between these places was actually one of the best car trips I have done and so easy. Road conditions were good, traffic light but do remember to get the necessary car insurance upgrade from the hire company to take it across the borders.

Check beforehand if they permit it, tell them and get the stamps etc put on the documents as all border police in the Balkans do check these documents.

Montenegro – Balkans car trip info

Podgorica, Montenegro

Kotor city, Montenegro

Kotor bay area, Montenegro

Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Adriatic coastline, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Trebinje, Bosnia Herzegovina

Bosnia/Montenegro mountain crossing and Niksic, Montenegro

Driving route to Budva

This is the second stop off on my Balkans trip, originating in Podgorica, capital of Montenegro.  I drove a hired car around the region, an exploration tour I guess you can call it. I knew very little about Montenegro, except what I briefly read up so I hoped to accidently come across a few  wonders on the route.

Much is planned in to see but this time I’m going to go with the flow a bit, I want to see less museums and more countryside, mountains, coastline etc. I reckon this drive through 3 countries and 8 lesser known destinations (and one very well known!), will do just that.

So, I set off from Podgorica apprehensively. They drive on the opposite side of the road to what I am used to in the UK, driving seat is on the opposite side and all the signs are in a different language. What could possibly go wrong !?

I just hope the road conditions are good and the driving standards equally good. I’ve driven in Italy and France before and several times in Italy I just had to pull over to recover from the shock after yet another almost disaster at another driver’s reckless actions – apologies to any Italians reading this but it was not funny. I was praying here would be different.

My route from Podgorica to Budva could go along two roads. One was more direct but involved mountainous roads with lots of curves, slower moving and wonderful vistas. The second would involve passing by a reputedly picturesque lake, through a huge mountain tunnel and up the Adriatic coastline. It was slightly longer route, but less precarious.

The time difference between the two routes according to Google maps was 10 mins.

The thought of dangerous driving on mountainous roads put me off and I plumed for the 10 mins longer lake and coastline route. It would ease me into my first day of driving through Montenegro nicely I thought.

The roads initially were fine, no potholes as I imagined and other drivers really safe – I was reassured.

The trip should only take around 1 hour 15 mins in good traffic so I was confident I would get the feel of the land and conditions before a couple of longer drives later in the week.

Lake Skadar

I drove out of town and kept reminding myself of “stay on the right ” at each traffic junction and all went well. After around 25 minutes I arrived at Skadar Lake that was on my way. It was a bit misty and the day a little dull so seeing the far horizon (and possibly the border with Albania) eluded me today.

It was good however just to stop the car and take in that I had just completed my roughly first half hour of driving and all was well !

The lake views were a little disappointing due to the conditions but I took a few pics anyhow. The Lake is actually a National Park and its lakeside shore protected. It was a little barren in my view. Apparently lots of Montenegrins living in Podgorica come here on day trips and weekends but the availability of anywhere to stay was very well hidden.

Back in the car and it was a clear route now off towards the distant mountains.

Sozina Road Tunnel

I had read that my chosen route would take me through the Sozina Tunnel – a 4km long road  under the mountain road that cost a few euros to pass through. It was finished in 2005 and designed to shorten the Podgorica to Bar route by 25km. It goes through the “Paštrovska Gora” mountain range that separates the Montenegrin coast from the Skadar Lake basin.

This was now on my route and to approach the tunnel seeing the huge open arched entrance was exciting. I had never driven through a long mountain tunnel before – first time for everything. In I went after paying the toll quickly and the darkened tunnel lit by overhead lights flew by in a roaring echo.

I whizzed out into the open air at the other end, after a quick journey that didn’t feel like 4 km. A great feat of engineering as the surrounding slopes of the exit mountains indicated the heights drivers would have previously had to endure.

I could see the Adriatic glistening blue on the horizon and I was now clearly heading for the sea. WOW – city, lake, mountains, sea. I had done them all in 45 minutes !

I was now heading towards the outskirts of the town of Sutomore and knew that soon I would need to do a sharp turn back onto the main coast road that the tunnel exit road had just flew over.

Glad not to miss my turning as this junction had little room for error and would involve a huge backtrack route if I missed it, I headed off towards that big blue expanse in front of me.

The coastal route was surprisingly just single carriageway in each direction, despite being one of the main roads in Montenegro. It then occurred to me that the whole journey so far had been on single carriageway roads (no motorways/dual carriageways as such).

The road was  fairly busy but not heavily so. Clearly environmental concerns here outweigh the commercial need of a wider road. In a way it felt reassuring as I was merely following traffic at a decent speed rather than dodging in and out and overtaking trucks which may have felt more dangerous.

I happily drove the coastal route but the captivating sea and the small villages I passed by kept me thinking ” watch the road “. It was easy to be distracted whenever a beautiful scene opened in front of a seaside town or an idyllic trees and mountains view came by.

Every now and again there were viewpoints to stop in if I needed a pic but often the best views did not have a lookout point.

The main road actually skirted round the sea towns, usually giving a view down onto them from the higher mountainside road so the traffic flowed easily and without many junction interruptions.

The town of Petrovac came and went, I could see the picturesque off-shore island clearly and I was heading towards an island that was pretty well known. I stopped the car above the island/peninsular to get a pic as I had seen so many photos of this place before and just wanted one of my own.

Peninsula Sveti Stefan

Sveti Stefan was an island with a small church but is now connected to the mainland by a narrow causeway. It has become a luxury hotel complex totally, whereas before it was an island of small streets and churches accessed by a small ferry.

In the 16th century the island was fortified with defensive walls by the Venetians to protect it against invaders and gradually a town built up to about 400 residents in the 1800s. In the 1930s the Queen of Serbia built a private residence here.

By 1954 it had declined in population and the Communist Government, evacuated the residents and turned it into an exclusive resort for high ranking officials and world celebrities

It is now an exclusive resort with private beaches. However that does not take aware the beauty of its setting just off the mainland. The buildings have been kept in their original form and to see it now, it just looks like a well maintained islet – but try to get on it and you will be stopped!

The islet also signified that I was only about 6 km from my destination of Budva.

Arriving at Budva

As I approached the outskirts of Budva I was expecting to see old buildings and the mediaeval structures that I had heard so much about.

In fact, the outskirts were modern – well, a lot of buildings clearly from the 70s, 80s and 90s. There were larger family villa style units and several 4-5 storey  buildings from the last 20 years or so.

Most had shops underneath somewhat connected with the tourist trade ie lots of tour companies, restaurants, small tourist grocery stores and souvenir places.

It all seemed very modern and very much geared towards the tourist trade and how neat, tidy and well maintained it was did not escape my attention either.

It felt very much like a slightly up market Spanish seaside resort. When I passed the huge modern curvy designed building on Mediteranska street I was beginning to fear if I had arrived at the right ancient sea fort city I was expecting.

I drove further and found the hotel car park at the end of this street, parked and made my way to the adjacent hotel – still could not see any citadel or old churches …. where were they?

Where I stayed in Budva

Choosing a hotel in Budva really means deciding what type of hotel you want,

There are few sea front hotels, unless you go out of town to the nearby enclaves. Bars and restaurants tend to line the sea front and marina along a wide promenade. It sets the scene for evening meals and walks.

Hotels tend to be set back into the slopes near the Old Town area and slightly above it. They are usually small in size and on the more narrow modern streets. Otherwise they are centred along wide roads eg the Mediteranska road in large modern buildings. The biggest hotel in Budva is actually so huge it holds a casino and takes over almost one quarter of the Old Town backdrop. It is also close to the Old Town beach.

Hotel majestic

I opted for this hotel for several reasons. Click here for hotel website 

It was right next to the Old Town and citadel area that I wanted to visit, in fact if I had a top floor room facing the sea I would almost look over the walls of the Old Town. I did not want a hotel at the other end of town in a touristy area with a long walk/taxi drive to get to the old part of the city

It also boasted free parking which I needed for my car and it was offering an incredibly good rate for the 4 star hotel it was. It was kinda well known as a stylish hotel in the city and the pictures of its setting on a promenade near the marina just sold it to me, I was thinking that this was too good to miss, so I booked it.

The choice was a good one. It has been renovated inside and the rooms decorated in relaxing shades of white, grey and silver. They were elegant and stylish in a modern way. I really liked them and found my room so comfortable, although maybe on the small side for me – but I had booked the cheapest room.

My room overlooked the back with a view towards the mountains. I actually preferred this as I was aware the better rooms faced the sea/marina/promenade and I was concerned over noise from those areas. In the event my room was very quiet,

The bathroom was bedecked with white and grey slabbed marble and was quite large Wifi and air con were great and the bed very comfortable. Everything was perfect.

Breakfast was served in the Hemingway Bar which also doubled as the evening restaurant. It was a menu breakfast rather than a buffet so the variety was a little less than I was expecting.

The restaurant’s style was more hipster and eclectic than the rather “majestic” rooms (no pun intended!). There was also an outdoors terrace area facing the small park and promenade.

I ate in the eve in the restaurant and the food and service was great. The only downside was that people were allowed to smoke in the restaurant. Not the hotel’s fault as this is the same all over Montenegro but it did take the edge off pleasant dining.

I would recommend this hotel, if you can get a good deal as I did, as often this is one of the more pricey hotels in Budva, due to its perfect location.

Budva Marina

The Marina and wide promenade was right across the way from my hotel and thus was the first area I visited. I could here the metal clanging noises of the steel mast cables on the moored boats as the wind was clearly making the boats rock a bit.

The walkway here is a view to behold. To the right is the view up towards the grey speckled rock mountains. In front, were the colourful and many variety of boats and to the right were the solid-looking walls of the old city.

A few superyachts were moored here but I was intrigued by the dozens of small craft that presumably are used for fishing/excursion/pleasure work.

The nearby very quiet (low season time here) restaurants overlooking the Marina and lengthy Corniche would no doubt be full in Summer and doing a brisk trade. The views either side from those terraces would be fabulous on a hot and sunny day.

Old Town area

From my hotel I could just see the Old Town city walls across the promenade and this made me suddenly realise that I had indeed found an ideally placed hotel for my short stay.

To say that everything ancient was enclosed in these massively tall foreboding walls was …. well, quite true.

Unless I wanted to visit the modern hotels, bars clubs etc along the sea front and maybe take a dip in the Adriatic from their beaches I would not have to stray far from this area.

If beach and bar is what you want then skip the old town/Marina on this side of the walled area.

Old Town Beach

There is the “Old Town Beach” across the other side which has one side of the walls facing it and then the somewhat ugly modern hotels and huge beach bar areas facing the shoreline.

It was low season and so these were not open but they still have the hundreds of chairs and tables laid out on the promenade and beach to give the impression what it would like (minus the crowds) in high season.

For me this was merely paying lip service to the old town whilst sitting in a modern setting and was clearly aimed at the mass tourism market. The biggest hotel in Budva sat right up against the shoreline.

Actually the best views of this beach are from the city walls facing it to one side.

Budva Old City Walls

These tall fortified walls which encompass the Old Town area of the city extended on a premonitory from one edge of the land to the sea. The land-side walls are dark, and foreboding whilst the sea walls give a panoramic vista out to the sea and the distant mountains. The walls totally surround the area and  to step outside these walls is to step back into the present day.

In its day, these walls must have been menacing and certainly would make any attacker think twice about attempting to overtake it.

Records show that people lived in the Budva area from the 5th Century BC and thus makes it one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic area. It is said that the Greeks founded the city in the 4th Century BC but it was taken over by the Romans in the 2nd Century BC.

From the 6th Century AD the Byzantines conquered it and over the centuries it was taken and fought over by many local and regional leaders. The Venetians ruled the town for nearly 400 years, from 1420 to 1797. They built the fortified walls that we see today and the city flourished as a great trading centre.

Through the next few centuries it was fought over by about every kingdom in the area and even Italy took it over in WW2 before it reverted to Yugoslavia after that war.

The walls are impressively maintained and like many of its contemporaries give stunning views over the Adriatic, the external modern city and the semi-barren rolling mountains.

You can walk the entire length of the walls and the best way to do this is start at the citadel area inside the walls and then walk to a small gate and ticket booth from there. The cost is a few Euros to enter.

The citadel area has a sea wall section and is impressive enough to capture the sea, mountains and town from there, so I did not feel the need to walk the entire length of them.

The walls are in a good state of repair although they have been clearly renovated and cleaned up extensively.

The walkways give a great impression of how well defended the city would have been from both land and sea. The vistas are so Instagrammable. A shot of the sun reflecting of the vast expanse of sea  or the terracotta roof tiles of the old internal buildings or the view of the rolling dark mountains sloping down into the sea should be on many IG accounts I would imagine.

Budva Old Town streets

Within the fortified walls on the seaward area sits the fortified citadel and the many winding narrow streets and squares.

Having walked through the landside gate of the defensive walls in front of the plaza area near Old Town Beach you continue through the main street towards the citadel.

It will lead you to an open square in which sit tall buildings from the 17th Century (many restored and rebuilt after the catastrophic earthquake of 1979). Trees grow in this square and on its edges are four churches of different ages.

Santa Maria in Punta Church (840 AD), St Sava Orthodox Church (12th century), St. Ivan Church (17th century), and The Holy Trinity Orthodox church (1804).

These are of different styles and sizes set to the sides except that the latest church  The Holy Trinity sits in the middle as if in an attempt to dominate the area.

The square has a semi permanent small set of arena style seating which is used continuously for many outdoor events.

Lose yourself in the maze of alleyways

The beige stoned buildings within the walls definitely are a throw-back to the middle ages and the Venetian conquest. Tall houses intersperse with lower rooms above shops, all lining a maze of small and narrow flagstoned streets.

Take a map or you will get lost in this small labyrinth. Each turn brings a new view of quaint old buildings – many converted to elegant and atmospheric bars and restaurants. These clearly cater to the tourists but are stylishly designed and clearly preservation orders have stopped any attempts to turn them away from their ancient settings.

People obviously live here too, as many of the buildings are a few storeys high, some B&B’s but mostly residential.

At times here, I just wandered the streets, knowing I would get lost in the myriad of exits and turnings, but I loved it. The area is not that big, so eventually you will end up at some part that you recognise, or go past a restaurant with its menu displayed outside on an old wine vat and remember where you were.

Think of Game of Thrones and the medieval setting of some streets and military defences and you will have a similar view of the streets and walls of Budva.

Budva Citadel

Constructed of immense thick and tall walls its entrance definitely feels like you are walking into a military installation.

It was extended by the Ottomans and then the Austro-Hungarians added barracks, store rooms and an arsenal, built to fortify it further.

These buildings are available to see inside for a small charge and whilst somewhat bare inside are well decorated and maintained and give you an impression of the size of these constructions.

The citadel is the highest point of the fortifications and sits facing the sea above the now blocked-off sea gates. A walk along the edges here can be vertigo-inducing as the sheer drop to the sea is immense.

Gun emplacements (still with a few cannons there) and high walls show its defensive capabilities to any attacks from the sea.

Large areas are in semi-ruins with only some tall walls and window placements left.

A large, flat, flagstoned area makes for a great view point across the waves and to the far shore and mountains

The Budva Dancer.

Budva was now complete.

I had seen all I had driven here to see and it was enchanting.

The fortified, walled old town area was different to what I was expecting – it was much more historic, genuine, untouristy and full of charm and vistas. The modern city itself held very little for me as it was definitely a mass tourist site and I would not miss that part of the city.

Budva’s setting against rolling dark mountains was unexpected and the pretty marina near the hotel an unexpected pleasure.

Glad to have seen the city’s attractions, I now headed back to the hotel for a well deserved rest and meal and to ready myself for the drive to Kotor the next morning.

Feb 2018