Montenegro – Herceg Novi

Herceg Novi, Montenegro

So you might have heard of the Herceg Novi area for its nearby beaches but there is so much more that this to this city. It houses a huge cliff side Citadel, a castle with stupendous views across the bay to the Med, fish restaurants galore and small pretty bars on town squares – you’ll need a drink after climbing the many huge stairs ways up and down the 15-16 Century restored area full of shops, artisan stores and residential houses. It has one of the cutest churches just outside town with a graveyard (macabre I know!) full of the most amazing modern tombs and sculptured graves…. something different ! Best of all – catch the sun going down over the sea front mountains across the bay with a local liqueur drink.

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

Budva, Montenegro

Kotor city, Montenegro

Kotor bay area, Montenegro

Adriatic coastline, Croatia

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Trebinje, Bosnia Herzegovina

Bosnia/Montenegro mountain crossing and Niksic, Montenegro

History of Herceg Novi

This little town, nestled between the foot of Mount Orjen and the Bay of Kotor was known as Castel Nuovo (Italian) from 1482 to 1797.  Its Italian name and Montenegrin name of Herceg Novi both translate as New Castle into English.

Dating from 3000 BC, the area has been consistently populated since. It has been fought over by various Empires for centuries – seemingly like most cities in ths region have. The usual suspects are there – Illyrians, Romans, Byzantine, Serbs, Turks, Ottomans, Venetians, Spaniards, Austrians, Russians, French and the list goes on and on.

Even the Serbs in WW1 and then Italians in WW2 got in on the act. The rest we know from It being part of Yugoslavia and now Montenegro. It’s a wonder anything is left of the town after all these conquests!

It beggars the question who didn’t have a hand in this city at one point or another in history!

It was really set up as small fishing village with a fortress in 1382 by the Serbs who called it Sveti Stefan (Saint Stephen). The Turks built its present fortified tower, the conquering Spaniards most of its present upper fort and the Venetians added the walls and more towers. A pretty eclectic mix of styles and areas thus eschewed and still are here today as its main attractions.

Now known as a big holiday destination with its nearby beaches (reached by boat), large hotels, mineral spas and mud therapy resorts, it prospered under mass tourism. Before the breakup of Yugoslavia it was the biggest tourist destination in the Republic but has now conceded that honour to Budva and Kotor – both of which I had visited in the previous days, so you can check them out here too!

Where I stayed in Herceg Novi

As this was a longer than average trip for me I had to be somewhat more careful on expenditure than normal.

I wanted a bed just for the one night here and as  I had rented a rather plush apartment for my next stay in a few days I didn’t mind slumming it a bit here..

The hotel had to have car parking for my hired car on this road trip and so that basically cut out anything in the town centre. There it is largely pedestrianised, with small and narrow streets. The more modern area would also be too far to walk into town each way so I looked for something near the Old Town area but with free parking.

There were two places that fitted the bill and one was offering an incredibly cheap rate.

Atlantic Studios.

The apartments were ideal – a car park (up a rather steep slope at the back of the building) with a studio near the Old Town with self catering facilities. Pics looked good and the reviews were generally good. It was 27 Euros for one night, no breakfast but I had a kitchenette to prepare anything. I booked it. Click here for the link 

The host met me on arrival in the car park and showed me to my studio and took payment.

The bed was big and comfy and actually had a second one in , which became my suitcase resting area. I did notice the rather unique Indian hippy style picture above the bed which was out of keeping with the rest of the room.

I even had a small but long balcony with a table and chair. This would have been ideal in the height of Summer. Being here in February meant I would use it for the views but not sit out in the eve as it was still a bit chilly.

The kitchenette was small. Ok for me for one night but I wouldn’t have liked to be here for a week and have to use it to prepare and cook meals. There were two units with a sink and hobs but no prep area or countertop. I used the table for prep but it was not ideal as I also wanted the table for my laptop use.

The bathroom was ok but a bit dated and the shower area was not so clean in the above head area – presumably where the shorter cleaning person could not reach. Bed was comfy and wifi great. The best bit was it was so quiet at night and I slept soundly!

A nice feature, as I said before, was the balcony. From here I could see the gap between the two mountain ranges where the bay slides through. Weird that I could see exactly where I had just driven from.

That was to one side and to the other was a view across the nearby tree tops and palm trees to the opposite bank of the bay. Sitting here in the eve after a meal, sipping wine would have been idyllic in Summer and such a relaxing view too.

All in all, ok for the night. Now to get into town to explore.

Pet Danica Walkway sea promenade

From the studio it was a one minute walk downhill and I was at the shoreline in front. The Pet Danica Walkway is a man-made sea promenade several kilometres long that extends from way out of one side of the town to way out to the other side.

It is a fabulous walk with a low raised stone wall against the sea side. It has small apartment blocks, villas, a few shops and restaurants and touristy places in the first part of the walkway. I used this to take in the sun and watch the opposite bank of the bay, boats ply in and out of the two nearby marinas and generally enjoy the pleasant sea.bay views as I walked towards Old Town.

The walkway took me past rocky outcrops and areas of boulders washed up along the shore. There was no access to the shoreline as it was stony and rock-strewn. They had built large concrete platform and terraces that could be used for sunbathing bedecked with loungers along the shoreline. These were serviced and presumably owned by the large bars/restaurants in front.

Today being off season February there were no sunbathers but it gave a good impression of where sunseekers went in this area. Further into town they have boats that take beach-goers to the sandy outcrops along the coast as there are few here in the town.

Further along, the walkway meets with the foot of the enormous first tower of the city fortifications and sea fortress built in 1382. The tower was damaged in the big earthquake of 1979 and although repaired there are still rocks strewn along its base and the cracks caused are visible, even though they are repaired.

Some massive pieces of the walls had fallen onto the rocky shoreline and still sat there.

Herceg Novi Marina

From here, it is a short walk to the marina opposite. The buildings in this area, whilst still old, have been converted to hotels and restaurants. It is clear that they get their trade from the moored up boats but also that tourists from the more modern part of town further along venture back this way to see Old Town and stop off on the way here.

There were no exclusive mega yacht moored up here but the it is off-season so they are all probably under maintenance or in a hotter climate!

There is a well known statue here of the King of Serbia of 1382. He was really the first leader to enable Herceg Novi, or St Stefan as it was called in those times, to gain power and influence over the area,

Sea Fortress

This fortress, and what remains of the old citadel (destroyed mostly in the 1979 earthquake), sit at the shore edge.

The main massive tower rises from the promenade walkway and is an impressive sight for its imposing size and clear strength. To get to this fortress involves a steady climb up many series of steps, past bars built into the walls of the mount.

You are rewarded at the top with a magnificent view over the bay to the opposite shore and the view behind you up to an even higher level of the Old Town.

The walkway and steps circles round, under a bridge. taking you to a view point and yet more steps to the side to get to the top of the bridge you have just walked under. You can go higher to the tower’s top for an even more elevated view over the bay by crossing over the bridge to the tower entrance.

On this occasion however the tower top was closed due to being low-season, despite myself and many others, over a period of time, trying the door to get in. The tower bridge leads along a narrow alley and you are walking past some well remodelled and conserved stone walled and wooden shuttered houses, The crossroad means you turn right to go to a pretty square or ahead to continue into the old part of town.

I chose right and after another alleyway walk beside atmospheric old buildings, arrived at St Jerome Square.

St Jerome Square

This is an idyllic little odd-shaped square. It reminded me somewhat of a mountain village setting – which is what the city was when it was built I guess.

In one corner sits the belfry tower of the next-door St Jerome Church. Across the way sits remnants of the citadel building now forming a low wall with an elevated vista over the bay. To the other side sits a two storey, elegant, green shuttered and stone block Music School.

Next door sits a tiny square shaded by an enormous tree and sheltering yet more restored beautiful houses in a stepped terrace.

For an untouristified area this certainly packs a punch in quaintness and beauty.

Belavista Square

Anyone with a smattering of Italian will know that Belavista means “beautiful view”, albeit spelt with an extra L. This is one of the three city squares of the old town of Herceg Novi. I would be visiting one of the others later. The square is lined with yet more stone block, traditional buildings with shutters.

Throughout this walk the TV series Game of Thrones just kept coming into my head. I know I have used this analogy several times before in other Montenegrin cities but it is so true. Was more of GOT filmed here?

Within this square sits a well in front of the Church. Covered, it was at one time I guess, an important water supply for the city

The Church of the Archangel St Michael, which dates from 1910, stands to one side of the square. Its size is small and it is strangely taller than it is wide. There seems to have been an attempt to fit in a small church in the square and this was the only way they could do it.

I did take a peep into the interior. Nice but not over elaborate as many I had seen. I was also aware that I was all “churched out” by now on this trip and they were beginning to blend into one another.

Clock Tower 

There is a walkway through to the next square from this one. I took the narrow passageway lined with small shops and a few entrances to house-sized boutique hotels . Ahead of me looming from two storeys up was the famous clock Tower.

This is built in the passageway and is more like a crenellated tower, with a clock underneath and a walkway through a wide tunnel in its base. Blink and you might miss this as it is way above head height.  At first, only me wondering why everyone was looking upwards, alerted me to it presence.

It dates from 1667 and at the other end of the tunnel through its base, it exits at the top of a large flight of wide stairs that overlooks another town sqaure – that of Nikola Djurkovic.

Nikola Djurkovic Square

This square was definitely the hub of the old town area. Even in off-season it was full of tables and chairs for dining and even huge parasols and canopies opened out. The buildings, whilst old, had been taken over by modern commerce and it was at this point I decided that my tour had finished.

There is a further historic fortress further up the hill.

It contains a huge platform with outdoor seating in what is an open air theatre with far reaching view s over the bay.

I had seen enough of fortified walls and forts so far and if the lower fort was closed then I would assume the higher one would be also. I did not want to climb further to find out, I was already by now exhausted !

So if you come to Herceg Novi and want to see the Old Town area I would advise sturdy, comfortable shoes and a water bottle. I seemed to be forever climbing and descending stairs to see anything! I would also advise sunglasses as the reflection of the sun off that immense bay of water in the bay was quite something, even in off-season.

There remained one place to visit from my list of “must sees” and that would be reserved for tomorrow.

I made my way back to the studio and stopped off at the store conveniently at the bottom of the road from my accommodation. I picked up a few things to make a meal for the evening and also stocked up on a few more things, knowing that my next stop in Dubrovnik was also self catering.

After a very peaceful and restful night I woke with tired legs. The climbing and descending had taken a toll on my calves but after a few stretches and breakfast I was ready to vacate the studio.

Jumping in the car I drove to my next site to visit, which handily was also on my route from the studio to pick up the main road heading around Herceg Novi and to the boarder with Croatia.

Savina Monastery, Herceg Novi

This is a complex of three churches/temples/monastery. Whilst I got to see two of them the tird one apparently sits just outside the Monastery complex and I never did work out where it was.

The smallest church – The  Church of the Assumption has foundations dating from 1030 but what we see today is the remodelled church dating from 1831.

The much larger and taller Great Temple of the Assumption was finished in 1799 and sits next to the older one, almost side by side.

These two churches are set in extensive, well maintained grounds with a large car park, They are almost completely surrounded by epic tombs and gravestones.

The altar screen and walls of the smaller church were painted here in 1795 and are clearly showing their age with falling plasterwork and the general dulling of the colours of the icon paintings.

The altar was very small and worshippers were allowed in, in small numbers, to avoid any overcrowding. The golds and reds stood out well but there will be a lot of restoration needed here soon I think.

Tombstones

Ok, I’m going to seem weird here but I was attracted by something strange in the grounds.

I noticed that the graves in the cemetery area were often gigantic, over the top, elaborate marble epitaphs to their deceased inside.

I wandered the ground and saw huge black stoned and polished semi tombs that would be fit for a member of a Royal Family. It was so strange to see tombs that clearly must have cost a fortune to erect belonging to people who I assumed were not aristocracy or political figureheads.

They sat lined up next to each other as if trying to compete on who could be the most ostentatious or tallest.

There was a huge graveyard further up the hill and I wandered up there also to get fabulous shots across the bay to the other side. Here again were closely packed large headstones and delicate graves full of the most shiny and beautiful marble slabs.

It was something that I had only seen in Victorian cemeteries in the UK. They were impressive and meticulously maintained with recent bunches of flowers and lanterns.

On that note, that was my visit to Herceg Novi now complete.

My journey from here was to take me along a semi mountainous route towards the border with Croatia and on to my next destination of Dubrovnik.

Feb 2018