Places to See in Montenegro (with map and description)

May come in handy: detailed description of the excursion by the canyons of Montenegro with many excellent photos.

Durmitor — a fantastic natural and landscape park

We’ve been to Durmitor twice and literally fell in love with this incredible place. A huge territory covered with pristine forest, in which there are amazing mountain lakes, various caves, alpine meadows, small mountain villages that have preserved the old way of life, wild animals, rare species of plants, and much, much more.

With all this, Durmitor is convenient for tourists. There are pedestrian paths and small wooden bridges that fit organically into the landscape. If you leave the central asphalt roads, you can find a clearing with strawberries or a small mountain stream literally around the corner.

One of the entrances to the park have such a nice sign.

Black Lake is the most visited place in Durmitor by tourists. You’ll have to walk to it for about fifteen minutes.

The surroundings of Black Lake are very beautiful. There is definitely something to see here. Many tourists even swim, but the water is pretty cool here.

If you move away from the well-known paths by tourists, you can see the pristine forest and even pick strawberries (like one in my hand).

In places difficult for hiking, there are such pretty bridges.

The beauty of the forest is carefully protected, you feel yourself alone with nature in Durmitor.

And here is a small bunch of strawberries, which we picked there. The berry smelled delicious!

There is surprisingly clean air that you’ll want to breathe, enjoying the pristine purity of this place. In many places you can find small wooden benches on which it’s so pleasant to sit down.

And in your free time you can go to see the local caves. They are also very interesting and definitely worth the time spent.

Unfortunately, as part of an excursion to the canyons, you will not be able to see Durmitor in all its glory. They will show you only a tiny piece, Black Lake, and then you’ll be given twenty minutes to wander through the park.

If you really want to discover Durmitor, come here by public transport. You need to get on a bus to Žabljak, it’ll take a long time to go. Perhaps the bus schedule from Budva, the largest resort in the country, will be useful to you.

We wouldn’t recommend going here in a rented car. You can, of course, get there, but the road is very difficult, tiring and dangerous.

May come in handy: one of the most detailed articles about Durmitor with colorful photos and panoramas.

Bay of Herceg Novi (or the southern part of the Bay of Kotor)

To be honest, the bay itself is not much different from the Bay of Kotor. Only the scale is getting bigger. Unlike the rather narrow Bay of Kotor, here the distances between the two banks are very significant.

At the same time, it’s very interesting to visit the bay. We were here during a boat trip around the Herceg Novi bay. The whole day we enjoyed the sun, the waves that slightly rocked the ship, beautiful Montenegrin and Serbian music, a good breakfast and lunch.

Herceg-Novi Bay is a huge water area that is impossible to capture on a still, mountains descending to the sea itself and small towns scattered along the coast.

The landscapes of the bay are somewhat looks like the Bay of Kotor, but still differ in size.

But, of course, this is not the main thing. We managed to visit the fabulous city of Herceg Novi — the greenest, most beautiful and romantic of all that we have seen in Montenegro.

Wander through the narrow medieval streets, going down countless stone stairs and passages, enjoy the fantastic scenery of the bay, hiding from the hot midday sun under the palm trees, go to small shops (prices here are lower than in Budva and Kotor resorts) or visit some small restaurant … What could be better?

Let’s enjoy a fantastic view of the bay and the city from the distance:

After Herceg Novi, we got on a very small boat and went to the Blue Cave. We managed to settle down at the very bow of the boat, and therefore on each new wave we were showered with salty sea spray. At such moments you feel that you are really alive, living at full.

The Blue Cave itself is quite beautiful. The water here have strikingly rich blue shade. They say that the cave is also very deep — about 60 meters. There are even scuba diving here. Do not be afraid to freeze. The water is even warmer here than on the beach.

After the Blue Cave, we visited the pebble beach of Zhanitsa, which was once the personal beach of the President of Yugoslavia.

May come in handy: our story about the excursion by the bay of Herceg Novi.

Blue Cave — nothing special, but very beautiful

The Blue Cave is located at the beginning of the Herceg Novi Bay, in a place where it seems to be in contact with the sea. The entrance is quite low, so we had to use a boat. They say that if there is a strong swell, it becomes impossible to get into the cave, the boat simply will not pass, because the cave is too low.

The water in the cave is warm and noticeably saltier than the sea. Swimming will be easy. And you can also enjoy the amazingly rich color of the water — ultramarine or blue. Sunlight, passing through the water in a cave, is refracted at various angles and seems to illuminate it. In real life, you get exactly the same picture as in well-photoshopped photographs. Unfortunately, we did not photograph at all in the cave.

May be useful: separate article about the Blue Cave.

St. Nicholas Island near Budva — almost Hawaii in Montenegro

Yes, exactly. Montenegro has its own Hawaii. In fact, this island located in the bay of Budva is called the island of St. Nicholas, but for some reason the locals understand the name Hawaii much better.

If you once dreamed about relaxing on a real island, feel free to go to the pier. For only 5 Euros you’ll be taken to the island in the morning and picked up in the evening.

Previously, there was a small monastery (16th century), now only ruins remain. There are practically no other attractions on the island. But there is a quite good beach (unfortunately pebble, not sandy), where there are usually much fewer people than on Slavic beach, several food establishments and a small souvenir shop.

Other natural attractions of Montenegro

Of course, the list can in no way be considered complete. Montenegro is a country of amazing nature, flora and fauna. Its sights can be viewed for years. It’s worth visiting the Skadar and Piva lakes, romantic people will be pleased to look at Trnovačko Lake in the shape of a heart.

Many will be interested in visiting the Lovćen nature reserves with the grave of Njegoš on the top and the Biogradska gora Nature Park. It would be interesting to go to the Island of Flowers or visit the beaches of Bar with black sand, which is considered beneficial for the musculoskeletal system.

The olive grove near Ulcinj deserves special attention; as well as the beaches of Ada Bojana cannot be ignored …

And how many more amazing corners of Montenegro exist that we simply don’t know about? We are ordinary tourists, exactly the same as you, and we write only about those places where we were personally.

Cultural sights of Montenegro — ancient cities and resorts

There are a lot of attractions in Montenegro. They are almost evenly dispersed throughout the country. To some of them you will have to go on purpose, but most of them can be reached by public transport or may be visited during one of the many excursions. So now we will talk with you about them.

May be interesting: an interesting article about the most popular resorts in Montenegro

The ancient city of Kotor — little Italy, a huge fortress wall, the amazing charm of medieval streets

Kotor is probably considered almost the main attraction of the country. It’s even included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, there is a very detailed article about the city on Wikipedia. Why so? It’s a small cozy town in a typical Italian style, with narrow cozy streets, stone buildings and bright red tiles on the roofs. The city is located in the depths of the amazingly beautiful and picturesque Bay of Kotor and there are a huge number of churches and temples.

The fortress wall encircles the entire old part of Kotor

You can enjoy views of the nearby mountains from the city center.

In the photo is the Church of St. Nicholas, the largest and most famous in Kotor. We’ll talk about it a little later.

You may find ruined buildings even within the old city. For example, the photo shows the ruins of the Dominican monastery.

In summer, many tourists are walking through the narrow streets of the medieval town. They’re even washed with shampoo twice a day.

You think that’s it? But no! Kotor is surrounded by the largest in Montenegro and the second after the Great Chinese fortress wall. You can also climb it if you want, but you need to take water, hats or even UV umbrellas — it’s really very hot here. Amazing views of the bay and surroundings open up from the top of the wall; here you can also find several very interesting temples.

May come in handy: detailed information about the city of Kotor and its attractions.

The green city of Herceg Novi — the most amazing and beautiful of all that we managed to visit

To be honest, Herceg Novi became my favorite city in Montenegro. Despite the fact that we were here for a short time, we will remember it for the rest of our lives.

The city is picturesquely spread out on the slope of either a very large hill or a small mountain. It descends to the sea from the very top. That is why there are so many romantic streets paved with stone, stairs, passages and fortress walls.

Herceg Novi is also called the botanical garden of Montenegro. It so happened that the locals made money on the sea trade. From distant travels sailors invariably brought many exotic plants and flowers to their hometown. Therefore, here you can find the most unusual flora, which is not found anywhere else in the country.

This is the central staircase of the city, you will definitely see it. When you go up, look to the left, there grow real bananas.

In the photo there is a small plaza, a restaurant and a piece of Kanli Kula – the Bloody Tower

And this is Sahat Kula – a clock tower, one of the most famous buildings in Herceg Novi.

Among the sights here it is worth seeing the Clock Tower (Sahat Kula) and the Bloody Tower (Kanli Kula). The first one is simply very beautiful, and the second was at a time a powerful impregnable fortress, a bastion, and a prison for especially important prisoners. They say that in the entire history of the prison, not a single person managed to escape. Perhaps that is why now they like to play weddings there — the groom will not run away ;)

Closer to the city center you can see the Karacha fountain with clean drinking water, which can be collected for future use — mineral water in Montenegro is quite expensive.

Here, on Bellavista Square, you can see the Church of St. Gabriel. It looks ancient, but in fact it is only a little over a hundred years old.

Karacha fountain at Bellavista Square. You can take drinking water in a bottle from the fountain. The fountain is located in the very center of the city.

The Archangel Gabriel Church is one of the largest churches in Herceg Novi. Despite the fact that it looks very, very old, in fact, this is all a remake.

If you have free time, we advise you to wander through the streets of the city, sit in one of the local cozy restaurants, go down to the embankment or go shopping. It would also be very nice to climb higher and admire the fantastic scenery of the bay. If you wish, you can walk to the maritime museum or even climb Kanli Kula.

A beautiful city with narrow, cozy, stone streets, lots of greenery and medieval buildings.

Walking around the city, you will definitely feel the medieval flavor and tranquility of Herceg Novi

A lot of stairs, walkways, palm trees, small paths and galleries are spread around the city.

Climbing to the top, you can fully enjoy the gorgeous panorama of the Herceg Novi bay.

Nearby there is a maritime museum, part of the exposition is located in the open air

Herceg Novi is full of plants, flowers, decorations and rare tropical trees.

It’ll be very interesting to wander around the city fortress. Numerous small galleries, passages and defensive walls create an extraordinary interweaving of routes.

Clothes, shoes and souvenirs here are a little cheaper than in large resorts like Budva or Kotor.

May come in handy: good article about Herceg Novi, in which we have added a lot of photos and panoramas.

Cetinje — the old capital of Montenegro with a long history and ancient traditions

For almost the entire history of Montenegro Cetinje was its capital. It was here that Petar I Petrović-Njegoš, the greatest Lord of Montenegro, invited the ambassadors, the fate of the country was decided and the defense against the Turkish invaders was planned.

The city is located in a mountain valley, safely hidden from ill-wishers. In ancient times this helped to defend it from the Turks, and now it has destroyed the city. They decided to move the capital closer to the center of the country, to a place where it’s easier and faster to get.

Nevertheless, Cetinje has always been and remains the spiritual capital of Montenegro. Here is located the Cetinje Monastery, where the right hand of John the Baptist and a piece of the Lord’s cross are kept, all old buildings have been preserved: the government building, the first bank in the country, the first embassies of foreign states.

Walking around the city is very pleasant. The city become a proud capital and preserve the peculiar comfort and provinciality of a mountain village. You can find something new practically around every corner. For example, not far from the monastery you can see a huge volumetric map of Montenegro, made by the Austrian military.

And, of course, the Cetinje Monastery has always been known as the pearl of the city, which we will talk about a little later.

May come in handy: detailed article about the city of Cetinje.

Perast — a very tiny one-street town that is definitely worth a visit

I don’t know if Perast can be called a city. In fact, apart from the embankment, there is only one street here, stretching along the Bay of Kotor. But the town itself is very beautiful. The luxurious Bay of Kotor, on the banks of which it’s located, and the charm of a very tiny, ancient city, in which you can see the ruins of an old house next to a large church, are responsible for this.

Approaching Perast, you will see people sunbathing right on the concrete embankment – there are no sandy beaches nearby. Some of the buildings were destroyed during the old earthquake and have not yet been restored.

The clock tower is considered the main attraction of the city. She is often filmed by television, travellers and tourists.

Let’s take a closer look at the clock tower. It’s located in the central square of the city, it’s easy to get there.

Even a simple camera takes stunning pictures from the embankment of the city.

The whole city in fact is located on one street, running along the coast.

It’s not yet as hot in Perast as in Kotor, a fresh breeze blows on the face, and the water slightly reduces the heat.

Also, every inhabitant of Perast can rightfully be considered a millionaire. Each building here is worth over a million euros. Even the ruins with three walls and without a roof. And at the same time, the new owner has no right to change at least something in the external appearance of the building, it’s not even possible to simply hang the air conditioner. He must carefully and accurately restore the house exactly as it once was.

This approach made it possible to keep Perast exactly the same as it was 100 or 200 years ago and that’s why it remains one of the most popular attractions in Montenegro. Every year thousands of tourists come here and take millions of great pictures.

By the way, if you watch programs about Perast, then you will not even recognize it in real life. For some reason, TV people are very fond of taking unusual angles, showing the town not at all the way it is. Let’s try to admire the fantastic panorama of the city and the surrounding bay together:

The easiest way to visit Perast is during a tour of the Bay of Kotor.

May come in handy: interesting article about Perast with many photos

Budva — the largest resort town with a lot things to see

Budva has always been considered the largest resort in Montenegro. Yes, it is quite expensive to rest here, and there are a lot of tourists on the beaches. But there are also advantages. The city is very beautiful, especially its old part, which is so pleasant to walk in the evenings. Excellent beaches, nice restaurants and a rich excursion program are waiting for you.

There are a lot of cozy places in the old part of Budva. Of course, the restaurants here are a little more expensive, but it’s really nice to sit there and enjoy the beauty of the ancient city.

The narrow streets, stone houses, small squares and many churches – all this is about the old town of Budva

The buildings here are mostly three-storey, which is rare for Montenegro, because earthquakes are often happens here.

And this is a new part of the city. For example, most of the small travel agencies are located in this gallery.

Let’s add another beautiful view of the old city. If you look closely, you can see the sea, a small park, a fortress, and even a yacht dock.

We would recommend you not only to walk along the old part of Budva, but also to visit the yacht pier, climb the bastion, look into the library, and also walk to the Mogren beaches. It’s the path to Mogren I and the road over the bridge to Mogren II that we remember most of all.

Judge for yourself, because the photos of Budva speak much better than words and descriptions.

The old town is completely surrounded by a massive fortress wall – centuries ago, other nations constantly tried to conquer Montenegro.

The bastion adjoins the sea, as if hanging over it. This photo even shows a piece of St. Nicholas Island.

You’ll have to walk along such a path to the beaches of Mogren. The rocks are very beautiful, aren’t they? Just be careful. Sometimes, very rarely, there are small landslides.

If you look back, you can admire the beautiful views of the old town of Budva

This is possibly one of the most popular photographs in Budva. Who doesn’t photograph this girl with the Old City as a background?

By the way, the beaches of Mogren are a bit cooler than the Slavic.

In the bay of Budva, there is the island of St. Nicholas, which we’ve already mentioned, and Becici is located within walking distance (a little more than a kilometer). You will have to go to the island of St. Stephen by public transport — it’s about 8 kilometers from here.

May come in handy: detailed and interesting article about Budva and its attractions.

St. Stephen’s Island — the most luxurious and most expensive resort in the country

The island of St. Stephen is considered the most luxurious and expensive resort in Montenegro. This is where the rich and famous people usually spend their time. The island was closed to visitors for many years. Then only tourists who booked a table in one of the local restaurants was allowed here. In the past few years, even paid excursions to the island have appeared. But there is one day when the island can still be visited for free. On August 28, during the celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the island opens to everyone.

If you are offered to rest on the island of St. Stephen, most likely it means a village nearby. The option is very good: there are good beaches, it’s easy to go on excursions from here, but the prices here are also quite high.

May come in handy: an interesting note about the island of St. Stephen.

Tivat — a small cozy town where Montenegrins love to stay

If you ask the Montenegrins where they plan to spend time in summer, the majority will prefer not large resorts like Budva or Kotor, but Tivat.

The Island of Flowers deserves special attention, where an interesting monastery is located and many species of rare and exotic plants are collected. There are also several excellent beaches that are practically empty.

If we’re talking about the sights directly in Tivat, it’s worth to see the Medieval Palace “Bucha”, the Monastery of the Archangel Michael and the Botanical Garden of Tivat. We’ve already written in more detail about the sights of Tivat in a separate article.

It’s worth saying that Tivat will not be the best option if you put beaches first. They’re mostly made of concrete in the city itself, and you have to either go for a long time, or even drive to find better options.

May come in handy: detailed article about Tivat, sights and beaches

Đurđevića Tara Bridge — a must-see place in Montenegro

For us personally, the view from the Đurđevića Tara Bridge has become the symbol of Montenegro. Just imagine a bridge of incredible height, a river flowing somewhere far, far below and fantastic mountain landscapes. Somewhere in the distance you can see mountain meadows, small villages and even lonely houses, tourists that are rafting under you, and some tourists who ride a bungee over the Tara canyon. And, of course, fresh mountain air, gentle sun and mountain slopes. This is how we remember this place.

The Đurđevića Tara Bridge is the main attraction of Montenegro.

Đurđevića Tara Bridge is automobile. It’s actively used, cars drive quite often. Catching the moment when there is no car on the bridge is very difficult

You may get wonderful pictures with a background of the surrounding mountains, but you need to go out onto the roadway to take them.

If you look down from the bridge, you can see the river flowing somewhere far below.

Despite the fact that the Đurđevića Tara Bridge is very interesting by itself, many interesting and sometimes heroic facts are associated with it.

For example, during World War II, it was decided to blow up the bridge in order to prevent the Nazis from breaking into Montenegro. Nobody wanted to destroy the recently built bridge, for which it was paid in blood, sweat, and sometimes with the lives of workers. Then Lazar Jauković, one of the bridge engineers, figured out and calculated how to lay the charges to blow up only one of its arches. It would be impossible to cross such a bridge, and after the war it would be easy to restore. The explosion was successful. The Nazis hated Lazar so much that they made simply superhuman efforts to find him.

When the engineer was brought to the bridge, he was offered to lead the restoration work. Realizing that as soon as the bridge is restored Montenegro will be captured and many families will lose their homes and lives, Lazar refused and chose death. They shot him here, on the bridge, and threw his body into the abyss. In honor of the act of bravery of this extraordinary man, there is a monument next to the bridge.

Nevertheless, the bridge is named after Đurđevića. It’s believed to be owned by a wealthy farmer who once lived in the area and provided local people with jobs. It seems that Montenegrins value a simple human attitude more than feat and heroism.

The Đurđevića Tara Bridge offers fantastic views of the surrounding mountains. The height and scale are simply amazing!

You can see small farms and even individual houses in the distance.

The mighty river Tara flows right under the bridge, which goes like a blue ribbon somewhere far, far below.

We were even lucky to see other tourists go down the river in a boat. This excursion is called rafting.

And here is the bungee across the river, on which many tourists ride and shouts. Such a pleasure costs 10 or 20 euros, depending on the location.

May come in handy: an article about the Đurđevića Tara Bridge with photos, descriptions and panoramas.

Religious sights of Montenegro — churches, temples and monasteries

There are a lot of churches in Montenegro. Each town and village has its own church, and sometimes more than one. They say that there used to be a small village here, where 365 churches were located — one for every day of the year. It’s practically impossible to tell about all the churches in the format of a short article, and therefore we decided to select only the most important ones that we were able to visit personally.

You may be interested: an article about Orthodox monasteries and churches in Montenegro

Ostrog Monastery — the main religious shrine of Montenegro, millions of pilgrims from all over the world come here every year

Most likely the Ostrog monastery is the main cultural attraction and shrine in Montenegro. It’s almost impossible to visit Montenegro and don’t hear about Ostrog. This is not a joke — the monastery is one of the three most visited Orthodox shrines in the world.

Ostrog is located high in the mountains. The road to monastery is a dangerous serpentine. When we went upstairs by minibus, many tourists felt bad. But there is also a positive side to this — the views from here are really fantastic. Accidents never happened — it’s believed that both the monastery and the road are under the invisible guard of St. Basil of Ostrog, the founder of the monastery.

The monastery itself is very interesting. An indescribable aura of silence and tranquility reigns here, which we haven’t encountered in any other place.

The queues to bow to the miraculous relics of St. Basil of Ostrog are always quite long. The place is popular not only among tourists, but also among locals who come here to pray or to change their Brojanitsa. While you are waiting, we advise you to go to the monastery shop, where you will be given holy water and healing olive oil for free, one set per family. It’s also worth to light the candles, which in Montenegro are put in sand with water.

Moving further in the line, you can write notes with the names of loved ones. The monks will pray for them during the evening service.

After you touch the miraculous relics of St. Basil of Ostrog and having examined other wonders of the monastery, which you will certainly be told about, do not forget to go upstairs and touch the oldest vine in Montenegro. According to legend, it strengthens marriage and helps families to conceive a child.

After visiting the monastery, you can look into the monastery shop, where you can buy various consecrated church attributes. For example, we purchased a brojanitsa and small silver medallions depicting a monastery.

May come in handy: an article about the Ostrog monastery and an article about St. Basil of Ostrog.

Cetinje Monastery — the place where the right hand of John the Baptist and a piece of the life-giving cross are kept

We believe that the Cetinje Monastery is the second most visited and significant monastery in Montenegro. It’s located in the ancient city of Cetinje, the old capital of Montenegro.

Despite the fact that the monastery isn’t very ancient (during the war the old building had to be blown up, only the foundation remained from it) the important Christian relics are kept here: the right hand of John the Baptist and a piece of the life-giving cross.

You can find information that the right hand is stored in other cities and places  in different sources. This happened because church relics used to be divided into parts so that as many people as possible could touch their power. Almost the entire right hand is kept in Cetinje, except for the ring finger and little finger. It’s the tiny particles of these fingers that are kept in countless churches and monasteries that claim to have the right hand of John the Baptist.

The monastery itself is quite large, but tourists are allowed only into a small part of it. If you come with a group, you will be allowed through almost immediately. If you decide to visit this place on your own, you will need to wait until 10-15 people are willing to go with you, then the relics will open.

A small church now stands on the ruins of the old Cetinje monastery. It’s called Church on Chipur.

The photo shows the main entrance to the Cetinje monastery. You can see how tourists enter it. They are gathering in the courtyard, waiting to see the relics.

In the monastery itself there is a monastery shop, as in Ostrog, here you can leave notes with the names of relatives and friends. Dress code is required, as for entering any large church. Understanding the difficulties of tourists, right in the courtyard of the monastery, all those in need are given skirts and kerchiefs. It’s free, but after visiting the monastery, of course, you’ll need to return everything.

While you are waiting, we advise you to look at a large map of Montenegro near the monastery, look into the billiard room of Njegus or wander through the ruins of an old monastery. This is not far at all.

By the way, the Ostrog Monastery and the Cetinje Monastery can be visited in just one day, if you choose the Ostrog Monastery Tour excursion.

May come in handy: an interesting article about the Cetinje monastery and a short article about the history of this place.

The Church “Our Lady of the Rocks” — the only built together with the artificial island on which it stands

Despite the fact that this church is not included in the list of the most visited or significant from a religious point of view, it’s likely to be the most interesting for ordinary tourists. Now let’s try to explain why.

The Church of Our Lady of the Rocks is located in the depths of the Bay of Kotor — the most beautiful bay in Europe. It was built together with the island on which it stands.

This is how the Church of Our Lady on the Rock looks like if you swim up to it on a boat

Tourists disembark from the boat and walk to the central entrance to the church. The photo shows the bell tower of the the Our Lady on the Rock church

As you can see, the island’s territory is quite large, it expands almost every year.

We sailed to the island on the most ordinary boat, but here we also saw very nice “antique” ships. Sometimes you can even see sailing schooners here.

And this is a model of the island, which can be seen in the Museum of Our Lady on the Rock.

Here’s how it happened: fishermen from the nearby town of Perast have long chosen this cliff for fishing. What was their surprise when one fine day right on the cliff they found the icon of the Mother of God. Of course, the surprised fishermen brought the icon to their hometown, and the locals decided to build a temple here. They sank several ships, threw stones around the cliff, and built an island with a church on it. Even now, if you wish, you can go to the cliff from which it all began…

The Virgin Mary has kept the inhabitants of Perast and Kotor in peace for many years, protecting sailors on long voyages. In gratitude for the successful voyages, the sailors bring to the church silver plates engraved with the difficulties that they had to face and successfully overcome. Now the collection of such plates is truly impressive. From time to time it’s taken to exhibitions in the largest cities in Europe and the world.

The tradition of expanding and equipping the island has survived to this day. Once a year, all Montenegrins who have their own boats load them with stones and swim around the island, dropping stones in the places indicated by the priests. People sing, celebrate and have fun.

The church is also expanding. Now you can see a magnificent altar made of Italian marble in it, in front of which divine services and even wedding ceremonies are regularly held. Most likely you will see wedding wreaths and bridal bouquets to the right of the altar.

The Church of Our Lady on the Rocks itself is quite small. Here you can see a beautiful altar made of Italian marble, several icons and frescoes on the sides, and silver plates just above. For tourists, special benches are installed along the walls.

The ceiling deserves special attention. It’s very beautiful and even somewhat majestic

You can see part of the collection of silver records in this photo. Each plate is only the size of a palm, and depicts the difficulties that the sailors managed to overcome.

The altar of the church is made of expensive marble by Italian craftsmen. The icon in the center is the one about which the legends are told.

To the right of the altar, you can see the brides’ wedding wreaths, which are usually left in the church after the wedding.

The church is also decorated with frescoes and icons. If you go around this icon, you will see the entrance to the museum.

Also in the church you can visit a museum telling about the history of the bay from the times of the ancient Greeks, Romans and the first Christians. The true gem of the collection is the icon embroidered by a Montenegrin girl awaiting her husband from a long voyage. The man never returned, and the woman waited for him for forty years, embroidering an icon from her own hair. You will be able to notice how the initially beautiful hair gradually touches the gray, until they turn completely white. The capital’s authorities are constantly trying to take the icon to Podgorica, but local residents are actively fighting to ensure that it remains here.

At first glance, the exhibits of the museum are quite simple and uncomplicated. Here, for example, is a collection of pectoral crosses that were once worn by the inhabitants of the Bay of Kotor

And here are ancient icons, crosses and frescoes, rescued from now destroyed churches and monasteries.

The icon, embroidered by a woman from her own hair, is considered the pearl of the collection. It took over 40 years to create it.

Leaving the museum, you can admire a beautiful view of the Bay of Kotor and the island of St. George, where the closed monastery is located.

You can see a large stone bowl filled with coins at the exit from the museum. They are left by tourists so they would come back here again.

After leaving the church you will see a huge stone bowl filled with coins of tourists who really want to come back here again. If you stay here for just a minute, you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Bay of Kotor, the island of St. George and the town of Perast.

The easiest way to visit this amazing place is during a tour of the Bay of Kotor.

May come in handy: a very interesting article about the Church of our Lady on the Rock with many photos.

Moraca Monastery — not the most famous, but very interesting and beautiful

We discovered this monastery during an excursion through the canyons of Montenegro. Despite the fact that at first glance it doesn’t strike with either antiquity or significance, this is exactly what, in my opinion, the mountain monastery should be. The monks set up a small vegetable garden and an apiary, maintain a garden, cultivate the land and provide for themselves with everything they need. It’s amazingly beautiful here, here we felt that the monastery really lives, that the monks are here all the time, they live here, not just working.

The road to Moraca Monastery is paved with stone and polished by the feet of tens of thousands of tourists.

A small stream has recently started to flow around the monastery and a beautiful stone bridge has been built.

The territory of the monastery is very beautiful and cozy, it’s pleasant to be here. In Moraca, as they say, you rest your soul.

This building serves as both a wall separating the monastery from the outside world and cells for monks.

Also here you can see a healing spring with holy water, which you can collect for yourself.

There are a lot of flowers and decorations on the territory of the monastery.

Moraca Monastery is also interesting from a historical and cultural point of view. There are striking frescoes preserved here, the earliest of which date back to the 13th century (these are the 1200s), and most date back to the 17th and 18th centuries.

The olive oil, consecrated by the hand of the holy martyr Harlampius, the main shrine of the monastery, are taken by tourists with them from many countries of the world.

The first printed book of the South Slavs — Octoechos or Osmoglasnik is also kept here. The book was printed in Cyrillic as early as 1493, 70 years earlier than the first printed book in Russia (“Apostle” by Ivan Fedorov).

One of the first handwritten Gospels in Montenegro has been preserved in the monastery library. Many other important church documents can also be seen there.

There are two churches on the territory of the monastery. The big one, where tourists are taken, is called the Church of the Assumption of Mary, and the small, much more ancient one is the Church of St. Nicholas. We advise you to visit both, they are very interesting and unusual.

In the photo, the Church of the Assumption of Mary – the largest and most popular in Moraca

Frescoes can be seen at the entrance to the church. There are also many beautiful frescoes and a gorgeous altar inside, but photography is prohibited. We decided not to violate the ban.

Let’s take a closer look at the frescoes.

And this is the Church of St. Nicholas. It’s quite small and much older than the Church of the Assumption of Mary

Finally, I will add a beautiful photo of buildings in Moraca

Of course, next to the monastery you can also find a small souvenir shop selling church honey with nuts and monastery rakija.

May come in handy: detailed article about the Moraca monastery.

Church of St. Luke in Kotor, both Orthodox and Catholic

An interesting story is connected with this very small but old church. It’s originally Orthodox. But during the attack on Montenegro by the Turks, many Catholics fled to the relatively safe Kotor, which was protected by powerful fortress walls. They did not have their own church, but the rituals needed to be carried out. Therefore, the residents of the city decided to divide the church into two halves. A second altar was installed here and services were held in both Catholic and Orthodox rites.

There were almost no Orthodox residents in Kotor over time, the church became completely Catholic. It changed her “religion” several times — Napoleon intervened, the number of inhabitants of different confessions played a role.

At some point, Orthodox residents built a separate church for themselves, much more magnificent than the church of St. Luke. Then it became completely Catholic again. Now there are no Catholics in the city, and therefore the Church of St. Luke is Orthodox. But if, for example, many Italians suddenly move to the city, the church has every chance of becoming Catholic again.

This story demonstrates the mentality of the Montenegrin people. There have almost never been bloody wars between Christians, and mixed marriages between Catholics and Orthodox are completely acceptable. At the same time, the Montenegrins fought against the Turkish invaders for centuries.

St. Tryphon Cathedral — the largest church in Kotor, which is remembered by almost all tourists

This is the largest church in Kotor. Many stories and legends are associated with it, which guides or locals will gladly tell you. We will focus only on the most popular one associated with the discovery of the relics of St. Tryphon, hence the name the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon.

They say that when Italian merchants sailed to Venice to sell the relics of Saint Tryphon there, an amazing storm broke out in the sea. People had no choice but to take refuge with the ship in the safe Bay of Kotor, near the city of Kotor.

For three days and nights a storm raged. The locals thought that Saint Tryphon wants to stay in the city. So, to stop the storm and to be able to move forward, they collected the required amount of money during the night and bought the relics.

Unfortunately, visiting the church for tourists has recently become paid, and therefore, given that we already had very little time and a lot of desire to see everything, we didn’t get inside. But you may come in and tell us about what you saw in a comments section below.

The most interesting beaches in the country

Montenegro is a sea country. Beach vacations take up the lion’s share of vacationers’ time, and many people, apart from the beaches, see nothing at all. So that you have something to talk about besides warm and transparent sea water, we have selected the most interesting selection of beaches that we visited. Most of them are within walking distance of Budva, the country’s largest resort.

You’ll be interested: a detailed overview of all the beaches in Montenegro.

Slavic beach — the most popular and largest beach in Budva

If we talk about the beaches in Budva, in the first place, of course, the Slavic beach. It’s at the same time the largest, the most comfortable, the most popular and the most famous of all the beaches of Budva we visited.

The beach itself is sandy and pebbly, with a comfortable flat bottom and warm water. Slavic beach is located right on the embankment of Budva and stretches from the Old Town itself almost to Becici. Closer to the Old Town, there is more sand on the beach, and as you get closer to Becici, the sand is gradually replaced by small pebbles.

Slavic beach has an excellent infrastructure — here you can find everything from sun loungers, food, souvenirs, clothes to wild entertainment (like parachuting over the bay).

Among the disadvantages, I would like to note the large number of tourists on the beach in comparison with less popular options. Well, where there are tourists, there can be dirt and trash. But to be fair, it should be noted that they clean the beach 3-4 times a day.

There is one more disadvantage — from the natural sun shelters next to the beach you can only find shops and restaurants. But, for example, on the Mogren beach you can hide in the shade of the rocks.

May come in handy: detailed article about Slavic Beach in Budva

Mogren beaches — one of the most beautiful beaches in Budva

If you like beautiful, cozy and romantic beaches, be sure to walk to the beaches of Mogren. Even just the road to them will surely be remembered by you for a long time. Just imagine how huge slate rocks hang on to your right, and to the left, somewhere below, another wave breaks against the stones.

The path to Mogren is rather narrow, but not dangerous. Almost every ten to fifteen meters you have to stop to enjoy the view of the sea, the island of St. Nicholas or the Old Town. The photos are just wonderful.

The beaches themselves are quite small. Food, water and sunbeds are significantly more expensive here than on the nearby Slavic beach. But this place is very beautiful and ideal for families with children — it’ll be interesting for them to climb the rocks, and the gentle, safe bottom will not allow swimming to great depths.

If you come to Mogren, keep in mind that there are actually two beaches here, they are separated by a small bridge.

May come in handy: good article about Mogren beaches near Budva

Ričardova glava beach — a very small cozy corner near the Old Town of Budva

This very small beach with a length of about 100 meters is included in the prestigious catalog of the best Nikki Beach beaches. It’s located in Budva, just nearby the Old Town.

There is practically no place to relax on a towel, almost the entire beach is filled with paid sun loungers. Prices on the beach of Richardova Glava are also slightly higher than on the neighboring Slavic Beach.

The beach is distinguished by a slightly higher water temperature and a shallow, comfortable bottom. Despite the rather high price of sun loungers, it’s usually almost completely full.

Personally, we like the beach near old Budva precisely for its location. You can walk for half an hour or even an hour in the medieval town, and then swim in a cool and amazingly clear sea water.

May come in handy: a little more detailed article about the beach near old Budva.

Zhanitsa beach — the cleanest water, small pebbles and President of Montenegro

This beach is considered one of the cleanest in Montenegro. This is partly due to the small pebble bottom, which is not very convenient to walk on. The water here is so clean that even sea urchins live nearby. We advise you to carefully look under your feet.

The beach itself is pretty ordinary. Here, as elsewhere, you can rent a sun lounger, have a hamburger or sit in a small restaurant.

There are also differences. Fresh shower on Zhanitsa is paid, automatic. Throw in 50 euro cents — then the water begins to flow. They don’t save water, so you’ll have a plenty of time to wash up.

And there is also an amazing olive grove around the beach, which is definitely worth a look. Massages with olive oil are performed right on the beach, which is slightly cheaper than in other places.

There is a fairly large pier next to the beach. If you wish, you can go to the Blue Cave, visit the fortress island Mamula or go to Herceg Novi (about 6 kilometers by sea).

May come in handy: a little more detailed article about Zhanitsa Beach.

Other popular beaches of fabulous Montenegro

Of course, there are many more beaches in Montenegro than we have listed in this small selection. To be precise — 117. There is no way to list even the most famous and convenient ones. But if you are still interested, you can check out our selection of the best beaches in Montenegro.

The easiest way to visit the sights in Montenegro

The easiest way to visit the sights is during excursions. There are quite a few of them, they are not so expensive, every day you can go and see something. This option has a lot of advantages, for example, you’ll save a lot of nerves, you’ll be shown many attractions, many of which are quite difficult to get to on your own.

But excursions also have disadvantages. There is very little time for spending at each place, the schedule is too tight. Well, how can you see Kotor in half an hour? Or walk through Durmitor in 40 minutes?

This problem is solved by independent excursions on public transport. It turns out both cheaper and more interesting, but you can miss something interesting or spend a lot of nerves in controversial situations.

The third option for sightseeing is the most expensive, but also the most comfortable. If you wish, you can rent a car and travel around the country, stopping only where and when you want.

Which of the options to choose is up to you. I suggest discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each option in the comments.