Guide to Montenegro in May — Records of Roam

We spent the month of May in Montenegro.

Montenegro was a wildcard. Due to visa restrictions, we had to spend one of our final four months in Europe in a “non-Schengen” country; after reviewing the list of options, we narrowed our choice for May down to two options: Split, Croatia or Kotor, Montenegro. Croatia was significantly more expensive, and then Jeff found an Airbnb that made him giddy about Kotor.

We rolled the dice on Kotor, Montenegro. Montenegro was a place that we didn’t know much about; we didn’t know anyone who had been there, which was exciting.

When we first arrived, we found ourselves frequently saying, “Where are we?” In the beginning of the month, there was some concern about whether we made the best choice.

The weather was surprisingly rainy and often hot and humid. We felt isolated at times, being so accustomed to living in cities where we could walk, taxi, or use public transit to explore.

We intended to have a more relaxing, low-key month, but that proved to be a challenge at first. Eventually, we got into a groove, and we even started watching Game of Thrones for the first time in preparation for our side trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia.

By the end of the month, we grew to like Montenegro.

Our Airbnb

Our Airbnb was located right on the Bay of Kotor across from Old Town Kotor. The apartment was very spacious, by far the largest of all the apartments we stayed in during our travels so far. It had two full bedrooms, two bathrooms, and even a workout space.

The best part, though, was the view. We had a beautiful view out the living room windows showcasing the Bay of Kotor. We could watch the cruise ships dock and leave, as well as thunderstorms roll in, bringing a dense fog in the bay.

Our Airbnb host, Mila, was kind, welcoming, and great in helping us navigate this quirky, less-developed corner of Montenegro.

Old Town Kotor

The Old Town of Kotor is surrounded by an ancient city wall that extends up into the mountainside. The walls light up at night, which was a fun sight from our apartment across the bay. The Old Town was bigger than we anticipated from our view, but still quite small - there was no need for a map to navigate around! The medieval town is full of charming old stone buildings.

Kotor is also known for its cats, which roam around the ancient city walls.

Montenegrin Food

The dining options in Kotor were not amazing, with too many of the restaurants within walking distance being typical tourist traps. We were limited since we didn’t have a car, so we used it as an opportunity to save money and cook meals at the Airbnb, which was a nice change of pace.

We weren’t sure what to expect from Montenegrin cuisine, but we discovered a couple favorites including burek (a specialty pastry of filo dough filled with meat or cheese) and Njeguški pršut (a smoked ham, similar to prosciutto). Squid ink risotto also made a repeat performance, which we had first and tried and loved in Venice, Italy.

Though we cooked most of our own meals, we did find a few restaurants we really liked. Our Airbnb host recommended Bastion for seafood; we enjoyed a couple dinner dates there, feasting on seafood dishes like seafood risotto and fresh seabass while dining outdoors beside the old walls of the town. The only downside of dinner was the infamous cats of Kotor that lurked around our table!

Tanjga was also one of our go-to restaurants. It’s a butcher shop which also serves meat platters and sandwiches. Sometimes we had sandwiches there, sometimes we took them to go, and other times Jeff picked up steaks or rotisserie chickens to cook with back at the Airbnb. Jeff became friends with the owner, a giant Serbian man.

Bokun was a casual spot in Old Town that we loved for its sandwich. Jeff called it a “pita,” but it was more like a calzone; it featured smoked prosciutto, two kinds of amazing local cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on big, chewy bread. Jeff claimed it was better than the piadina one I fell in love with in Bologna, but I disagreed (though I love them both!).

Perast Day Trip

One day, toward the end of the month, we visited Perast. Perast is a tiny old town on the Bay of Kotor, just a 15-minute car ride from Kotor. It was very small but very charming. I had read that you can easily hire a boat to take you over to Our Lady of the Rocks, a church on a manmade island near Perast. After walking along the water, we paid €8 for a guy to take us over on a cheap little motorboat.

We had great timing, enjoying a few minutes of minimal crowds before two tour boats showed up. On a small island, a tour boat crowd has a big impact! We enjoyed beautiful views and a nice bay breeze on the hot, sunny day. As the tour boats brought in waves of people, we ate a popsicle in the sun while people watching.

The island/islet is manmade and has an interesting legend associated with it. The legend says that local Croatian sailors saw the Madonna and Child on a rock, and after, began to throw a rock into the bay there when returning from a successful voyage, which ultimately led to the creation of the island.

It was a treat to be on the water, and the views were stunning. The old town of Perast, with its charming church steeple, sat in a postcard-worthy position with the mountains behind.

We also loved boating past the two islands. Our boat driver told us that the other island is Perast’s cemetery; they call it “the island of the dead” and only Perast locals are allowed to visit it.

After wandering through the tiny town, we decided it was time for an aperol spritz and a snack. We found an amazing waterside table and enjoyed drinks, prosciutto with melon, and a shopska salad (cucumbers, tomato, peppers, and feta cheese).

San Giovanni Fortress Hike

There were a lot of rainy days in Montenegro, so when we saw a rain-free forecast one day, we took advantage and decided to hike up the old city walls to the San Giovanni castle “fortress” at the top.

We threw on the best clothes for hiking that we had in our limited wardrobe assortment, then walked over to Old Town. After finding one of the entrances, we started the climb. Nothing about Montenegro is polished in a tourist-friendly way, and this hike was no exception. It was an actual, full-on hike up the mountainside with 1,350 steps on crumbling fortress walls. Along the way, we stopped at the Church of Our Lady of Remedy, which was built in 1518 by survivors of the plague!

Pretty quickly the views became magnificent, and they continued to be more impressive as we climbed higher. It was definitely a hike - not only for the upward climb, but the conditions were rocky and unkept. Midway through our upward journey, we heard thunder and saw dark clouds overhead. We both looked up and said, “you’ve got to be kidding us.” Sure enough, our rain-free forecast was too good to be true; it started raining! Hiking in the rain is no fun, hiking up already-slick, worn-down rock steps is no fun, especially when the steps are single-file. We kept on, trying to find a place with cover; unfortunately, the covered spots Jeff found were apparently turned into makeshift bathrooms (yuck!). Finally, I noticed that a couple steps were dry under a tree, so we sat off to the side underneath it until the rain stopped.

When we arrived at the top, the views were incredible. We were proud we stuck it out and took our time enjoying the views from the top, letting people funnel in and out for a bit before starting our descent. The way down was pretty empty; between the cruise ships getting ready to leave and the rain, a lot of people had dropped off/finished hiking. Unfortunately, we again heard thunder on our way down, so we tried to rush to avoid the rain!

Kayaking the Bay of Kotor

Jeff had been wanting to kayak on the bay, and we finally rented them one day during our last week there. It was a great day to kayak; it was HOT outside, so we were anxious to get on the water!

The kayak was open, which was new to both of us. We actually both liked it better than a “normal” kayak - it felt less claustrophobic! We had a great time kayaking along our side of the bay. Jeff pointed out the cute cafes and beautiful churches he has passed on his bike rides along the road. There were charming, old world stone homes along the waterfront, and it was fun to see Kotor from a new perspective!

Budva Day Trip

One day, we took a day trip to Budva for a beach day. It was only a 30-minute drive away, and Jeff had our go-to driver Boris taxi us there, which was super convenient. Budva is a town on the coast known for its beaches, nightlife, and popularity among Russian tourists. The weather was 80s and muggy, and it was Memorial Day in the U.S., so it was a perfect day for the beach.

The drive into Budva showcased a beautiful open sea coastline; we looked out our windows to find a cliffside view with beaches below. Near the main town, and near the old town, is an island with a beach. High rises, city skyline, and the feeling of a jersey shore boardwalk.

We found a couple beach loungers under a Heineken umbrella and enjoyed a couple Budva beach beers while lounging in the sun, listening to music on our jambox. Even though the forecast showed no rain, it began to downpour and everyone fled the beach. We retreated under the roof of Tropico and had lunch while we ducked out of the rain, then met up with Boris to take us back to Kotor.

We weren’t sure what to expect with Montenegro. It was different than any other place we had visited in Europe, presenting a new experience. In the end, Montenegro earned a place in our scrapbook and on our fridge with a new magnet.