Tivat's beaches, from town to the Luštica peninsula

The tourist board in Tivat lists more than twenty beaches in the municipality, and few of them look alike. There’s concrete along the promenade, pebbles in the centre, natural sand towards the airport, islands you can only reach by boat and, on the Luštica peninsula, the sandy beaches that genuinely justify a whole day. I’ve grouped them by area and said which ones I’d go for.

In town, for a quick swim

The town beach sits beside the Pine promenade, right in the centre. It’s concrete and sand, and the tourist board itself suggests it for anyone who doesn’t want to drive further afield. At the start of the promenade, by Kalimanj harbour, is Belane, a pebble beach with sunbeds, a beach restaurant and bands playing in the evening. If I only had an hour to spare, that’s where I’d go.

Towards Donja Lastva you’ll find Boka Beach, concrete and good for children, and Ponta Seljanova, a pebble beach about 250 m long beside Porto Montenegro, with its lighthouse. Next door is Waikiki, the beach belonging to the restaurant of the same name, with sunbeds and a play area. And if you’d rather have a pool, the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club one opened in July 2011 overlooking the marina.

Towards the airport, natural sand

Heading out towards the airport the beaches turn natural. Župa is a sandy cove of about 70 m shaded by pine woods; Račica, next to it, is sand and shingle and reachable on foot or by boat; Kukoljina, in Mrčevac, has public and private sections. Kalardovo is the best-known natural sandy beach in the municipality, good for families, and has healing mud that attracts people looking for a bit of wellbeing.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Tivat before prices climb.

The islands

Opposite town, the Island of Flowers (Miholjska Prevlaka) measures roughly 300 by 200 m and is joined to the mainland by a sand spit and a bridge; it has natural beaches with jetties and a monastery founded in the 6th century. Further out, Sveti Marko, also called Stradioti, is the largest island in the Bay of Kotor at 34 hectares, about 20 minutes by boat from the Pine jetty. From 1962 to 1991 it housed a holiday village of 300 huts; today it’s uninhabited, with hidden sandy beaches. The National Tourism Organisation lists it among the country’s naturist beaches.

Luštica, where the sand is

The ones I’d put first are on the Luštica peninsula. On the Krtoli shore, Bjelila has rocks and a concrete jetty, a steady breeze and cooler, very clean water, 15 minutes from the airport; Movida, on the Radovići road, is pebbly with a beach club. Further south is Plavi horizonti, the municipality’s biggest sandy beach, with Pecka, a 100 m cove in Trašte Bay, and Oblatno, home to Luštica Bay’s Almara club, close by. The Chedi’s beach and Marina beach, also in Luštica Bay, complete the list, the latter with paddleboarding, kayaking and other water sports.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Tivat before prices climb.

Which one to pick

With children, Plavi horizonti every time. To escape the heat, Bjelila. For a dip between errands, Belane. For something different, the boat to Sveti Marko. To compare with the rest of the country, my overall ranking is in Montenegro beaches, and if you want to sleep near one of them, see hotels in Tivat.