The best day trips in Montenegro

Montenegro is ideal for staying put and heading out for the day, because distances are short. The trick is choosing the right base and not cramming into one day what deserves two. Here are the trips I’d do from Kotor, Budva and Podgorica, with distances and what the national parks themselves offer.

From Kotor

Kotor is the best base for day trips. About 14 km along the shore is Perast, with St Nicholas church and its 55 m bell tower, and offshore the islands of St George and Our Lady of the Rocks, the latter with a museum and church, according to the National Tourism Organisation. From Dub, on the edge of town, the cable car reaches Lovćen in 11 minutes, covered in the Kotor cable car. Cetinje is about 48 km away and Herceg Novi about 31 round the bay. Dubrovnik is doable in a day, but with two Schengen border crossings in summer, I don’t think it’s worth it.

From Budva

The easiest trip is Sveti Stefan, about 9 km, with the local bus every 10 minutes in the daytime. Cetinje, the old royal capital, is about 27 km over the hills, and Kotor about 22. To see Lake Skadar, head down towards Bar and up to Virpazar, a full day out.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Kotor on Expedia and filter by area before price.

From Podgorica

The capital is the base for the interior. Lake Skadar is close, Virpazar about 31 km away, and National Parks lists four piers with boat trips, Vranjina, Virpazar, Rijeka Crnojevića and Plavnica. Park entry is €5 and a guide costs €40 for four hours. Birdwatchers can join the park’s trip to the Pančeva oka reserve, €160 for four with transport and guide. Just outside town, the Roman city of Doclea is 3 km away, and the 65 km Korita scenic circuit passes Medun fortress. By train, Nikšić is 1 h 7 min away for €3.20. More on the lake in Lake Skadar.

Durmitor, better with a night

From the coast I wouldn’t do it as a day trip, because Žabljak is about 153 km from Kotor and more than three hours’ drive each way, on the right-hand side of a lot of mountain road. What I do recommend is staying in Žabljak and booking the Durmitor Ring that the park itself runs, €20 by minibus or €30 by 4x4, entry included. It’s one of the few official excursions with a published price that I’ve found, and it’s covered in Durmitor.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Kotor and pick one that fits your day.

Booked tours or your own steam

If you don’t drive, you can book tours locally, and for the water there are boat trips round the bay. With a car, I’d do almost all of these myself and only pay for a guide in the mountains or on the lake, where a park guide adds a great deal. More ideas in activities in Montenegro.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Kotor on Booking.com and filter by area before price.