January in Montenegro, rain on the coast and snow in the mountains

January is Montenegro’s coldest month and the one with the fewest tourists on the coast. Plenty of people write it off; to me it’s the best time for two very different things, skiing up north and seeing the Bay of Kotor the way locals do. Here’s what the weather does and what’s open.

January’s weather in numbers

In the Institute of Hydrometeorology’s figures for 1961-1990, Herceg Novi averages 8.2°C in January, with highs of 12.2°C and lows of 4.8°C. Bar is almost the same. Podgorica is colder, averaging 5.0°C with around 12 frosty days. What defines January on the coast is the water, an average of 231 mm in Herceg Novi over 14 wet days, with only about 110 hours of sunshine. In January 2024 Herceg Novi averaged 9.5°C and had 15 days of rain. Further into the bay, Tivat airport averaged 7.6°C in January over 2013 to 2022.

Snow and skiing in the north

In the mountains it’s deep winter. Žabljak averages -4.5°C with lows of -8.8°C, and Kolašin -2.1°C. In January 2024 Kolašin had snow on the ground for 19 days, up to 30 cm deep, and Pljevlja for 15. For snow, the National Tourism Organisation recommends the months from January to March. The resorts are around Kolašin and on Durmitor; I cover them in skiing in Montenegro. As of 11 October 2026, no dates had been announced for the 2026-27 season.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kotor for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.

Holidays and festivals

The year opens with a two-day holiday on 1 and 2 January, and for 2027 the New Year concerts in Tivat and Herceg Novi run until the 2nd. 6 and 7 January, Orthodox Christmas, also appear as holidays in the tourist board’s calendar. In Kotor, the tourist board’s list puts Savindan and the feast of St Tryphon, the town’s patron saint, on 27 January, and in the 2025-26 season the Kotor Winter Fest ran until 31 January.

What’s open and what isn’t

January is properly low season. Kotor’s municipal museums keep both the Perast Museum and the Risan mosaic site shut for the whole month, so if they’re on your list, save that part of the bay for later. Kotor’s old town, on the other hand, is at its best without cruise ships, in my view. Bring an umbrella and some indoor plans.

So you do not lose the morning at the ticket office, browse tickets and tours in Kotor on GetYourGuide.

Is it worth it?

If you’re coming to ski or to see towns without the crowds, yes. If you want sun and sea, no; for that you’ll need to wait until June. One handy point for a winter ski break, as gov.uk notes, is that Montenegro is outside Schengen, so days spent here don’t eat into your 90-day Schengen allowance. The rest of the season is in Montenegro in winter, and February, with the Mimosa Festival and the carnival, is in Montenegro weather in February.

If you are staying the night, see the best hotel deals in Kotor for your dates: the well-placed rooms go fast.