November in Montenegro, the wettest month and the quietest

Hardly anyone picks November for Montenegro, and there are reasons for that. It rains more than in any other month on the coast, the days are short and much of the summer offer has shut. But if what you’re after is the Bay of Kotor without queues and the towns as locals live them, November has a quiet appeal that I rather like. Think of it as a long weekend from Gatwick or Manchester rather than a fortnight’s holiday.

The month of rain

The 1961-1990 normals leave no doubt. Herceg Novi collects around 256 mm in November over 14 days, its peak for the year, with only 114 hours of sunshine. Bar gets 182 mm and Ulcinj 174 mm, again over 13 or 14 days. Cetinje, up in the mountains behind the coast, is on another scale, with an average of about 500 mm in November, and Spain’s foreign ministry puts the Cetinje area among Europe’s wettest. The FCDO warns of flooding after heavy rain in winter, so I’d always keep an indoor plan up my sleeve. November 2024 was the exception, with only 9 rainy days in Herceg Novi and 8 in Podgorica.

Mild on the coast

Wet doesn’t mean cold. Herceg Novi averages 12.7°C, with highs of 17°C and lows of 9.4°C, and it doesn’t freeze. Tivat airport averaged 13°C over 2013-2022, topping out around 17.6°C in the early afternoon, while Podgorica drops to 10.5°C, with highs of 15.5°C. In November 2024 Herceg Novi averaged 12.4°C and Bar 13.4°C, almost bang on the normal. A jacket and an umbrella are all you need for walking about.

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

Kotor to yourself

This is the month’s big selling point. Luka Kotor’s 2026 schedule fell from 72 cruise calls in October to 24 in November, the last on the 29th, with the odd day of up to four ships. Away from those days, Kotor old town is yours to wander slowly, and the churches, squares and the climb up the walls are far better without the crowds. The museums in Perast and Risan stay open on winter hours, 10am to 4pm and closed on Mondays.

What’s still open

For a rainy day, Lipa Cave, near Cetinje, keeps its 2026 season going until 30 November, with departures at 10am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2.30pm and 4pm and tours from €16.90. The National Tourism Organisation gives the bay’s boat trip season as May to November, so you can still get out on the water on a sunny day. 13 November, Njegoš’s birthday, is on the National Tourism Organisation’s own list of holidays. In Kotor, the 2025-2026 Kotor Winter Fest began on 29 November; I couldn’t find dates for the 2026-2027 edition.

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

The north is already winter

Up high there are no half measures. Žabljak averages 1.2°C in November, with lows of -2.6°C and about 21 frosty days, and Kolašin 3.5°C, with 308 mm of rain or snow over 16 days. According to the FCDO, country roads deteriorate over the winter, and the route through the Morača canyon turns hazardous when the weather is bad and traffic heavy. Driving on the right on wet, narrow hairpins needs extra care if you’re used to UK roads. The 2026-2027 ski season had no published dates on 11 October 2026. In November, I’d leave the mountains for another trip.

What comes next

December brings a little more cold, the same rain and the first festivities. I cover it in Montenegro weather in December, and if you’d rather catch the tail end of the season, go back to Montenegro weather in October. The whole winter is in Montenegro in winter.