Montenegro on a budget, without missing the best bits

Montenegro can be done cheaply if you choose your base and your transport well. The public side is cheap; the private side of the coast in August isn’t. Here are the money-saving tips I find useful, each with an official figure behind it, and what I won’t recommend because nothing backs it up.

Getting about for next to nothing

ZPCG’s trains are your best friend. Bar-Podgorica costs €2.80 standard class, Podgorica to Danilovgrad €1.80, to Nikšić €3.20 and to Bijelo Polje €5.20. On the Budva Riviera, Mediteran Expres buses run to Sveti Stefan every 10 minutes and to Petrovac every hour all year. Across the bay, the Kamenari ferry carries foot passengers and cyclists free, its operator says. To compare with everything else, see prices in Montenegro.

Where to stay for less

There are no official accommodation price statistics, but the National Tourism Organisation drops a hint. In its piece on family beaches, it singles out the Bar Riviera for fair prices on rooms and beach loungers. For me, Bar or Sutomore, both with a railway stop, are the coast’s budget base. Inland, Podgorica is the rail hub, with Lake Skadar and Nikšić about an hour away. More in the Bar Riviera. Whatever you book, add the tourist tax, which in Herceg Novi, Tivat and Ulcinj is €1 a night for adults and half for teenagers, which adds up for a family fortnight.

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

What’s free

Strolling the old towns, swimming from beaches without a sunbed and crossing the bay on foot cost nothing. There are a few more freebies with a source. The cable car’s upper car park is free, and children are tax-exempt in three coastal municipalities. What I didn’t find is a free walking tour promoted by the Budva or Kotor tourist boards, despite how often people search for one. If you join a private one, ask how the tipping works before you set off. Children aged 2 to 12, meanwhile, ride the cable car for €5 return, a modest treat by any standard.

Where it’s worth spending

National parks cost €3 to €5 per adult per day, and for me they’re the best-value spend of the trip. Durmitor, at €5, gives you a full day of lakes and mountains. If the budget stretches, the Kotor cable car at €20 return on the off-season fare is the treat I’d pay for on a clear day.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Bar and choose by the reviews.

Shopping and eating sensibly

Supermarkets open from 7am to 10pm, according to the National Tourism Organisation, but most close on Sundays, so stock up on Saturday. Most places take cards, and gov.uk recommends withdrawing cash from ATMs located inside bank branches. And always pay in euros, never in pounds, if a card machine offers. More on cards in Montenegro’s currency.

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