Sveti Nikola island, Budva's Hawaii

From almost anywhere in Budva you can see a long green island closing off the bay, and sooner or later you wonder how to get there. The answer is easy and cheap, which is why Sveti Nikola is, for me, the best half-day trip you can do without leaving town.

What Sveti Nikola is

The Budva tourist board describes it as the largest island in the southern Adriatic, less than a kilometre from the shore. It’s named after the small church of St Nicholas on it, and in Budva people call it Školj. It’s covered in Mediterranean vegetation, has plenty of hidden coves and is a game reserve, home to deer, mouflon, hares and several species of birds. The national tourist board, which gives its length as over two kilometres, sells it as Budva’s Hawaii, which is stretching things, but you get the idea.

Getting there

In season, boats leave from Slovenska beach and from the old town, and the fare, per the national tourist board, is €3 to €4 a crossing, without saying which year the fare is from. They land at a concrete pier on the island’s western tip, with 80 metres of quay, which the Budva tourist board lists as seasonal. So outside the summer I wouldn’t count on regular boats.

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The beaches

According to the official page, the island has three sandy beaches, 840 metres between them, and the boats from Budva drop people at the spot known as Školj. On the south side, beneath sheer cliffs, there are smaller beaches you can only reach by boat, and those are what give the island its reputation as a quiet hideaway. If you fancy one of them, the tourist board lists Budva firms that hire out boats and run trips, because there’s no way to get there on foot.

Can you swim across?

It’s a fair question when it looks so close. It’s under a thousand metres, but in high summer that channel is busy with boats, speedboats and jet skis, and gov.uk specifically warns about the danger of craft near swimmers in Montenegro. I wouldn’t do it, least of all in August.

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When to go

The island comes alive in summer, when the boats and the pier are running. The national tourist board also counts the island among the riviera’s family beaches, which makes sense given the sand and the short crossing. Mornings are best for space on the sandy beaches, and at the end of the day the tourist board recommends the sunsets, with the old town and the Citadel facing you. My plan would be to cross early, come back to Budva for lunch and keep the afternoon for Budva Old Town. For the rest of the municipality’s beaches, see beaches in Budva.

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