For a first visit, the best bases in Montenegro are the Bay of Kotor, for the scenery and old towns, and the Budva Riviera, for beaches and nightlife. Ulcinj is the place for sand, Herceg Novi the quietest part of the coast, and Žabljak or Kolašin the mountain bases. In 2024 Montenegro welcomed 2,606,854 visitors, just over a million of them in hotels.
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For a first visit, the best bases are the Bay of Kotor and the Budva Riviera.
Ulcinj is the place for fine sand; Herceg Novi is the quietest stretch of coast.
For the mountains, Žabljak in Durmitor or Kolašin on Bjelasica.
Registration within 24 hours is compulsory, and each municipality sets its own tourist tax.
On a first trip with a week to spare, I'd split the stay between two bases, three or four nights on the Bay of Kotor and the same again on the Budva Riviera, or in Ulcinj if you're after sand. With ten days, I'd add two nights in Durmitor.
Sergio LeponeMy advice
Before you go
What I would keep in mind
01 Most beautiful
The Bay of Kotor, the prettiest base
Kotor, Perast and Dobrota have the country's most photographed scenery, and Budva, Tivat and Lovćen are all within easy reach.
Each municipality sets its own. From official sources, Herceg Novi and Ulcinj charge €1 per adult per night or day, half from age 12; I haven't seen the figure for the rest.
Handy for the airport, the railway and Lake Skadar, but not where I'd spend a holiday.
6.5 out of 10
Montenegro is small, but choosing the wrong base can cost you hours on mountain roads. The coast and the interior are two different holidays, and even the coast has areas with very little in common. So before you look at hotels, it’s worth deciding what you want to see and where you’ll see it from.
What the numbers say
Montenegro welcomed 2,606,854 visitors in 2024, according to MONSTAT. Hotels took 1,030,040 of those arrivals and private houses and apartments 1,156,859, so private lets matter as much as hotels here. Budva accounts for almost a third of everything, with 848,515 arrivals, followed by Herceg Novi, Ulcinj, Kotor and Bar. The Budva tourist board lists 67 hotels, ten of them five-star, and Ulcinj’s lists fifteen. If you want the hotels that have their own page in this guide, they’re in hotels in Montenegro.
The coast, in five bases
The Bay of Kotor is the prettiest base, with Kotor, Perast and Dobrota and mountains plunging into the water; the options are laid out in hotels in Kotor. The Budva Riviera is the most complete for beaches and nights out, from Budva to Petrovac by way of Bečići and Sveti Stefan, and I cover it area by area in hotels in Budva. Herceg Novi, at the mouth of the bay, is the quietest. Bar and its riviera, with Sutomore, Čanj, Dobra Voda and Utjeha, are cheaper and have a railway. And at the southern tip, Ulcinj is where the fine sand is.
Podgorica is practical for the airport, the railway and Lake Skadar, and the national tourist board points out that it has international chain hotels. Its airport is 46 km from Bar and 40 km from Cetinje, according to Airports of Montenegro, so it suits a trip that leans towards the lake and the southern coast. For the mountains, Žabljak is the base for Durmitor and Kolašin for Bjelasica. The same site suggests mountain lodges on Bjelasica, Durmitor, Hajla, Krnovo, Orjen and Lovćen, camps beside the Tara, bungalows in the Biogradska Gora forest or a katun, the shepherds’ huts of the high pastures, plus glamping by Lake Piva and Lake Skadar.
Depending on how you travel
With children, I’d look for a sandy beach and a hotel that takes care of everything, which points to Bečići or Ulcinj; a couple of the big Budva Riviera hotels offer full board with drinks, and I cover them in all-inclusive hotels in Montenegro. As a couple, Perast or Kotor’s old town make for the best evenings, and if the budget stretches, Sveti Stefan island or the big resorts on the bay are the country’s splurge. On a tight budget, private lets win, and Bar, Sutomore or the Bar Riviera work out cheaper than Budva. If you’re flying in, Airports of Montenegro puts Tivat airport within 8 km of Kotor and 21 of Budva, which makes that side of the bay very convenient.
Plenty of coastal hotels are seasonal. The Montenegro Beach Resort in Bečići, for example, opens from April to October, and Aman’s island at Sveti Stefan only takes guests from 1 May to 31 October, according to their websites. For July and August, the coast’s busiest months, I’d book well ahead.
Before you book
Registration is compulsory within your first 24 hours. Hotels do it for you, while anyone in private accommodation has to do it themselves, says the Foreign Office, as I explain in tourist registration. The tourist tax is set by each municipality and paid on top. I only have two official figures, €1 per adult in Herceg Novi and €1 in Ulcinj, with discounts from age 12 and nothing for younger children. Always carry photo ID, as the police can ask for it.
With a week, I’d split the stay between the Bay of Kotor and the Budva Riviera, or Kotor and Ulcinj if sand is the priority. With ten days, I’d add two nights in Durmitor for the Tara canyon and Black Lake. And outside July and August, I’d consider a single base on the bay and drive everywhere, as distances are short even if the roads are slow.
Bečići beach with hotels lining the sand and mountains behind, seen from across the bay on a clear day
The Black Lake in Durmitor near Žabljak, ringed by conifer forest, with the mountain reflected in the still water
Ulcinj old town on its rocky headland, with walls and stone houses lit by the late afternoon sun
Visitor arrivals by municipality in 2024
Municipality
Arrivals
Overnight stays
Budva
848,515
5,412,910
Herceg Novi
362,514
2,852,004
Ulcinj
317,888
1,572,353
Kotor
277,063
1,364,785
Bar
246,100
2,097,940
Tivat
158,550
1,320,043
MONSTAT, survey of tourist arrivals and overnight stays 2024, table 2.
Test yourself
True or false?
0/3Pick before you peek.
Budva gets more visitors than any other municipality in Montenegro.
See the answer
True. It recorded 848,515 arrivals in 2024, nearly a third of the national total, according to MONSTAT.
Most visitors to Montenegro stay in hotels.
See the answer
False. In 2024 hotels had 1,030,040 of 2,606,854 arrivals, while private houses and apartments had 1,156,859, according to MONSTAT.
You don't need to register if you stay in a private apartment.
See the answer
False. Registration within 24 hours is compulsory, and in private accommodation you have to do it yourself, according to the Foreign Office.
For a first visit, the Bay of Kotor for the scenery or the Budva Riviera for the beaches. For sand, Ulcinj; for mountains, Žabljak or Kolašin.
Where should I stay in Montenegro for beaches?
On the Budva Riviera, with 38 km of beaches and the most hotels, or in Ulcinj, home to the fine sand. Bar, with Sutomore, Čanj and Dobra Voda, is a quieter option.
Is it better to stay in Kotor or Budva?
Kotor if scenery and old towns matter most; Budva for beaches and nightlife. They're about 20 km apart, so you can easily do both in one trip.
Where to stay in Montenegro for the first time?
I'd split the week between the Bay of Kotor and the Budva Riviera. Tivat airport is 8 km from Kotor and 21 km from Budva, according to Airports of Montenegro, so both are easy from the UK flights.
Do I need to register when I arrive in Montenegro?
Yes, within 24 hours. Hotels do it for you; in private accommodation, the Foreign Office says you must register yourself at the tourist office or with the police.
Tourism graduate with a master’s in Tourism Management and Planning from the University of Málaga, who has travelled across Europe. He writes every guide from official sources and his own judgement.
