Kotor and Budva Travel Guide
Kotor Travel Guide
Are there any cities you love without seeing? Even the cities you love by looking at the name, geography and a few photos without doing a proper research? We had Kotor and Budva!
not to keep
Kotor and Budva waiting any longer. We decided and bought our tickets for May months in advance.. We even put Dubrovnik, which we talked about here, in front of it.. There was even a point in visiting Dubrovnik before Kotor and Budva.. To love Kotor and Budva even more after seeing the crowds and expensiveness of Dubrovnik!
One side is the Adriatic for those who want to enjoy the sea, one side is the Medieval for those who are looking for an old city. , and for those looking for fun, have fun! I think these are the words that best fit Montenegro. As you can see, we loved this geography very much.. In the continuation of the article, we wrote Kotor, Budva and Perast travel guidewith pleasure!
When and how to get to Kotor and Budva?
Obviously always always but of course if you want to swim and enjoy the various beaches of Budva, the right time might be mid-May to mid-October.. We went at the end of May and the sea season had already started.. Even though the sea season has opened, the tourist crowd has not yet taken its place! It seemed to us that the month of May was the best timing for Kotor and Budva.. If you are considering these regions for your honeymoon, full support from us!
Unlike Budva, there is not much swimming in Kotor and the main event of Kotor is its magnificent streets and street life.. So if you find the suitable ticket to Kotor, Kotor can be a very nice weekend getaway on its own in the winter months as well.. If you have come across this article, you probably already know, but let’s write, Montenegro does not want visas from Turks! You can enter with a wave of your hand.
There is no direct flight to Kotor from Istanbul, even Kotor’ If we do not count the tiny Tivat Airport in Istanbul, we can say that there is not even an airport in Kotor! THY has a direct flight to Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro, you can fly to Podgorica and take a bus from there or come to Kotor by bargaining hard and by taxi.
Car Rental in Montenegro
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We flew to Dubrovnik and after 3 days of sightseeing in Dubrovnik, we rented a car and drove to Montenegro.. We rented the car for 20 Euros per day including insurance. We paid a 40 Euro border crossing fee as we crossed from Montenegro to Croatia on the way back.. It can be much cheaper if you rent the car in Kotor. Especially if you want to visit Budva and its surrounding beaches, a car will be a great convenience for you.. We usually rent the car from www.rentalcars.com (not an advertisement, I swear), we haven’t had any problems so far.. Of course, you must have a Schengen visa to do this route, as you know, Croatia now requires a visa.
Let’s give some unnecessary details; We drove about 400 km from Dubrovnik – Kotor – Budva – Perast – Dubrovnik in total and spent only 15 Euros on gas.. Did we mention that gasoline is very expensive in Turkey!?
Kotor or Budva for accommodation?
We wrote this question as a separate topic because we were in this dilemma until the last moment.. Now our answer is: If the main theme of your trip (holiday) is not a sea holiday, Kotor makes more sense for accommodation.
Kotor’s old town is very beautiful and just as enjoyable. There are very pleasant bars and restaurants you can go to in the evenings, and Kotor’s nightlife is more active.. That’s why we felt like spending more time in the center of Budva.
Budva is ideal for those planning a sea vacation.. It is possible to find a hotel for 25 Euros per night in hotels close to the Budva beach, and if you open your purse very little, you can even find honeymoon hotels for 50 Euros per night! You can easily reach Budva’s most beautiful beaches.
Where to stay in Kotor and how many days to stay?
We stayed two nights in Kotor, We had 3 full days because we returned late the next day.. We spent one day visiting Kotor, the other day visiting the beaches of Budva, and the last day visiting Perast. If we had one more day, we would use it for fun.. As a matter of fact, if you are not planning a sea holiday, 3-4 days will be ideal, and for those who want a sea holiday, the longer the better! For 1 week – 10 days, he passes from that beach to this beach with a very pleasant pleasure!
Since we were staying in the old city area in Dubrovnik, we had taken our enthusiasm for ‘accommodation in the walled area’ and this time in Kotor, the old city was 500 meters from the old town. We stayed at the ‘Guesthouse Anita’ by the beach, meters outside.. It was both very clean and had such a friendly atmosphere that we felt like we were sitting in a ‘cottage in Ayvalık’.. If you are going to choose to stay on the beach instead of the old city area, we can wholeheartedly recommend this place.
If we had chosen Budva for accommodation, we would have chosen Studio Kalina, which we have heard highly praised.. We put the link here right away!
Los Olivos was highly recommended to us for honeymooners or those looking for a more romantic setting.. There is not usually a place, but if you find it, we say take a look at it with the eyes of the buyer.. Here is the link.
If you want to stay in Airbnb, let’s leave a link like this. If you become a member of Airbnb with this link, you earn a credit of 130 TL valid on your first stay, and as you continue to use Airbnb, Airbnb may start to like you more and add surprise credits to your account.
Places to visit in Kotor. Before moving on to the part, let’s repeat here what we wrote for Dubrovnik, Places to visit in Kotor excuse, Kotor’s old town area is amazing! While we were visiting Kotor, this time we did not have internet on our phone and we didn’t even need to take a map, frankly, because the real beauty was on the streets.. You somehow already pass through Kotor’s must-sees. They call the part of the old town we’re talking about ‘Stari Grad’ in their own language.
Is Montenegro cheap you may be wondering. Since Montenegro’s currency is Euro, it is no longer cheap when you think of it in TL, but it is very cheap compared to an average European city. For example, coffees are between 1 Euro and 3 Euros, beer between 1.5 Euros and 3 Euros, and a pizza large enough for 2 people is between 5 and 7 Euros.. It was pretty cheap for us after Dubrovnik, we’ve probably seen the worst in Dubrovnik.
Places to Visit in Kotor
Kotor City Gates
Drive to Kotor we arrived and we said ‘where is the city!?’ We hope we are not the first human beings to say this because Kotor is a city hidden behind walls and you have to enter the city through the old city gates. Sometimes people like us can’t see the doors right away. Fortunately, this search was short-lived, but we found ‘Kotor oldtown‘ in 2 minutes.
There are three city gates in Kotor. The Sea Gate, the most well-known and used one, was built in the 1500s.. We entered the city through this gate.. another 13. Century South Gate. Our favorite is the North Gate, adjacent to a bridge over the Skurda River.. The feeling of entering a city through a gate is a beautiful feeling, you feel yourself in the Middle Ages.
Kotor Clock Tower
Kotor’s clock tower is a Prague Clock Although not as famous as its tower, it deserves to be seen as it is one of Kotor’s ironstones.. We can say that the square where this tower is located is ‘Square of the Arms‘, the center of the old city of Kotor.. There are many beautiful cafes opened in this square without disturbing the historical texture.. Spending time and having a coffee here is a pleasure in itself.
Kotor Fortress
Almost every European city has a castle, frankly because we are a bit bored with city castles. we don’t climb all of them anymore, but Kotor’s was very different! Kotor’s is the most beautiful view of the castle we have seen so far.
Although it is a bit difficult to climb, the view gets better as you climb up.. Even if you don’t go to the top, you can easily reach the ‘Church of Our Lady of Remedy‘ which is halfway down the road.. Don’t forget to take water with you, the road takes a while.
You pay 6 Euros per person to go up to the castle. Apart from the way you enter with a ticket alone, there are several ways to start climbing the castle without buying a ticket, but we didn’t know that at the time.. We have given 6 Euros. You can also enter through the ‘back door’, if you say you want to pay 6 Euros, that’s different, of course.
The city of Kotor is famous for its cats and there are cat motifs everywhere.. Coming from Turkey, cats on the street may not be so strange to people, but since it is impossible to see stray cats on the street in most European cities, Europeans look at cats as if they have seen aliens, do not be surprised..
If you are not going to go to Budva after Kotor and you want to swim in the sea while you are here, you can go to Morinj. Since we moved to Budva after Kotor, we skipped this place.
Kotor Eating – Drinking Notes
Where to Eat and Drink in Kotor?
Everything we went to before meat restaurants aside, ‘Tangja Family Restaurant‘ in Kotor aside. We ate the most delicious mixed grill + appetizer plate of our lives for 15 Euros (2 people total) in this place that looks like a shabby butcher from the outside.. If we had the right to eat in one place in Kotor, we would choose this place without a doubt.. The portions are huge, the prices are reasonable and everything is delicious.. Go regardless of the outside appearance of the place! This is Kotor’s most famous steakhouse for us
Old Winery Wine Bar, a very affordable winery for wine lovers. Both the wine menu is very extensive and the prices are very reasonable.. You can also stop by to relax and have a snack like us.
Our favorite for spending time in the evening was ‘BOKUN PUB‘ (yes, a very unfortunate name). We even came here two nights in a row.. If this place doesn’t cut it, ‘Letrika‘ is nice too. Prices at both venues are very reasonable.. Another pub we caught our eye as we passed by was ‘Havana‘, but we did not enter, maybe you can try it.
Our recommendation for a coffee break is ‘Caffe Bandiara‘. Fortunately, there are no chain coffee shops in Kotor, people can try local places well.
Kotor is one of our favorite places with its sad Yugoslavia atmosphere, narrow streets, stone houses, shabby and intimate places, history and nature, everything. became a city. I guess we haven’t loved a European city this much in a long time.. If we have suggested it with our eyes closed, we can now move on to the Budva Travel Guide!
Budva Travel Notes and Places to Visit in Budva
If Kotor is one of the pupils of the Adriatic, the other is Budva. There is no doubt about it! The difference between them is that Kotor is famous for its old walled city, and Budva is famous for its beaches.. We also made a very convenient trip in Montenegro and on the second day we took a breather at Budva’s beaches!
Transport to Budva
From Kotor It takes about 30 minutes to get to Budva by car.. If you are planning to go by public transport, you can get there by bus in 1 hour and about 4-5 Euros per person.
There are regular buses from Podgarica Airport to Budva. we came across a site. In addition to the buses departing from the airport to Budva, you can arrange a taxi or shared taxi from this site.. For those who do not want to rent a car, we can say that all the remaining options are here..
Places to See in Budva and Budva Beaches
Budva’s old town district is similar to Kotor’s, but smaller and less cared for. For this reason, it will not affect us as much as Kotor.. We have no words for the beaches of Budva! Maybe if you visit Budva before Kotor, you might still like the old town area, but it’s a bit too touristy and there were too many tourist groups when we went.
Budva old town district (stari grad) is a 2500-year-old area according to research and one of the oldest settlements of the Adriatic. Unfortunately, it was affected by earthquakes twice in the 1600s and 1900s and was rebuilt in its original form.. Of course, we liked Kotor’s old town much more.
One of the most famous must-sees (fixtures) in the old town is the ‘Dancing Girl Statue”. This statue is the most photographed place in Budva..
One of the places you can visit in the old city of Budva is its very famous fortress ‘La Citadel‘. The entrance fee is about 4 Euros.
We spent half a day in the old town of Budva and turned the route to the beaches of Budva.. After all, we came all the way to Budva, it wouldn’t be possible without exploring the beaches!
Budva Beaches
The beautiful thing about Budva beaches is that there is no entrance fee. Entrance to the beaches is free, you can lay out an old-fashioned towel and lie down.. If you want to rent sunbeds and umbrellas, you can rent them from businesses on the beaches for about 5 Euros per person.. Eating and drinking fees on the beaches were also very convenient for us.. Just because it is the beach, no one ‘passes it’, you see! We found the Budva beaches to be much more beautiful than most of the European towns famous for their beaches.. We already mentioned that it is much more affordable. When one thinks of the entrance fees to the beach, we get very upset.
If you want a beach within walking distance of Budva’s old city, we recommend Mogren Beach. You leave the back door of the city and go through a small tunnel through the cliffs and the beach is right in front of you! Of course, this is not the clearest Budva Beach, as it is so intertwined with the city.. However, we think you can give it a chance as it is possible to go with zero effort.
If you get 5 minutes away from the old city, you will see the endless Jaz Beach, one of the most beautiful Budva beaches.. Sea, sand, sun are unlimited here!
Petrovac Beach 20 minutes by car from Budva. we loved it here. If you go a little further from Petrovac, there is the Ulcinj Beach, but we could not go this far, the people who went loved it.
Budva’s number one beaches is the nightlife, one of the other ambitious subjects.. Frankly, we skipped Budva’s nightclubs ‘for this time’, since for us in recent years ‘nightlife’ meant sitting down and having a beer or two and breaking the back of a word with our friends! Since we can’t recommend a place we haven’t been to, we skip the nightclub part here.
Sveti Stefan
Sveti Stefan was a land-connected island between Budva and Petrovac in his time.. Until a Far Eastern financier rented the island for 30 years and planted the most expensive ‘resort’ in the Balkans on it!
Now to go to this island, either ‘800 Euros’ per night’ Aman Sveti Stefan ‘ hotel, or make a reservation at the hotel’s restaurants.
Although commoners like us often take pictures of the island’s view from above, we cannot say that this place has a great view.. In our opinion, friends who love their Euro should run away from here!
Perast Travel Notes
When we said we were going to Montenegro, we got the same advice from almost everyone; You must go to Perast.
What was this Perast, where was it, what was it, then we looked at it, a tiny little Montenegrin town in the Bay of Kotor.
This town, full of local historical stone houses, is like a miniature, more local and quiet version of Kotor.. The beach is also beautiful. This is the mini combo of Kotor and Budva.. There are those who call it the Hallstatt of the Balkans, but we could not compare it very much.. Until you come to Hallstatt, there are many more beautiful lakes in Europe, that is a separate issue..
You can walk from one end to the other in 15 minutes, if you want, you can rent a boat and go to ‘Our Lady of Rock‘ island.
We Perast We spent a total of half a day in > and it was more than enough as we didn’t go swimming.. If you want to enjoy the beaches, you can spare 1 full day.. Perast took its place in our memory as a town overflowing with peace.
As you may have noticed, we couldn’t find a single bad thing to say about Montenegro from the beginning to the end of the article! This country will be a country that we love and recommend unconditionally and that we plan to visit again in the future. We are also very happy to have made the whole trip with the Journavel duo.. New trips are coming.
Peace is in Montenegro if they ask!
Have a nice trip everyone!
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