Budva is one of the jewels in Montenegro’s stunning crown. Its warm climate, beautiful beaches and remarkable Old Town attract many tourists from Eastern Europe every year. Yet, it remains relatively unknown to all other travellers. I was lucky to spend a few days in Budva and here are my top 6 things to do in and around this beautiful part of the Adriatic coast.
1. Explore the beautiful Old Town
Budva’s history dates back to 2500 years ago. Its fortified Old Town is very compact and walkable, with plenty of cafes and restaurants to relax in and people watch. Walk to Citadela, the old citadel (€2.50) and explore its walls and ramparts overlooking the azure Adriatic, before peeking into the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church of Saint John opposite. You can walk along the city walls too, however the entrance near the Citadela is sometimes locked. Make sure to grab a delicious smoothie from The Juice Bar or tasty pancakes from the small hole-in-the-wall bakery further down the same street towards the citadel.
2. Hit the beach
If all the exploring starts feeling like hard work, slip away to Ricardova Glava beach, right next to the town walls. Grab a cocktail from the beach bar before jumping into the warm sea from the pier. Alternatively, stroll along the cliff-side boardwalk and head to Mogren Beach which has more space and nicer sand! The water is crystal-clear and the views are stunning. If you are feeling adventurous, continue on scrambling over rocks to reach a cliff at the far end, where you can engage in a spot of cliff jumping!
3. Visit Sveti Stefan
The small island of Sveti Stefan is one of the most photographed spots in Montenegro and it’s not hard to see why. A cluster of houses dating back to the 15th century with terracotta rooftops looks like something out of a fairytale and they are only connected to the rest of the namesake town by a narrow strip of land. Unfortunately, the whole thing is now a luxury resort and is off-limits to the general public. For best photos, climb the steps until you are above the town (next to a busy highway) and stop at a platform for stunning views.
Sveti Stefan is about 30 minutes away by local bus (around €2 one-way), which leaves from Mediteranska Street in the centre of Budva.
4. Climb up to a remote Praskvica Monastery
For somewhere a little less touristy, climb up to Praskvica Monastery not far from Sveti Stefan. Sitting in the hills overlooking the sea, it was founded in 1413, although the church was rebuilt in 1847 with only a small original alcove remaining in the far corner. You can just about make out the faded frescoes on the walls and ceiling. You should dress appropriately before you enter but the monks provide shawls for you to cover up if needed. While there is an adjacent shop, there were no other tourists when we visited.
The monastery can be tricky to find. We ended up taking a dangerous walk along the highway (with no pedestrian paths) but there is a safer option, via a path from the town of Przno.
5. Take a day trip
Budva itself is a popular day trip destination but it also serves as a great base for exploring the region. Within an hour you could find yourself in Kotor, the gateway to the beautiful Bay of Kotor. Explore the walled Old Town and climb up to the impressive fortress. Dubrovnik, over the Croatian border, is about 2.5 hours away and while you won’t fit everything into just one day, there is plenty to do. Options include sunbathing, sailing nearby islands or even sea kayaking. For a very long day trip, you could head into one of Europe’s least explored countries – Albania. It’s an early start and a late finish but you will be able to see the capital, Tirana, as well as have a few stops throughout the day.
Public buses leave to all the above destinations daily. Check out this website for timetables and tickets. If you wanted to do Albania as a day trip, I would recommend a tour.
6. Party at the Sea Dance music festival
Every year, thousands of revellers flock to Jaz Beach, a few kilometres out of Budva, for Sea Dance, a dance music festival that attracts some of the top names from around the world. This year’s headliners included Skrillex and Lost Frequencies. This was the main reason we headed to Montenegro on this trip and we loved dancing the night away on the beach to some great music with friends old and new. There is plenty of variety with techno, trance and even latin and reggae stages as well plenty of food and drink options scattered around the grounds. During the day, you can frolic in the warm waters while listening to some chilled out tunes.
Tickets are cheap compared to other festivals (from €49 for 3 days). If you needed another reason to go, you can get a combi ticket giving you entry to EXIT Festival in Noviy Sad, Serbia which will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2017 and promises some big acts.
The Trip
What: Budva is a seaside town in Montenegro on the Adriatic coast. It’s very developed and has many beaches, a marina and plenty of nightlife as well as the beautiful Old Town.
Where: The nearest airport to Budva is in Tivat. Various airlines, including EasyJet have flights from the UK (from £57). Alternatively Dubrovnik is only a 2-3 hours drive away with transfers easily arranged with travel agencies and hotels.
Getting There: This website is great for booking tickets for travel in Montenegro. From Dubrovnik, take a public bus or visit on a day tour.
Wow, the roofs of Budva Old Town and Sveti Stefan are stunning, and I’m more than happy to hit the beach and sip a cocktail (or two!), I will leave the cliff jumping to the more adventurous types like you 🙂 I had never thought of Montenegro as a destination before but with the gorgeous scenery, history, beaches and opportunity to check out a music festival all in one place, I think I need to add this to my list of places! Thank you for sharing.
Angie, I’m still so surprised that it’s not on more people’s radars! It’s one of my favourite countries in Europe – so much to see and I can’t wait to go back!
Budva’s a fun spot in Montenegro. I really wasn’t expecting such a neat Old Town area. Part of the reason I visited Budva was to see Sveti Stefan and that place is just beautiful. Hadn’t heard of Sea Dance before but it looks like something worth remembering for next year. Nice one!
Thanks David – neat is a great way to describe it. While I am not a fan of the tourist masses, there is somehow always a small alleyway you can duck down to escape them in Budva. I highly recommend the festival too!
Always looking for new places I hadn’t thought of a a travel destination to visit. The combination of history, natural beauty and culture certainly is a reason to consider a visit.
What a cool place to visit. Yes on the cocktails on the beach but, like you I would have to go exploring. Visiting historical buildings and walking down those cobblestone streets. From your pictures looks like I could find a few places to hike too!
Thanks Lisa! Yes there is another monastery even further up the mountain from Praskvica and that looked like an awesome hike.
Budva and Kotor both look great. I’ve seen shots of Sveti Stefan, now i know where it is! I’ve already added Montenegro to our bucket list, since your last post!
I would love to stay at Sveti Stefan one day! Time to start playing the lottery!
I had never heard of Budva! It appears to be a wonderful place full of history. I don’t know what fascinates me more Praskvica Monastery, Sveti Stefan, or the beautiful old town. Your photos are amazing! Well done.
Thanks Kelly, they were all pretty fascinating! Would have loved to have more time to explore the surrounding area some more!
I’ve now 100% added Montenegro to my bucket list! Your pictures are stunning and I can’t wait to visit there one day!
Thanks Becki – definitely somewhere I would recommend everyone to visit at some point!
Ok, I am really wanting to go here now! The Sveti Stefan, the chapel, the streets! They all look so cool! Did you end up jumping off the cliff!?! I’m not afraid of heights, but I’m afraid of falling from them and therefore cliff jumping is something I have yet to do!
Jenn, yes I did. I like cliff jumping as long as I know it’s safe. The guy who jumped before me was still alive so I figured it’s ok!
Gotta say, Lexx, you pick out some awesome places to visit! We had never heard of Budva before, but now would LOVE to go! Gorgeous old town next to warm beaches? We are in! Definitely adding this to our wish list. Thanks for sharing, and for the great photos!
You definitely should go! So much to do and see! Thanks for stopping by!
I didn’t know about Budva until I saw this post. Your pictures are amazing! I could imagine myself enjoying this place. Everything about it looks and sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks Jen, I haven’t met anyone who hasn’t liked it yet and Montenegro is one of my favourite recommendations for visitors to Europe!
I love Budva! The people are friendly, the Old Town stunning, and the beach is breathtaking! Moreover, Sveti Stefan is a perfect destination. Thanks for bringing back beautiful memories, Lexx!
It’s such a lovely place, isn’t it? I’ve been twice now and I would love to go back – and explore more of Montenegro too!
Just returned from an excellent stay here. We found all aspects of our stay exceptional. The food is of excellent quality, weather like in paradise.