I discovered this beautiful mountainous country this summer. I spent a week on a Turkish gulet boat and visited all the quaint medieval villages. Read on to learn how you can enjoy sailing the Montenegro Coast!

Introduction

So, where is Montenegro? It’s a Balkan country on the Adriatic Sea bordering Serbia to the north, Kosovo and Albania to the southeast, and Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west.

I booked this cruise through a travel website I’ve used many times called Tourradar. I had seen photos of Montenegro over the years and knew I wanted to visit this country. Because I enjoy boat trips, I thought it was the perfect way to see the beautiful coastline. Our tour was called the ‘Pearl of the Adriatic Montenegro Cruise‘ operated by the company DM Yachting. The company was very professional and communicated well all the details of the meeting point and trip.

After a full day of flights and airports, we arrived to the city of Tivat. We took a 15-minute taxi ride from the airport to the marina where we boarded our 28 meter long Turkish gulet for the week. There was a crew of four including the Turkish captain, cook, deckhand and one Montenegrin steward. We were a total of twelve passengers, with six people from Spain, four people from Switzerland, and two from Australia.

Boat Life

There were 6 cabins for the 12 passengers on the boat. Our rooms were quite small but we had our own bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink. We had two windows in our room, but I wasn’t too happy that the boat only ran the air conditioning a few hours a day. It became very hot in the room when the air conditioning was stopped at 2am each night. Some of the guests, including the crew, slept on top of the boat to stay cool.

During the week, we had 7 breakfasts and lunches served on the boat. It was always a treat to sit outside and eat our delicious meals prepared by the excellent chef. We had four dinners on the boat and the other three nights we were free to eat in the towns.

There was always plenty of food for everyone and we could order beer or wine at all times of the day. Our chef would often bring out a homemade cake in the late afternoons.

After the first night docked in the Porto Montenegro Marina (see below), we set off on the second day to explore the bay of Kotor and have a long swim stop.

The highlight of each day was at least two swim stops where we could jump off the boat or use the stand-up paddle boards and inflatable kayak.

We also had snorkeling equipment provided on the cruise. The sea water in general was colder than I expected, but everyone enjoyed swimming and snorkeling.

Kotor

On the second night, our boat docked overnight in the quaint village of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town of Kotor is more than two thousand years old, and its name comes from the word Dekatera (from the old Greece katareo – meaning HOT). For more history about Kotor, check out this website page.

Romans founded the town in 168 BC. Over the centuries it was ruled by the Illyrians, Byzantines, Serbians, and Hungarians before falling under Venetian rule in 1420. It was during this time that the fortifications around the city were built for defense.

As soon as our boat arrived to Kotor, it was my mission to hike to the top of the fortress for the magnificent view of the bay and surrounding area.

The walk took us 45 minutes to climb 1350 steps with 300 meters ascent. It was a tough and hot hike but totally worth the views.

There were many people walking up and down the path at 6-7pm at night. It cost 15 EUR per person to enter the trail, but I didn’t mind paying for the privilege to do this special walk.

Budva

On the third day of our tour, we headed out of Kotor Bay and down the southern coast of Montenegro to reach the bustling town of Budva. This was the busiest area we saw during the whole week with many water sports and activities.

We were taken by tender to Budva where we walked around the old town, had drinks in a lively area, and finally a delicious dinner at one of the local restaurants.

Sveti Stefan Island

One of the highlights of the week was passing by the island called Sveti Stefan (internet aerial photo shown below). Our boat circled around the island and anchored nearby for a swim stop and lunch.

The 15th century island was once a place for celebrities to stay, including Princess Margaret, Marilyn Monroe, Sophia Loren, Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, and Sylvester Stallone. Unfortunately, the island has been closed to the public since 2020.

Bigova

The smallest and cutest harbor we stayed overnight was Bigova. Our boat looked enormous in this small fishing village. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and had dinner at the only restaurant in town.

Herceg Novi

Another scenic town we docked overnight was called Herceg Novi. We walked around the town and found a nice restaurant for dinner. There were many tourists in this town, but it was never too crowded in any of the places we visited.

Perast

The following day, we visited the special village of Perast in Kotor Bay. As we approached Perast, we passed one of two islets called Our Lady of the Rocks. The history is that in 1452, a fisherman found an icon of the Virgin Mary on a reef, which inspired Perast’s townsfolk to create an island by yearly adding stones, a ritual continuing to this day.

The Roman Catholic Church is the only building on the islet. We weren’t able to stop here with our big boat, but you could take a small boat from the shores of Perast.

Our boat docked offshore of Perast for one night. We were taken by tender boat and walked along the water before relaxing at a bar to take in the fabulous view.

Perast’s history dates back to the neolithic period. The town was as a well-known fishing village. Perast’s golden age was in the Venetian period when Venice owned the city between 1420 and 1797.

I took many pictures of all the cats in Montenegro. We saw stray cats in every town. They were very friendly and are fed and cared for by the locals.

“The cats live in Kotor for centuries and protect the town from the rats, mice and snakes. Nowadays the cats have become a kind of symbol both of good luck and prosperity, and of the old town which survived despite the wars, sieges and earthquakes.”

Porto Montenegro

For our final night and the Captain’s dinner, we returned to our starting point of the cruise. We went by tender boat to the shore of Porto Montenegro. This marina was very nice with many restaurants and bars.

Summary

It was sad to end our fabulous week on the boat. We met some nice people and shared good times. The crew was exceptional, taking care of our every need. I would highly recommend this type of tour if you like staying on a boat and water for a week. Because we were mostly in bays along the coast of Montenegro, the waters were calm with very few waves.

If you are interested in similar nearby places, check out my blog post about a Croatia Island Hopping Bike Tour.

If you are looking for assistance to plan your next trip, I am here for YOU! I love to plan travel itineraries for myself and others. For more details on how I provide this service, please check out my Itinerary Planning page and drop me a quick email at jan@janadventures.com to get started!