Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
Ah, Montenegro. I knew I’d love it. I knew it would be beautiful. But I had no idea that it would have the kind of beauty to knock me off my feet and render me speechless!
The scenery in Montenegro was tantalizing: the Bay of Kotor from every direction, storybook-perfect walled towns, mystical islands, a mountain-edged coastline, Tara Canyon, and especially the fjords throughout the country.
Planning your trip to Montenegro last minute?
Montenegro is becoming more and more busy during the summer months, so be sure to book tours and hotels as early as you can!
With only just a taste of Montenegro, I’m ready to declare it the most naturally beautiful country in Europe. Here’s what it has going for it:
Montenegro has beautiful coastal towns.
The tiny walled city of Kotor was our base, and we couldn’t have chosen a better location. It was an utterly enchanting place to walk around, with charming architecture, piazzas, and a genuine small-town feel, snug in its city walls.
With the Bay of Kotor on one side and mountains on the other, Kotor is also one of the most spectacularly located towns I’ve ever seen!
Budva is another town on the coast, and it’s the most popular resort in Montenegro. While not as small or as beguiling as Kotor, the old town looks a lot like a mini Dubrovnik, with winding streets, orange roofs, cute boutiques, and those epic mountains that you see all the way down the Dalmatian Coast.
But the beauty of Montenegro extends beyond these popular towns!
Montenegro is home to magical islands.
The Bay of Kotor is beautiful enough with the mountains surrounding the calm blue waters — but from tiny medieval town of Perast, you have the perfect view of a tiny man-made island.
Could you imagine getting married in that little church on your own private island?
If that one’s too small for you, however, Sveti Stefan has a larger and more dazzling island.
Ever since first seeing a picture of Sveti Stefan years ago, I dreamed of visiting it. On our final full day in Montenegro, we took a bus down the coast to see it in person. Though the island is a private resort with restricted access, it was just as beautiful as I imagined.
Montenegro has mountains.
The most spectacular views in all of Montenegro, however, were on the road to Tara Canyon, just north of Durmitor National Park on the Bosnian border. Dave and I decided to go whitewater rafting, and the ride took three hours from Kotor.
That’s a lot of driving for one day, particularly when your driver is a crazy man from Ulcinj who takes hairpin turns and passes on curves, but the beauty on this route was nothing short of astounding. Just look at that fjord!
Our driver graciously humored our obsessive photo-taking and stopped at several viewpoints. God, how could this country be so beautiful?
Montenegro has dramatic canyons.
Bending over the bridge to get a photo of the canyon, my stomach dropped. THIS was what we were rafting through?! Because there are canyons, and then there are CANYONS.
Tara Canyon is the second deepest canyon on Earth — only the Grand Canyon is deeper. The bright turquoise Tara River slices through gray mountains topped with trees and bushes, and it continues that way for miles and miles. A truly awe-inspiring sight.
The rafting trip was a blast — just the right level of rapids (Level IV), cold but not freezing water on a hot day, a few hours of rafting action, and a some stops to get photos.
We paddled; we shrieked; we got splashed; we laughed with our new Chilean, Swedish, and Ukrainian friends. And I spent plenty of the trip spaced out like a zombie, overwhelmed with privilege for getting to experience a place like this.
Montenegro has a showstopper: the Bay of Kotor.
At 5:30 AM on the day of our flight back to England, Dave and I woke up to climb the fortress of Kotor. We climbed briskly and made it to the top in about 30 minutes, just in time to see the rays of sunshine hit the fjord.
I don’t think there’s anything I can say beyond what that photo already shows.
It had never occurred to me to spend more than a few days in Montenegro, but after this trip, I would love to return and see much more of the country, staying at least a week, maybe even two.
There is so much to see here, and as usual, I’ve only scratched the surface.
Best eSIM for Montenegro: Holafly
I never travel without an eSIM — both for safety and peace of mind — and Holafly is my top eSIM recommendation for trips to Montenegro.
Gone are the days of hunting down a phone shop, passport in hand. With eSIMs, you install your plan in about 2 minutes at home via QR code — and it activates the moment you land.
In Montenegro, an eSIM is essential for calling a taxi in Budva, translating a menu in Cetinje, navigating Kotor’s labyrinthine streets, and booking activity tickets on the fly.
Unlike most eSIMs, Holafly offers unlimited data and connects through Montenegro’s major carriers, giving you strong LTE and 5G speeds. You buy a plan for the specific number of days you’re visiting.
And one feature I especially appreciate from Holafly is Always On. Even if your data plan runs out, every Holafly eSIM automatically provides 1GB of emergency data per month in 70+ destinations. It’s a great safety net in case of delayed flights, unexpected layovers, or any moment when you desperately need to get online.
Use code HOLAKATE for 5% off your Holafly eSIM or 10% off monthly plans.
I agree with you Kate. In fact, we liked it so much, we moved there/here. We’re excited to be opening up a local experience to travelers all across the country including some of the lesser and unknown spots. Let us know next time you’ll be traveling this way. We would love to introduce you to the farm stay options in the villages from the beaches to the mountains up north.
Dear Kate, thank you for your report and the photos. After completing a Balkan-based translation, my appetite for Montenegro was well and truly whetted, and I was thinking of joining my [adult] daughter for a trip there in Autumn. Your blog has now convinced me to do just that.
Spent two nights in Kotor and felt as if my soul was moved. Montenegro? Magical. Will go back. Soon. Stayed at Hotel Cattaro in Kotor’s Old Town. A 5-star experience. Go. Be transformed. You will never be the same afterwards.
Beautiful, can’t wait to visit it this autumn. Most beautiful country though? Not really… I mean, there are the same kind of landscapes in France, or in Norway for instance. Look at Corsica (Corse) landscapes in France (I’ve never been there but have been writing about it so did a lot of researches)…
For the past 30 years I have been going to MonteNegro. I have the option to go anywhere in the world but we return every time. My jaw still drops each time we drive past bay of Kotor with the little island with the church. Its like from a fantasy world such as LOTR. Its cheap, not to many tourists (if you know where to go) and soooo peaceful and beautiful. Sometime little rough around the edges but that what makes it charming =) See you next year!
I agree with you Kate. In fact, we liked it so much, we moved there/here. We’re excited to be opening up a local experience to travelers all across the country including some of the lesser and unknown spots. Let us know next time you’ll be traveling this way. We would love to introduce you to the farm stay options in the villages from the beaches to the mountains up north.
Dear Kate, thank you for your report and the photos. After completing a Balkan-based translation, my appetite for Montenegro was well and truly whetted, and I was thinking of joining my [adult] daughter for a trip there in Autumn. Your blog has now convinced me to do just that.
Spent two nights in Kotor and felt as if my soul was moved. Montenegro? Magical. Will go back. Soon. Stayed at Hotel Cattaro in Kotor’s Old Town. A 5-star experience. Go. Be transformed. You will never be the same afterwards.
Beautiful, can’t wait to visit it this autumn. Most beautiful country though? Not really… I mean, there are the same kind of landscapes in France, or in Norway for instance. Look at Corsica (Corse) landscapes in France (I’ve never been there but have been writing about it so did a lot of researches)…
Beauty is relative. I’ve been to every country in Europe and I still consider Montenegro the most beautiful, seven years after writing this post.
Beautiful photos Kate! Montenegro looks absolutely stunning – I’m visiting in a few weeks and cannot wait to see it with my own eyes!!
For the past 30 years I have been going to MonteNegro. I have the option to go anywhere in the world but we return every time. My jaw still drops each time we drive past bay of Kotor with the little island with the church. Its like from a fantasy world such as LOTR. Its cheap, not to many tourists (if you know where to go) and soooo peaceful and beautiful. Sometime little rough around the edges but that what makes it charming =) See you next year!