ClassicMulti-day · Multi-day small-group tour
Montenegro, Bay to Mountains
Three nights on the Bay of Kotor, one under Durmitor, and Perast, Budva, Cetinje and Lovćen in between.
Kotor → Perast → Budva → Cetinje → Lovćen → Durmitor
- Duration
- 5 days / 4 nights
- Group
- Small group, up to 12
- Language
- English · Serbian
- Countries
- Montenegro
About this tour
Montenegro's two halves are two hours apart and feel like two countries, and this tour is built around that. Three nights in Kotor cover the bay: the walled town, Perast and its island church, Budva's old town and the climb to Cetinje and the Lovćen mausoleum, with the descent back to the bay by the road of 25 hairpins.
The last two days go inland and up: through the canyons to Žabljak at 1,450 m, a walk around the Black Lake under the Durmitor peaks, and the Tara bridge above one of the deepest gorges in Europe before the tour ends at Podgorica airport. The pace is unhurried; the longest driving day is about three hours.
Route map
Day by day
- Day 1Arrival in KotorMeet the tour leader at your hotel at 17:00. A walk inside the walls of Kotor: the Sea Gate, the cathedral of St Tryphon, the squares and the maritime museum from the outside. Dinner together in the old town.Transfer from Tivat · 10 km · about 20 min (from Podgorica · 90 km · about 1 h 30)Overnight: Kotor
- Day 2Perast and the bayAlong the shore to Perast, a baroque village of stone palaces, and by boat to Our Lady of the Rocks, the artificial island with the church built on a reef of sunk ships and stones. Lunch in Perast. Afternoon back in Kotor with the choice of the walls: about 1,350 steps up to the fortress of St John for the view over the whole bay, or a free afternoon.Kotor → Perast → Kotor · about 25 km · 45 min of driving, plus 10 min by boatOvernight: Kotor
- Day 3Budva, Cetinje and the Lovćen serpentinesOver the hill to Budva for a walk through the Venetian old town and along the beach, then inland to Cetinje, the old royal capital: the monastery, King Nikola's palace and the embassies of a country that no longer needs them. Up to Lovćen and the Njegoš mausoleum at 1,650 m, weather permitting, and down the 25 hairpins of the old Austrian road with the bay opening below.Kotor → Budva → Cetinje → Lovćen → Kotor · about 110 km · 3 h of drivingOvernight: Kotor
- Day 4Into the mountains: DurmitorLeave the coast through Risan and climb past Nikšić and the Šavnik canyons to Žabljak, the highest town in the Balkans. Afternoon walk around the Black Lake (about 3.5 km on a flat path) under Bobotov Kuk and the Durmitor peaks. Dinner of lamb and kačamak in a mountain restaurant.Kotor → Nikšić → Žabljak · about 165 km · 3 h 15Overnight: Žabljak
- Day 5The Tara bridge and departureMorning at the Đurđevića Tara bridge, 170 m above the river, with the option of the zip line across the canyon. Then down to Podgorica, where the tour ends at the airport or in the city by about 14:00. Return to Kotor or Tivat is possible instead; say so in your request.Žabljak → Tara bridge → Podgorica · about 150 km · 3 hTour ends
What's included
- 4 nights in 3- and 4-star hotels, double room with breakfast: three in Kotor, one in Žabljak
- Licensed English-speaking tour leader for the whole trip
- All transport by air-conditioned minibus, including airport transfers on days 1 and 5
- Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks and entrance to the church
- Entrance fees for the Njegoš mausoleum and Durmitor National Park
- Welcome dinner on day 1 and mountain dinner on day 4
- Small group of no more than 12 guests
Not included
- Flights to and from Montenegro
- Lunches and the dinners on days 2, 3 and 5
- Travel insurance, which we require for all multi-day tours
- Kotor walls ticket, the Tara zip line and other optional activities
- Single room supplement, quoted on request
Good to know
Meeting pointYour hotel in Kotor on the afternoon of day 1. Pick-up from Tivat or Podgorica airport is included when you send us your flight details.
CancellationCancellation terms for multi-day tours are set out in the written quote. Nothing is charged until you accept it.
InsuranceTravel insurance is required for all multi-day tours.
WeatherThe boat to Our Lady of the Rocks and the Lovćen road depend on conditions; if either is closed, the tour leader swaps the order of days 2 and 3 or replaces the stop. Durmitor is planned from May to October; outside those months we route the last two days along the coast instead.
