BUDVA, MONTENEGRO IN 24 HOURS

Budva is an adorable coastal town on the Adriatic Sea in Montenegro. The town is 2,500 years old making it one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic Coast! While Budva itself is relatively large, the old town is quaint and filled with so much charm. Along with their old town, Budva is known for nightlife, and beaches.

Budva, Montenegro is easy to explore in one day. With that being said, it’s also a great place to station yourself for a trip to Montenegro! There are a handful of day trips that can be taken from Budva. One of the most popular towns, Kotor Montenegro, is approximately 30-40 minutes away. In my opinion, Budva is a little less touristy than Kotor making for a great base.

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At just over two hours from Dubrovnik, Croatia most people add Montenegro on a trip to Croatia. Kotor and Budva are a common day trip from Dubrovnik but I recommend spending at least one night in town. You can rent a car for your trip to Budva or travel via public transportation. If you’re crossing boarders, car rentals can be tricky since some companies charge for crossing the boarder. Buses are a common mode of transportation between Budva and surrounding cities.

For more on traveling throughout the Balkans see here.

The closest airport to Budva is in Tivat, 13 miles from town. You can also look at flights into Dubrovnik since it’s easy to travel between the two cities

I’ve been to Montenegro twice now once in May and once in September. In my opinion, the shoulder season is the best time to go! The weather in Montenegro is perfect for site seeing, swimming in the sea, and hiking the fortress during this time. In my experience, Budva isn’t as busy as other European cities but there are a lot of day trippers from Dubrovnik and Kotor. The Montenegro weather is relatively mellow year round so you really can visit anytime.

Start your morning off by exploring Stari Grad (Old Town). Stari Grad is the biggest tourist attraction in Budva. Therefore, it’s a must on a trip to Budva. The Old Town is surrounded by city walls making it such a unique experience. When you’re walking the Old Town, it feels big because the stone walls are pretty tall. However, you’ll quickly realize it’s pretty small. Since it’s small, it’s easy to explore in an hour or two as you’ll start to recognize some of the same buildings and alley ways. The restaurants and cafes in Old Town tend to me much more expensive than restaurants outside the walls. With that being said, I recommend at least sitting outside a cafe with a cup of coffee (or wine – whatever you feel!) in order to enjoy the quaintness of Old Town.

As one of the oldest towns on the Adriatic Sea, there is some conflicting information on the history of the Old Town. Most sources say the Old Town is dated back to the middle century when the area was ruled by Venetians. The town has experienced major damage from the earthquakes in1667 and 1979.

Fun Fact: Stari Grad used to be an island and eventually grew to be a peninsula.

After exploring the Old Town, make your way toward the Citadel in order to walk the walls. To find the entrance to the walls, walk past the Citadel and make a left. Walking the walls of Budva is a pretty quick activity since the Old Town is small. The path to walk the walls doesn’t connect the entire Old Town. Therefore, walk until you reach a dead end and turnaround. It takes approximately 30 minutes to walk. However, this is dependent on the amount of photos you take as there are some impressive viewpoints. If you travel at a slower pace and plan on taking a lot of photos, set aside an hour.

Entrance Fee: 2 Euros

For more incredible views of town, head toward the Citadel. As I previously mentioned, the Citadel is just around the corner from the entrance to the walls which makes it a convenient stop. While there are incredible views scattered throughout Budva, my favorite view was from the Citadel! The Citadel is located on the Southern side of the Old Town overlooking both the sea and town. The location makes for a great view. Be sure to make a stop at the museum full of model ships as it’s pretty interesting.

There is actually a restaurant at the Citadel as it is privately owned now.

Entrance Fee: 3.5 Euros

One of the best ways to see Budva and the surrounding area is by boat! We traveled to Budva off season (beginning of October) and the options for boat tours were limited. The tour we chose was a two hour tour with Boats Budva. The boat was crowded but didn’t feel overly packed.

The tour passed by Queen’s Beach, King’s Beach, and Sveti Stefan with a quick photo op at each location. From Sveti Stefan we went to the Blue Caves at Sveti Nikola Island (also known as Hawaii Island). We took a quick break at the Blue Caves to swim into the cave. To be honest, the cave we visited wasn’t as blue as I was expecting however, it was still fun to swim in the caves.

From the caves, we went to Place Beach. You can either get off and enjoy the beach or stay on the boat to head back to Budva. I found this to be super convenient especially on a hot day! If you go on an early tour, you can stay a few hours and come back on the next boat. If you’re in Budva for a few days, I recommend doing either the 10 am or 12 pm tour in order to make a day of it.

Travel Tip: You can also rent kayaks and paddle boards in Budva which would be a great way to explore the area!

Tour Times: 10 am, 12 pm, 2 pm
Pricing: 10 Euros

End your day in Budva with some great views of town by heading toward Avala Beach Bar. From the beach bar, follow the path that wraps around the cliff. This pathway connects Budva to Mogren Beach and offers some truly spectacular views of Old Town. You’ll find the well known Ballet Dancer Statue on the path. You can get a cool shot of the statue with the Old Town in the background. If you time it right, try to catch the sunset from this view as there are a few places to sit along the path.

Budva is absolutely adorable and worth a visit! As I mentioned, if you’re in Montenegro for a few days, Budva is a great place to base yourself since it’s centrally located. The town is doable in a day but of course, the more the better! I hope you enjoy exploring this underrated town as much as I did.

Read More: 2 Days in Kotor

Safe Travels,

Sarah :)

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