Muntenegru – tot ce trebuie sa stii inainte sa vizitezi Muntenegru

If you are planning to go on a tript to Montenegro in the next period, or maybe you are just interested in this beautiful Balkan country, you have come to the right place.

Below you will find a list of the most important things you need to know about Montenegro. And if we have piqued your interest, I invite you to find out what our experience was like in Montenegro, in a one-week road trip by car: 7 Days In Montenegro - Road Trip In The Balkan Country.

What you need to know about Montenegro

1. About Montenegro

Montenegro (Crna Gora in Serbian/Montenegro) is a small state in South-Eastern Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The country borders Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania and Kosovo, being one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia. Montenegro declared its independence quite recently, in 2006.

The official language in Montenegro is Montenegrin, but the languages of neighboring countries can also be used and understood: Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian.

The population of the country is approximately 620,000 inhabitants.

The capital of the country is Podgorica, which is also the largest city in the country.

Montenegro is not a member of the European Union..

2. What is the currency in Montenegro

The currency in Montenegro is Euro. Surprising, right? Considering that Montenegro is not yet a member of the European Union.

In 1996, Montenegro broke ties with Serbia and formed its own economic policy, adopting the German mark as currency. Later, the German mark was converted to the euro, and Montenegro thus became one of the few countries outside the EU that adopted the euro as its main currency.

3. Why go to Montenegro

Montenegro is a small but wonderful country, with a lot of natural beauty that attracts more and more tourists every year. Here you will find many spectacular landscapes, from long beaches, quieter or more lively, high mountains, rich forests or picturesque lakes.

Montenegro is the perfect place for a vacation in the summer months: you can get here as quickly as in Greece or Croatia, the country is spectacular, you have the opportunity to choose between the mountains or the sea, between walking, hiking, visiting cities or the beach, and the prices are considerably lower than in Croatia, for example.

If you want to see how we organized our trip to Montenegro, I invite you to read this article: 7 Days In Montenegro - Road Trip In The Balkan Country.

4. Entry requirements in Montenegro

If you are an EU citizen you can enter Montenegro with both your identity card or your passport. The difference is that you only have the right to stay for 30 days with your identity card, while with your passport you can stay for 90 days.

Children up to 14 years old need a passport.

5. Siguranta in Muntenegru

If you want to travel to Montenegro and are worried about how safe Balkan country is, a country which is not a member of the European Union, I assure you that Montenegro is as safe as possible.

During our trip here, where we traveled all over the country, we never felt the slightest sign of insecurity. The people are extremely polite and welcoming, we had a good feeling from the very first day and we didn't have any unpleasant incidents.

6. How do you get to Montenegro

By car

Depending on the country from which you leave by car, you can arrive to Montenegro through Serbia, Bosnia or Croatia, if you leave from central or western Europe. I recommend you to avoid Kosovo, currently there are country conflicts here.

If you pass through Bosnia, be careful that your car insurance is also valid in this country.

By plane

Montenegro has two airports to which you can fly, in the capital Podgorica and in Tivat. At the moment, there is no direct flight from Romania to any of these airports.

7. How to drive in Montenegro

I could say that Montenegro has some really spectacular roads. But also a little bit dangerous, if you end up driving on certain secondary roads, through mountainous areas.

We found the most impressive roads in Montenegro to be:

Budva Riviera - along the coast you have some absolutely spectacular views of the Adriatic Sea
The Bay of Kotor - the bay is fascinating, and everywhere you drive you will be amazed by the beauty of the area. I will mention here The Kotor Serpentinea winding, dangerous, but spectacular road that will take you to Mount Lovcen, the peak that also gives this country its name
A1 Highway, before Podgorica – Completed in July 2022, the road crosses the mountain area and is spectacular due to the landscapes offered and the fact that there are many tunnels built on only 40 km.
Durmitor National Park, with the Tara canyon

Montenegro offers some great panoramic points, but be careful about the routes leading to those points, some of them are very steep and narrow. pentru a ajunge intr-un anumit punct: drumul cu latimea de o banda, dar pe care se circula in ambele directii, iar la margine direct prapastie, fara nicio zona sau bara de siguranta. V-as sfatui sa evitati asemenea trasee si sa urmati doar drumurile principale de pe harta.

Make sure, before you set off, that you have valid car insurance for Montenegro!

Road taxes in Montenegro

In Montenegro, you don't have to pay the vignette, but there are sections of the road for which you will be charged:

40 km A1 highway, before Podgorica: 3.5 euros
A tunnel between Petrovac and Lake Skadar, connecting Podgorica to the Adriatic Sea (Sozina tunnel): 2.5 euros

Speed limits in Montenegro

100 km/hour fast roads
80 km/hour outside the cities
50 km/hour in cities

Drive with caution and at the legal speed limit. In Montenegro we met a lot of radars!

Gas stations in Montenegro

In Montenegro, gas stations are quite well distributed, especially along the coastal areas. In more remote areas, such as mountain regions, they may be less frequent, so it is recommended to plan your fueling stops more carefully.

The most famous gas station chains in Montenegro are EKO, INA or Lukoil.

Where to park in Montenegro

In Montenegrin cities, I recommend that you park only in safe areas or in paid parking lots. In general, such parking costs between 0.5 - 1.5 euros / hour, depending on the city/resort. In more crowded cities, such as Budva or Kotor, it is quite complicated to find free parking on the streets.

My advice, at the same time, is to look for accommodation with a secured parking space, so you get rid of the stress of the car being left in unsafe places overnight.

8. Internet in Montenegro

Montenegro does not belong to the European Economic Area (EEA), so internet or mobile phone rates are higher than in European Union countries. To benefit from the internet at favorable costs, you have several possibilities:

The most convenient and easy option for us was to purchase a local eSim from Telekom, with the option of 500 GB, for 7 days, which cost 10 euros. Thus we were able to make Hotspot and connect several devices to the same Internet signal. Another option, also from Telekom, would have been 1TB for a month at the price of 20 euros.

At stores you can also find physical SIMs from Telekom, One or m:tel. Prices vary between 10-15 euros for 500 GB.

Until we arrived in Montenegro, on the way through Serbia, we opted for other internet packages
- App Airalo, where we bought an eSim with 1 GB of internet for 5 euros, also valid in both countries
- Package Go WORLD 1 from Orange, with 1 GB of internet for 7 euros, valid both in Serbia and Montenegro

9. What to visit in Montenegro

Montenegro is a very attractive country!

It has a beautiful coast on the Adriatic Sea, which offers some emblematic images of this country: the Bay of Kotor, the resort town of Budva or the island of Sveti Stefan.

They are just as good on the mountain side, moreover, even the name of the country gives you the idea that Montenegro is really a mountainous country. The Durmitor National Park with the Tara river canyon is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. Other national parks that deserve the attention of visitors are Lake Skadar, Lovcen or Biogradska Gora.

I invite you to read this article, where I have detailed the main tourist attractions in Montenegro: Montenegro - The Most Beautiful 15 Places To Visit.

10. The beaches of Montenegro

Montenegro is a holiday destination generally chosen by tourists for its coastline. Among the beaches that we visited and liked, I will mention the following:

Beach in Ulcinj – a beach stretching for 12 km, with fine, yellow sand. This was also my favorite beach in Montenegro
Plajele din Budva: main beach, Morgen Beach, Jaz Beach, Hawaii Beach
Beach in Becici
Beach in Sveti Stefan
Beach in Petrovac

11. Where to stay in Montenegro

Choosing a place to stay in Montenegro depends a lot on what you want to do on this vacation, if you want to stay at the beach, visit, exploring or maybe go hiking. I will list below the main accommodation areas:

Budva - Budva is the main city of Montenegro chosen by tourists when it comes to going to the beach. With a long beach, many terraces, restaurants, and clubs, Budva is the preferred destination for those who want a seaside holiday. From Budva you can also make day trips to different locations in Montenegro (Kotor, Lake Skadar, Sveti Stefan, etc.)

The towns on the riviera (Becici, Petrovac) - if you want a quieter holiday by the sea, I advise you to choose one of the towns near Budva. These are locations preferred by families, while Budva is considered the fun capital of Montenegro. In addition, in Budva it is more complicated to find accommodation close to the beach with parking spaces, and parking on the street is quite difficult and risky. We had this accommodation, which I highly recommend you: Apartment Ivanovic Family – a beautiful apartment, in a very quiet area, 3 minutes from the beach and 20 minutes' walk from Budva..

Kotor - Kotor is considered the jewel of Montenegro, I recommend staying here for a few days to visit the city, to take a boat ride or to explore the Kotor Bay area, with the surrounding towns. This was our accommodation in Kotor: Apartments Jovana.

Žabljak for Durmitor National Park – if you want an adventure holiday, this is the right place to organize different hikes or try different sports in nature, such as rafting in the Tara canyon.

12. What to eat in Montenegro

Montenegrin cuisine is influenced by regional traditions, with dishes that can be found in different Balkan countries and that are based especially on meat, such as cevapcici (similar to Romania's mici) or pljeskavica. As a drink we can mention rakija (brandy).

In addition to traditional dishes, in Montenegro you can also find dishes specific to the Mediterranean cuisine, with a wide variety of fish and seafood. Places with international dishes are also very common.

Where we ate in Montenegro

Below is a list of the places that we tried and which delighted us:

Becici: Azzuro Restaurant & Beach Bar
Kotor: Konoba Scala Santa, Tiha Noc, Dobrotski Dvori, Konoba Bonaca
Stari Bar: Restaurant Kaldrma
Skadar Lake: Konoba Demidžana
Tivat: Caffe Pizzeria Roma

13. What are the prices in Montenegro

Montenegro is not an expensive country, at least not as expensive as Greece or Croatia, the most popular countries in the area.

Accommodation - prices start from a few tens of euros. In June, for 50-60 euros per night, we found very nice apartments, in Kotor (Apartments Jovana) and near Budva (Apartment Ivanovic Family), with all the facilities: near the beach, with parking, which were very clean and quiet.

Food - prices start from a few tens of euros. In June, for 50-60 euros per night, we found very nice apartments, in Kotor and near Budva, with all the facilities: near the beach, with parking, which were very clean and quiet.

Internet – la 500 GB internet / 10 euro, as putea spune ca preturile la acest capitol sunt foarte bune

Gasoline / Diesel - I didn't notice big differences compared to Romania

Sunbeds + umbrella - the prices here differ depending on the beach. But, as an example, on the beach in Becici, a sunbed costs 4 euros / day, and the umbrella also 4 euros / day. Of course, on more exclusive beaches I have also seen prices of 20-50 euros/lounger, but these are some exceptions.

Market - prices in grocery stores seem slightly lower than in Romania

Boat tours - here, too, the prices differ depending on the location, the duration of the trip, and whether you opt for a normal tour or a private boat. As an example, boat tours in Kotor Bay cost around 30-40 euros / 3 hours / person

Remember that on Sundays most shops are closed in Montenegro, I advise you to stock up the day before. There are still some boutiques that you are likely to find open 24/7, including Sundays.

The good news is that the restaurants are open every day!

14. Enjoy the panoramic points

Montenegro has a lot of panoramic points for which it is worth making a short stop. You can see them both as marked points on the map or directly on th road, in your way. If you will be driving and you will notice the magnificent panorama around, I recommend you to stop at the first parking spot, to admire the view.

For some panoramic points, you may need to make a small detour. Be careful here only on the road, some routes can be narrow, steep and on the edge. But if you are a good driver, the views you will have at the end will be worth all the effort.