Montenegro, Crna Gora, Black Mountain: the very name conjures up images of romance and drama – and this fascinating land doesn’t disappoint on either front.
There’s not a lot of it – barely 100km from tip to toe – but Montenegro’s coast is quite extraordinary. Mountains jut sharply from crystal-clear waters in such a way that the word ‘looming’ is unavoidable. As if that wasn’t picturesque enough, ancient walled towns cling to the rocks and dip their feet in the water like they’re the ones on holiday. In summer the whole scene is bathed in the scent of wild herbs, conifers and Mediterranean blossoms. The word ‘magical’ is similarly impossible to avoid.
When the beaches fill up, intrepid travellers can easily sidestep the hordes in the rugged mountains of Durmitor and Prokletije, the primeval forest of Biogradska Gora or in the many towns and villages where ordinary Montenegrins go about their daily lives. Hike, mountain bike or kayak yourself to somewhere obscure and chances are you’ll have it all to yourself. This is, after all, a country where wolves and bears still lurk in forgotten corners.
The beautiful Bay of Kotor – or Boka Kotorska – is often referred to as Europe’s most southernmost fjord, with towering peaks surrounding a rocky coastline dotted with pretty waterside towns. Add in bags of history and culture then you can see why UNESCO have listed the Bay of Kotor as one of their World Heritage sites.
The Bay of Kotor’s most famous town is Kotor itself. It looks like a normal waterside town until you get up close and see that it’s surrounded by city walls, built by the Venetians to protect it from invaders. These five-kilometre-long stone walls run right up into the steep hillside above the town and you can climb up them for a panoramic view across the bay. Inside the city gates is a medieval town made up of narrow cobbled alleyways lined with honey-coloured stone buildings.
The jumble of streets mean you immediately get lost but that’s part of the attraction as you never know what you might come across – a Venetian-style church, a piazza full of restaurants, a flight of steps leading up into the hills, a doorway surrounded by colourful pots of flowers.
Further around the bay is the town of Perast, looking like a mini Venice with its Italian-style churches and palaces. In its heyday it was a prosperous shipbuilding town full of rich merchants living in the grand palazzos that overlook the water. A lot of the buildings are crumbling and deserted now and there are only about 360 people left living here – that’s less than 20 people for each church. But it’s still got its grand air and a beautiful setting with a strip of sandy beach running along the edge of the bay.
On a more modern theme the marina of Porto Montenegro accommodates the world Superyacht set with berths of up to 250 metres. With a multitude of restaurants, bars and the 5* Regent hotel the marina is a complete contrast to the very traditional architecture elsewhere in the bay.