Herceg Novi (mouth of the Bay of Kotor)
Most of our Montenegrin homes are here, at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. The old town climbs in stairways from the sea under the Kanli Kula fortress, and a seafront promenade runs for several kilometres to Igalo. Swimming is mostly off concrete platforms and small pebble beaches. Dubrovnik airport is around 40 minutes away with a border crossing, and Tivat about 45 minutes using the short Kamenari car ferry.
Best for: A stepped old town, a long seafront promenade and day trips to Dubrovnik
Not for you if: Steps are hard on your knees: the town climbs steeply from the water and many homes are well up the hill.
Tivat and Dobrota (inner bay)
Tivat is the most modern town on the bay, with the Porto Montenegro marina and the airport on its edge. Dobrota is a line of old sea captains' houses along the water just north of Kotor, whose walled town is a UNESCO site. The climb up the walls to the fortress takes about an hour. Perast and the island church of Our Lady of the Rocks are 15 minutes away. Cruise ships fill Kotor by late morning.
Best for: Bay views, Kotor's old town and the shortest airport transfer
Not for you if: You want sandy beaches: in the inner bay you swim off jetties and narrow shingle strips.
Bigova and the Grbalj coast
Bigova is a small fishing village in a sheltered cove on the open Adriatic, just south of the Luštica peninsula, with a couple of fish restaurants by the water. Trsteno and Ploče beaches are a short drive along the coast, and Budva is around half an hour away. Tivat airport is roughly 25 minutes, which makes this one of the easier coastal bases to reach after a late flight.
Best for: A quiet fishing village with fish restaurants on the quay
Not for you if: You want shops and nightlife within walking distance: Bigova is a handful of houses round a cove.
Budva and Pržno (Budva Riviera)
Budva's walled old town sits on a small headland, with Mogren beach reached by a cliff path and a long town beach lined with bars. Pržno, about 15 minutes south, is a fishing village with a small beach and seafood restaurants, a short walk from Miločer park and the view of Sveti Stefan, the islet village that is now a private hotel. Tivat airport is around 30 minutes away, and Podgorica about an hour and a quarter.
Best for: Beaches, a walled old town and nightlife within reach
Not for you if: You want peace in July and August: Budva is the busiest resort in the country and the beaches fill early.
Bar, Sutomore and Utjeha (south coast)
Sutomore has a long beach of sand and fine shingle, packed with Montenegrin and Serbian families in August. Bar is a working port with ferries to Italy, and a few minutes inland is the ruined hilltop town of Stari Bar. Utjeha, between Bar and Ulcinj, is a quiet bay of olive groves and pebble coves, with the sand of Velika Plaža around half an hour south. Podgorica airport is 45 minutes to an hour from Bar.
Best for: Longer beaches, lower prices and Podgorica airport within an hour
Not for you if: You want the Bay of Kotor scenery: this end is flatter, more built up around Bar, and well away from the bay.
