After a lovely week in Bosnia I took the bus down to Montenegro, one of the world’s newest countries. We headed straight for the stunning Adriatic coast and the charming town of Budva.
Tiny Montenegro has been an independent country for less that four years. It was the last of the former Yugoslavian nations to break away from Serbia, and many citizens wish it had just stayed put. As a result of it’s longstanding ties with Serbia, the country missed out on most of of the violence that engulfed the region.
The town of Budva is a shocking 2,500 years old! The walled city was built in the Venetian style during the Middle Ages and is a pleasant maze of winding alleyways.
Budva is a beach resort town. Although still relatively unknown to the west, Montenegro is fast becoming a popular vacation destination for rich Eastern Europeans, particularly Russians. After a week of difficult ruins, it was nice to be in a country where buildings were going up, not crumbling down.
Unlike other parts of the adriatic coast which are very rocky, the beaches in Montenegro were sandy. The big island is known as Hawaii by the locals and is uninhabited wilderness. My hostel offered boat trips out there, where apparently you can swim in a private bay and jump off the cliffs, but we were unable to go because of time constraints.
The Montenegrin version of Red Bull which I’m certain must be illegal in the US. I had one can and was awake for DAYS.
This cheerful but dilapidated house gives an idea of what the less touristed areas of Montenegro looked like. Although not directly involved, the Yugoslav wars hit Montenegro’s economy hard and it is still only recovering.
A couple more pictures of the town of Kotor. Montenegro’s short coast is lined with beautiful walled cities like these two. I wish I’d gotten to explore further inland where there are roman ruins, abbeys and a European rainforest. Just goes to show how hard it is to get a complete view of even the smallest country.
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I wish I was there right now. I love the photos, especially the last one – she looks so delicate yet sturdy.
I know, I took about a dozen pictures of her. So pretty.
i didn’t imagine that Montenegro is so pretty, it reminds me some port village of italy
The Adriatic coast is all reminiscent of Italy, especially when you get further up towards Croatia.
Wow! Breathtakingly beautiful!
Abhi´s last blog ..Sunday Postcard: Fluorescent Adolescent
Wow – beautiful pictures, I had no idea!
Beautiful photos! I’m definitely going to have to go through Bosnia & this region on my way to Croatia.
Adam´s last blog ..Do What You Love
You will love it! such a pretty area.
Wow, awesome pictures!
Just added another place to my bucket list!
VagaBen´s last blog ..Top 5 Travel Inspiring Music Videos
Wow, awesome photos, Montenegro looks very picturesque.
AdventureRob´s last blog ..Mid-Week Photo Essay: Adelaide Zoo Part 1
Being such an old place I would love to just wander the streets and admire the buildings. I can see myself with a sore neck when I start traveling, I’m a sucker for old/historic buildings.
Chris´s last blog ..Travel Dilema
I agree, I adore old buildings.
Amazing photos!
Those beaches and alleyways are beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Wowww, gorgeous stuff. That decrepit house is particularly awesome.
Candice´s last blog ..WTF, Halifax?
Enchanting images!
Did you get to Kotor? Would love to hear what you thought – we’re going to be staying there for a couple of weeks in May, as part of our Grantourismo project (http://www.grantourismotravels.com/) – Montenegro tips welcome, esp what you thought were unmissables.
lara dunston´s last blog ..Technology and the art of location independence
Hi Laura, I did get to Kotor, it’s absolutely gorgeous. I wrote about it here: http://twenty-somethingtravel.com/2010/01/hiking-hill-kotor-montenegro/
Thanks! I’ll check it out!
Those are stunning photos, Steph. They really make me want to go there. You should be working for the Montenegro Tourism Office.
Gray´s last blog ..San Juan, Here I Come!
Haha I know I am so enthusiastic about the entire region!
What a beautiful pictures!!!
Can I use some of these pictures
Hey Monte, shoot me an email and we can talk about the pictures.
Marc spent part of his childhood living in Yugoslavia (back when it was still Yugoslavia), and he has nothing but good things to say about the Balkans. I really would like to visit some day.
Kelsey´s last blog ..One Blog, Two Blogs: To Split or Not To Split?
mmmm, great shots – brought back many good memories!
Im from Montenegro, just one comment – bMontenegro is actually 24th internationally recognized country in the world. This happened in 1878… and before that has long lineage of rulers up to 10th century…thus Montenegro has just restored independence.
thanks for clarifying that!