Coastal Montenegro photography guide

You should allow at least 4-5 nights to cover the main sights of Montenegro. In this time you can cover the Bay of Kotor and some of the other coastal locations, plus make a trip to Lovćen and Lake Skadar national parks. My recommendation is to book in for at least a week and, if planning to visit the mountains, add a further 3-5 nights - you won’t regret it!

First things first - visit The UNESCO site of Kotor and climb the walls. Do at least a one-night photography shoot in the town. Next, make a trip to Perast and its two islets - an incredible experience and great photos are guaranteed. The other coastal places worth visiting are Sveti Štefan, Petrovac na Moru and Stari Bar ruins.

A day well spent is to start by taking the old scenic mountain road from Kotor to Njeguši plateau, continue on to Lovćen national park for some great views and finish with a sunset shoot either from the top of the mountains or at Sveti Štefan island.

Totally different, but equally rewarding, is a scenic drive along Rijeka Crnojevića and Lake Skadar. Away from the coast a different pace of life is lived here - things are more traditional and laid back. You will leave wishing you’d had more time here.

The roads on the coast are in good condition and most of the time reasonably wide. In high season (July, August) they can be incredibly busy with traffic jams a regular occurrence. However as soon as you turn inland and up into the mountains it’s a different story. Narrow roads, lots of hairpin turns, potholes and the occasional road block in the form of herds of cows or a flock of sheep! In Montenegro you never ask for the distance between two places - but for the time it will take you to travel there.

Although Montenegro is not an European Community member, the EURO currency is used here. This makes life simpler for travellers. On the coast banks and ATM are available everywhere and most places accept credit cards. However when you travel inland, make sure you have enough cash with you.

Montenegro uses standard European two-pin plugs at 220V. Wifi is common and reliable at most places on the coast. Mobile network coverage is also good on the coast however in the mountains you will often be without a signal. Roaming costs are very high. It’s a good idea to buy a local SIM card if you need to make phone calls.

In July there is an interesting festival in Perast town called Fasinada. Locals decorate their boats and organise a regatta to commemorate their sea-faring tradition. On the same day they will also bring rocks and throw them into the sea around the island of Our Lady of the Rocks.

The International Summer Carnival is held in Kotor around the first week in August. Groups from around the country parade the streets in colourful festive dress and later join the all night masked ball.