Although the sea is the one that attracts a high number of visitors to Montenegro, this state definitely has much more to offer, like its culture, history and cuisine.
Panoramic street
There is no more spectacular presentation for Montenegro than traveling around the beautiful bay of Kotor. The resemblance to the fjords makes this trip very exciting. The mountains remain a constant backdrop along the busy Adriatic coast highway, though your attention will be constantly drawn to the twinkling of the water from below.
There is hardly a road in Montenegro that is not great. The main highway from Podgorica to Serbia is also a panoramic road, which crosses the Moraca Canyon.
Cities
The student capital of Montenegro, Podgorica and Niksic have a modest charm and some noisy bars, but do not expect the noise of big cities. Much more interesting are the palaces and museums of the ancient royal capital, Cetinje and the ancient walled cities of the coast. One of these, Herceg Novi, is a sunny resort town that stretches along the slopes between the coastal highway and a wonderful pedestrian promenade.
Kotor tops the list of historic street landscapes and the grandeur of its surroundings. Situated between the mountains and the bay, its ancient center is surrounded by walls.
Medieval villages
Small villages lost in time are a hallmark of the interior of Montenegro. Some of the villages can be explored around Lake Shkodra, where families still make wine as they have for centuries. The beautiful Rijeka Crnojevica, on the banks of the river of the same name, has a set of historic structures, including the modest house of Petar I Petrovic (St. Peter of Cetinje) and a stone bridge commissioned by Prince Danilo. It is also worth visiting the nearby village of Dodosi.
You should not miss visiting the wonderful Perast, with a population of 300 inhabitants.
kitchen
The village of Njegusi, the ancestral home of its former rulers Petrovic, is famous for cheese and honey, but especially bacon, which is valued throughout the former Yugoslavia. If you see a dish with the surname Njeguski on a menu (whether it is steak or pork chop) expect it to be filled with high quality bacon and cheese.
On the coast the cuisine is not much different from that of neighboring Dalmatia. Venetian influence remains in the form of various pastas and risottos. Around Lake Shkodra, squid and octopus are exchanged for freshwater fish such as eels, carp and lizards.
Archaeological sites
Waves of empires have swept this land since ancient times. The Romans took it from the native Illyrians in the 2nd century BC and the legacy of their long rule can still be seen today, most importantly in the form of a group of beautifully preserved mosaics, discovered at Risan in the Bay of Kotor.
Montenegro’s busiest coastal city, Budva, was once a Greek colony and is one of the oldest cities on the Adriatic. The Budva Museum houses numerous archeological treasures from the classical era, some of which were discovered by the necropolis of the Roman era.
Immerse yourself in nature
Among the mountains, lakes and rivers of the interior of the country, there are many wonderful places to stay and to be surrounded by nature. One of our favorites is a delightful family camp near Dobrilovina, on the banks of the Tara River, where you can set up a tent, rent a camping minibus, or rent a small wooden cabin.
Also worth considering are the ethno or eco villages, small complexes of wooden huts reminiscent of traditional villages, which are scattered throughout the mountainous regions in the north of the country.
If we had to single out just one memorable outdoor activity, it would be rafting through the gorgeous Tara Canyon in Durmitor National Park. The scenery is truly breathtaking. / Lonely Planet