Pros and Cons of Visiting Montenegro: An Honest Look, Prices and Tips

Wondering whether Montenegro is worth the trip? If you love the sea and the mountains and want to see very different places in a single week, then yes, it is. But there are downsides you'd better know about in advance: hairpin roads, summer traffic jams, pricey sunbeds and crowds in July and August. I've put all the pros and cons of a holiday in Montenegro into two lists, with 2026 prices and practical tips.

I'm Mariia Sosnina. I live in Montenegro and shoot weddings and photo sessions here, so I travel around the country all year round, from the coast to the mountains in the north. What follows is my personal take, with no glossy promises.

What are the pros and cons of Montenegro in a nutshell?

I counted ten pros and eleven cons of Montenegro. The table puts them side by side, and below I go through each one in detail.

Keep in mind that traffic jams and crowds mostly happen in July and August, so in other months some of these cons simply won't affect you.

What are the pros of a holiday in Montenegro?

The main pros of a holiday in Montenegro are the clean sea, mountains close by, safety, tasty food and a sense of calm. Here are the ten reasons I love this country.

1. Cheaper than Croatia and Italy

Coffee here costs from €1.50, pizza or pasta €12-20, and the portions are huge. Not everything is cheap, though: sunbeds, wine and coastal restaurants are covered in the cons.

2. Lots of different places in a week

Montenegro is small, but this compact patch of land packs in a surprising number of very different places. In one week you can lie on the beach, hike in the mountains and visit national parks that are just a few hours' drive from the sea.

From the sea to the mountains it's about 2.5 to 3 hours one way, so you can drive to Durmitor or Kolašin and back in a day. A new motorway from Podgorica towards Kolašin has made the drive north much faster. You can even do a loop: drive up to Durmitor, cross the Sedlo mountain pass and come back to the coast past Piva Lake.

Short on time? Start with Lovćen, which has one of the most beautiful views of the Bay of Kotor. The Kotor Cable Car runs up from Kotor, but only in season, and it stops in strong wind. The other national parks of Montenegro are also worth at least a day each.

3. Clear turquoise sea

The sea in Montenegro is very clean, clear and turquoise, and the Adriatic here is stunning. The best months for swimming are June to August, though some people find the water warm enough as early as April. At the end of October 2026 the water was around 21°C, and swimming was still comfortable.

The beaches here vary a lot. In the Bay of Kotor, people mostly swim from pontoons. The Budva Riviera has pebble beaches, some with very fine pebbles: Jaz Beach feels almost sandy, but it's still pebbly. The beaches at Sveti Stefan and Petrovac are pebbly too.

Velika Plaža in Ulcinj is a completely different story. The sand there is dark grey, the beach is wide and open, the water is shallow, and in summer it gets very hot and the sand burns. The place has an almost Asian feel and looks nothing like the rest of Montenegro. For quiet coves, head to the Luštica peninsula.

4. Meaty food, cheese and huge portions

Montenegrin food has always been about meat. If you love meat, be sure to try ćevapi, pljeskavica and meat slow-cooked under the sač, an iron lid covered with hot embers. I'd also recommend the local cheeses, olives and beef pršut. Everyone knows jamón and pork prosciutto, but in Montenegro pršut is made from beef too, and it's delicious. On the coast, the fish is fresh.

Portions are huge almost everywhere, unless you're in a fine-dining restaurant. Two people can order two mains and one salad, and sometimes one main is enough. And stop by any market: they'll let you taste everything and pour you some wine and rakija, because that's the custom here. Sometimes it adds up to a whole breakfast.

5. Very safe

Montenegro is a very safe country. There are no street robberies, and I've never heard of women being harassed. People leave their car running with the keys inside while they pop into a shop, and leave their things on the beach while they swim.

The only thing I've heard of: near Jaz Beach in summer, someone may smash a car window if anything is left in view inside. It's usually the work of thieves from out of town. So do still take the usual precautions.

6. Kind locals

Locals are genuinely kind and will help you without expecting anything back if you get into trouble. On the road, someone will always stop to help, and up north people may feed you, pour you a drink and give you a bed for the night. That said, in peak season you won't see many locals on the coast: tourists are mostly served by seasonal staff from elsewhere.

Tourists hardly ever run into the famous Montenegrin “polako” (take it slow), because in summer everything on the coast moves fast. It's mostly people who move here for good who come up against it. I write more about it in my article on the pros and cons of living in Montenegro.

More and more people speak English, taxi drivers included, and if all else fails, a translation app on your phone will help.

7. A sense of calm

In Montenegro, life seems to slow down a little. I look at the mountains and the sea, and I feel warm and calm inside. If you want a break from the noise and rush of city life, here it happens all by itself.

8. Beautiful light and views everywhere

The mountains in Montenegro rise straight from the water, so there's a beautiful view almost wherever you look. The sunsets and the light are stunning, and something always catches your eye: old Kotor, the slopes above the Bay of Kotor or Sveti Stefan island. These views still amaze and inspire me.

Every time I step out of the house, I look in some direction and think: how beautiful. And wherever I go, it's the same.Mariia Sosnina

No wonder you want to take pictures all the time in Montenegro, and not just on your phone.

If you'd like to bring home beautiful photos as well as memories, book a holiday photo session. We shoot with no ostentatious staging, but with humor and meaning: you don't need to pose, just relax and be yourselves. For ideas on where to shoot, see our list of photo session locations in Montenegro.

9. Hiking in the north

If you love hiking, Montenegro won't disappoint. The north is breathtaking and full of trails, for example around Žabljak on Durmitor or in the Prokletije mountains. There's a good route by the sea too: the trail from Kotor to Lovćen is tough, with a lot of elevation gain, but the view from the top is worth it.

10. Secluded beaches, but only by boat

You won't find an empty beach in summer, with one exception. Behind Sveti Nikola island, opposite Budva, there are tiny beaches you can only reach by water. Ask a boatman to take you there, then jump in and enjoy a beach almost to yourselves. And if you'd rather have music, cocktails and service by the water, check out our guide to Montenegro's beach clubs.

What are the cons of Montenegro?

The main cons of Montenegro for tourists are hairpin roads and summer traffic jams, inconvenient public transport, crowds in July and August and expensive sunbeds.

1. Hairpin roads and reckless drivers

Montenegro has few big roads and no motorway along the coast, and the road into the mountains almost always winds up through hairpin bends. In places the asphalt is very slippery, so slow down on the bends. Local drivers can be aggressive: they overtake on blind corners and pull out into oncoming traffic. Cameras have gone up everywhere lately, though, and driving has become noticeably calmer.

The Kotor Serpentine, the road from Kotor up to Lovćen, is very narrow. In summer, buses go up it despite the bans, and you can be stuck in a jam for two hours. It's better to drive to Lovćen via Cetinje, on a comfortable new road with no traffic.

If you'll be driving, here's my advice:

• Check the tires on your rental car: they shouldn't be worn.
• Don't blindly trust Google Maps. It can send you down very narrow lanes, so stick to proper, well-known roads.
• Follow the rules and be polite to the police. Officers here are friendly and always happy to help, but if a camera catches you breaking the rules, you'll have to pay the fine.

2. Summer traffic jams

In summer the coast gets badly congested. In August there are constant jams at the entrance to Budva and on the way into Kotor from Tivat, and Tivat itself is almost gridlocked in season between the airport and the center. That won't change until bypass roads are built around the coastal towns.

3. Inconvenient public transport

There are buses between towns, but they sometimes run late, and in summer they sit in the same traffic. The easiest place to catch one is the bus station, and you pay the driver in cash: no cards, no turnstiles, all very old-school.

There's no Uber or anything like it here. You book a taxi by messaging a specific company on Viber or WhatsApp, and every town has its own companies. They don't put you on a waiting list: in summer they may simply reply that no cars are free, and that's it. Taxis aren't cheap either, especially in summer. In Podgorica, though, there is a handy Tesla taxi service you can book through the TeslaGo app.

The best-known train is the Bar-Belgrade line. The route is gorgeous, but the train is old: delays happen, it can stop in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes the air conditioning doesn't work. Take it if you like a bit of risk.

4. Crowds in July and August

Peak season in Montenegro is July and August, so don't even try to find an empty beach then. From the second week of September, the crowds thin out fast.

The Blue Cave has become hugely popular in recent years, and in summer there is a real queue of boats outside it. You can book a trip there from Žanjice beach, for example, but be ready for crowds.

5. Expensive sunbeds

Sunbeds in Montenegro cost more than most tourists expect. The price is usually for a set for two: two loungers, a small table and an umbrella.

Don't want to pay for sunbeds? Remember pro number 10, about the beaches you reach by boat.

6. Good wine isn't cheap or easy to find

Wine in Montenegro takes some know-how: mass-market and homemade wine aren't worth it. Good Montenegrin wine does exist, but it can cost more than Italian or Croatian. It comes from small wineries that mostly sell to restaurants, so good wine is hard to find in a supermarket. A bottle of the most basic local Plantaže costs from €15-20 in a restaurant, and a small 187 ml bottle (about a glass and a half) is €7-8. Serbian wines are easy to find too.

Good restaurants carry Italian and French wine, but the prices bite. Montenegro isn't in the EU, so imported wine costs 2 to 3 times more than in EU countries.

The good news is that you can buy good wine outside restaurants too: Montenegro has proper wine shops. Tivat and Budva have shops with a big range of Balkan wines, and there's another one on the road between Perast and Kotor. Wine Empire in Tivat has an excellent choice of European wine, and Podgorica has several wine shops as well.

7. Overpriced restaurants on the coast

Restaurants serving local food on the coast are a little overpriced. Budget €15-20 per person, and that probably won't cover drinks. The coast lives off the resort trade, so for traditional food and real local life, head north.

8. Little to do in the rain and in winter

Montenegro is made for summer holidays in good weather, and when it rains there isn't much to do. There are no indoor water parks, big museums or other large indoor attractions: everything is small and compact. The aquarium in Kotor is tiny, and you can see all of it in 30 minutes. That leaves spa hotels and shopping in Podgorica.

In winter it gets dark very early, around 4 pm: the sun drops behind the mountains, and it turns cold right away. On the plus side, there are small Christmas markets with mulled wine, which locals call kuvano vino, and good New Year's concerts, mostly with local performers.

9. ATM fees and few exchange offices

You can pay by card almost everywhere in Montenegro except markets, stalls selling homemade products and some parking lots, so keep a little cash on you. Getting cash out costs money, though: a bank ATM charges about €3 plus your own bank's fee, and a non-bank ATM about €6. There are hardly any exchange offices, so you change money at banks, and they only handle a few currencies.

10. Tap water is best avoided

I don't recommend drinking tap water. It isn't poor quality: the water here comes from the mountains and is very high in minerals. For drinking, it's easier to buy bottled water.

11. Litter at viewpoints

Montenegro has hardly any big, purpose-built viewing platforms. A viewpoint here is usually just a spot by the road with a nice view where you can pull over. Some of them do get littered. You'll see litter in other places too, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder: if you don't let your eye linger on it, it won't spoil the experience.

By the way, the mountains here come right down to the water, so you'll find a great photo backdrop on almost any route, and the sunset light is gorgeous. That makes it easy to fit a photo session into your trip. Message us when you're in Montenegro, and we'll set up a shoot.

When is the best time to visit Montenegro?

The best time to visit Montenegro is September, once the peak season has passed. It's my favourite month: there are fewer people, and it's still summer. For the numbers, from day and night temperatures to rainy days, see our guide to Montenegro weather by month.

Whichever month you choose, the easiest way to get around the country is by car.

Do you need a car in Montenegro?

A car is really useful in Montenegro, and I always recommend renting one: the routes are great, there are lots of interesting places, and you can stop wherever and whenever you like. The main thing is to park properly. Never leave the car where parking isn't allowed, watch the signs and pay for parking, or use paid parking lots with a barrier. In summer an hour of parking costs about €1.50-2, a bit more in some places.

Street parking is paid by text message, but payment from a foreign number doesn't seem to go through. The signs show an app for paying, but the last time I tried, I couldn't sign up for it, so a parking lot with a barrier is the safer bet. It's best to book your car in advance, before the trip.

How much does a holiday in Montenegro cost in 2026?

A holiday in Montenegro in 2026 generally costs less than in Croatia or Italy, but sunbeds and imported wine are pricier than you'd expect. Here are the prices to plan around.

Where should you stay in Montenegro?

Montenegro doesn't have many hotels, but lots of apartments with kitchens are for rent, especially in towns. You can find a place for under €100 a night in summer, but it will most likely be really bad, far from the sea or somewhere over the hill, where getting to the beach is a hassle. Book through Booking, Airbnb or the hotel's official contacts, and never send money on a private arrangement. If you'd like to stay in the old town, see our guide to hotels in Kotor.

How much should you tip in Montenegro?

I always leave about 10%, and I'd suggest you do the same. Tips are very rarely included in the bill, and waiters are usually employed on the minimum wage of €600 a month, on the understanding that they'll earn tips. You can leave less, but 10% is the normal amount here. Taxi drivers and others are always glad of a tip too. And if I really don't like something, I leave nothing.

What else should you know before a trip to Montenegro?

Before a trip to Montenegro, it helps to know a few everyday things: how to get a SIM card, where to catch a boat and what to wear to a monastery.

• Mobile data. Local SIM cards are sold at the airport, and there are tourist packages. Montenegro isn't in the EU, so whether EU roaming works depends on your provider. You can also buy a local eSIM online: all you need is your passport, and verification takes a couple of minutes.
• Airport. In Tivat and Podgorica, it's best to book a transfer in advance or go to the official taxi desk rather than get into the first car you see at the exit.
• Lake Skadar. Lake Skadar is the largest lake in the Balkans, and for a boat trip it's better to set off from Rijeka Crnojevića than from Virpazar, because the beautiful channels start almost right away. From Virpazar it takes 30-40 minutes to reach the interesting spots, so the trip ends up about two hours long, and you also pay the national park entrance fee, €5 per person per day. Keep in mind that you may need to pay the park fee in Rijeka Crnojevića too.

• Boats in the Bay of Kotor. In Perast, head straight to the main pier: a boat to Our Lady of the Rocks and back costs €5 per person. In the parking lot, someone will offer you a “private boat tour” for €35, but you'll end up in the same small group boat.
• Monasteries and churches. The best-known monasteries in Montenegro are Cetinje Monastery and Ostrog. You can't go in wearing shorts, swimwear, flip-flops or a short skirt, or with your midriff showing. A headscarf isn't required and it's best to cover your shoulders, though nobody is strict about it. Budva Old Town and Kotor have lots of churches, and you can step into any of them.
• Health. Medical insurance is a must. Every town has pharmacies, including 24-hour ones, but antibiotics are prescription-only, so bring your own medicines. If your blood pressure tends to jump, pack a blood pressure monitor, because it can act up on the hairpin roads.
• Festivals. Every town has its own small festivals. In Perast, Fašinada takes place on July 22, when locals head out to the island in boats, and Kotor sometimes hosts a costume carnival. Festivals tend to be crowded, so check the dates in advance.

Thinking of getting married in Montenegro?

You can get married in Montenegro by the sea, in an old stone town or at a villa. If that's what you have in mind, start with our guides:

• Wedding venues in Montenegro: types, pros and cons, examples.
• What the celebration costs: the average cost of a wedding in Montenegro.
• 10 reasons to get married in Montenegro, if you're still on the fence.
• Documents and steps: how to get legally married in Montenegro.
• Who will organize it all: how to choose a wedding planner.
• Who will capture your day: how to choose a wedding photographer in Montenegro.

We're Mariia Sosnina and Vasilii Khmelev, and we photograph and film weddings with no ostentatious staging, but with humor and meaning: you don't need to pose, just relax and be yourselves. Our wedding film runs about 10 minutes, is shot in 4K and has live sound, so you can hear your vows, your laughter and your guests' voices. Take a look at our weddings in Montenegro to see if our style feels right for you.

Planning a wedding here without a planner is hard: someone has to keep the venue, the vendors and the day itself under control. Looking for a wedding photographer in Montenegro and a reliable planner? Write to us. We'll recommend a planner we trust, they'll check venue availability and put together a quote for your number of guests, and we'll take care of the photos and video.

Frequently asked questions

So, is Montenegro worth visiting?

Montenegro is best for people who love hiking and a quiet holiday. And to keep the cons from spoiling your trip, choose September and rent a car.

For me, Montenegro is probably the most beautiful country in the world. My heart is here, and its beauty still takes my breath away.

If you want photos from your trip that feel alive, not just selfies, book a photo session with us. It usually lasts about an hour and a half at one location, and we shoot in the golden hour before sunset. Write to us, and together we'll pick a spot for the shoot along your route.