Beaches in Montenegro

Sandy, pebble or rock

Sand is in the south. Velika plaža (13 km) and Ada Bojana (about 3 km of sand on the island at the mouth of the Bojana) have a sandy seabed as well, and Mala plaža below Ulcinj's Old Town is sand too. Around Budva the picture is mixed: Bečići is about 2,000 m of sand, Mogren is two small sandy beaches joined by a tunnel about 500 m from the Old Town, Kamenovo, Pržno and Miločer are sand, Jaz has pebble on the shore with sand under the water, and Petrovac and Sveti Stefan have reddish and pinkish sand. In Bar, Sutomore is sand and Čanj sand and pebble. In the Bay of Kotor and on Luštica most beaches are pebble or built platforms; Plavi horizonti in Pržna bay is the exception, the largest beach in Tivat municipality, fine sand with an easy entry, and Kalardovo near the airport is a short sandy strip.

Which beach for what

• With children: Plavi horizonti near Tivat has fine sand, a smooth entry into the water, sunbeds, sports fields, changing rooms, showers, parking and a dock. On Velika plaža the water stays shallow for a long way out, so children are easy to watch. Žanjice on Luštica is a pebble cove that also counts as a family beach. On managed beaches a lifeguard watches every 50 m of shore in July and August.
• Sand: Velika plaža, Ada Bojana and Mala plaža at Ulcinj; Bečići, Mogren, Kamenovo, Pržno and Miločer at Budva; Sutomore at Bar; Plavi horizonti and Kalardovo at Tivat.
• Long walks: Velika plaža (13 km), Ada Bojana (about 3 km), Buljarica (about 2,250 m) and Bečići (about 2,000 m) are the longest continuous beaches.
• Close to an old town: Mogren is about 500 m from Budva's Old Town, Mala plaža sits directly below Ulcinj's, and Slovenska plaža runs along Budva's promenade.
• Naturist: Ada Bojana, the island at the mouth of the Bojana.

Beaches compared

Lengths and surfaces are those of the whole beach; the Blue Flag column counts flagged bathing areas on it in 2026 (one beach can hold several, see below).

Beaches by town

• Herceg Novi: 18 km of coastline in the municipality. Luštica coves Žanjice, Mirišta and Dobreč; Njivice towards the Croatian border.
• Tivat: Plavi horizonti on Luštica, about 30 minutes' drive from town; Kalardovo and Opatovo near the airport.
• Budva: the densest stretch. Jaz, Mogren, Slovenska plaža, Bečići, Kamenovo, Pržno, Miločer, Sveti Stefan, Kraljičina plaža at Miločer, Drobni pijesak, Petrovac, Lučice and Buljarica.
• Bar: 46 km of coast with about 9 km of beaches. Sutomore, Čanj and Kraljičina plaža at Čanj, Topolica in town, Veliki pijesak and Crvena plaža towards Ulcinj.
• Ulcinj: Velika plaža, Mala plaža below the Old Town, Ada Bojana, Valdanos and Ženska plaža.

Blue Flag beaches

In Montenegro the Blue Flag goes to a bathing area run by one concession holder, identified by its bathing-area code, not to a whole beach. Jaz therefore holds four flags in 2026 while most of its length has none. The 2026 list has 36 flagged areas: one in Herceg Novi (Njivice), two in Tivat (Luštica Bay and Plavi horizonti), 18 in Budva (four on Jaz, four on Bečići, three on Buljarica, and areas on Slovenska plaža, Drobni pijesak, Petrovac and Lučice among others), four in Bar (Čanj, Sutomore, Veliki pijesak and Utjeha bay) and 11 in Ulcinj, all on Velika plaža. Areas in the programme's pilot phase fly no flag.

Lifeguards, facilities and season

Concession holders must keep one lifeguard per 50 m of shore in July and August and one per 100 m in May, June, September and October; unmanaged beaches have none. Larger beaches such as Bečići are divided into hotel and public bathing areas, with the promenade running behind them. The swimming season runs from mid-May to mid-October. The one bathing area in Ulcinj set aside for visitors with dogs is Mojito beach (code 10J) in the middle of Velika plaža.

Getting to the beaches from the airports

From Tivat airport it is about 20 km and 24 minutes by car to Budva, 28 km and 42 minutes to Herceg Novi and 85 km and about 2 hours to Ulcinj. From Podgorica airport it is about 49 km and an hour to Bar, 67 km and 1 h 26 min to Budva and 73 km and 1 h 35 min to Ulcinj. These are free-flow driving times without summer traffic or ferry queues.