Blatna plaža (Mud Beach), Igalo

Sand · Herceg Novi

Type: Sand
Water: Good
Crowds: Moderate

Blatna plaža (Mud Beach) is the sand beach of Igalo, about 3 km west of Herceg Novi at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor. The sand here is mixed with the sea mud that made Igalo a spa town, and the mud from the shallows is used free of charge. Behind the beach run the seafront promenade, with its cafés and restaurants, and the Igalo Institute, founded in 1949, which treats rheumatic and neurological conditions with the same mud.

A stone seafront walkway beside calm water at sunset, with houses on the hillside — The seafront walk at Igalo towards Herceg NoviPhoto: ines lukic, CC BY 3.0

The beach

The shore at Igalo is 1,500 m long and the mud beach itself covers about 9,000 m². The surface is sand with a mud-like healing sand, and the water is shallow, which suits families with small children. Along the same shore lies the "Igalo" bathing area, a public and hotel beach that is mostly concrete. Sunbeds and umbrellas are set out in season, with parking nearby.

Bathers standing far out in shallow water in front of a beach, with mountains behind — The shallow water off Igalo beachPhoto: Natalia Semenova, CC BY 3.0

The mud and the Institute

Igalo's natural assets are its sea mud (peloid), mineral water, the sea and the mild climate. On the beach the mud is used free of charge for self-treatment. Supervised treatment is a separate matter and belongs to the Institute "Dr Simo Milošević" at Sava Ilića 5, founded in 1949 by the government of the People's Republic of Montenegro and today an institute for physical medicine, rehabilitation and rheumatology.

Thatched umbrellas over red sunbeds on a beach by the bay — Reed umbrellas and sunbeds at IgaloPhoto: Natalia Semenova, CC BY 3.0

Getting there and parking

From the centre of Herceg Novi it is 3.5 km by road, about 6 minutes, or 2.7 km and about half an hour on foot along the promenade. The Debeli Brijeg border crossing to Croatia is 6.5 km away (about 11 minutes). Tivat Airport is 27 km and about 45 minutes using the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry, without the crossing and waiting time; Kotor is 34 km (about 54 minutes) the same way. Herceg Novi's city and suburban buses are run by Blue Line, which has its office in Igalo.

Street parking in Igalo is zoned: the blue zone costs €0.80 an hour and the yellow zone €0.60, with no time limit and day tickets available; Sundays are free outside July and August. Charging runs 07:00-21:00 outside the season, until midnight in June and September, and every day until midnight in July and August. The "Igalo" garage on Norveška ulica has 100 spaces and two EV chargers, and a seasonal car park opens on Sava Ilića near the Institute.

Rules on the beach

Every public bathing area on the coast must keep half of its length free of loungers and umbrellas, with a free strip along the water, so there is always room for your own towel. Lifeguards are on duty through the bathing season, May to October, when the bathing water is also tested.

Practical

Tourist information: TIB Igalo Mjesna zajednica, Sava Ilića 48, +382 31 338 052, and TIB Igalo Galeb, Sava Ilića bb, +382 31 337 303, both Monday to Saturday 08:00-21:00 all year. For the town, its events and the Institute, see Igalo.

Nearby

Rafaelo at Topla, on the border of Igalo and Herceg Novi.
Njivice, 3 km by road towards the mouth of the bay, with shallow water and a Blue Flag hotel area.
Forte Mare and Kanli Kula in Herceg Novi.