Igalo

Getting there

The centre of Herceg Novi is 3.5 km by road, about 6 minutes by car or half an hour on foot (2.7 km), and the Debeli Brijeg border crossing to Croatia, towards Dubrovnik, is 6.5 km away. The shortest road to Tivat, its airport, Kotor and Budva uses the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry; the road round the bay through Risan and Perast avoids it. Times are without traffic and, for ferry routes, without the crossing and the wait.

By bus. Blue Line, which runs the Herceg Novi city and suburban lines, has its office in Igalo (Trebinjska 48, +382 31 336 006, Monday to Saturday 07:00-14:00) and publishes its timetables as images on its website; the Kamenari line passes through Igalo. Intercity buses leave from Herceg Novi bus station, where a tourist bureau opens Monday to Saturday 08:00-14:30; see the buses guide.

Blatna plaža and the shore

Blatna plaža (Mud Beach) is a sand beach 3 km from Herceg Novi where visitors take sea mud from the shallows and use it free of charge; supervised treatment is a matter for the institute. The beach has sunbeds, umbrellas and parking. Beside it, the Igalo bathing area is a public and hotel beach, fully equipped and mostly concrete, and cafés and restaurants line the promenade, Šetalište Pet Danica, which runs along the shore to Herceg Novi.

Rafaelo, a sand-and-pebble beach at Topla, lies on the border between Igalo and Herceg Novi. Towards the mouth of the bay, 3 km by road, Njivice has several beaches with shallow water and a naturist section, one of them a Blue Flag holder. The Sutorina, Montenegro's westernmost river at 9 km, runs through Igalo and reaches the sea at Provodina. The bathing season runs from May to October; the beaches page lists the rest of the coast.

The Igalo Institute

The Institute for Physical Medicine, Rehabilitation and Rheumatology “Dr Simo Milošević” (Institut Igalo, Sava Ilića 5) was founded in 1949 by the government of the People's Republic of Montenegro because of the healing value of Igalo's natural resources, and began as a centre for climatic and spa treatment. It became the Institute for Physiotherapy and Medical Rehabilitation in 1957, took its present name in 1976 and has been a joint-stock company since 1996; the school of physiotherapy it opened in 1976 became a faculty of the University of Montenegro in 2004. It uses Igalo sea mud (peloid), mineral water, the sea and the climate, and its programmes cover rheumatological, cardiac, respiratory, neurological, locomotor, sports-injury and children's rehabilitation, with a polyclinic and diagnostics. The former Tito villa Galeb is part of its complex. It is a contracted institution of the national health network; see hospitals and clinics.

Mimosa Festival and New Year's Eve

The Mimosa Festival (Praznik mimoze) of Herceg Novi lasts about two weeks in February, and Igalo is one of its five venues. The opening parade runs from Trg Nikole Đurkovića through Škver and along the promenade to Igalo, where the town keys are handed to the carnival captain and a concert follows on the plateau; evening concerts use the same plateau, and the flower exhibition and a masked ball are held at the institute. On 31 December the New Year's Eve programme of Herceg Novi takes place on the large plateau in Igalo, a few dozen metres from the sea.

Parking

Parking servis Herceg Novi runs paid street zones from Igalo to Meljine. The blue zone covers the streets of central Igalo and part of the yellow zone also lies in Igalo; neither has a time limit and both sell day tickets. An hour costs €0.80 in the blue zone and €0.60 in the yellow. Charging runs 07:00-24:00 every day in July and August, 07:00-24:00 except Sundays in June and September, and 07:00-21:00 except Sundays the rest of the year. SMS payment works only from Montenegrin mobile numbers. The Igalo garage on Norveška ulica has 100 spaces, two EV chargers and a pay station at the exit, and a seasonal car park opens on Sava Ilića near the institute.

Practical information

Sava Ilića is the main street. Its two tourist information bureaus, at no. 48 (+382 31 338 052) and the Galeb bureau (+382 31 337 303), open Monday to Saturday 08:00-21:00 all year. The post office is at Sava Ilića 1 (postcode 85347, 07:00-20:00), and three pharmacies are on the same street: Montefarm at no. 14, Tilia at no. 1 and Medicor Mimoza at no. 30. ATMs stand along Sava Ilića, on the Pet Danica promenade and at the institute. The Igalo outpatient clinic is on +382 31 331 333 and the Herceg Novi health centre on +382 31 343 111; the ambulance number is 124. Herceg Novi has no general hospital; the nearest is the clinical hospital centre in Kotor. Accommodation is mostly hotels and private rooms, with Igalo known for its health centres and shallow beaches and often chosen by families.

When to go

The bathing season runs from May to October; only in July and August is street parking charged every day until midnight, which tells you when the crowds are. The institute and both tourist bureaus work all year, and the winter dates are the Mimosa Festival in February and New Year's Eve on the plateau.

Nearby

• Herceg Novi, 3.5 km: the Forte Mare, Kanli Kula and Španjola fortresses, the clock tower and the city museum.
• Portonovi, 10.8 km, and the beaches of the Luštica side, Žanjice, Mirište and Dobreč, with the Blue Cave and Mamula on the boat tours.
• Orjen above the town, with the Orjensko sedlo viewpoint, and the Salty and Sweet (Top Trail 1) cycling route.
• The Montenegrin coast page covers the whole shore.

Questions

How far is Igalo from Herceg Novi?

3.5 km by road, about 6 minutes by car; on foot it is 2.7 km along the promenade, about half an hour.

Is the mud at Igalo free?

Yes. On Blatna plaža visitors take sea mud from the shallows and use it free of charge; supervised treatment at the institute is a separate service.

What is the Igalo Institute?

A rehabilitation and rheumatology institute founded in 1949 and named after Dr Simo Milošević since 1976; it treats patients all year with sea mud, mineral water and the climate, and belongs to the national health network.

How far is the Croatian border?

The Debeli Brijeg crossing is 6.5 km from Igalo, about 11 minutes.

Where do I park in Igalo?

In the blue (€0.80 an hour) or yellow (€0.60) street zone, or in the 100-space garage on Norveška ulica. Street parking is free on Sundays except in July and August.

How do I get from Igalo to Tivat or Kotor?

Over the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry, 16.9 km away: Tivat is 23.6 km and Kotor 33.8 km by that route, plus the crossing. The road round the bay through Risan and Perast avoids the ferry.

How many people live in Igalo?

5,977 at the 2023 census, more than in the settlement of Herceg Novi itself.

What is the postcode of Igalo?

85347; the post office is at Sava Ilića 1.