Things to do in Montenegro

The main things to do in Montenegro: walk Kotor's Old Town and climb its walls, take a boat round the Bay of Kotor, swim on the beaches from Budva to Ulcinj, cruise Skadar Lake, visit Ostrog Monastery and the Njegoš Mausoleum on Lovćen, and in the north hike Durmitor and raft the Tara canyon. The swimming season on the coast runs from mid-May to mid-October, the high mountains are walked from June to the end of October, and Kolašin and Žabljak have skiing in winter. Below are the fifteen places to start with, more by region, what to do in each season, what suits children and what costs nothing.

Fifteen places to start with

1. Kotor Old Town and its walls (coast). Part of the UNESCO-listed Kotor region since 1979. About 4.5 km of walls climb by roughly 1,400 steps to St John's Fortress, about 300 m above sea level; the ticket is €15.
2. A boat tour of the Bay of Kotor (coast). The speed-boat tours from Kotor stop at Perast, Our Lady of the Rocks, the Second World War submarine tunnels, Mamula island and the Blue Cave, which motor boats may not enter; only craft without a motor may go in.
3. Our Lady of the Rocks off Perast (coast). An artificial islet with a church and a museum, reached by boat from Perast. Every 22 July the Fašinada procession rows out to it.
4. Budva (coast). An Old Town more than 2,500 years old, and 18 of Montenegro's 36 Blue Flag bathing areas in 2026.
5. Velika plaža near Ulcinj (coast). Thirteen kilometres of fine sand, the longest beach in Montenegro, with Ada Bojana at the mouth of the Bojana.
6. Stari Bar (coast). A walled ruined town of more than 260 buildings, 4 km inland from the sea. Ticket €3; open 08:00-21:00 in season.
7. Skadar Lake (central). Boats run by licensed operators leave from Virpazar, Vranjina, Rijeka Crnojevića and Plavnica ; about 280 bird species live on and around the lake. Park ticket €5 a day.
8. Ostrog Monastery (central). Built into a cliff at about 900 m above sea level, looking over the Zeta valley. The last 3 km can be walked up through the forest.
9. The Njegoš Mausoleum on Lovćen (central). 461 steps lead up to the mausoleum; open from 11 April to 15 November. Ticket €8, plus the €3 park ticket.
10. Cetinje (central). The Old Royal Capital, with the National Museum of Montenegro and Cetinje Monastery. Lipa Cave, about 5 km away, runs guided 60-minute tours from April to November.
11. Durmitor National Park (north). 48 peaks over 2,000 m and 18 glacial lakes; the loop round the Black Lake is about 3.6 km and takes an hour. Park ticket €5 a day.
12. Rafting on the Tara (north). Through a canyon 1,333 m deep at its deepest, from April to October; the minimum age is 7.
13. The zip lines at the Đurđevića Tara bridge (north). Two lines of 1,050 m and 824 m, about 150 m above the canyon floor, with no advance booking needed.
14. Biogradska gora (north). A 3.3 km, 40-minute loop round Biogradsko Lake through one of the three remaining primeval forests in Europe.
15. Skiing at Kolašin (north). Kolašin 1600 and Kolašin 1450 : adult day passes cost €25 and €15.

Tickets, opening hours and seasons change from year to year. Check the operator's site or the local tourist organisation, or ask locally, before you go.

More on the coast

• Diving off Bar: King Nikola's yacht Rumija and the First World War destroyer Dague lie at about 18 m, the cargo ship Quinto at about 32 m.
• Kayaking and paddleboarding on the Bay of Kotor, starting from Kotor, Dobrota or Prčanj.
• Canyoning in the Škurda gorge above Kotor's northern gate: waterfalls of 5-20 m abseiled with a guide, best from April to June.
• Tandem paragliding from Brajići (731 m) above Budva, with a 10-15-minute glide down to Bečići beach.
• The fortresses of Herceg Novi, Kanli kula and Forte Mare: €4 a visit. Hours change with the season, and Forte Mare was closed for conservation work in autumn 2026; check hercegfest.me before you go.
• The Kotor-Lovćen cable car from Dub, next to the Vrmac tunnel, up to Kuk in Lovćen National Park: €20 return for adults. It closes for part of the winter.

All the towns, beaches and sights of the coast are on the coast region page.

More in central Montenegro

• Wine tasting at Šipčanik near Podgorica, Plantaže's cellar in a 356 m tunnel: one-hour programmes from €23, by appointment, for over-18s. The family wineries of Crmnica above Skadar Lake have no fixed hours, so call ahead.
• Kayaking on Skadar Lake, a good first lake for beginners; the national park rents kayaks and hands out maps of its water trails.
• Roman Doclea, 4 km from the centre of Podgorica.
• Cycling above Skadar Lake: the Virpazar-Limljani-Boljevići loop is 20 km with 375 m of climb.

More on the central Montenegro page.

More in the north

• Prokletije: the walk to Hridsko jezero from the Plav side is 3.1 km, graded easy, about an hour. Park ticket €3 a day.
• Nevidio canyon in Šavnik municipality: between 2 and 3.5 km long by different measurements, under a metre wide in places, with drops of up to 10 m and three to four hours in the water. It needs good fitness, experienced guides and full equipment.
• Piva lake in Plužine: the Piva zip line, 1,400 m across the water and the longest in Montenegro, and Via Ferrata Piva, opened in October 2024, about 4,500 m long.
• The Ice Cave on Durmitor keeps its ice through the summer: a 6.55 km one-way trail from the Black Lake, graded medium, best from June to October.
• Piva Monastery, moved stone by stone between 1970 and 1982 before the reservoir filled, and Morača Monastery of 1252, 25 km from Kolašin.

More on the northern Montenegro page, and every marked trail on hiking in Montenegro.

Things to do by season

Month-by-month weather and visitor numbers are on when to visit Montenegro.

With children

• Children under 15 enter the national parks free.
• Shallow or easy entry to the sea: Kalardovo in Tivat, Njivice in Herceg Novi, Mala plaža in Ulcinj, Lučice in Petrovac and Plavi horizonti, fine sand with a smooth, gradual entry.
• Short walks in the parks: the Black Lake loop (about 3.6 km, an hour) and the Biogradsko Lake loop (3.3 km, about 40 minutes).
• Lipa Cave: the tour starts with a ride on a tourist train, and the air inside stays at 10-12 °C, so bring a layer.
• The Kotor-Lovćen cable car: children aged 2 to 12 pay €5 return.
• Rafting on the Tara from age 7, with written parental consent for under-18s.

Documents, car seats and child fares: Montenegro with kids.

Free things to do

• Free-entry days at all five national parks: 22 April; 21, 22 and 24 May; the second Sunday of June; 13 July; 31 July; and 6 September (Durmitor Day).
• The streets of Kotor's Old Town are free to walk; the tickets are for the walls of Kotor and the ruins of Stari Bar.
• Foot passengers cross the Bay of Kotor free on the Kamenari-Lepetane ferry.
• On the beaches, the rules keep a free strip at least 3 m wide along the sea (1 m on beaches up to 500 m²), a free path to the water at least 1 m wide every 20 m, and half of the beach's length clear of sunbeds and umbrellas.

Planning the trip

Ready-made routes are on the itineraries page, every place is on the map, and the country basics are on where is Montenegro.