Montenegro in September: weather, sea and what's on

September is still summer on the coast: on the 1961-1990 normals Bar averages daily highs of 25.3 °C and Herceg Novi 26.1 °C, with rain on 7 to 8 days. The bathing season carries on with fewer lifeguards than in August, every hiking area is open, and the seasonal Bar-Subotica day train ran until 14 September in 2026. The month opens with the Herceg Novi Comics Festival, which ran from 4 to 9 September 2026 with free concerts.

Weather in September

The figures are ZHMS climate normals for 1961-1990, the only normals the institute publishes. Kotor and Budva have no ZHMS station; Herceg Novi and Bar are the nearest coastal stations.

Podgorica stays the warmest by day. In the north, Kolašin and Žabljak have lows of 5 to 6 °C and rain on 10 to 11 days, so pack a warm layer for mountain days. Today's forecast: Podgorica, Bar, Herceg Novi, Kolašin, Žabljak, or the weather overview.

The sea

The latest measured sea temperature is on its own page. September is inside the bathing season: the public enterprise Morsko dobro tests bathing water from May to October and keeps lifeguards on the beaches in September, at a lower level than in July and August. The Bar tourist organisation gives the swimming season as mid-May to mid-October.

What's on in September

Dates are from the latest published editions. Each year's dates are published by the organisers and the tourist organisations in summer: Herceg Novi, Budva, Tivat, Podgorica, Bar and Kotor.

• Krtoli Sailing Week, Tivat: 28 August to 6 September 2026 (Tivat tourist organisation calendar).
• Herceg Novi Comics Festival (Hercegnovski strip festival), Herceg Novi, at Forte Mare: six evenings with free concerts; the 20th edition ran 4-9 September 2026.
• Petrovac Jazz Festival, Petrovac: the latest dated edition, the 19th, ran 5-7 September 2025 (Budva tourist organisation).
• Klapa gathering (smotra klapa), Tivat: the fourth was held on the islet of Gospa od Milosti on 5 September 2026.
• Tivat World Music Festival, Tivat: 11-13 September 2026.
• FIAT (Festival internacionalnog alternativnog teatra), Podgorica: the 41st edition gave its awards on 12 September 2026.
• Street Food Festival, Podgorica, in Podgorički park from 18:00 to 24:00: 17-20 September 2026 (Podgorica tourist organisation).
• Nikšić Guitar Fest, Nikšić: now a classical-music festival; the 21st edition opened on 23 September 2026 and ran to 15 December 2026.
• International Literature Festival (Međunarodni festival književnosti), Podgorica, on Trg nezavisnosti: the second edition ran from 29 September to 4 October 2026.

Three more events are listed for September without a current date. The Bar tourist organisation lists the Grape Festival (Festival grožđa) in Virpazar on Skadar Lake. The X-Waters open-water swim from Risan to Perast, held since 2019 over 1 mile, 4.5 km or 7 km, had its 2025 entry on 27 September in the Kotor tourist organisation's calendar. The director of the Žabljak tourist organisation named the Durmitor Sky Race and the Blacklake Extreme Triathlon in Žabljak as September events in 2026 (press).

Seasons: what opens and closes

• Trains: the seasonal day train Bar-Subotica ran from 13 June to 14 September 2026, and the summer timetable was valid to 30 September 2026. The night train Bar-Belgrade runs all year; see the Bar-Belgrade train.
• Hiking: every area in the national tourist organisation's calendar is open to the end of October: the coastal mountains from mid-April, Bjelasica and Sinjajevina from May, and the high mountains (Durmitor, Komovi, Prokletije, Maglić, Visitor, Hajla) from June.
• Durmitor: the park's management plan names July to mid-September as the busiest period, mainly at Black Lake and on the Tara. See Durmitor National Park.
• Tara rafting: the national tourist organisation gives an April to October season (the 2026 offers it listed ran from 1 May to 1 October); Durmitor National Park calls 1 July to 15 September the safest window by water level. See rafting.
• Free national park day: on 6 September, Durmitor Day, entry to all national parks is free under the parks' fee decision.
• Kolašin 1600 in summer: the ski centre's summer season (hiking, biking, events) opened on 7 June 2026; no closing date has been published. See Kolašin 1600.

Public holidays

20 September is the Day of the Ecological State. Under the law on state and other holidays it is a working holiday, so it brings no day off. Religious holidays are paid leave for believers only. Dates and rules: public holidays.

How busy it is

Hotels, campsites and other collective accommodation recorded 189,447 arrivals in September 2025, against 244,904 in August (MONSTAT; private rentals are not counted). There is no separate figure for Kotor or any other town.

Where to go

• Herceg Novi in the first week for the Comics Festival's free concerts at Forte Mare, with 26.1 °C by day, the warmest coastal station in September.
• Petrovac and the Budva riviera for the Jazz Festival in the first weekend and beaches that still have lifeguards, at the lower off-season level, and fewer people than in August (189,447 arrivals nationally against 244,904).
• Tivat for the klapa gathering on Gospa od Milosti and the World Music Festival in the second week.
• Podgorica in the second half for the Street Food Festival in Podgorički park and the Literature Festival on Trg nezavisnosti; the city averages 27.4 °C by day and only 7 wet days.
• Durmitor and the Tara in the first half: the park's busiest period ends in mid-September and its safest rafting window on 15 September, and entry is free on 6 September. Nights are already cold, 5 to 6 °C in Žabljak and Kolašin.
• The train: the last daylight rides on the Bar-Subotica day train are in mid-September.

What to pack

Summer clothes and swimwear for the coast and Podgorica: highs of 25 to 27 °C, lows of 16 to 17 °C and rain on 7 to 8 days, with a rain jacket for Herceg Novi's wetter 151.5 mm. For the mountains pack for early autumn: lows of 5 to 6 °C in Kolašin and Žabljak, rain on 10 to 11 days, so a fleece, a waterproof and boots. Festival evenings are outdoors; a light layer is enough on the coast. 20 September is a working holiday, so shops stay open.

A sample week in the first half of September

1. Days 1-2, Herceg Novi: the Comics Festival at Forte Mare (4-9 September in 2026) and the beaches of the bay's mouth.
2. Day 3, Tivat and Perast: the klapa gathering on Gospa od Milosti (5 September in 2026) or the World Music Festival the week after, and Perast by the ferry's summer timetable.
3. Days 4-5, Petrovac: the Jazz Festival weekend (5-7 September in 2025) and the beach with off-season lifeguards.
4. Days 6-7, Žabljak: a Tara rafting day before the safest window closes on 15 September and a Durmitor hike, with free entry on 6 September.

Dates shift every year; the organisers' sites above carry the current ones.