Holiday in Montenegro: a very varied country

17 October, 2023

High mountains, clear blue lakes, but also a coastal region with historic villages, Montenegro has it all. So, it makes perfect sense that more and more tourists are choosing Montenegro as a holiday destination. The Balkan country is still affordable. Most places have not yet been discovered by mass tourism, and you will find stunning countryside there. It is an ideal camping destination for adventurous campers. ASCI inspector Kees Romeijnders tells us about his camping experience in Montenegro.

Montenegro is a small country on the Adriatic coast. A small part of the country borders Croatia and Kosovo. Other neighbouring countries are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Albania. The country is characterised by the Adriatic coast, the authentic villages, endless forests and high mountains. Montenegro is 1/3 of the size of the Netherlands, but the landscape is very varied. The Montenegrin campsites can be found in the ACSI campsite guides.

Camping in Montenegro

In recent years, Montenegro has become more popular among campers. There are many campsites and an overnight stay doesn’t cost that much. Two people can spend the night with a motorhome or caravan for €15 on average. Then you will be at a campsite with reasonable showers and toilets. Most campsites have a small playground. Almost all campsites in Montenegro have a restaurant where you can eat well. On the coast, the restaurant is often the most significant revenue model for a campsite owner. So, you will often see that even a small campsite has a fairly large restaurant relative to the number of pitches. There are even campsites where you can get a daily breakfast from the campsite owner. Or where you can pick fresh vegetables from the campsite’s kitchen garden.

How do you find a campsite in Montenegro?

It’s not always easy to find a campsite in Montenegro. Campsites are often slightly tucked away along the road. You won’t readily see a sign advertising a campsite. It can be very expensive to install such a sign and campsite owners choose not to do so. In my opinion, a listing in the ACSI campsite guides, campsite apps and on Eurocampings is a great solution to that. It means the campsites will be more visible, also online. Check out all campsites in Montenegro here or order one of the ACSI campsite guides.

Speaking English in Montenegro

Campsites are often in stunning locations and most people speak English or German, certainly around the coast. In the countryside, you will encounter people who don’t speak English, then Google Translate is the answer. The mobile network in Montenegro is very good. It doesn’t cost much to buy a SIM card that gives you a month’s unlimited internet. A lovely thing is that you will be welcomed at many campsites with a drink with the campsite owners. It makes all the difference when you can communicate with each other.

Tips for camping in Montenegro

Montenegro is a European country, but it is slightly more old fashioned than countries such as the Netherlands and France. When going camping in Montenegro, it is advisable to ensure you have good equipment with you. Go on the road with a good car that has no defects. It is advisable to check your tyres beforehand and make sure they are good quality. Also take a spare tyre because you can’t rely on roadside assistance. If you break down in the mountains, it’s handy if you can help yourself.

Eating out in Montenegro

You can eat out cheaply in Montenegro. The quality of restaurants in Montenegro is generally good and the portions are large. Don’t expect spectacular meals, but mainly basic dishes. Many meals are made with fresh and local products. In the villages and towns with many tourists, you will find exclusive restaurants with luxury dishes. But you also pay more than you would eating at a local restaurant. Montenegro doesn’t have a local cuisine with typical dishes. There is a special spiced sausage, Ćevapčići, that you can eat in many places. Trout is often on the menu too.

Montenegro has its own wine culture. There are many small wine farmers producing local wine. The people are proud of that there. Handy to know, they don’t use the French wine system to indicate what kind of wine it is. In Montenegro, they use the Serbian wine system, so you will have to search for the you want to drink.

Driving in Montenegro

In general, the roads in Montenegro are not great. Kees didn’t dare driving over 40 kilometres per hour with his car-caravan combination. So, take your time when driving around. In Montenegro, you will often find yourself driving on dirt roads. Along the coastal region, many roads have fallen away and there is not enough time to repair them. The campsite inspector therefore recommends visiting the coastal villages by boat rather than by car. The region is busy in the summer months, and you will be stuck in traffic jams most of the time. I recommend looking for a campsite a little further away from the coast and taking a boat from a smaller coastal town.

Driving in the mountains in Montenegro

Driving in the mountains in Montenegro is only recommended for experienced drivers. The roads are narrow and there are points where it is impossible to pass each other. So you may find yourself having to reverse so that oncoming traffic can pass. That can definitely be a challenge with a car-caravan combination. I spoke to a campsite owner whose car bonnet was struck by a falling block of rock earlier this year when driving through the mountains. So you must always remain alert.

Toll road in Montenegro

There is a motorway in Montenegro, and you have to pay a toll. It is a rather unique road as it has never been completed. The road starts in Podgorica and ends in the middle of nowhere. The plan was to construct a road from Bar, in Montenegro, via Podgorica to Belgrade in Serbia. But when the money ran out, construction was not completed. So you can drive 40 kilometres north from Podgorica on the motorway for €6. And then the road stops. You have to drive over a section of dirt road first to get onto this road.

Holiday in Montenegro

Montenegro consists of two parts with totally different landscapes. The Balkan country has high mountains with peaks up to 2,500 meters in altitude. It also has a coastal region with beaches and clear blue water. In between, there are beautiful valleys and several large lakes. When it comes to the countryside, Montenegro has plenty to offer. You can even ski in the mountains in winter.

Other impressive landscapes in Montenegro are the forests that are on the UNESCO World Heritage List. There are exceptional trees that are over 600 years old. These forests are not well known among tourists, but they are definitely worth visiting if you love nature. Tourism in Montenegro is still developing, and it is expected to increase further in the coming years. So now is a great time to visit the country if you are an adventurous camper. You will meet many people with camper vans, but I also saw some massive motorhomes that you would almost describe as lorries.

Montenegro’s inland areas

Montenegro’s inland is particularly suitable for people seeking peace and quiet and nature lovers. Don’t expect any touristic villages with hustle and bustle but rather peace and quiet and countryside. If you camp here, you will be staying at small campsites and eat in restaurants where the vegetables come fresh from the land. We even stayed at a campsite that had a campsite cow. So you could get fresh milk. You don’t often find that at other campsites.

Lipa Cave in Montenegro

Lipa Cave has been open to the public since 2015. Both the local population as well as foreign tourists like visiting this impressive spot. This cave comprises no less than 2.5 kilometres of passages. You will see stalagmites and stalactites, some even metres long. You can also admire an underground river.

Lake Skadar

Lake Skadar measuring 40,000 ha, is the largest lake in the Balkan. Two thirds of the lake is in Montenegro and one third is in Albania. The best way to experience Lake Skadar is from the water. Various boat trips are available, but you could of course take a kayak out on the water. Around the water, you will encounter exceptional flowers, plants and birds, such as the spoonbill. When you drive around the lake, you will come across lovely viewpoints. The surroundings are green and surrounded by mountains. The region around the lake is known as Montenegro’s wine region. So, if you would like to try some local wine, this is the place to be.

Montenegro’s coast

Montenegro’s coast is extremely hot, particularly in summer. Here, you will find historic places with sea views that attract tourists in high season. Whereas most of the country is still quiet, you can expect masses of people in the well-known coastal towns.

The majority of the Montenegrin coast consists of cliffs. Only the last 20 kilometres to the border with Albania consists of sandy beaches. These are beaches with lava sand, meaning the sand is black. The sand is also somewhat coarser than the sand we are used to in the Netherlands.

Lake Kotor

The Kotor region is by Lake Kotor, Europe’s largest inland lake. This is the country’s busiest region. You have lovely views at Lake Kotor, and the water is a beautiful blue colour. This attracts many tourists and water sport fans. As the lake connects to the sea, many boats come here. You can get here by car but that isn’t as easy, so I don’t recommend it. As far as I am concerned, you can skip campsites in the region because they are all right by roads. You do have lovely views in this area and it’s a great spot for water sports.

Montenegro: a varied country

What makes Montenegro such a unique holiday destination is the varied landscape. In less than a two-hour drive you can go from the coastal region to the high mountains. Or vice versa. Temperatures are often quite high along the coast, and it is slightly cooler in the mountains. You will find many walking and cycling routes, which makes it the perfect holiday destination for active campers. There are also plenty of active excursions you can join, such as rafting and canyoning. The country is not yet popular with tourists and is mainly suitable for those seeking peace and quiet and nature lovers.

Travelling through Montenegro

If you will be travelling to beautiful Bosnia from Montenegro, check out all the campsites in Bosnia and Herzegovina inspected by ACSI. You can of course combine your camping holiday in Montenegro with a visit to the neighbouring country of Albania. You can also find campsites in Albania in the ACSI guides, apps and on the websites. If you would like some inspiration for a holiday in Albania, read our blog about camping in Albania, where ACSI inspector Jack Damen shares his camping experience in the country.