Touristy Budva and Stunning Kotor, Montenegro

Crazy bus journeys and odd business practices aside, Montenegro has some spectacular scenery.  Budva is a full on Mediterranean beach tourist town.  The water front is lined with restaurants, bars, and shops selling tourist tat.  The narrow beach is filled with rows of beach umbrellas and lounge chairs and visitors of all shapes and sizes bake in the sun in the skimpiest of bikinis.  The old town is now a shopping mall inserted into medieval buildings and packed with visitors looking for souvenirs.

Budva in the evening twilight

Tourist on the beach

Beyond the tourist trap, Budva did have some attractive sights.  The old walled town was very pretty with wonderful views of the bay.  There were a glut of restaurants to choose from and we ended up eating at a nice Chinese restaurant one night and a Thai restaurant on another.  We had tried one that specialised in Montenegrin food but were not impressed.  Though to be fair we did not give the local food a fair go.  At one point we had a surrealistic travel moment of sitting outside a 15^th Century Venetian walled city along the Adriatic coast of Montenegro, eating at a Chinese restaurant with a Japanese name while listening to a couple at the next table speaking Danish and a group of musicians on the waterfront playing Pink Floyd. 

The walls of the old town in the moonlight

The narrow streets of the old town

The piazza outside the walls of of the old town

Full moon rising over the bay

  On our second full day in Budva we decided to hire a car and drive to Kotor, about 30 minutes north of Budva.  I wish we had decided to stay in Kotor.  What a stunning place!  The town is located in a fjord like gulf that is absolutely breathtaking.  It also has a medieval walled city but the walls climb up the hill and at night are lit up in a dazzling display.  

The fortress walls of Kotor climbing up the mountain

Sadly we were in Kotor only in daytime but I borrowed nighttime photo from the web.  

The waterfront at Kotor

We walked around the waterfront and checked out the small marina for future reference.  It had reasonable rates but limited facilities.  There were also several anchorages around the bay. The walled town was very pretty and not nearly as touristy as in Budva.  There were lots of funky artistic touches throughout the town.

There were funky sculptures on the ramparts of the walls

 

Even the bollards were funky

We had a nice lunch in the walled town before driving on.

Inside the old city

Harry Potter perhaps?

After lunch we drove around the gulf through magnificent landscapes; beautiful clear water was surrounded by striking steep mountains.  

 

We stopped at Porto Montenegro.  Here was a very upmarket marina whose rates were double that of Kotor.  The area was surrounded by exclusive shops and the beautiful people.  Not really for us but it was fun to stop for a cold drink and people watch.

The marina village at Porto Montenegro

It was a delightful day exploring the area and we agreed that Kotor and its Gulf is definitely on the list for a return visit.