Montenegro 2026

Montenegro was the first country we visited on this tour of the Western Balkans. After picking up the car in Dubrovnik, we crossed the border and arrived in our hotel in Herzeg Novi. The first of many instances of scary driving after getting stuck on a very narrow street and then having to park in a tiny car park with an almost impossible angle. Fortunately the hotel had a cold beer waiting for us when we finally managed to get parked. Nice enough hotel, but with a strange breakfast and a glass shower cubicle in the middle of the bedroom!

In the morning we spent the day wandering round the very steep streets of Herzeg Novi, enjoying the sights and views. We also had time to visit the Savina Monastery with an excellent viewpoint walk above, before heading off to Kotor where we spent the next five nights. Of course, our apartment was in the middle of a maze of very narrow and steep roads/tracks. But after a bit of scary manoeuvring we finally settled in. We had a wonderful five days exploring Kotor and the surrounding area. We spent several afternoons in the old town and took on some walks around the bay. The highlights were the two climbs up the sides of the Bay … the Kotor Ladder walk right to the top was a tough climb, but worth it for the magnificent views. The Franz Joseph Ladder climb up the other side of the Bay was just as tough and just as rewarding.

On the 19th we celebrated Kathryn’s birthday in style. After walking around the Bay we stopped at every bar on the way back, with a beer in every bar, polished off with a lovely meal on the front.

On our final day we visited Perast before heading off back to Croatia. Surely there the roads would be better….?