Decide between emerald forests with thundering waterfalls or turquoise beaches on the weekends, and see which of your bucket list countries are just a short flight away.
One of the biggest perks to volunteering with ILP is the free time you’ll have during your semester — you will only be teaching part time, have every weekend off, and have vacation days to try and see it all. And when it comes to vacations in Montenegro, you guys have it good.
Come snag a spot
Apply for a semester abroad in Europe with ILP
We love vacations to all the billboard countries (like Italy, Greece, France, and others) but there is something to be said about experiencing the countries not everyone flocks to. And Montenegro is certainly one of those gems. Sure, it's a popular beach getaway for other Europeans, but we can guess that many people from home will be asking you "where did you take these picutres?" after you start posting about Montenegro.
Besides the miles of beaches, river adventures, and sweeping mountain views, Montenegro has so many vacation destinations that are just a few hours away, meaning you have plenty to keep you busy in the country ... then can spend a few weeks traveling around the country to really soak up what this part of the world is like.
Here are a few ideas of destinations you can easily spend your time in.
- Montenegro's Coast
- Montenegro's National Parks
A Few Other Spots In Montenegro
+ Nearby Countries To Visit
Lounging at Beaches All Along The Coastline
A Bit About Budva
Budva sits right on the coast of Montenegro's southern tip. It's a very popular getaway, thanks to all the beaches and things to do.
This beachside town is quaint and relaxing, with the perfect mix of both the old and new and this section is all about letting you know which highlights to hit (and when) — the tourist season in Budva only lasts from about April-September. During that time there are so many restaurants, beach umbrellas, night-time light shows, street performers, and just people. Everywhere. Outside of those months, it's pretty quiet since tourism is the main source of income in Budva.
Some of the things on our Budva Bucket List are only possible to do during those summer months, but most of them are possible to cross off all year round. Here's what you can't miss:
- Ballerina Statue — Of all the things to do in Montenegro, we have to start with the most iconic. This beautiful bronze statue is on the far end of Old Town (right side if you're facing the water). Just follow the path along the side of the rocks. Make sure you get a picture of her, but also watch out for the HUGE waves that come washing up onto the pathway during the winter months.
- Churches Of Old Town — Just in Old Town (officially called Stari Grad) itself, there are four little churches, the oldest of which was built in 840 AD. They're all worth stepping inside, although they do require that visitors wear long pants or skirts that cover their knees.
- Old Town Walls — If you want a bird's-eye view of Budva and the Adriatic Sea, then head to the rooftops! There are several different stairways spread throughout Old Town that lead to the top of the walls. One such entrance is near the gate that stands across from the hotel, Avala. Plan on paying about 1.50 euros to walk around the walls. Definitely worth it!
- Dinner With A View — There's no better way to finish of a full day of play than with a big dinner as you watch the sun pass under the ocean-kissed horizon. And since this is such a popular activity among tourists, there are plenty of places to choose from in the summer months.
Then, of course, there are the beaches! Budva beach is one to visit, but there are several all along the coastline that are worth seeing. Keep reading to get our list:
The Best Beaches In Montenegro
Budva, is one of the top visited spots along the Montenegrin coast, but there's about 45 miles worth of beaches sprinkled along the country's coastline that are worth checking out. You can get to all of Montenegro’s beaches in well under 2 hours from Budva … or just check out the handful of beaches that are within walking distance of the city itself.
If it's helpful to know, these are the main coastal areas of the country:
- The Bay of Kotor
- The Budva Coast
- The Petrovac Coast
- The Southern Coastline Along Ulcinj
If you want a breakdown of the best beaches in Montenegro, this post is here for that. 
Montenegro's National Parks
Durmitor National Park
Head away from the coast, deeper inland for some high adventure in the lush green forests in Montenegro.
The Durmitor National Park is a show stopper, home to 48 towering peaks, deep valleys cut by glaciers, the winding Tara River, and a dozen-plus plunging crystal pools nicknamed “mountain eyes”. It’s a UNESCO site, mad-popular in the summer months for all the hiking and adventure you could want, and transformed into a top notch ski spot once winter blankets the mountains with snow. The park is found in the north-east section of Montenegro, in the corner of the country bordered by Bosnia and Serbia.
While the park itself is a massive natural reserve, there’s this beyond adorable mountain town called Žabljak just outside of the park’s entrance. It’s a cutie mountain town with a main street full of places to stay, a few restaurants, and some resources to help you plan out your time in the park. We’ll get back to Žabljak in just a minute — just know that if you’re booking a bus, look for tickets to Žabljak, or if you want to stay overnight for a couple of days of hiking, you’ll want to stay in Žabljak.
We have a whole guide to this national park, here.
A Few Other Spots In Montenegro
Stari Bar
Stari Bar is actually an abandoned city! It's one of the oldest towns in Montenegro and its ruins date back to the Early Middle Ages, sitting quietly undisturbed within the hillside. It's almost like time stands still. So what happened here?
History shows a long line of takeovers in Stari Bar — ownership has changed hands from big names like the Venetians, the Serbians, the Hungarians and the Ottoman Empire. Finally in 1877 Montenegro was able to reclaim the land, but during the takeover the town's aqueduct was bombed. This was so destructive because it means cutting off the town's water supply.
The aqueduct was repaired, but unfortunately it was destroyed once again in 1979 by a major earthquake. This time though, the town was abandoned.
Many moved further down the hill, where the port town of Bar was built right on the coastline. What was once a vibrant and historical center for southern Montenegro had now become the Old Town up the hill.
Though abandoned by locals, you'll still tourists coming to see the ruins that are well worth the visit! In recent years there's been more of a push to make the area more appealing for visitors, so you may see shops and restaurants that have popped up on the way up to Stari Bar. The ruins and the town itself though will remain preserved to keep the history in tact.
Give yourself an hour or two to come explore the highlights. Don't miss the city's main fortress, the Saint George's cathedral, and just wandering around. This gem is about an hour away from Budva.
Ostrog Monastery
The Ostrog Monastery is one of the most well known places in the country and a very important religious site. Dating back to the 17th century, this stunningly white monastery is built into the side of the cliff, making it a drastically unique place of worship and pilgrimage site. While you'll see a lot of churches and cathedrals while touring Europe, you won't see anything quite like this place.
The monastery was built in the 17th century and still stands strong today. It is an important religious site in Montenegro, welcoming a variety of religions and faiths from all over the country (and even the world). It's often referred to as the most iconic and visited pilgrimage site in the entire country visiting here often means running into worshippers who are making the walk up the monastery barefoot.
Although the monastery now attracts a lot of tourists as well, it is still an active place of worship and you will notice the quiet, sacred feeling as you walk around the grounds and monastery itself.
There are two areas you'll want to visit while at the monastery. The upper level and lower level. You'll want to understand a bit about each level so you don't get lost and think you're in the wrong place — as a bit of a spoiler alert, you'll first reach the Lower Level and make the 2 kilometer trek to the upper level, which is the section you'll recognize: that's where the monastery built into the cliff actually is.
The lower level houses The Church of The Holy Trinity, a small church built in the early 1800's. Make sure you walk around this area and explore the beautiful little church, a detailed gate that marks the entrance, and surrounding area. This is the first section you'll reach.
From the lower level you'll walk uphill about two kilometers to the larger monastery (the cliff side one!). Once you get to the upper level, you can walk through the different rooms and churches. The Church of The Upper Cross is a favorite as it's in a cave and really unique. The fresco paintings are amazing, painted right onto the rocks inside the cave, with gold touches that reflect the sunlight streaming in from the windows.
Things can get busy and they only allow a few people at a time into some of the areas, so plan on being a little patient if you want to see it all.
This gem is nestled into the countryside of Montenegro, west of the coastal cities you may already be familiar with. There are several tour companies that will take you here from Budva, Kotor, Podgorica and a couple of others, but you can also reach here by public bus.
Cetinje
Most of Cetinje’s charm is just soaking up the view and walking around (typical of a very pretty and very historic European city). Here’s what Brie S. (an ILP volunteer) had to say about her visit here: “Honestly, half of what we do is walk around and it is beautiful. It has the cutest colorful buildings, was the old capital of Montenegro and is now considered the cultural capital of the entire country”.
Part of the appeal of this city are the colorful buildings, so don't miss out on those while you're in town. You can also
The nearby Lovcen’s national park is also an easy way to spend a few hours if you’re in Cetinje. The city borders the park, so it’s an easy 20-30 minute drive away. Lovcen is sometimes called the “heart” of Montenegro, a spread of grassy hills interrupted by jutting mountains. There are a spiderweb of hiking and walking trails, as well as picnic spots and bike rentals if you’d to get a bit more adventurous.
However, the real attraction is the Mausoleum of Njegoš, where Petar 1 Petrović-Njegoš is buried (known as Saint Peter of Cetinje in the Serbian Orthodox Church). It’s a stoic monastery reached by a winding stone path that also leads you to one of the highest points in all of Montenegro. In the monastery you’ll find the tomb of Njegoš, but walk behind the monastery and you’ll see a circular stone viewing platform, along with the pretty unmatched views from the top.
Traveling Through Europe
You can travel all throughout the European Union and other approved countries during your semester abroad with ILP, so it’s really up to you and your group where you’d like to go. These are just a few of our favorites because they’re so close making them an easy vacation from Montenegro, but they’d also make great jumping off points to any other city your heart desires. Europe is extremely well connected, so you can pretty much always find a flight, bus, or train route to wherever you want to go.
Kayaking in Dubrovnik, Croatia
You’re only a 3 hour, 20 euro bus ride away from THE can't miss city in Croatia. Trust us, Dubrovnik is going to become a favorite weekend trip for our ILP volunteers.
Of course you must wander their Old Town. Also make sure to take the cable car to get views of the famously red-orange rooftops with the turquoise blue sea in the background before you head back down to go kayaking for the rest of afternoon.
It’s pretty convenient that one of our favorite destinations, Dubrovnik, is just a few hours away, but you might want to spend more than a weekend here —stick around and explore more of the country! There’s a reason Croatia is quickly becoming a top destination and there’s much more to explore. We recommend checking out places like Split, Hvar, and Zadar.
Wandering Bridges and Shopping Markets in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Okay this one is technically a little more than 3 hours away, but we couldn’t not mention it. All you need to do is take one look at this bridge, Stari Most, and you’ll be wondering why you haven’t already added this hidden gem to your bucket list.
While you’re in Dubrovnik, just tack on an extra 3 hour bus ride and you can be here for 15 euro! Or, if you’d rather come straight from Montenegro, it’ll be about 6 hours plus there are routes that run overnight if you want to jump on a bus after teaching on Friday and hit it up over a weekend.
You might even get to see trained divers who famously take the jump off the bridge! After snapping some photos of the view, make sure to wander through the cobblestone streets at the Old Bazaar and pick up your Bosnian souvenirs at the colorful market — we’re fans of the colorful handwoven goods, like pillow cases, bags, and rugs.
Live Out Your Bucket List Dreams In Italy
Italy is right across the bay from Montenegro! You can even take an overnight ferry … but we’re obsessed with the fact that there’s non-stop flights to places like Bologna, Rome and Milan.
We love the under $30 flights in under 2 hours to both Bologna and Milan. Bologna is not only an awesome destination, but it’s also central and a great jumping off point to get to other Italian cities we know you’re dying to see. After you spend a day exploring Bologna, jump on a bus and be in Florence in under an hour for less than $10 USD, Venice in 2 hours for $5 USD, or Rome in 2 hours via train.
Head To The Heart of Ancient Greece
Take a flight south and wind up in Athens in 1.5 hours! After you’ve gotten your fill of Athens (if that’s even possible), our volunteers love jumping over to the dreamy and beyond pretty islands like Santorini, Milos, and Mykonos.
Fill Your Tummy With Chocolate Dipped Churros In Spain
If you snag a direct flight to Barcelona, you’ll be there in 2.5 hours for as low as $40 (again, prices vary but we found this deal on RyanAir!). After wandering around the Picasso museum and gawking at Gaudi’s creations (and eating your fill of sugar dusted and chocolate dipped churros), jump on a flight to Paris —you’ll be there direct in just a couple hours for around $30 USD. See what I mean about awesome connections no matter where you are in Europe?
Oh and while you're in Barcelona, jump on a quick 1 hour flight to quite possibly the cutest Spanish island you ever did see. We've found flights as low as 15 euro each way to Palma de Mallorca on RyanAir, making it a no brainer day trip.
Get Around Slovenia On A Paddle Board
You'll be walking, taking buses, or jumping on metros to go exploring most European cities for the day, but in Ljubljana you can get around via paddle board! Explore the city from the river, getting to the best attractions in the coolest (and greenest) way possible. We also highly recommend going to see the castle on the hill and stopping for a snack in one of the cutie coffee shops that sit right along the river bank.
Or head for Pinterest-made-famous Lake Bled! Jump on the bus and arrive in a couple of hours for a dreamy afternoon.
You can catch a one hour direct flight to the capital Ljubljana from Montenegro. Depending on the time of year, you can usually get roundtrip flights for around $100 USD, making for the perfect weekend adventure.
Have more time? Head west from there to Italy and be in Venice in about 5 hours. Or take a 2 hour train ride to Zagreb and check out the capital of Croatia. Either option is looking preeeeettty good right about now.
Explore Dreamy Castles, Cathedrals, and More In Germany
A direct flight will get you to Berlin in two hours for as low as $40 USD. Again, not only do we love site seeing this country (hello Neuschwanstein!), but it’s also conveniently central to getting just about anywhere in Europe. This would be an awesome starting off point for the 9 day vacation that ILP volunteers have during their semester before heading off to see more countries.
+Lots More
You can find 2-3 hour direct flights from Montenegro to cities like:
- Warsaw, Poland
- Stockholm, Sweden
- London, UK
- Budapest, Hungary
- Munich and Berlin, Germany
- Brussels, Belgium
Ready To Spend A Semester in Europe?
We (International Language Programs) can help you make it happen, living in Montenegro with other American volunteers. We'll make sure you have time to travel when you're not teaching local kids at a school there so that you can go see all these places you're dreaming about.
