Montenegro 4-Day Itinerary

This is the route we followed in late August 2024, with a base on the coast near Sveti Stefan. It works best with a car, though days two and three are possible by bus. Every day is short on driving and long on time outside.

Day 1: arrive and look down on Sveti Stefan

Afternoon: arrive, check in, and drive or walk to the coast road above Sveti Stefan for the view down over the red roofs and the causeway. We saw it on the first day of our trip, and it sets the scene for the rest.

Evening: an easy dinner near your base. Save Budva for later.

Day 2: Kotor and the boat to Perast

Morning: drive or take the bus to Kotor and be inside the Sea Gate early. See the Clock Tower and St Tryphon's Cathedral before the cruise passengers arrive. If you're fit and it's not yet hot, climb towards the fortress. Our Kotor guide has the details.

Around midday: take a boat across the bay to Perast, the way we did, and the waterfront and bell tower come into view under the mountains. Add Our Lady of the Rocks if you have time.

Lunch: seafood by the water. We had fried calamari with chips and a beer, and pasta.

Day 3: Sveti Stefan and Budva

Morning and afternoon: the public beach beside the Sveti Stefan causeway. Walk the stone promenade below the islet's walls, then go back to your sunbed.

Sunset: walk the coastal path above the shore for the view of the islet through the pines, then dinner on a terrace looking at the sea. Ours was under an olive tree.

Later: Budva is a short drive away for a walk around the old town. Later that evening, in a Budva supermarket, the drinks fridge was full of local beers such as Nikšićko. Our Sveti Stefan guide covers the beach rules.

Day 4: Lake Skadar and Virpazar

Morning: drive inland to Virpazar on the edge of Lake Skadar. The hillsides here are the Crmnica wine region. We tasted local wine in a tasting room cut into the rock, with bottles laid out along a long table. Take a boat onto the lake from the Virpazar waterfront if you want to see the reed beds and island monasteries.

Lunch: on a terrace near the lake. Ours came with an Aperol spritz and a dessert pancake with ice cream and berries.

With more time

Add Lovćen and Njeguši via the serpentine road above Kotor, or a slow beach day in Petrovac. Decide the wine-tasting driver before day four, not after.