Day trip to Montenegro
During my stay in Dubrovnik, I took a day trip to Montenegro which is only about an hour or so away by bus (or car if you choose to rent a car). You’ll find a number of tour companies online, at the tourist information center, as well as independent kiosks on the street offering daily tours, and even many hotels will arrange the travel for you. I went with a company called Dubrovnik Sightseeing. They were well organized and took care of all transportation needs. They were also good about making recommendations of other things to see and do while in Dubrovnik that weren’t even related to the agency. The guide was professional, friendly, and very well-informed and shared good information about all the points of interest. The tour was done in English and in French, the two main languages spoken by this particular group, as most of the travelers on this day were from Canada, France, UK, Australia and a couple of people from South America and Spain. I was the only one from the U.S.! However other languages were available for translation as needed.
Some quick facts about Montenegro:
Name: literal translation is “Black Mountain”
Location: Adriatic Sea (on the west coast), bordering countries are Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, and Herzegovina
Language: Montenegrin (Latin and Greek based); other languages spoken are Croatian, Serbian, Bosniak, and Albanian
Religion: Orthodox Christian with Islam being 2nd largest group
Government: Democratic, parliament
Currency: Euro
Montenegro, which was part of former Yugoslavia, has only been an independent country since 2006…not even 10 years! Prior to that it was under Serbia-Montenegro, hence the reason today there continues to be widespread controversy over one’s nationality- many claim Montenegrin while others claim Serbian.
As many other countries in Europe, there has been conflict and war as recent as the 1990’s where Montenegro sided with Serbia in attacks against Dubrovnik. It’s amazing to see how the two get along today and with now having open borders, one can travel between Dubrovnik and Montenegro (with passport documentation) freely.
Montenegro’s past also includes occupation by Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy-Venice, which you’ll see the Italian influence in the number of pasta and pizza dishes widely available and of course seafood especially along the coastal region.
Montenegro is not part of the European Union at the present. However, an application for membership to the union was made in 2008 and is pending (can take 10 years or longer to officially join the EU). The country’s mountainous and seaside landscape is stunningly beautiful.
We stopped at Kotor and also in Budva, which has a striking resemblance to the Côte d’Azur or French Riviera in southern France.
Budva
Bay of Kotor
Old Town
Driving through border patrol…passport documentation is required.
This section between Dubrovnik and Montenegro is called “No Man’s Land” and means that it doesn’t belong to anybody.
Driving through what was formerly Yugoslavia
Ferry transport on the way back
