Where to stay in Montenegro: Kotor or Budva?
Updated August 2024.
We had previously visited Kotor 5 years ago. We had spent a few days and loved it.
This time around we had 10 days to spend in Montenegro and I wasn’t too sure how to break it up. A blogger friend suggested Budva, his favorite spot in Montenegro.
We ended up staying 5 days in Kotor and 5 days in Budva.
So which is the best? And where should you stay? I cover that in this post.
Kotor
Kotor is located in one of the world’s most incredible geographic locations. Even though this was our 2nd time, it still took our breath away on this visit.
The town of Kotor itself is very impressive: triangular-shaped, a maze of streets (done on purpose to confuse would-be attackers) and surrounded by thick stone walls that climb the mountain to the Fortress of St. John at the apex of the triangle. It’s a “real” old town, inhabited by people who live their daily lives within the walls. While not as impressive as Dubrovnik or Split in its highlights (and much smaller than both of these Croatian cities) it surpasses both in charm, authenticity, and for its incredible location. We couldn’t stop being amazed by the walls climbing the sides of the mountain. Kotor is spectacular.
A few images of the town of Kotor
The #1 thing to do in Kotor is to hike up the steps to the fortress. You normally have to pay 8 Euros to do it but we were there in January and nobody was administering the gate leading to the path. So we got in for free (another advantage to going off season).
This time I did it with Lissette who is not a hiker. It took us an hour to get up. But it’s beautiful up top and you can see the whole of the Bay of Kotor.
The next day we decided to walk down the coast. Walking out of town, you’ll see tiny Kotor beach (a simple, small pebbly beach). All along the shoreline, you’ll see small cafés, restaurants, and rental apartments (all one-storey homes) run by locals. It’s all very beautiful and serene.
A few photos.
One of the “must-do” things to do is to visit the town of Perast which is about 12 km around the bay from Kotor. We didn’t do it this time but I wrote about it here on our previous visit: The stunning beauty of Kotor Bay in Perast.
Summing it all up, we came back to Kotor and were just as impressed as we were 5 years ago. Kotor is one of the most beautiful places we’ve been.
See my original post on Kotor for a lot more detail: Why Kotor impressed us more than Dubrovnik.
Practical Information on Kotor
Where to stay in Kotor
The exceptional Hotel Vardar or equally excellent Hotel Monte Cristo (both in the heart of the old town). If looking for an apartment (you’ll save money) then Apartman 367 and Old Town Boskovic Apartment are both very good.
Getting to Kotor
We took the bus from Dubrovnik which in theory takes 2 hours. The bus was almost 2 hours late and took 2.5 hours to get to Kotor. So don’t plan anything because you never know what you’ll get with Balkan buses. If flying in, then you want to fly to Tivat airport (airport code: TIV). From there you can take a 10 minute taxi ride to Kotor.
Budva
Budva is located on the coast of Montenegro. Geographically it is set amidst a backdrop of coastal mountains and is located on a large beach-filled bay.
The town is one of the oldest on the Adriatic dating back 2500 years. But the old town standing here today was built by the Venetians who ruled from 1420 to 1797 (just like Kotor). Unlike Kotor, Budva’s old town is much more traditionally shaped (almost squarish, with a fortress facing the sea).
Budva is part of the Budva Riviera: a very popular beach destination. It’s the most popular destination in Montenegro, known for its beaches, nightlife and restaurants.
You might detect a lack of enthusiasm in my description.
I never expected Budva to be as built up as it is. The whole bay is lined with an array of high-rise hotels: some super fancy, some on the decrepit side. Large yachts were moored in the marina next to the old town. Families with young children sat in cafes and on the beaches (even in January. It was a balmy 16C every single day we were in Budva).
I think it took us an hour in Budva to say “I wish we had stayed in Kotor”.
For some people Budva might be their dream vacation: the weather is nice, there are sandy beaches (most beaches in the Balkans are rocky. They actually have beaches with sand in Budva). There are tons of cafes, tons of restaurants, lots of high-end stores where you can shop. There’s an Aquapark and a few large casinos.
If you like all those things you’ll love Budva.
We obviously don’t.
We explored the old town and visited the Citadel. I’m not going to tell you that it’s exciting or that it’s worth the 5 Euro entrance fee. But the views from the top are the highlight of the old town.
We walked 15 minutes along the coast to Mogren beach. There’s a nice statue along the way of a ballet dancer on a rock. We walked 2 hours along the coast in the other direction hoping to make it to Sveti Stefan. Along the way our walk was interrupted by all-inclusive resorts and construction sites before the path petered out just before Przno. We walked back.
The rest of the time we spent re-walking the old town and sitting at cafes looking at the scenery.
Practical Information on Budva
Where to stay in Budva
Hotel Majestic is a beautiful 4 star hotel right next to the Old Town. Fontana Hotel & Gastronomy is another very nice 4 star hotel in prime location. If you prefer an apartment right in the old town Sea Paradise Apartment is recommended.
Getting to Budva
Budva is 45 minutes from Kotor by bus, 30 minutes by taxi (cost about 20 Euros). If flying in, the nearest airport is Tivat (just like for Kotor) which is about 25 minutes away.
So…Kotor or Budva?
The answer depends on your interests and how you travel. If you like fancy resorts, fine dining and relaxing…or you have kids and want to go to the beach or the waterpark, then you might like Budva.
If you like history and a beautiful setting, then the answer is undoubtedly Kotor. Kotor’s old town is much more interesting than Budva’s and the geography more spectacular. Kotor and the Bay of Kotor are a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognized both for its history and for its geography (Kotor is one of three UNESCO sites in Montenegro and the only UNESCO site along the coast).
For us the answer is 100% Kotor. There’s no comparison. As I’ve said above, Kotor is one of the most beautiful spots I’ve seen anywhere in the world. We could easily come back a 3rd time, renting one of those homes along the bay and spending lots of time walking and hiking…
Have you been to Kotor and/or Budva? What do you think?
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Kotor is nice but you forgot to mention the biggest disavantage…
Kotor is a harbour for cruise-ships. We will be going to Montenegro from 17 to 27 june this year and in that timeframe 18 cruise-ships will dock in Kotor. 18 Cruise-ships carrying +/- 70.000 people in total (staff not included).
On june 20th alone more than 8000 cruise-ship tourist will overflow town.
I never been in Kotor while a huge cruise ship was visiting the city but a friend of mine who did said the town is then to crowdy to be pleasant.
I have no problem with people making a cruise but some towns suffer from these masses. Kotor seems to be one of these towns. The problem is that these cruise-ships not only bring people but also money to town…
So we will stay in Budva (just to sleep and have a drink in the evening) and make daytrips to Kotor and other places from there.
Summer always peak tourist season and you can expect the same (or more) in Budva. But cruise tourists usually get off for a few hours and then get back on their ships, they don’t stick around.
As for day trips from Budva, the road from Kotor get backed up and what is usually a 45 minute can take a couple of hours in summer.
Not been to Kotor yet (leaving for there in two days) but after three nights in Budva I can already agree. Having travelled extensively I can see that Budva is pretty much just an easy escape from whatever city (Podgorica, Belgrade) that you live in when you want to give the kids some sea and switch your mind off. There really is not so much attractive about the place. Looking forward to Kotor and thanks for giving me hope! 🙂
I think you’ll love Kotor! 🙂
i went to both in 2004. Stayed in Budva and day tripped to Kotor. It was May from memory though and so Budva was building up to summer but the weather was already around 30. although it was ‘pumping’ in Budva the main places to stay were still homestays. It looks completely different to my mind in your pics – way more built up
Ah, Kotor or Budva! One of the very few tours we’ve ever taken was a day trip from Dubrovnik to Budva and Kotor. The views from the van were spectacular, but we felt the lunch stop in Budva was too long. How did you manage 5 days?! And the few hours in Kotor were far too short! The tour included a boat ride across the bay, and a stop at the church on the small island in the middle. Overall it was a very good tour.
Except for the stop in Budva!
By the way, I’ve heard that bay called a fjord. The Norwegian on our tour agreed. And, who knows more about fjords than the Norwegians!
It certainly looks like a fjord Paul but is actually not…it’s the remnants of a river that once flowed through the mountains. But I’m with you, let’s just called it a fjord 🙂
Well, we had to leave Croatia (we had filled our 3 month quota) and had almost 4 weeks to fill in Montenegro and Serbia before getting back to the Schengen at the end of the month and taking the plane to Spain on the 1st of Feb. So we scheduled 10 days in Montenegro. Glad we saw Budva but yes…5 days was long. Knowing what we know now we would have maybe had 9 days in Kotor and 1 in Budva. But some people like Budva so…
Ah, so you saw Perast and the islands in the middle of the bay. Spectacular isn’t it?
Both places look spectacular to me but all you have to say is “history” or “UNESCO” and I’m sold. Those ancient walls snaking up the mountainside are incredible too. Another place to add to my list!
You’re planning a Croatia trip this summer right Anita? You should try to add Kotor to your list (a 2 hr drive).
Really useful post, Kotor is definitely on our to do list, looks stunning! Have pinned for future reference as planning to do more land based holidays in the future.
Thanks for the insight Frank! We actually have only done the exercise – stay in Kotor or Budva? – a few days ago and came to the same conclusion from online research. Glad that you have confirmed our pick! We are going there next April/May to do some hiking first in the national parks and then go back to Kotor to stay for a month. As nature lovers and hikers, we simply can’t wait!
Great! I think you will love it.
There are some great hikes in the area and if you go to the tourist office they have a map of the different hikes and itineraries. If you’re a nature lover you could easily spend an extended amount of time here doing nothing but hiking.