While staying in Dubrovnik, I took a Viator day trip to the beautiful country of Montenegro. After a two and a half hour drive along the scenic coastline and a ferry ride across the Bay of Kotor, we arrived in the town of Budva and ate lunch on a pier at a beach front restaurant. I was surprised to see so much rugged terrain – one third of Montenegro is covered by mountains and it reminded me of the North of Scotland.

After lunch we explored the cobbled streets of Budva Old Town (a mini Dubrovnik, really!) and then headed back to the bus to make our way to the coastal town of Kotor. This was what I was most looking forward to in Montenegro as I had seen those swoon worthy photos of Kotor Bay and after climbing over 500 steps up Kotor City Walls I saw the real life version… it did not disappoint! Kotor Bay is a UNESCO Protected Heritage Site and rightly so. The spectacularly beautiful fjord is also the only fjord in Southern Europe.

We then made our way through the little town of Perast and took a boat ride to Our Lady of the Rocks, an artificial island which houses a church which was first built in 1452. From here you can also see the island of St. George, pictured below. It was cloudy and overcast by this point but I think that added to the moody atmosphere of the bay.

Montenegro is definitely a hidden gem in the Balkans and well worth a visit.

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