Budva in 7 days

Start at your accommodation car park and enter TQ Plaza Garage on Mediteranska Street as the first destination. The city walls are within walking distance, so the car can stay in one place whilst you explore the centre and Mogren. Note the garage level or section before leaving. Set out on foot from the garage towards the main gate of the Old Town.

Go in through the main gate and cross Poets Square before continuing to the churches of St John, Santa Maria in Punta and the Holy Trinity. Narrow lanes take you to the Citadel and terraces overlooking Sveti Nikola Island, whilst the small squares reveal the plan of the medieval walled town. Complete a full loop through the historic core instead of stopping at the waterfront. Leave beside Hotel Avala and follow the path to Mogren.

The path to Mogren starts beyond the western side of the Old Town and follows the rocks above the sea. Go on foot to the first beach, see the stone passage and take in the shoreline hidden from the centre, then return along the same path. This gives the Budva walk a clear finish without moving the car. Head back to TQ Plaza Garage and set Miločer car park as the next destination.

Plan on 20 - 30 minutes from Budva to Miločer car park. Leave the car near the park entrance and walk amongst cypresses and olive trees towards Queen’s Beach and the path overlooking Sveti Stefan. A go through on foot the park opens up the island and its stone houses from several angles rather than from one roadside viewpoint. Follow the same path back to the car and set Petrovac Bus Station as your next stop.

Your drive from Miločer to the car park at Petrovac Bus Station takes roughly 15 - 25 minutes. Head down on foot to the promenade, follow the town beach and carry on to Kastio Fortress at the western end of the bay. Its stone terrace overlooks the whole Petrovac shoreline and the islands of Katič and Sveta Neđelja. Return along the promenade to the car park for the drive back.

Travel from Petrovac to the exact parking entrance of your accommodation rather than using Budva as a general destination. Total time at the wheel for day one is roughly 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours, depending on where you stay in Budva. Remove anything you left in the vehicle when you arrive. The first day ends in the car park of the same Budva accommodation.

Leave your accommodation and set Benovo car park in Kotor before departure. It sits outside the walls and places both the North Gate and the historic centre within walking distance. Record where you left the car and keep it there for the Old Town and the climb above the walls. Decide when you need to leave Kotor for Perast before beginning the walk.

Go in through the North Gate and go on foot to St Mary of the River before continuing to St Luke’s Church, St Tryphon’s Cathedral and the Clock Tower on the Square of Arms. This sequence links the smaller squares, churches and main civic space without retracing every lane. At the South Gate, look at the Gurdić spring and then cross the old centre towards the path for San Giovanni Fortress.

Your climb above the Old Town passes the Church of Our Lady of Remedy and carry ons towards San Giovanni Fortress. The stone staircase gradually reveal the roofs of Kotor, the harbour and the inner bay. Carry water and reserve enough time to descend to the same point in town. Leave through the North Gate, collect the car at Benovo and set the car park at the west entrance to Perast as the next destination.

Follow the bay from Kotor to Perast and leave the car in the car park at the west entrance. The narrow historic centre is best covered on foot. Arriving from this side takes you first past Bujović Palace and the Perast Museum before reaching the bell tower of St Nicholas. Choose the waterfront pier where your boat will return after the island visit.

Stroll along the Perast waterfront to St Nicholas and notice the palaces built by the town’s seafaring families. Arrange a head back to the same pier for the ride to Our Lady of the Rocks as the car remains at the west entrance. Once on the island, explore the church, the collection of votive objects and the stone platform facing Perast and St George Island. After the boat returns, stroll along the waterfront to the car.

Travel from the west entrance of Perast through Kotor and back to Budva. Time on the road for day two is roughly 2 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes, with the boat ride and visits counted separately. Open the saved parking entrance of your accommodation before leaving Perast. Park in the accommodation car park in Budva and finish day two there.

Travel from Budva to Cetinje and enter the tourist parking near Ćipur on Štampara Makarija Street. From this point, the whole historic centre can be explored on foot. Leave the car and begin at the remains of the Cetinje Monastery at Ćipur. The city deserves a proper visit as it offers the historical link between Njegoš, Lovćen and Montenegro’s former royal capital.

Set out on foot from Ćipur to Court Square, King Nikola’s Palace and Biljarda, once Njegoš’s residence. Carry on to Cetinje Monastery and return along Njegoševa Street, where former embassies stand amongst the town’s representative buildings. This circuit adds context before the climb to Jezerski vrh. Head back to the car and set the car park below Njegoš Mausoleum.

Travel through Lovćen National Park towards Jezerski vrh. The final stretch climbs across a stark karst landscape to the car park below the mausoleum. Leave the car in the marked lot and take a jacket and water before starting upward. The walking route passes through a tunnel and climbs 461 steps, with the visit ending back at this same car park.

The tunnel and steps lead to the mausoleum of Petar II Petrović Njegoš. Inside the chapel stands Ivan Meštrović’s monumental figure, whilst the path behind the building reaches a circular stone viewpoint over the Lovćen massif, Cetinje field and distant mountain ranges. Visit both the interior and the viewpoint before descending by the same steps. Back at the car, set the Njegoš Birth House in Njeguši.

Plan on 30 - 45 minutes from the mausoleum car park to Njeguši. Use the spaces beside the Njegoš Birth House and visit the stone home and village setting associated with the Petrović dynasty. Njeguši is equally well known for ham and cheese cured in the mountain air, so have lunch or a tasting in the village. Head back to the car and set your Budva accommodation as the final destination.

Descend from Njeguši along the old road towards Kotor and carry on around the coast to Budva. The hairpin bends above the bay follow the historic connection between Kotor and Njeguši, giving the day a final view across Boka. Total time at the wheel for day three is roughly 3 - 4 hours. Head back to the same accommodation car park in Budva for the third night.

Leave Budva for Cetinje, carry on through Podgorica and Danilovgrad, and use Lower Ostrog Monastery as the first destination. Pack water, identification and clothing suitable for the monastery before the long drive. Use the parking beside the lower complex and begin with the Church of the Holy Trinity. This first visit introduces the sanctuary before the ascent to the upper monastery.

Lower Ostrog stands on the gentler ground beneath the cliff and contains the Church of the Holy Trinity and monastic quarters. Walk through the complex and head back to the car park. This route between the two monasteries climbs steeply and follows the visitor flow. Set Upper Ostrog as the next destination and follow the directions given by staff at the complex.

From the upper car park, go on foot to the monastery built into the pale rock face. A sequence of narrow passages and terraces connect the cave churches of the Presentation of the Virgin and the Holy Cross, with broad views across the Bjelopavlići plain. Follow the visiting order and keep suitable clothing on throughout the complex. Head back to the same car park and set King Nikola’s Palace in Nikšić.

Descend from Ostrog towards Nikšić and park beside King Nikola’s Palace. Keep this leg direct so the afternoon remains available for the palace, the cathedral and the centre. Start with the space between the palace and the Cathedral of St Basil of Ostrog. Carry on on foot towards Freedom Square and Njegoševa Street.

King Nikola’s Palace and the Cathedral of St Basil of Ostrog form a historic group on the southern edge of the centre. After visiting them, go on foot to Freedom Square, see the monument to King Nikola and carry on along the pedestrian part of Njegoševa Street. This turns Nikšić into a meaningful cultural stop rather than a meal break after Ostrog. Walk back to the palace car park for the return drive.

Travel from Nikšić towards Podgorica and Cetinje, then carry on to the exact parking entrance of your Budva accommodation. Total time at the wheel for day four is roughly 4 hours 20 minutes to 5 hours 35 minutes. Finish navigation at the entrance used on the previous nights. Leave the car in the accommodation car park in Budva and end day four there.

Leave Budva for Cetinje and Podgorica, carry on through Mateševo and Kolašin, then take the national park entrance near Kraljevo Kolo. Set the main car park beside Biogradsko Lake as the destination rather than the park name alone. Leave the car in the visitor zone and go on foot towards the shore and visitor centre. Kolašin comes later in the day, after the full lake visit.

Start at the visitor centre and the nearby lakefront. The exhibits explain the old-growth reserve, the lake’s glacial origins and the plant life of Bjelasica, adding context to the trail. Outside, notice how dense beech and conifer forest reaches the water. Find the start of the educational trail and begin the full circuit.

The educational trail is roughly 3.3 kilometres long and runs through forest, over wooden footbridges and beside wet sections of the shore. Information points describe local plants and animals, whilst the lake appears alternately through open views and dense greenery. Complete the loop instead of turning back at the first viewpoint. This trail returns to the visitor zone and the main car park.

Plan on 25 - 35 minutes from the lake to Kolašin. Park near Fighters Square, cross the central square and go on foot to St Demetrius Church before exploring the compact town centre. Stay in Kolašin for lunch and choose a northern Montenegrin dish. Head back to the same parking space and enter the full address of your accommodation in Budva.

Travel from Kolašin through Mateševo and Podgorica, then carry on through Cetinje to Budva. Total time at the wheel for day five is roughly 5 hours 10 minutes to 6 hours 20 minutes. The next morning starts with a direct drive to Žabljak for a full day on Durmitor. Leave the car in the car park of the same Budva accommodation and finish day five there.

Leave the accommodation car park around five in the morning and drive through Cetinje, Nikšić and Šavnik towards Žabljak. Use the main car park for Black Lake as the first destination as a general Žabljak location does not lead to the trailhead. Park and prepare for the lake walk before beginning the panoramic circuit. An early departure leaves enough time to close the ring in Žabljak and head back to Budva that evening.

A forest path leads from the car park to Great Lake and Small Lake, the two sections of Black Lake joined by a narrow channel. Stroll along the shore to an open view of Mount Međed and carry on through part of the circular forest trail. This visit introduces the glacial landscape that will reappear from higher points on the ring. Head back to the same car park and set Mala Crna Gora as the beginning of the circuit.

Follow the marked Durmitor Ring from Žabljak towards Mala Crna Gora and Nedajno. This route enters a high mountain landscape with views towards the Tara and Sušica canyons, whilst scattered villages show the scale of the plateau. Carry on along the complete signed circuit rather than turning back after the first overlook. Near Nedajno, use the established viewpoint overlooking Sušica Canyon.

This viewpoint near Nedajno looks into deep Sušica Canyon, a natural divide between Durmitor and the Piva mountain plateau. Wooded slopes, exposed rock and distant hamlets contrast with the open country around Žabljak. Explore the marked viewpoint area and take in the depth of the canyon. Carry on on the same circular route towards Trsa.

Trsa sits near the middle of the Durmitor Ring and offers a useful pause between Sušica Canyon and the high passes. Park in the village centre and look at the stone houses and open landscape of the Piva plateau. Stop here for lunch or a longer break as Pišče, Todorov do and the highest part of the drive follow. Head back to the car and carry on towards Pišče.

After Trsa, the road passes Pišče and reaches Todorov do beneath the layered slopes of Prutaš. Use a marked pull-in overlooking the valley and massif, then take a short walk close to the panoramic route. The exposed bands of rock make the geology of Durmitor especially clear here. Carry on towards Sedlo, the final major stop before Žabljak.

Park in the marked area at Sedlo and look across jagged peaks, grassy slopes and the road returning towards Žabljak. This circuit descends past Pošćenska Lakes and closes in town. Once back in Žabljak, set the exact parking entrance of your Budva accommodation. The Durmitor Ring is complete when you reach the same town where the circuit began.

Drive back from Žabljak through Šavnik, Nikšić and Cetinje to Budva. Plan on 10 - 12 hours of driving for the day, including the panoramic ring but not the Black Lake walk and viewpoint stops. Open the saved entrance used on the previous nights. The longest day ends in the car park of the same Budva accommodation.

Travel from Budva towards Petrovac, pass through the Sozina tunnel and carry on to the Lake Skadar National Park visitor centre in Vranjina. Park beside the centre and visit its exhibits before reaching the water. Scale models, photographs and objects in the ethnographic room introduce the lake environment, fishing settlements and local heritage. Carry on with the short drive to Virpazar.

Leave the car in the car park by the national park information centre in Virpazar and save its exact location. The old bridge, waterfront and boat piers are within the same walking circuit. Walk first towards the old stone bridge and the small central square. Choose one waterfront pier for both departure and return.

Virpazar grew where river channels open towards Lake Skadar. Go across the old bridge, watch the small boats along the waterfront and walk around the stone houses beside the square. Head back to the pier and arrange a trip to Grmožur that ends at this same point in Virpazar. Keep the car beside the information centre.

Your boat leaves Virpazar through reed-lined channels and moves into wider water towards Grmožur. This small island fortress served first as a military stronghold and later as a prison, making it one of the lake’s most distinctive landmarks. Watch the scenery change from marsh channels to open lake and mountain horizons. Finish the boat trip at the same pier where it began.

Climb on foot from the pier to Besac Fortress, positioned above Virpazar to command the land and water approaches. Go around its stone walls, towers and terrace overlooking the town roofs, channels and broad lake. The view connects the boat journey with Virpazar’s strategic position on the shore. Descend along the same path and head back to the car park beside the information centre.

Travel from Virpazar through the Sozina tunnel and Petrovac to Budva. Time on the road for the final day is roughly 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 25 minutes, with the boat journey counted separately. Set the same entrance used during the previous six days. Park in the accommodation car park in Budva to complete all seven day trips from one base.