Budva, Miločer and Sveti Stefan by car from Kotor

Praskvica Monastery stands on a rise above the coastal road, opposite Miločer and Sveti Stefan. It was the spiritual and political centre of the Paštrovići, a community of villages along this stretch of coast. A charter issued by Balša III in 1413 is linked to the donation of land and construction of St Nicholas Church. Accounts of an earlier foundation come from tradition, so this document provides a firmer basis for understanding the monastery’s past.

The present complex occupies three levels. St Nicholas Church, the older residential building and cemetery stand on the lowest one, with other monastery buildings, Holy Trinity Church and the former Kulica school above them. The school building recalls the monastery’s educational role among the surrounding villages. From the rise, you can see the coast along which those communities lived.

St Nicholas Church was damaged during French rule in the early 19th century. Restoration was completed in 1856. Holy Trinity preserves frescoes that the tourism organisation dates to 1681. The complex was badly damaged again in the 1979 earthquake, so today’s buildings reflect several restorations.

The treasury and library preserve church objects, manuscripts and documents associated with the Paštrovići. Among the objects is the stone “table of justice”, linked to the Bankada, their tribal court.

The viewpoint beside St Sava Church in Đenaši is above Sveti Stefan. From this height, you can see the island together with its causeway, the mainland settlement and the surrounding sea. The view shows how the settlement relates to the shore on a scale you cannot see from the beach itself.

The island’s houses appear tightly grouped, with red roofs above stone walls and a narrow link to the mainland. Alongside them are neighbouring parts of the coast and the greenery of Miločer. Before heading down to the sea, you can understand the position of the former fortified settlement here: separate from the mainland, yet connected to the villages inland.

Miločer is a park beside the Karađorđević family’s former summer residence. It extends behind King’s and Queen’s beaches, with native Mediterranean species alongside ornamental trees brought from other regions. The tourism organisation highlights Lebanese cedar, eucalyptus, mimosa, Japanese loquat and agaves. The walk therefore alternates between shaded parts of the park and views of the coves.

The stone Villa Miločer stands beside King’s Beach, surrounded by woodland and gardens that belonged to the royal residence. It is now part of the Aman hotel complex, together with Sveti Stefan island. A walk in the park provides views of the villa and coast, while use of the hotel beaches follows separate access rules.

Sveti Stefan’s stone houses were built as a protected settlement for people from the surrounding Paštrovići villages. Over time, the island was used for fishing, trade and administration, and was also the seat of the Bankada, the Paštrovići tribal court. It takes its name from the church dedicated to St Stephen the Archdeacon.

In the mid-20th century, the settlement was converted into a hotel complex that opened in 1960. Externally, it retained the recognisable stone walls, tightly grouped houses and red roofs, so the view from the shore shows the form of the earlier settlement and its position.

Mogren lies immediately beside the Old Town, but its beaches are reached along a path around the rocky edge of the coast. The two coves are linked by a passage through the rock, with a hillside and Mediterranean greenery enclosing them on the landward side. Along the path, the view shifts between the old town behind you and the open sea ahead of the coves. A visit can therefore be a coastal walk and time to enjoy the scenery even when you do not plan to swim.

The coastal path follows the rock itself, without a wide strip of land between walkers and the sea. This exposure means southerly winds and heavy waves can wash over its concrete edge. The position beside the cliff gives Mogren a different appearance from the more open beaches of the Riviera, while also making the approach more directly affected by the sea.

Budva Old Town occupies a coastal headland, with closely grouped stone houses inside the walls. Its layout is compact: from the streets lined with shops and cafes, you quickly reach the church square or a wall facing the sea.

St John’s bell tower stands out in the southern part. Nearby are Holy Trinity Church, Santa Maria in Punta and St Sava Church, as well as the remains of an early Christian basilica. Buildings from different periods stand close together, so the church area shows how Budva’s history developed in layers on this limited headland. Santa Maria in Punta is one of the town’s oldest surviving church buildings.

The town suffered severe earthquake damage, including in 1979, after which the old centre was restored.

Budva City Museum is in the Old Town, in a building from the early 19th century. Its permanent exhibitions include archaeological and ethnographic collections, with a lapidarium of stone objects on the ground floor. Some of the archaeological material comes from the necropolis west of the main town gate, where finds were uncovered in 20th-century excavations.

Hellenistic gold jewellery is among the most striking objects. The earrings and brooch depict an eagle holding a boy in its claws, a motif associated with the myth of Zeus and Ganymede. Vessels, glass bottles, ornaments and everyday objects broaden the picture of the settlement beyond its rulers and fortifications. They show what people used, how they adorned themselves and the objects they placed beside the dead.

The ethnographic collection continues the story through objects from coastal life between the 18th and early 20th centuries.

Much of the present appearance of Budva’s walls comes from construction carried out by the Venetian Republic between the 15th and 18th centuries. The walls were rebuilt on older foundations and after earthquakes, so the town’s defensive enclosure was not created in a single phase. Reliefs of the winged lion point to the Venetian period.

From the wall walk, you can see how tightly the roofs and churches are grouped within the walls and how close the sea lies to their edges. It is a different perspective from a street-level walk: windows and passages reveal individual details, while the view from above lets you follow the relationship between houses, the square and the shore. The entrance is at the southern end, beside the Citadel, while the old western staircase serves as the exit.

The Citadel stands at the elevated southern end of the Old Town. Budva’s Kaštel fortress was first mentioned in 1425, and later alterations left several layers of fortification. The present complex contains the remains of St Mary’s Church, terraces, towers and barracks from the Austrian period.

The open terraces overlook Budva and Sveti Nikola island, while the library preserves books and old maps devoted to the Balkans. This combination of a panorama and an indoor collection sets the Citadel apart from the walk along the town walls. The library also displays old newspapers and journals from the early 20th century, together with coats of arms and flags.