5 days in Petrovac: the town and day trips

Lucice lies between two headlands covered in pines and cypresses. Golden-yellow sand and a shallow seabed draw swimmers, while the wooded ends of the bay frame the view from the shore. Just behind the beach, greenery takes the place of the houses and terraces along Petrovac’s promenade.

The walk from central Petrovac takes about 20 minutes, starting around 09:00. Four full hours then remain for swimming and relaxing, until 13:20.

From the center, the walk heads toward the southern end of town, then follows the pedestrian approach to Lucice bay.

The return walk from Lucice takes an estimated 20 minutes, with another 20 to change at your accommodation. Lunch can start around 14:00, at a restaurant on the promenade or in the neighboring streets. The guide to where to eat in Petrovac can help you choose.

The plan allows 60 minutes for lunch and another 75 minutes to rest at your accommodation.

The walls of Kastio and the Lazaret still stand beside the harbor from which wine and other goods once left by ship. The 16th-century fort housed a Venetian garrison and warehouses, while the neighboring Lazaret served as a quarantine station during epidemics. Those different roles were concentrated at the same end of the bay, now occupied by the harbor and restaurant terraces.

The waterfront approach takes about 10 minutes, followed by 35 minutes to look at the surviving walls from outside.

From the harbor, the return walk beside the town beach to the central promenade takes about 10 minutes.

From Petrovac, the drive follows the coastal road toward Budva, then crosses Grbalj and passes through the Vrmac Tunnel to Kotor. The car stays at Benovo parking outside the Old Town, with the final walk to the Maritime Museum following pedestrian streets. The Kotor municipal parking price list gives a rate of €1.90 per hour or part of an hour from April to October for a passenger car with up to five seats.

The estimate allows 90 minutes for driving, 15 for parking and another 15 to walk to the museum. The suggested start is around 08:30.

The Maritime Museum in the Baroque Grgurina Palace connects ships with the lives of the Bay of Kotor’s captains. The drawing room of the Florio family from Prcanj contains 19th-century furniture, with paintings of local sailing ships on its walls. Upstairs is a model of the brigantine Splendido, in which Ivo Visin sailed around the world, alongside navigation instruments such as a sextant, octant and chronometers.

The museum visit, including ticket purchase, can take about an hour and 15 minutes. From May 1 to October 1, the Maritime Museum opens on weekdays from 09:00 to 18:00, and on weekends and public holidays from 09:00-13:00. Adult admission is €5.

Kotor’s Old Town unfolds through more than one main street. Small squares open between winding passages, with the doorways and balconies of noble families’ palaces facing onto them. The clock tower marks the Square of the Arms, while Pima Palace stands on the neighboring square. In front of Saint Tryphon’s Cathedral, the space opens up to reveal its two bell towers.

The walk between the squares and time to look at the facades have a combined allowance of 90 minutes. Visits inside churches are not included.

From the Maritime Museum, the walk reaches the Square of the Arms, then crosses the Square of Flour to the space in front of the cathedral.

The waterfront beside the town walls shows how different Kotor is from the open sea at Petrovac. Here the bay ends beneath steep rocky slopes, and the ramparts continue above the rooftops toward Saint John’s fortress.

The walk and views from the waterfront take about 30 minutes, followed by a 15-minute break. Lunch can start around 14:00. An hour for the meal is followed by another half-hour to rest. The guide to where to eat in Kotor can help you choose a place.

The walk from the waterfront to Benovo parking takes an estimated 15 minutes. The return drive follows the Vrmac Tunnel, Grbalj and the coastal road through Budva, with an allowance of 90 minutes on the road and another 10 to park at your accommodation in Petrovac.

Sand, gravel and stone alternate along Buljarica’s shore. Behind it lies a broad wetland plain that supports rare plants and bird species. This open land behind the beach gives Buljarica a different appearance from the smaller coves enclosed by wooded headlands.

The approach includes a 15-minute drive, 10 minutes for parking and another 5 to walk to the beach, starting around 09:00. Four full hours of swimming and relaxing follow the approach, from 09:30 until 13:30.

From Petrovac, the drive follows the main road toward Bar, then the local Buljarica BB road to public parking behind the northern end of the beach. The walk continues to the shore beside B5, which serves as a landmark for the beach access.

The walk to the car, drive and parking in Petrovac have a combined allowance of 30 minutes. Another 20 minutes to change brings lunch to around 14:20. The plan then allows an hour each for the meal and a rest at your accommodation.

The Crvena komuna memorial room displays copies of archival documents, correspondence and newspapers from the time of the Adriatic’s first communist municipality. Alongside them are photographs of old Petrovac and its residents.

The walk from central accommodation takes about 5 minutes, followed by a 35-minute visit to the permanent display. The memorial house at Obala 111 opens Tuesday-Friday from 08:00-20:00, with free admission. Weekend hours are only 10:00-14:00, and it is closed to visitors on Mondays, so this day needs to fall between Tuesday and Friday.

The return walk from the memorial house to the central waterfront takes about 5 minutes.

From Petrovac, the drive follows the M-2 road across Pastrovska Gora to Parking Virpazar. From there, the pedestrian approach to the information desk beside the central bridge passes through an underpass beneath the main road.

The approach includes a 50-minute drive, 15 minutes for parking and another 10 to walk, starting around 09:00.

The boat trip connects narrow lake channels with open water beneath the hills of Vranjina. Lesendro’s fort can be seen from the lake, while farther on, broad water-lily leaves cover the surface. Waterways run between the beds of lilies, bringing the view from the lake’s open expanse back down to the plants beside the boat.

This day uses a shared two-hour wooden-boat trip. Before traveling, confirm departure at 11:00 and return at 13:00. The activity’s total of 2 hours and 45 minutes includes a 15-minute buffer, check-in half an hour before departure and two hours on the water. National Park admission is included. The boat fare is confirmed when booking.

The Kingfisher information desk is beside Virpazar’s central bridge. Check-in is required 30 minutes before the confirmed departure.

The walk beside the bridge and around Virpazar takes about 20 minutes, followed by a 40-minute break.

Lunch can start around 14:00, with an hour for the meal and another half-hour to rest. Lunch is not included in the selected boat trip’s price.

The walk leads back to the same parking area, followed by the drive along the M-2 across Pastrovska Gora toward Petrovac. The return includes 10 minutes to walk to the car, a 50-minute drive and another 10 minutes for parking in Petrovac.

Petrovac town beach is recognizable by its reddish shore and the islets of Katic and Sveta Nedjelja across the bay. The promenade and houses stand directly behind the beach, so between swims you can stay in town, with terraces looking out to sea.

Four hours are set aside for swimming and relaxing, from 09:30 until 13:30.

The starting point is the central part of Petrovac town beach, beside the promenade.

The walk from Petrovac town beach to central accommodation takes an estimated 10 minutes, with another 20 to change. Lunch can start around 14:00. An hour for the meal is followed by an hour of rest.

The drive to Budva follows the Adriatic Highway, with the car left at Zetafilm parking on Mediteranska Street, outside the pedestrian Old Town. Charges are per hour or part of an hour, according to the price list at the entrance.

The approach includes a 45-minute drive, 15 minutes for parking and another 10 to walk to the museum.

The museum shows what Budva was like before today’s walls were built. Its ground-floor lapidarium holds stone urns, while the collection includes Hellenistic clay vessels, small glass bottles and an Illyrian-Greek helmet. Gold jewelry reveals the fineness of the workmanship: earrings and a brooch depict an eagle with a boy, a scene linked to the myth of Zeus and Ganymede.

The museum visit, including ticket purchase, can take about 60 minutes. Budva Town Museum opens Tuesday-Friday from 08:00 to 22:00 and on weekends from 14:00-21:00. It is closed on Mondays. Adult admission is €5.

From the museum, the walk follows the stone streets to the space in front of the churches, then reaches the shore beside Richard’s Head beach. Here the walls separate narrow town passages from open views out to sea. At Santa Maria in Punta, the religious building also formed part of the town’s defenses: one wall of the former monastery provided protection from the seaward side.

The walk and exterior sightseeing take about 60 minutes. Time to enter the churches, Citadel or ramparts is not included.

The return includes a 10-minute walk to Zetafilm parking, a 45-minute drive and another 10 minutes for parking at your accommodation in Petrovac. Dinner follows the return and is outside the day’s total.