A fjord like bay walled by mountains, an island hotel on the Adriatic, the deepest canyon in Europe and a lake full of lilies, Montenegro, a whole country's worth of drama in a very small space.
Into the Bay of Kotor, a fjord like inlet of the Adriatic ringed by sheer grey mountains. After the flight we keep it easy, the walled medieval old town of Kotor, a first seafood dinner on the water, the cliffs glowing at dusk.
The climb up Kotor's old city walls to the fortress, the whole bay laid out below; a boat across to the man made island church of Our Lady of the Rocks and the baroque town of Perast. The most beautiful corner of the Adriatic, and still a secret.
The old serpentine road up to the Lovcen heights for the view straight down onto the bay, the oyster and mussel farms for a tasting on the water, a swim in a hidden cove. The slow, salty rhythm of the Boka. (overnight Kotor)
Over the headland to Budva, its walled old town and the beaches of the Montenegrin Riviera. The iconic islet of Sveti Stefan, a fishing village turned exclusive resort connected by a causeway, posing on its rock; a sunset swim.
The coves and beaches of the south, the old town of Bar with its thousand year old olive tree, the monastery and the market; a long lunch by the sea. The coast at its easy, golden best. (overnight Budva)
North into the wild interior, the drive itself is a wonder, climbing past the Tara canyon, the deepest in Europe, and the cliff clinging Ostrog monastery built into a sheer rock face. Into the Durmitor national park and the alpine town of Zabljak.
The glassy Black Lake under the Durmitor peaks, a walk through the pine forest, and a white water raft or a zipline over the Tara gorge for the brave. A different Montenegro, high, green and wild, a long way from the coast. (overnight Zabljak)
South to Lake Skadar, the largest in the Balkans, a maze of water lilies and bird life explored by boat; the old royal capital of Cetinje and its monastery, and a tasting of Montenegro's robust Vranac red in a lakeside winery.
A last lakeside breakfast before the transfer to Tivat or Podgorica for your flight. Montenegro packs mountains, monasteries, beaches and a fjord into a country you can cross in a morning, and it is still, gloriously, ahead of the crowd.
Three ways to do the same route: Comfort, Premium or Luxe. Breakfasts in. Mix tiers city by city if you like, it is your trip.
Priced to your dates, your hotel tier and how the two of you like to travel. Ask, the first answer usually lands within minutes.
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