We just got back from the beautiful country of Montenegro and had the most amazing time! I wanted to share this 2 week Montenegro itinerary, which is the perfect way to explore the best of what Montenegro has to offer. It’s a vastly underrated country that is rapidly becoming more popular and for good reason. We visited the main tourist spots and also some off-the-beaten-track.
We visited Montenegro as a family, our boys were 4 years old and 14 months old at the time of our visit, and we had the best time, making unforgettable memories. So this is a great Montenegro itinerary for families. I also think it is a great Montenegro first-time travel guide that would be just as good for couples or solo travellers, you’ll just likely go at a different pace.
We had 11 nights in Montenegro, followed by 3 in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Honestly, I would have liked to have the extra 3 nights in Montenegro, and I will share below the places we skipped that I wished we’d been to as well!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
PERFECT 5 DAY ITINERARY FOR MONTENEGRO’S BAY OF KOTOR
OR MORE DETAILS ABOUT ALL THE PLACES IN MONTENEGRO WE VISITED:
TIVAT – KOTOR – BUDVA – LAKE SKADAR – NIKSIC – TARA CANYON – DURMITOR NATIONAL PARK
VISITING MONTENEGRO FOR THE FIRST TIME AS A FAMILY
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Why Visit Montenegro for a Family Holiday?
Montenegro is an ideal destination for a family holiday, and it remains one of my favourite places! Offering a unique mix of mountain landscapes, crystal-clear lakes, charming old towns, and beautiful beaches. You’ll be able to discover all of these within relatively short driving distances.
It’s a perfect place to visit for families who want variety or to get a mix of exploring and relaxing. It is also still relatively unvisited by tourists (though I predict this will soon change), making it an affordable European destination!
With a slower pace than more touristy European countries and a welcoming attitude towards children, Montenegro offers plenty of opportunities to explore nature, history, and local culture at a relaxed, family-friendly pace.
Is 2 Weeks in Montenegro Enough?
We had 11 nights in Montenegro (then 2 nights in Dubrovnik, Croatia), and it was a lovely amount of time; however, there were a couple of places we didn’t get to that we would have liked to. I think a full two-week Montenegro itinerary would have been perfect to see all the best places Montenegro has to offer without feeling rushed.
We live in London and have a fast-paced lifestyle, so we consciously decided not to rush around during this Montenegro trip with kids. It would be possible to condense this itinerary to 10 days, if you like to go at a faster pace. I will give further recommendations on how to do this below.
Getting Around Montenegro
The main airport is in Tivat. If you want to explore Montenegro properly, I would recommend hiring a car. Usually, we are big fans of public transport, but in Montenegro, it’s limited and unreliable. Your best option to explore properly is to hire a car and plan a perfect Montenegro road trip itinerary.
TOP MONTENEGRO ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES
Kotor: Blue Cave & Our Lady of The Rocks & Submarine Base
The Perfect 2 Week Montenegro Itinerary for First Timers and Families
I’ll describe each place briefly below, but I’ve also written detailed guides to all the places we visited. I’ve linked them all, so just click to read more.
This 2 week Montenegro with kids itinerary covers:
- Tivat – (5 nights) with day trips to Kotor, Perast, Herceg Novi and Budva
- Lake Skadar – (3 nights)
- The Durmitor National Park (3 nights)
- We then went on to spend 2 nights in Dubrovnik, Croatia
2-week Montenegro Road-Trip Itinerary Map
Below is a map outlining an amazing route around Montenegro. Just click the blue “More Options” button to open it in Google Maps.
Tivat: 3-5 Nights – The First Stop on our 2 Week Montenegro Itinerary
The first stop on our 2 week family-friendly Montenegro itinerary was Tivat. The main town is only a 10-minute drive from the airport, making it a perfect base. We had 3 nights in Tivat, but I wish we had 5. Tivat is a small but gorgeous coastal town with an affluent vibe.
The best things to do in Tivat, Montenegro with kids include visiting the beach, walking the waterfront, exploring a disused submarine and splashing in the fountains at Porto Montenegro. You can read more about exploring Tivat in our full guide, linked here.
There are so many towns close by that you can also visit, the most popular one being Kotor, which is just a 15-minute drive from Tivat.
PHOTOS FROM TIVAT, MONTENEGRO. THE START OF OUR 2 WEEK MONTENEGRO ITINERARY
Where to Stay in Tivat
- Apartman Vuk € – it is still possible to get very budget friendly accomodation in montenegro (this family apartment works out at around £60 per night!) It is located a short, but uphill walk from the main town but has free parking.
- Porto Montenegro Residences €€ (my top pick) – these luxary looking suits are located right on the waterfront of Porto Montenegro and would be a perfect base for families exploring Tivat and the bay of Kotor.
- Regent Porto Montenegro €€€ – If your budget allows, treat yourself to Tivats most luxury accomodation. This beautiful building has impressive indoor and outdoor pools and a dedicated children’s pool, plus four restaurants on site!
From Tivat, you can easily do day trips to many other places in the Bay of Kotor area. These include; Kotor, Perast, Herceg Novi and Budva. We took a day trip to Kotor and also stopped at Budva en route. I would have loved to visit more of these places though!
Kotor is one of the most popular destinations in Montenegro, read our full guide to Kotor here. It’s a small medieval old town, surrounded by city walls. It’s much more quaint and historic than Tivat and also beautiful.
One of the most popular things to do in the old Town of Kotor is to walk the City Walls. We also did a really cool boat ride tour to explore the blue caves, which was fun for the whole family.
In the summer months, boat taxis run from Tivat to Perast and Herceg Novi, which is where we would have gone with our extra two days if we’d had them. I would have also liked an extra day in Tivat itself, just to relax!
PHOTOS FROM KOTOR, MONTENEGRO
A lot of people just come to the Kotor Bay area, and if you do, you’ll have a lovely time. It would be a great 5 days in Montenegro itinerary but Montenegro still has so much more to offer. I would recommend continuing your journey to discover these less-explored gems!
Lake Skadar: 2-3 Nights
En route from Tivat to Lake Skadar (also called the Shkodra Lake), stopped at Budva, read our full guide to Budva here. Stopping here was the perfect way to break up the drive for our young children.
Budva is another small town with a similar vibe to Kotor and Perast. This was a great place to stop, and we loved exploring here despite the rain. While you’re in Budva, wander the old town and make sure to visit the Citadel. I’ve shared all you need to know about the Citadel Budva in this gude.
There is also a large beach, which would be great on a sunny day!
PHOTOS FROM A DAY TRIP TO BUDVA ON OUR 2 WEEK MONTENEGRO ITINERARY
From Budva, we continued our journey down the Adriatic Coast to Lake Skadar, which is the largest lake in the Balkans and one of the best places to visit in Montenegro that a lot of people miss. that a lot of people miss. It is a beautiful National Park with amazing scenery. Our full guide to Virpazar and Lake Skadar is linked here. We made a conscious decision that we didn’t want to rush on this trip, so we planned three nights here, but it’s possible to do it in two.
The best thing to do here is take a boat tour on the lake; we highly recommend the one we did, and I have shared the full details here. At only 15 Euros per adult, which includes a glass of wine, it is a real bargain! I’ve linked it below. In this area, there are also a lot of hiking trails, and there are also some incredible viewpoints, including the breathtaking Horseshoe Bend at Pavlova Strana.
CLICK TO BOOK: AMAZING BOAT TOUR ON LAKE SKADAR
If you’re planning a faster-paced itinerary, you can do a Skadar Lake full-day tour from Kotor. While you can see the lake and take a boat tour in a day, it would involve a lot of travel time, and, personally, I wouldn’t try it with young children.
PHOTOS FROM LAKE SKADAR AND VIRPAZR
Where to Stay to Explore Lake Skadar
The best place to stop to explore Lake Skadar is the town of Virpazar. It’s a small town with a few restaurants and a little supermarket, but it has more than anywhere else around. Our top accommodation picks include:
- Plamenatz studio apartments € – very budget-friendly apartments, just a short drive from the town of Virpazar.
- Apartments Kingfisher €€ – (where we stayed) – just a 5-minute drive from Virpazar (you can park for free both at the apartments and in the town), this apartment has a pool and is a really affordable price.
- Hotel De‘Andros Virpazar €€€ – This is the main hotel in Virpazar, it’s in an excellent location, just a short walk from restaurants and where the boat tours depart from.
From Lake Skadar, we drove on to the Durmitor National Park. To break up this drive, we stopped at Niksic, which is one of the larger towns in Montenegro but not one of the most popular with visitors. It’s worth stopping here if you’re in the area. We have a full guide to Niksic, linked here.
The Durmitor National Park: 2-3 Nights – The Final Stop on our 2 Week Montenegro Itinerary
Our final stop on our 2 week Montenegro road trip with kids was the small town of Zabljak. This is the best place to stay to explore the North of Montenegro, including the Durmitor National Park. This area is high in the mountains and much colder than the rest of Montenegro; we woke up to snow on our first morning there.
PHOTOS FROM THE DURMITOR NATIONAL PARK AND ZABLJAK
The Durmitor National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an incredibly beautiful place ot visit. We had snow there, which made it even more magical. Here you should hike around The Black Lake (Crno Jezero) and also The Tara Bridge and River Canyon.
Again, there are many beautiful views in this area. There are also more hiking opportunities, as well as rafting or ziplining on the river.
Where to Stay to Explore the Durmitor National Park
The best town to stay in to explore the Durmitor National Park is called Zabljak.
- Ville Uskoci € – a really cool looking cabin, just a short drive from the town centre.
- NORTH STORY – Luxury Chalet €€€ – a beautifully designed chalet, it’s higher price but includes breakfast and spa access!
PHOTOS FROM THE TARA RIVER CANYON
From Zabljak, we drove through the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Optional Extra Stop – Sveti Stefan
If you can fit it into your itinerary, Sveti Stefan would be another beautiful place to stop. I would fit in a night or two between Budva and Lake Skadar. We drove past here but only stopped for a quick photo of the views!
Thank you so much for reading about our 2 week Montenegro itinerary for families and first timers. I hope we’ve helped you to plan your Montenegro road trip.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
PERFECT 5 DAY ITINERARY FOR MONTENEGRO’S BAY OF KOTOR
OR MORE DETAILS ABOUT OTHER PLACES IN MONTENEGRO WE VISITED:
TIVAT – KOTOR – BUDVA – LAKE SKADAR – NIKSIC – TARA CANYON – DURMITOR NATIONAL PARK
Happy Exploring,
