Budva

A resort hub on Montenegro's Adriatic coast. The walled Old Town of Budva stands right by the sea, and Mogren Beach and Sveti Stefan island trace the most beautiful stretch of the Budva Riviera.

Budva lies in the middle of Montenegro's Adriatic coast and is the center of the Budva Riviera. It is about 23 km south of Kotor, about 20 km east of Tivat Airport, and can be reached southeast along the coastal road to Petrovac.

The climate is Mediterranean. From June to September the sea is warm and it is beach season, with July and August the most crowded and most expensive. May and late September to October are quieter and cheaper, and the sea is still swimmable. Winters are rainy, and many beach facilities and restaurants close.

The sights fall into three areas. The first is the walled Old Town and, to its west, the Dancer statue and Mogren Beach. The main city beach, Slovenska Beach, is lined with hotels and nightlife. The second is the stretch to the southeast: Bečići, Pržno and Sveti Stefan island, which can be combined with the Praskvica Monastery in the hills behind. The third is farther south, with the secluded Drobni Pijesak bay and the small town of Petrovac. In summer, boats leave the Old Town harbor for Sveti Nikola island.

Getting there: Buses and taxis run from Podgorica or Tivat Airport, and frequent local buses serve points along the coast.

Plan to stay 2 to 4 days. A day trip to the Bay of Kotor or Lake Skadar is easy to add. Note that parking is hard to find in peak season, and beach sunbed rental can be pricey.

Top sights

• Budva Old Town – A walled old town on a seaside peninsula with over 2,000 years of history; beyond its walls lies Montenegro's hottest beach and nightlife z…
• Sveti Nikola Island – The largest island off Budva, nicknamed 'Montenegro's Hawaii'; it is a short boat ride away, with clear water suitable for swimming and sno…
• Mogren Beach – Two small coves enclosed by cliffs on the west side of Budva's old town, with clear water, reachable along a cliffside path.
• Sveti Stefan – Montenegro's most iconic postcard view: a 15th-century fortified fishing village on an islet joined to the land by a sandbar, with red-tile…
• Petrovac na Moru – A quiet seaside town 17 km south of Budva, with a red-sand beach framed by pine forest and a small Venetian fort; ideal for escaping Budva'…
• Bečići Beach – A long pebble-and-sand beach about 2 km east of Budva, once named Europe's best beach, with clear shallow water and lined with hotels.
• Slovenska Beach – Budva's main city beach, about 1.6 km long and right beside the seafront promenade and nightlife district; convenient but crowded in peak s…
• Dancer Statue of Budva – A bronze statue of a young dancer on the rocks between Budva's old town and Mogren Beach, the town's most popular photo spot.
• Pržno – A small fishing-village bay north of Sveti Stefan, with a compact beach, seafood restaurants by the water, and a footpath to Sveti Stefan.
• Drobni Pijesak Beach – A secluded little bay on the south side of Sveti Stefan, surrounded by steep wooded hills; you reach it by a mountain path, and the water i…
• Ploče Beach – A rock beach beneath the cliffs on Budva's west side, with man-made pools linked to the sea and daytime DJ parties.
• Praskvica Monastery – A Serbian Orthodox monastery among olive groves on the hillside behind Sveti Stefan, with sea views and a quiet, ancient character.
• Reževići Monastery – An old monastery beside the coastal road north of Petrovac, with three small churches and views over olive groves and the sea.
• Podmaine Monastery – An Orthodox monastery at the foot of the hills north of Budva's town, famous for its frescoes and palm courtyard, and very close to the cit…
• Aquapark Budva – A large water park on the hillside northwest of Budva, with many slides and pools; a good way to spend a day with kids.

Where to eat

• Konoba Bocun – A family konoba away from the tourist seafront, ranked near the top of Tripadvisor's Budva list and known for Njeguši b…
• Konoba Stari Grad – A traditional konoba at the foot of the Budva Old Town walls, with a terrace beside the small Old Town beach. Guides of…
• Jadran Restaurant – A family-run restaurant on the seafront promenade outside the Old Town, opened in the 1970s and known for charcoal-gril…

Itineraries

• Kotor Bay & Budva Coast 4-Day Car-Free Itinerary – Explore Kotor Old Town, Perast, and Budva without renting a car, using public buses to connect the highlights of the Mo…
• Montenegro Coast, Lake & Mountain Crossing – Travel from Kotor Bay through Budva and Lake Skadar, then head north to Durmitor to see the best of Montenegro in a wee…
• Ohrid, Prizren & Kotor Western Balkans – A Western Balkans loop starting from Tirana, connecting lake towns, Ottoman old towns, and the Bay of Kotor.
• Kotor to Tirana via Ulcinj and Theth – Head south along the Montenegrin coast into Albania, ascend to the Theth Valley, and finish in Tirana.