Montenegro with kids: 7 family activities!
Vacationing to Montenegro with kids is fun! We visited the country during our trip through the Balkans, and we found Montenegro to be one of the most enjoyable countries of our trip. You have beautiful towns here, where prices are not yet too high and tourism is not yet hugely developed. That won’t last long, by the way, as more and more families with kids visit the country. Following our trip through the country, we list the best attractions of Montenegro with kids.
Montenegro with kids #1: Budva
For us, the town of Budva was the base from which we explored most places in Montenegro. We stayed near this place at the Iberostar Bellevue hotel near town and that was a very nice place to stay. We were with our hotel by the sea, had some nice pools with it and in the evening there was entertainment. In addition, the hotel uses the all inclusive formula, so food and drinks were included in the price. Of course, you have to love that!
Budva is a nice city to visit in a morning or an afternoon. Especially in the summer months in Montenegro with kids, it is best to plan a city trip either very early or very late in the afternoon, as it is otherwise too hot to walk around a city. In Budva, it’s fun to just walk around town and possibly have some food and drinks, but you don’t need to spend a very long time in town with kids either.
When we visited Budva, we visited the citadel. It is located at the highest point of the city and from the castle you have a very nice view of the city. Other than that, don’t imagine too much about it and you visit this citadel mainly for the view. We also visited one of the little beaches near the center. Please note that these are pebbly beaches and thus not super comfortable to lie down on. Then again, our daughter really enjoys playing with pebbles, so that’s another advantage. In all, we visited the city in about three hours.
Montenegro with kids #2: Kotor
Another fun city to visit in Montenegro with kids is the city of Kotor. Kotor is a half-hour drive from the city of Budva, and this city is also located on the waterfront on Lake Kotor of the same name. The old town of this place is fun to visit and has plenty of stores and nice terraces where you can eat and drink something.
You must park your car outside the old center, as the old center is pedestrian only. You will find many old churches and buildings in this medieval center, and you will also see a huge number of cats, which have houses and feeders everywhere. In addition, on the promenade connecting the old center to the beach, there was also a small playground with an air cushion and electric cars. Again, we swam in the lake with our daughter. Surely, especially in the summer months, it is nice to cool off from the water.
What is also highly recommended is to drive the winding road up the mountain from town for about ten minutes. We had a drink at Restoran Vidikovac (just find the exact location on Google Maps) and there we had a really beautiful view of the Bay of Kotor and the city. Here we had a drink and enjoyed the view. By the way, on this road up the mountain there are more places where you can stop for great views of the area.
Montenegro with kids #3: Tivat
The third city that is fun to visit in Montenegro with kids is the town of Tivat. Tivat is a 15-minute drive from the city of Kotor and a half-hour drive from the city of Budva. So, as you can see, you can easily visit the other cities from one of these cities in a trip of a few hours, since the distances are not that great by car.
In the town of Pivat, the biggest attraction is the luxurious port that the town owns: Porto Montenegro. This part of this city resembles the famous seaside resorts like Monaco, and Saint Tropez. You don’t need to spend super much time in this place either, and an hour or two to three will be enough.
Aside from the big yachts you can admire in this city, you can have a drink by the water for that matter. We were very pleased with the prices. There are also all sorts of colorful crazy statues throughout the harbor that you can check out. Of course, you will also find the big international expensive brands with a store here.
Montenegro with kids #4: Perast
One of the nicest places we visited in Montenegro with our daughter was the town of Perast. This place is also on Lake Kotor and from Kotor it is about a 15-minute drive to this place. By the way, we drove almost an entire lap around Lake Kotor and you have a lot of nice villages and towns along the water here.
Perast is very touristy though and it was quite a search to find a suitable spot for our car. We visited the place towards the end of the afternoon, but perhaps if you go early in the morning there is more parking space. Perast is also a nice place to walk around and have something to eat and drink at one of the waterfront terraces.
You can take a boat here to see the surroundings and it is also fun to climb the tower of the little church that stands in the middle of this town. From this tower you really have a wonderful view of the city and its surroundings. Definitely recommended to visit. Also in this town, our daughter swam in the lake and we had a drink at a beach café at this beach. This was a pretty hip joint (Pirates Beach Bar). We also visited this place for about three hours.
Montenegro with kids: other activities
Of course, there are other places to visit with kids in Montenegro that we ourselves have not visited. We briefly list the best attractions for families with kids here.
#5 Durmitor National Park: this nature reserve is located in the middle of the country and you can do all kinds of sporting activities here with families. For example, in the national park there is the Tara Gorge and in this gorge it is possible to go river rafting with kids. Several raft trips for families are offered here. Another spectacular activity you can do with kids here is ziplining through the gorge.
#6 Skadar Lake: this lake connects the countries of Albania and Montenegro. You can take a boat trip on the lake (from the town of Virpazar), but you also have plenty of viewpoints around the lake that you can drive to by car. The lake is also frequented by bird watchers, as you can spot many birds on the lake here. Around the lake you can also do great hiking through the mountains.
#7 Lovcen National Park: this is another national park you can visit with kids in Montenegro and this park is just under an hour’s drive from the town of Kotor. Your kids should not suffer too much from car sickness then, as there are a huge number of hairpin turns on this route. You have a nice viewpoint over the surroundings here at the mausoleum of Njegoš. The park has many hiking trails that run throughout the park.
Montenegro with kids: where to stay?
You can stay in Montenegro with kids just fine. In the country’s various cities, there are plenty of accommodations suitable for families with kids.
Budva:
Budget hotel: Hotel Villa Gracia
Mid-range hotel: Splendid Conference & Spa Resort
Luxury hotel: Iberostar Bellevue – All Inclusive (this was the hotel we slept in. Super nice hotel, nice pools, very family-friendly and they use the all inclusive formula).
For a list of all accommodations in Budva, take a look here.
Kotor:
Budget hotel: Hotel Marija
Mid-range hotel: Hotel Sara
Luxury hotel: Hotel Libertas
For a list of all accommodations in Kotor, take a look here.
Tivat:
Budget hotel: Hotel Astoria
Mid-range hotel: Hotel Pine
Luxury hotel: Boutique Hotel La Roche
For a list of all accommodations in Tivat, take a look here.
