Montenegro

Understand

History

Montenegro has been a political entity since at least the 11th century. It was founded as a state under its present name in the 15th century, continuing the tradition of the Slavic state of Duklja. It was able to maintain its independence during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in the Balkans, as its independence was recognized at the Congress of Berlin in 1878. In World War I, it fought on the side of the Allied powers. It became part the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, which became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. Montenegro was part of various incarnations of Yugoslavia, until it regained its independence from the federation of Serbia-Montenegro after the May 2006 referendum. Montenegro was the only republic of the former Yugoslavia that supported Serbia during the wars of the 1990s.

People Montenegro is home to 620,000 people (2020), and is a multicultural and multiethnic country. All citizens of Montenegro can be called Montenegrin, but this term is also used for a specific ethnicity within the country. The majority of people (~75%) in the country are ethnic Montenegrins or Serbs, however the exact breakdown of these groups is difficult to determine due to their individual perspectives on how they see their identity. Most ethnic Montenegrins and Serbs are Serbian Orthodox Christians. In the northeast, there is a Bosniak majority, and an Albanian minority, most of whom are followers of Islam. In the town of Ulcinj, there is an Albanian majority, of varying religious persuasions. In the Kotor area, there is a Croat minority, many of whom are Roman Catholic. Regardless of their ethnicity, Montenegrin citizens are known for their kindness and hospitality.

Climate Montenegro's lower areas along the coast enjoy a Mediterranean climate, having dr

See

While Montenegro may be a small country, it has so much diverse history and nature to see. There are stunning mountainous landscapes, dramatic coastlines, historic monuments and truly beautiful walled towns. The Montenegro coast is just as gorgeous as that of its better known neighbour, Croatia, and it is for good reason that

Getting there

Most foreign tourists enter Montenegro directly by air, by road from Croatia, or occasionally by sea from Italy. Land routes from Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania are mainly used by tourists from those respective countries.

Entry requirements Holders of travel documents containing a valid Schengen visa, a valid visa of the United States of America or a permission to stay in these countries may enter and stay, i.e. pass through the territory of Montenegro up to seven days, and not longer than the expiry of visa if the period of validity of visa is less than seven days. However, border guards are not fully aware of this information, and they might tell you that you require a visa to enter Montenegro. Stay calm and politely ask them to recheck their information. They will fill a form with your passport and car registration information which can take up to 1 hour! As of 2010, nationals of the following states may enter, pass through the territory of and stay in Montenegro up to 90 days with a valid travel document without a visa: Andorra, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Holy See, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, El Salvador, San Marino, Seychelles, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, Uruguay, United States and Venezuela. The exemption from

Getting around

By bus This may be the quickest way to get around Montenegro. Buses are frequent (especially during the summer), safe and are more or less on schedule. Ticket prices within Montenegro are all under €15. Examples of prices: Podgorica-Ulcinj €6, Podgorica-Cetinje €3, Cetinje-Kotor €5. Local buses usually have no airconditioning. There are normal buses and minibuses, depending on the destination. All bus stations demand a fee for using the bus station, which is included in you ticket when you buy it at the bus station. However, it apparently is not included in online tickets, and there often erupt discussions between the station conductor and tourists since they are not let onto the platform without paying this fee. You can always pay the fee at the station when having bought your ticket online, but do so sufficiently ahead of the departure or you might miss your bus. The conductor will stand his ground. To get around the station fee, just go to any of the nearby bus stops of the route—bus drivers will happily take any additional passengers. But be sure to know the fare. You can find the bus stops on OpenStreetMap, e.g. with mobile apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz. Use Busticket4Me to find out the schedules and prices within Montenegro and even to destinations outside. You can buy tickets online, but they need to be printed. Most bus stations have WiFi—sometimes you have to ask for the password.

By train

Going by train is a great alternative to using the bus, but coverage of the country is not great. From Podgorica there are regular train services to Bar, Bijelo Polje (and further to Belgrade) through Kolašin and Mojkovac, and Nikšić. It is the cheapest way to travel from north to south and vice versa, costing €2.80 at most within Montenegro. The quality of service is no