Gretchen Stuppy Carlson
Montenegro is an amazing country tucked in the Balkans just south of Croatia. Not only does the coast and the Bay of Kotor offer stunning beaches, but just a short drive inland, you can find mountains with plenty of hiking, biking and other adventures.
Another benefit of Montenegro is that it is a small country and you can easily plan a 1 week road trip and hit both the mountains and the coast.
In this guide we’ll share our top suggestions on planning a 1 week road trip itinerary to Montenegro with a few alternative suggestions.
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A Quick Overview of this Montenegro Itinerary
Nestled along the Adriatic Sea, Montenegro boasts a coastline dotted with charming medieval towns, crystal-clear waters, and picturesque beaches. Inland, you’ll find rugged mountains, deep canyons, and serene lakes, making it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and adventure seekers.
The Bay of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is often likened to a fjord, surrounded by towering cliffs and quaint coastal villages. Beyond its scenic landscapes, Montenegro is steeped in history, with fortresses, monasteries, and a unique blend of Eastern and Western influences reflected in its architecture and cuisine.
Most people who visit, stay on the coast, but we definintely recommend traveling inland as well to the mountains.
Montenegro is also a fantastic place to visit is you want something more budget friendly. While the coast is definintely not ‘undiscovered’ it has a much less touristy feel compared to Italy or Croatia.
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1 Week Montenegro Itinerary Snapshot
This is an adventure driven itinerary in Montenegro and is also an ambitious itinerary. At the end I will make a few suggestions on how to make this a little longer or shorter. Out goal with this itinerary was to see both the main mountain areas in Montenegro and also spend some time on the Bay of Kotor. You can easily switch this into a different order depending on where you are starting and ending your trip.
For this itinerary, we rented a car from the airport in Dubrovnik but you can make this loop from almost any area in Montenegro. Here is a high level look at how we divided our time:
- Day 1: Rent car in Durbrovnik and drive to Zabljak and explore Black Lake, stay in Zabljak
- Day 2: Rafting the River Tara, scenic drive of Durmitor National Park stay in Zabljak
- Day 3: Hiking and exploring Durmitor National Park, stay in Zabljak
- Day 4: drive to Prokletije National Park, Stay in Grebaje Valley
- Day 5: Hike in Prokletije National Park, stay in Grebaje Valley
- Day 6: Drive to the Bay of Kotor, stop at a beach along the way, stay along the Bay
- Day 7: Explore Kotor, Perast or one of the beaches, stay along the Bay of Kotor
How to shorten this trip: if you don’t have 7 full nights, I would skip one of the mountain regions. While we loved Prokletije National Park, there is more to do in Durmitor so I would just spend time here and on the coast.
How to Add more Days to this trip: with more time, I would spend more time on the coast. This itinerary only has 1 full day and you could easily enjoy more time in this beautiful place.
Things to Know about this Itinerary
You will need a car
This itinerary really needs a car! There is limited tranportation to the different areas, but it will be hard to get to some of the more remote trainheads. We rented a car from Dubrovnik airport. You will want to check that you are covered to cross borders.
We recommend searching for your rental car through Discover Cars. This site lets you search a number of different companies to find the best deal.
It’s worth mentioning that roads are often in good condition, but are very narrow in places and can get crowded, especially along parts of the coast and in the mountains.
Where to Stay on this Itinerary to Montenegro
Montenegro has both small cabins and apartments you can rent as well as hotels. As a family of 5 we like to search for lodging through booking.com. While I share the specific places we staying in the details below, there are lots of similar options so I recommend looking through this site to get started.
Language and other Details
It is generally easy to get around with English in Montenegro. We found very friendly people so even if we couldn’t talk in the same language people were generally helpful. We were able to use our credit card in many places but used Euros for most restaurants. We found it helpful to carry cash compared to other European countries.
Montenegro Itinerary Details
3 Nights in Zabljak
From Dubrovnik, it’s a few hour drive to the mountain town of Zabljak. This town is centered around hiking and is the perfect base for exploring Durmitor National Park.
You will spend the first 3 nights of your trip in this town. We rented a house for 3 days, but you can find a growing number of accomodation options and restaurants. This town has definitely caught on to the potnetial for tourism and is cute and growing.
Since you have 2 full days in Zabljak you should plan to spend 1 day rafting on the River Tara and driving through Durmitor National Park, and the other day hiking in the park. You can do these days in whatever order works best and you will likely have additional time on the day your arrive or leave to walk around Black Lake.
Rafting River Tara: this incredible river travels through a deep gorge along the border of Bosnia and Hertzogenina and Montenegro. There are several tour companies that run 1/2 or full day rafting adventures. To get to the rafting centers, you will need to drive the incredible scenic drive through Durmitor National Park. This road has some serious drop offs, but as long as you take your time is fun to drive.
See more about Rafting the River Tara.
Hiking Bobotov Kuk: there are several longer hiking trails in Durmitor NP but the most popular is the hike up Montenegro’s tallest mountain Bobotov Kuk. There are several routes you can use to hike this mountain and you have tremendous views of the park throughout the hike.
See our guide to hiking Bobotov Kuk.
2 Nights in Prokletije National Park
The drive from Zabljak to the Grebage Vallet in Prokletije National Park takes about 3.5 hours and is a great way to see this part of the country. You will pass through small towns and travel on winding roads. We stopped from lunch in the town of Plav.
The best place to stay in Prokletije National Park is right in the park in the Grebaje Valley. This gorgeous spot is nested in a valley with incredible views and several small accomodations and restaurants. You can also stay in Gusinje if you want something a little bigger.
With 2 nights in the park, you will have one full day to explore and an evening to walk around the town and valley.
Hike the Volusnica Loop Trail: with just one day you should do this hike right from Grebaje. This incredible hike is one of our all tie favorites. The hike itself is moderate to challenging and offers incredible views of the. Accursed Mountains. See: How to do the Volusnica Loop Hike, Prokletije National Park, Montenegro.
2 Night on the Bay of Kotor
You could easily spend more time on the Bay of Kotor. This place is seriously beautiful with massive mountains coming right out of the bay. There are many places to stay on the bay – we stayed near the town of Kotor along the West side of the Bay. The roads in this area can be very narrow and small.
On the way to the Bay of Kotor we stopped at one of the beaches along the southern coastline (there are may to choose from).
With a full day on the Bay of Kotor, give youself some time to relax, swim, and explore the towns of Kotor and Perast. The Bay of Kotor is not undiscovered, so you should try to plan your visit to avoid the cruise ships if possible. Kotor can get pretty crowded in the middle of the day.
We wrapped up our Montenegro road trip by returning the car to the airport in Dubrovnik, but you can easily continue on to your next destination.
Map of this One Week Itinary to Montenegro
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