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Contents
1. Introduction & Practical Information
The traffic and parking in the Budva area can be horrendous, even on the main coastal road. I was glad that we weren't staying near Budva as it is too built up and congested for my liking. This will only get worse.
We left Kotor (see my blog Kotor, Montenegro: Travel Guide) at 08.00 to try to avoid the congestion and to find a parking spot. We went to a car park near Hotel Wow as it had good reviews on Google and it only cost Eur 1 per hour.
The car park was already pretty full, but spaces free up fairly quickly. It is just 1 block from the seafront and a 10 minute walk to Budva Old Town. Enter "Parking kod hotela WOW" on Google maps to locate it.
2. Budva Old Town
Budva is yet another old Venetian town to wander around. It is in very good condition due to it being entirely rebuilt after the 1979 earthquake. It looks very authentic and one wouldn't know it had been rebuilt.
When we reached Budva's Old Town around 09.00 the streets were deserted and remained like that until just before 10.00. Then the guided tours came in! We had enough time to walk around everywhere without it being spoiled by the tours. We had wanted to walk on Budva's walls, but the gate was locked and it was not opened by the time we left Budva's Old Town at 10.15.
There is a beach just outside the Morava Gate of Budva's old town. The beach has a public area as well as a private area with the usual sun loungers and umbrellas. It wasn't busy as it was early in the day.
If you need to use a toilet there is one near the Morava Gate. It is on the left hand side as you come through the gate from the beach. I think it is meant to be for people using the private beach area but there isn't an attendant.
3. Slovenska Beach in Budva
We walked along the promenade from Budva Old Town to the long Slovenska beach. It was 11.00 a.m. and the beach was absolutely packed. This was in late June so it could only be worse in July and August.
Most of the beach is private with sun loungers and umbrellas for hire, but there are some crowded public areas. The lowest price that we saw for 2 sun loungers and an umbrella was Eur 12. The land side of the beach is packed with cafes, restaurants and shops. There are also several toilet facilities charging from Eur 0.50 to Eur 1.00.
It was too busy for our liking. We decided not to swim there but to find a quieter beach away from Budva.
4. Sveti Stefan
The entire famous and picturesque island of Sveti Stefan is a hotel managed by the Aman Resorts. Only hotel guests and people who have a reservation at their restaurants can enter the island.
A few people have posted on the internet that they have had a tour of Sveti Stefan island for Eur 20 and that there were 2 tours a day. These posts are now several years old and it is doubtful that the tours now run. Anyway I am not sure how interesting it would be to tour an island that has been turned into a hotel.
There are beaches on the mainland opposite Sveti Stefan. The beach south of the isthmus is known as Sveti Stefan beach. It has a free public section as well as a private section with 2 sunbeds and an umbrella costing around Eur 40 for the day. It is likely to be absolutely packed in the peak season like all the other beaches around Budva.
The best way to see Sveti Stefan is from higher up and there are 2 main ways to view it:
The easiest way is to pull into 1 of the 2 laybys on the main coastal road above Budva when driving from west to east. These laybys are not very large and are often full of cars.
The best way is to drive up to St Sava church above the main road. From there you have a wonderful view. It is a 15 minute drive from Sveti Stefan beach along a good road, except for the last few hundred metres when it is a bit narrow. To get there enter St. Sava Church (the one at Denasi) on Google maps.
Some people want a photo posing in front of the island and St. Sava Church is ideal for that. There is a circular platform in front of the church which is used for that purpose. It is probably intended for wedding photos.
5. Excursions from Budva
A good day trip to the north of Budva is to the beautiful Venetian town of Kotor. From there you can continue to Perast, which is another Venetian town but much smaller. For details see my blogs Kotor, Montenegro: Travel Guide) and Perast & Herceg Novi: Travel Guide.
The Lipa Caves to the east of Budva are very interesting and there is a good road there. A circular drive can be done by returning through Lovcen National Park and then down the slightly challenging Kotor Serpentine Road. See my blog The Kotor Serpentine Road to Lipa Cave.
6. Driving to & from Budva from Croatia and Albania
We drove to Budva from Albania. See my blog Albania to Montenegro - Week 9 for details. Afterwards we drove from Montenegro to Croatia. See my blog Montenegro to Croatia- Week 10 for details.
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