Day 10 (5/6) – Stari Bar I Budva I Kotor

We checked out early from our chalet at 7:30am because it was going to be a long drive to our next checkpoint: Pavlova Strana Rijeka Crnojeviča Viewpoint. We took the P5 highway, switched to the E762 again towards Podgorica before moving from the motor highway (M18, M2.3) onto a single lane, winding mountain road. It was a full 3-hour drive.

The viewpoint overlooked a dramatic horseshoe bend of the Rijeka Crnojeviča, a tributary of Lake Skadar. The river is named after a nearby village of the same name, which was once an important trading centre and the seat of Montenegrin rulers in the 15th century.

After this slight detour, we turned back towards Podgorica to get on the E80 to Stari Bar. Stari Bar (Old Bar) is a historic town located along the coast, near the modern city of Bar.

We reached Stari Bar at noon just in time for lunch (drive: 1.5 hours). Old town was a small place with limited parking so we parked outside and walked (1€ per vehicle). Lunch was at the Restaurant Kaldrma, which served exquisite Mediterranean fare.

We had the Eggplant In Tomato Sauce ‘A La Feri’, Veal Traditional With Onions and Eggplant, Grilled Prawns and Aglio E Olio With Veal. All the dishes were very flavorful.

Kaldrma was sited within old town and quite near to the fortress ruins but the weather was tryingly hot so we skipped out and just took a look from outside. And then we left for Sveti Stefan (drive 1 hour).

Sveti Stefan is a little islet off the coast of Budva. It was formerly a small fishing village which was subsequently abandoned. In 1954, the Montenegrin government converted it into an exclusive luxury resort. As time was of essence, we decided to just ogle from afar.

When we drove into Budva 10 minutes later, we realised Budva was hot! There were tour buses galore and many more private vehicles. We get that Budva was known as the ‘Montenegrin Riviera’, for its fusion of history, culture and entertainment. Indeed, the old town was charming and a pleasure to explore.

Budva was less than 30 minutes’ drive from Kotor but traffic was so heavy we took one hour to reach our apartment located just outside the old town. The apartment didn’t come with its own private car park lot so we had to play cat and mouse with other drivers. Lesson learned: always book apartments with private parking lots.

While we mull over the parking situation, we had dinner at the riverside Resto Bar Taraca which featured European-Asian fusion fare. We had pumpkin-coriander soup, spicy potato wedges, Taraca rolls, chicken quesadilla, fried chicken strips. The food was good; some dishes had interesting flavours and textures.

Distance driven: 268km
Steps: 12,084
Food: Restaurant Kaldrma, Restobar Taraca

Day 11 (6/6) – Lovćen National Park I Kotor Fortress

The weather wasn’t good and the rain didn’t look like it would call a halt anytime soon. It wasn’t the best of conditions to tackle the Kotor Serpentine but today was the only day we had.

The Kotor Serpentine is a road comprised of multiple breathtaking switchbacks with harrowing hairpin turns; it weaves up the steep mountain side from Kotor to the Lovćen National Park (Park entrance fee: €3/pax).

We left at 810am only reaching the car park next to the Restoran Vladika at 945am. But what beautiful sights on the way up.

Since the rain got heavier and colder, we had coffee first before making our way to the Mausoleum of Njegoš (entrance fee: €5/pax). Perched on the Jezerski Vrh (Lake Peak) of Mount Lovćen, the Mausoleum pays homage to Petar II Petrović-Njegoš, a celebrated Montenegrin prince-bishop-poet-philosopher.

At 1,660 metres above sea level, and requiring 461 stone steps to reach, the Mausoleum offered a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.

Mausoleum done, we drove down the other way to where the Lovćen National Park Tourist Information Centre was, for  lunch at the lovely Kraljičin Vrt. It was very affordable, very decent Italian-styled fare and we received wonderful service from it’s young, part-time staff.

There were various hiking trails starting from where we had lunch but we scraped the plan given the weather. Here are 2 good reference sites: Hiking in Lovćen National Park and 6 Hiking Trails in Lovćen National Park.

We drove back to Kotor via Cetinje (drive: 2 hours 20 mins); a third of that time was spent stuck in the Vrmac Tunnel just before Kotor. When we finally emerged, we realised this was caused by the traffic jam in Kotor itself. Best to avoid the tunnel and take a longer detour whenever possible.

Since we were back earlier than anticipated, we decided to tackle the Ladder of Kotor.

The Ladder of Kotor is a ancient mountain trail that ascends the steep slopes behind Kotor, offering breathtaking views of the Bay of Kotor. Once a vital trade and communication route, it is now a popular hiking path.

We attempted to access the Kotor Fortress from the trail but the ladder into the fortress had been removed so we back tracked and met some furry friends along the way.

The trail featured 70+ hairpin turns which we’d love to explore thoroughly but it was getting dark so we descended (total walking time 2.5 hours) and went to Pier65 in old town for dinner. The Turkish-styled grub was decent but did not exactly hit the spot.

Distance driven:109km
Steps: 18,639
Food: Kraljičin Vrt, La Catedral Pasta Bar, Konoba Scala Santa, Pier65 Gastrobar

Day 12 (7/6) – Kotor I Dubrovnik Airport I Frankfurt

Final day of our Croatia-Montenegro driving trip! We decided to start the day with a sumptuous home-cooked breakfast.

Before we shipped out from Kotor (and Montenegro), we paid a visit to the old town.

Kotor’s old town is a beautifully preserved medieval town dating back to Roman and Byzantine times and known for its Venetian architecture and charming narrow streets. It is also small enough to explore in quick time.

After leaving Kotor, we headed to Perast (15-20 minutes) but couldn’t find the entrance (Parking 1 and the split road to Perast Beach) nor any parking lot so we skipped Perast and went to tranquil Risan instead.

After Risan, we adjourned for a languid drinks break at the waterside Verige65. Verige65 was located directly opposite Perast and offered wonderful views and very chill vibes.

From Verige65, we drove back to Dubrovnik (allow time for the border crossing checks) and the Dubrovnik airport area (drive: 1 hour 20 minutes) arriving at the well-reviewed Restoran Domestico way past lunch hour (2:45pm). Thinking it was one of very few limited choices near the airport, we moderated our expectations but all the dishes were very good!

We had the Bruschette Domestico (tomato spread, gorgonzola, dried figs, half baked beef short loin), Candele in Homemade Tomato and Stracciatella (tomato, basil, poppy) and Fish Steak (with potatoes and Swiss chard Dalmatian style).

We’d have liked to be able to linger at Domestico but had to top up the tank and return the car at the airport. The car was in pristine condition (not a single scratch) so the handover administrations were concluded in a jiffy.

Dubrovnik airport was spacious, uncrowded but boring. It would be perfect if there was an establishment similar to Domestico for us to chill.

And thus, we concluded our Croatia-Montenegro adventure, with lots of good memories for us to reminisce on for years to come.

Distance driven: 75km
Steps: 12,035
Food: Verige65, Restoran Domestico

Visited 5-7 June 2023