Back in early April, while snow and cold were sweeping through Canada, I was fortunate enough to be in what I consider to be, absolutely, the most beautiful country that I’ve ever been too — Montenegro.
Montenegro is a relatively new country (it broke off of Serbia in 2006) on the Adriatic Sea that uses the euro. The main language is Montenegrin but English is (thankfully!) wide spoken.
A lot of people balk at visiting the Balkans (I love puns) because of the perception that the area is poor or still suffering from the effects of the Yugoslav Wars. The reality is that Montenegro has a tourist industry that is rapidly growing due to its beaches and beautiful mountain ranges of black rock.
I visited two coastal towns, Budva and Kotor. Budva is known as a “Russian Playground” and there are Russian billionaires and yachts galore! The downtown area has free wifi and there’s a walled city that takes you back to the Middle Ages
Kotor is the most tourist-y town in Montenegro and has a reputation as being a party town. The main tourist attractions are, again, a walled city, a castle 1350 steps up a steep mountain (seriously, it’s QUITE a work-out) and the amazing colour of the water.
In terms of price, Montenegro is one of the cheapest countries that I’ve visited. Plates of food can be had for a few dollars, accommodation prices are low and, as in most Eastern European countries, the price of travel is ridiculously low.