Magnificent Montenegro
As a frontrunner for EU membership, Montenegro won’t stay Europe’s best-kept secret for long. Beat the inevitable crowds and discover a country of dramatic fjords, Venetian old towns, and affordable peaks before the rest of the world catches on.
Georgina
8/1/20262 min read
Want a European summer without the crowds? Then look no further than Montenegro, which is ancient, gorgeous, brimming with breathing room – and still more affordable than Italy or France.
Roughly the size of Northern Ireland, Montenegro blends the turquoise Adriatic with towering dark mountains, glacial lakes, and medieval Venetian architecture.
The Bay of Kotor is a breathtaking collision of mountains and sea. Here, dramatic limestone cliffs rise above cobalt waters, sheltering UNESCO-protected Venetian towns like Kotor and Perast that cling to the rock face.
It's said that when the Republic of Venice finally fell to Napoleon in 1797, the citizens of Perast – the jewel of Venetian loyalty, wealth, and naval power in the Adriatic boasting16 palaces and 19 churches in one tiny strip – buried the Venetian flag under the altar of their church with tears, declaring their centuries of loyal service complete.
Our Lady of the Rocks (Gospa od Škrpjela), an artificial island off the coast of Perast, is a must see. This haunting church with a view of the Island of the Death – where Perast's elite families, wealthy sea captains, and noblemen are buried – was created over centuries by local sailors who sank captured ships and dropped stones after discovering an icon of the Virgin Mary on a sea rock in 1452.
Over the centuries, this death island (also known as the Island of Saint George) was struck by catastrophic earthquakes, burned by Turkish pirates, seized by warring empires, and even placed under a papal interdict (a curse) after a murder took place within its monastery walls. Now viewed as tragically cursed, Saint George remains strictly closed to tourists, serving as an active Benedictine monastery and graveyard.
Beyond these haunted sites, sunny coastlines, old towns, seaside and superyachts lies a wilder side. Most visitors don't travel beyond the coast. But if you head north to the Tara River Canyon – Europe’s deepest gorge and the second-deepest on Earth – you can white-water raft through 22 emerald rapids or soar high above the chasm on a zip-line across the iconic Đurđevića Tara Bridge. In the far south, you'll find Lake Skadar, the largest lake in the Balkans, straddling the border with Albania.
If you prefer something less adventurous, Porto Montenegro in Tivat is the superyacht marina that earned the country its "Monaco of the Balkans" moniker, with fine dining, five-star accommodations, and luxury shopping from Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, Fendi, Givenchy, Jacquemus, and Versace.
South Africans know the pain of visa applications, but if you already have a valid, multiple-entry visa (or valid residence permit) from the United States, the United Kingdom, or the Schengen Area you can enter and stay in Montenegro without a visa for up to 30 days. And if you don't, applications are generally submitted via the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Pretoria.
We don't plan Montenegro purely from desktop research because we've been there recently and know the lay of the land. We use local contacts who live there, eat there and know which places are worth it. With summer 2026 well under way, why not consider the secret season, with milder weather and even fewer tourists? Between late September and October the weather is still glorious.
From December to March you could go for the snow. In winter, northern Montenegro transforms into an affordable winter destination with heavy snowfall in the mountains, which lines up neatly with the South African school holidays.
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