Montenegro - Budva, Kotor

Spent today (Saturday) in Montenegro. A 90 minute drive from Dubrovnik by bus. Visited two towns and made some sightseeing stops in between. Both towns had old, walled, town centers. Montenegro is one of the latest free, independent, countries. Population about 600,000, very mountainous so only the coastal areas are touristy and very populated, again much of the property has been bought by Russians who have a good relationship with this country.

Budva is a coastal tourist resort in Montenegro. It is often called "Montenegrin Miami", because it is the most crowded and most popular tourist resort in Montenegro, with beaches and vibrant nightlife.

Budva [1] is on the central part of Montenegrin coast, called "Budvanska Rivijera". It has developed around a small peninsula, on which the old town is situated. It is by far most visited destination in Montenegro, attracting mostly domestic, Russian, Serbian and other Eastern European tourists with an old town, bars and nightclubs, and beaches mostly consisting of small rocks. It is base for mass tourism, while in it's near vicinity there are luxury resorts such as Sveti Stefan orMiločer.

There are as many as 35 beaches in the greater area, mostly rock and a little sand (8 beaches are marked with blue flags).

During the summer in particular, the day and night-life offers opportunities to enjoy theatre plays and performances, music events and entertainment programs.

Many nightclubs use go-go dancers to attract customers, and families might be offended by the open display of almost naked girls in the street. There is mainly one street, the main promenade, where all the action happens.

Budva appears to be undergoing poorly planned, unchecked growth with towering unattractive apartment buildings and hotels being built wherever there is open space - which unfortunately includes building directly on the seaside. As of the summer of 2009, the most notable of such developments includes a multi-storey building under construction directly outside the walls of old town that blocks what was once a stunning view of the beach, sea and sky from the stone paved area around old town, and greatly detracts from the beauty of the old town area.

Some tourists may find Budva disappointing and cheesy because of the over-crowded beaches filled with chairs, umbrellas and constantly thumping house music, the carnival atmosphere, the litter on the streets, beaches and inside of old town, and the excessively high prices in relation to quality for accommodation, drinks, food and taxi service.

Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro with a population of 23,500. It is well-known for its stunning architecture and amazing natural setting.   Kotor is situated in a most secluded part of Boka Kotorska bay, in the northern part of the Montenegro coast. It has developed around Stari Grad(Montenegrian for "old town"), the city's old town and best known landmark, which is listed with UNESCO World heritage sites. The bay is the deepest natural fjord in the Mediterranean Sea, and the scenery around it (including the steep mountains which come almost to the waterfront) is spectacular.