Rick Steves' Croatia and Slovenia by Rick Steves & Cameron Hewitt

Author:Rick Steves & Cameron Hewitt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Avalon Travel
Published: 2012-08-08T16:00:00+00:00

MONTENEGRO

Crna Gora

MONTENEGRO

The Bay of Kotor • Kotor • The Montenegrin Interior • The Budva Riviera

The Bay of Kotor

Self-Guided Driving Tour

Map: Bay of Kotor

Kotor

Orientation to Kotor

Sights in Kotor

Map: Kotor

Sleeping in Kotor

Eating in Kotor

Kotor Connections

The Montenegrin Interior

Self-Guided Driving Tour

The Budva Riviera

Sights on the Budva Riviera

If Dubrovnik is the grand finale of a Croatian vacation, then Montenegro is the encore. One of Europe’s youngest nations awaits you just south of the border, with dramatic scenery, a refreshing rough-around-the-edges appeal, and the excitement of a new independence. If you’re looking for the “next Croatia,” this is it.

And yet, crossing the border, you know you’ve left sleek, prettified-for-tourists Croatia for a place that’s gritty, raw, and a bit exotic. While Croatia’s showpiece Dalmatian Coast avoided the drab, boxy dullness of the Yugoslav era, less affluent Montenegro wasn’t so lucky. Between the dramatic cliffs and time-passed villages, you’ll drive past grimy, broken-down apartment blocks and some truly unfortunate concrete architecture. Montenegro is also a noticeably poorer country than its northern neighbor...with all that entails.

Historically, Montenegro has been even more of a crossroads of cultures than the rest of the Balkans. In some ways, there are two Montenegros: the remote, rugged, rustic mountaintop kingdom that feels culturally close to Serbia; and this chapter’s focus, the staggeringly strategic, sun-drenched coastline that has attracted a steady stream of rulers over the millennia. At one point or another, just about every group you can imagine—from the usual suspects (Venetians, Austrians) to oddball one-offs (Bulgarian kingdoms, Napoleon’s Ljubljana-based Illyrian Provinces, Russian czars)—has planted its flag here. In spite of their schizophrenic lineage, or maybe because of it, Montenegrins have forged a unique cultural identity that defies many of the preconceived notions of the Balkans. Are they like Serbs or Croats? Do they use the Cyrillic or the Roman alphabet? Do they worship the Roman Catholic God or the Eastern Orthodox one? Yes, all of the above.

Since gaining independence in 2006, the Montenegrin coast has become a powerful magnet for a very specific breed of traveler: millionaires from Russia (and, to a lesser extent, Saudi Arabia), who have chosen to turn this impressionable, fledgling country—with its gorgeous coastline—into their very own Riviera. The Tivat airport is jammed with charter flights from Moscow, signs along the coast advertise Russian-language radio stations, and an extravagant luxury yacht marina is being built near Tivat (Porto Montenegro, www.portomontenegro.com). And so Montenegro finds itself in an awkward position: trying to cultivate an image as a high-roller luxury paradise, while struggling to upgrade what is—in places—a nearly Third World infrastructure. Glittering new €500-a-night boutique hotels are built, then suffer power and water outages. It sometimes feels as if Montenegro is skipping right past an important middle step in its tourist development (that of an on-the-rise, moderately priced destination). I guess what I’m saying is...lower your expectations, and don’t expect a fancy facade and high prices to come with predictable quality.

Still, nothing can mar the natural beauty of Montenegro’s mountains, bays, and forests. For a look at the untamed

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