Budva Things to Do

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Parasailing is nice to Budva because the Sea offers you a color show. God must be a painter and for sure was in good mood when He colored Adriatic Sea to Budva.
But, if you never try parasailing and you want some adrenaline, forget about it! Is very calm up there, like you sit on a chair. In this case you must choose to be in the boat when they keep somebady else up there (Vlad - my boyfriend - try this an was rock!)

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The locals call this little island Hawaii although its real name is Sveti Nikola (Sveti is Saint). For a few euros you can take a water taxi across from Budva and escape the overcrowded beaches for some seriously nice swimming in the clear turqoise sea.
When you ask the local water taxi to take you to Hawaii though they will say "It's too far for my little boat but I can take you to Sveti Nikola" - oh those crazy Montenegrans!
Make sure you bring plenty to drink and some snacks. There is a small cafe there but its not always open.
Look out for the big tour boats that call in and shatter the tranquility too.

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Church Cathedral of St John was erected in 7th century and the belltower – in 1867. There are a lot of valuable artworks in it, among them the best known is icon of God Mother with Christ called "Budva Mother of God".

Budva Old Town is located on rocky peninsula, and there are archeological evidence that there was settlement on the very same place even before Greek colonization of Adriatic coast. This place was first settled by Illyrian tribe of Enchelei, then by Greeks, Romans, Slavic tribes, Turks, Venetians… Today, look of the Old Town is mostly from medieval times. Inside defensive walls there is labyrinth of narrow streets, piazzetas, stone facades, sheer stairs, Roman and Hellenic remains… Town fortress – Citadel was built in 16th century on the foundations of an older fortification, and previously on that place was Greek Acropolis. There are four sacral buildings by Citadel walls: Santa Maria in Punta, Crkva Svetog Save – St Sava Church, Crkva Svetog Ivana – Church Cathedral of St John, and Crkva Svete Trojice – Holy Trinity Church. There are Archeological Museum, Modern Gallery in Old Town, but many cafes, restaurants, shops… too.

Budva Old Town is unique and unforgettable place, especially if it can be seen out of summer season and crowds it brings.

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Although the sea, beach and sun prevent most of the thoughts about history, archeology, museums (and spending time in them)… the Archeological Museum in Budva is worthy of spending one afternoon off the beach. At least.

Museum offers journey through Budva history, from 5th century BC – when Budva, settled by Illyrian tribe of Enchelei, was mentioned for the first time as Buthoe, by ancient writer Sophocles – to 19th century.

The oldest exhibit in Museum is Illyrian bronze helmet dated in 5th century BC. There are several ceramic vases and vessels from Hellenistic period (4th – 2nd century BC), Roman pottery and glass, tombstones and urns (1st – 3rd century AD)… There are impressive pieces of silver, gold and amber jewelry, found in Budva necropolis and made in period 3rd – 1st century BC… This, archeological collection, is exhibited on 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor of the Museum.

There are parts of the naval equipment, traditional costumes, furniture, arms… (19th century) at the exhibition of ethnological and cultural heritage of Budva, on the 4th floor of the Museum.

The central point of the southern end of the Old Town is the Holy Trinity Church which separates Trg Izmedu Crkava and Starogradski Trg. The beautifully restored Orthodox Church is crowned with the three bells feature common on so many Orthodox churches. Over the main door is a beautiful coloured mosaic. The church was originally built in 1804 but like most other buildings in Budva was damaged badly by an earthquake.

The city of Bar itself wasn’t impressive enough for us to warrant a night or two’s stay but the Old Town of Bar located around 5km northeast of the newer and industrialised modern city of Bar was high on our Montenegrin ‘must see’ list Stari Bar can be easily visited from Budva either independently using public transport or by taking an organised tour.
The walled city was severely damaged by an earthquake but a lot of funding has been injected into its restoration which although not fully complete, has been undertaken with extreme care and sensitivity. During the summer the Old Town is overrun with tour groups and other day-trippers but when we visited early one April morning we had the place entirely to ourselves.
The overgrown streets and cobbled paths of the Old Town are filled with the ruins of centuries old fortresses, churches and towers, the most impressive of which are the 11th century hill top fortress, the 14th century Churches of St. Veneranda and St. Catherine, Turkish era bath and ruins of the Church of St. Nicholas. An old Olive Tree, which locals proudly claim to be over 2000 years old is also located nearby. Aside from the ancient sights scattered all over the Stari Bar, the views over the surrounding countryside, along the coast and across to the surrounding mountains are beautiful, especially on a clear morning.
You can reach Stari Bar by organised tour or buses to Ulcinj and other destinations south of Bar will let you off at the road to Stari Bar (5-10 mins walk from the main road) Remeber Stari Bar is about 5km away from the modern city of Bar

Podgorica may be the official capital of newly independent Montenegro but Cetinje is the historical and spiritual capital of the country. Cetinje is an easy side step from Budva with regular buses taking you from between the two towns in about half an hour. The journey itself is one of the highlights of a trip to Cetinje as the road snakes up over the mountains offering stunning views over Budva and the Montenegrin coastline.
On first impressions Cetinje seems like a forgotten city and the past glory of the former capital has given way to a small town atmosphere but scratch beneath the surface and Cetinje’s old importance and significance becomes apparent. Many splendid stately mansions and elegant former embassies are scattered all over the city and while most have long since been abandoned, some have fallen into disrepair, their former splendour is very evident. Many of Montenegro’s most important museums and Galleries are located in Cetinje, including The State Museum, National Historical Museum and Art Gallery of Montenegro. The peaceful Cetinje Monastery is also well worth a look and a short hike up the hill beside the Monastery brings you to the Eagle’s Crag, crowned by a monument to Bishop Danilo. The views from the top out over Cetinje and the surrounding mountainous landscape are stunning. Cetinje is also a great access point to Lovcen National Park and Mausoleum of Peter II Petrovic Njegos in the centre of the park.
Printed timetables for buses to Cetinje are hard to obtain but there are lots of buses leaving from Budva’s bus station to Cetinje. Most Podgorica bound buses also stop at Cetinje.