Day 4: Take a day trip to Lake Skadar
On day four of your one week in Montenegro, it’s time to head even further into Montenegro’s mountains. I recommend taking a day trip to Lake Skadar. It’s a huge lake in the eastern part of Montenegro. But Montenegro is a small country, so it doesn’t take long to get there.
Paddle boarding down the river into Lake Skadar
The best way to enjoy the views here is from the water. You can take a boat trip down the river that flows into Lake Skadar – the river Rijeka Crnojevića. Or, you can paddle board down this river instead.
I love paddle boarding, so obviously I chose this option! And it was great. You can book paddle boarding on Lake Skadar here (affiliate).
The river is so beautiful, and so peaceful. There are green mountains on each side, and lush lilies and other vegetation in the river. And there’s so much wildlife as well. You’re constantly seeing birds, including herons, cormorants, grebes, and more.
Paddle boarding down the river was mostly fairly easier – it was easier than paddle boarding in the sea, because there were less waves. But sometimes speedboats would come past, which create a lot of waves – so there were a lot of times where you’d need to brace yourself for the waves from the boats! But aside from the boats, and the occasional gusts of wind, it was still a really enjoyable experience.
Lunch on the river, and the boat back
We paddled down the river for several hours, taking it slowly and enjoying the views. And then we reached the lunch stop – a lovely restaurant on the banks of the river. It was a nice place to sit with a drink and enjoy the views.
And then we took the boat back up the river. It was nice to do the boat after paddle boarding down river. The views from the boat were lovely, and you could focus more on spotting the birds and wildlife.
Book your boat trip to Lake Skadar here (affiliate). Or upgrade your experience with wine tasting on Lake Skadar (affiliate).
It’s a really peaceful, serene part of Montenegro. It feels so far away from tourist crowds, and so un-spoilt. I really enjoyed it.
Day 5: Go kayaking on the Luštica peninsula and explore Tivat
On day five of your one week in Montenegro without a car, it’s nice to head back down to sea level, and enjoy another few days on the coast. I stayed in Tivat for this part of my trip. While you could do all of this from Kotor if you wanted to have the whole week from one base in Kotor, I enjoyed staying in different places. The few days in the mountains were a nice break from the busy Kotor. And Tivat has its own unique character as well. I enjoyed spending my last few days in Montenegro staying in Tivat.
But before relaxing in Tivat, I had a more active morning – kayaking on the Luštica peninsula.
Kayaking along Montenegro’s Luštica peninsula
I really enjoy kayaking, so I was excited to try sea kayaking along Kotor’s Luštica peninsula. This peninsula is just outside of the Bay of Kotor, along the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It’s a beautiful area, with some stunning cliffs and caves.
Again, I recommend joining a group to go kayaking. It’s a lot safer to go with a guide, and they’ll be able to show you the best spots. You can book this kayaking trip through Get Your Guide (affiliate), or this kayaking tour through Viator (affiliate). Or this kayaking trip includes the Blue Cave (affiliate).
Of course, a sea kayaking trip is very weather dependent. On the day I was booked, the weather was beautifully sunny, but it was quite windy. It was originally the plan to kayak to the Blue Cave – one of the most famous sights in Montenegro. But unfortunately, the winds meant that wouldn’t have been safe. So instead, we kayaked to some different caves.
I didn’t mind the change to the plan at all – obviously being safe is the most important. And I visited the Blue Cave by boat later instead, so it was actually nice to explore different caves.
Even though we didn’t kayak to ‘the’ Blue Cave, we still saw some caves with beautifully blue water. And we had the chance to jump off the kayaks and go swimming through the caves as well. It was really beautiful, and a really special morning.
Afternoon at the beach in Tivat
After a morning of kayaking, it was nice to have a more chilled afternoon in Tivat. There are several beaches, where you can go for a swim and relax on the beach. I was staying at Hotel Palma in Tivat (affiliate), which has its own private beach. And you can order drinks from the bar to have on the beach.
It was really lovely to swim in the sea, and then relax on the beach with a Tequila Sunrise.
And an evening in Tivat
Tivat is a great place in the evenings as well. I enjoyed walking along the seafront in the evening light. Tivat marina is a nice place to walk as well, with some huge and very impressive yachts. Tivat is definitely the place for the rich and famous to come with their huge boats!
There are plenty of restaurants in Tivat as well, where you can enjoy dinner with views across the water.
Day 6: Hike up to Fort Vrmac and Mount Vrmac, then enjoy another evening in Tivat
On day 6 of your itinerary for one week in Montenegro without a car, I recommend doing another hike. This hike is more challenging that the hike up to Kotor Fortress, but it has a great variety of views and is definitely worth doing. You can get a taxi from the centre of Tivat to the starting point of the hike, which is just a short drive from Tivat or Kotor.
Hike up to Fort Vrmac
The hike up to Fort Vrmac is fairly steep, but not technically difficult. The path mostly zig-zags up hill, so it’s never too steep. But it can feel a bit relentless at times! Every time you get to a corner, you turn the corner, and see another uphill stretch. I have to admit, it did feel a bit never-ending at times! But the views were really lovely. You look down on Kotor from a different angle to the Kotor Fortress walk, so the views are different and varied.
It really is a beautiful area. It really is like a Norwegian Fjord, but in the Mediterranean, with the iconic red roofs of the houses in this region.
Near the fort, you’ll come across a small farm with farm animals, including pigs and a donkey just roaming around freely. And then you’ll get to Fort Vrmac. Fort Vrmac is a former fortification of the Austro-Hungarian Empire located on the southern end of the Vrmac ridge. It’s not really a mainstream tourist site, so don’t expect too much from the Fort itself. But you can walk around it, and learn a bit about the history.
Continue the hike up to Vrmac Mountain
After seeing the fort, you can continue climbing up to the summit of Vrmac Mountain. Again, the climb does a lot of zig-zags. And the climb can feel relentless again. It was getting hot by this point on the walk, despite leaving Tivat quite early. And there was a section of the path that was completely sheltered from any wind, with high rocks on one side. And it was so hot here, with the sun reflecting off the rocks. The views were nice, but my main memory of this part of the walk was just forcing myself to keep walking uphill despite the heat!
But once you get to the top, of course it’s all worth it. The views from the top of Vrmac Mountain really are stunning. The sweeping views of the whole bay, and beyond, are worth all the sweat and pain from the uphill walk. You can see right out to sea, and across the mountain ranges. It’s stunning.
And luckily, the walk back down is a lot easier!
Another evening in Tivat
After your long hike, enjoy more time back in Tivat. You can go for another swim in the sea. And enjoy a glass of wine and dinner at one of Tivat’s waterside restaurants.
Day 7: Take a boat trip to the Blue Cave, Our Lady of the Rocks and Perast
On your final day in Montenegro, have a break from the hiking and paddling, and instead take a relaxing speedboat trip. After a week of activities, it’s nice to have an easier final day. These speedboat trips are advertised all around Tivat and Kotor, so it’s easy to book one.
Speedboat trip to the top sights
I love taking boats, so I was looking forward to this speedboat trip. It was 3 hours in total, and we saw a lot. The weather was still quite windy, so it was quite bumpy on the boat at times, especially when we were heading into the wind. But it was still enjoyable, and the downwind parts of the journey were lovely.
Book your speedboat trip through Get Your Guide (affiliate), or a boat trip through Viator (affiliate). Or upgrade your experience with an affordable private speedboat trip (affiliate).
Our Lady of the Rocks, Perast and the Submarine Tunnels
Our first stop was Our Lady of the Rocks. It’s a small man-made island just off the coast of Perast, with a church on it. According to legend, the island was born after two local fishermen found an icon of the Madonna and Child on a rocky outcrop in the sea on 22 July 1452. Vowing to build a church on the spot, local sailors dropped rocks into the water upon returning from each successful voyage. This gradually formed the islet. The artificial island was eventually reinforced by sinking old and seized ships loaded with rocks, and the church was built in 1630.
It’s a really pretty island. We visited early in the day, so had the whole play to ourselves. It’s a nice place to wander around and enjoy the views.
We then got back on the boat and drove past Perast. It’s another pretty little town, which looks really nice from the water with the clock tower.
The boat trip also included a brief stop at the Submarine Tunnels. These are man-made tunnels, like long caves in the rock. They were secret Cold War-era naval bases. Built by the former Yugoslav Army, they were designed to hide submarines and small warships from enemy air raids and satellite surveillance. It’s a reminder of the recent turbulent history of this part of Europe – although it’s hard to imagine such turbulent times when the country today seems so peaceful and beautiful
The Blue Cave
The highlight of the speedboat trip was the visit to the Blue Cave. The Blue Cave in Montenegro is one of the country’s most famous attractions. I was a bit sceptical before going about whether it would be as good as it was advertised. But it was really nice.
The Blue Cave can get really busy, with lots of boats and people swimming inside the cave. But if you go early, you can get there before all the boats arrive. But if you go too early, the whole cave won’t be blue – so try to time your visit precisely, so the sun is high enough for the water to be blue, but it’s not yet overrun with boats and people.
It’s a really pretty place. The water inside the Blue Cave really does glow blue in the sunlight. It’s not quite as amazing as the Blue Cave in Croatia, which glows a really surreal electric-neon-blue. But it’s still pretty and nice to see.
And then the boat trip back to Tivat is lovely, with more lovely views.
A final walk and drink in Tivat
Once I got back to Tivat, there was time for a final walk along the waterfront to enjoy the views. And time for a final Aperol Spritz in the early evening light, before heading to the airport.
I really loved my time in Montenegro. It was a really special week, and it’s definitely in my top tier of holidays. I loved the views and the scenery. From the hikes up to Kotor Fortress and Vrmac Mountain where you could look down on the bay, to the the time spent on the water on a paddle board, kayak and speedboat – it was just stunning. Then the two days in the mountains and rivers gave extra variety. Plus some great beer, cocktails, wine…and food…it was just a great trip.
Hope you enjoyed my ultimate for one week in Montenegro without a car! Make sure you also check out my detailed guide to the top things to do in Kotor, and also the best hikes near Kotor. For more stunning Balkan scenery, check out my guides to Croatia, including a week sailing in Croatia, exploring Dubrovnik, and the best things to do in Croatia.
