Our article will be of interest to those tourists who are thinking about how to go to Montenegro on their own. Of course, the easiest way is to use the services of travel companies, but many vacationers want to save money, so it's cheaper to act on your own. So, what you need to know about a trip to Montenegro? In our article, we will consider all the nuances of such a trip so that tourists understand what documents need to be issued and how much money to have with them, and we will also give answers to many other questions.
Documents for travel
One of the most important questions that future travelers need to decide is what documents are needed to travel to Montenegro. Many tourists who are planning a trip to this country for the first time mistakenly believe that they need to apply for a visa. In fact, this is not at all the case. Russians do not need a visa to travel to Montenegro if the period of yourstay in the country does not exceed thirty days in a row (no more than 90 days in six months). That nuance greatly simplifies the situation. The list of travel documents consists of only one passport. However, pay attention to the expiration dates of the document. At the time of your departure from Russia, your passport must be valid for another 90 days.
But if you are planning a longer vacation, the terms of which exceed 90 days, then in this case you should apply for a visa in advance. An application for it must be submitted no earlier than one month before departure. To apply for a visa, you will need the following documents: an application, a questionnaire, confirmation of a hotel reservation or a rental agreement, a certificate from work or an extract confirming that you have an acceptable amount of money on your account (at the rate of 20 euros per person per day), a copy of the ticket reservation, color photographs (2 pcs.). For adult citizens, the visa fee is 62 euros, and for a child under 14 years old - only 32 euros.
If you want to stay in a hotel, hostel, sanatorium or other similar place, then experienced tourists recommend registering at any office of the Tourist Organization in Montenegro. This must be done within a day. And only in Budva you can register within 72 hours. In addition, registration can be done at the department for work with foreigners in any police station. When tourists stay in hotels and inns, administrators do this on their own. It would seem, why do we need all these formalities? The fact is that when leaving Montenegro,in the absence of registration, they can be fined 200 euros.
Insurance
Insurance for a trip to Montenegro is not a mandatory document, but experts still recommend doing it. You can apply for it using an online service where major insurers are registered. Thus, you can choose a policy that suits all criteria and price.
How to get to the country?
When planning a trip to Montenegro, be sure to think about how you will get there. The easiest way is to use the services of one of the airlines. The cheapest tickets for flights from Moscow to Podgorica or Tivat cost about 10 thousand rubles. But from St. Petersburg, the flight will cost at least 17,000 rubles (for the trip in both directions).
But from other cities of Russia - Kazan, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Rostov-on-Don, Chelyabinsk ticket price starts from 20,000 rubles. The route must be carefully studied and thought out, because sometimes getting to Moscow on your own, and then flying out of it by plane is sometimes cheaper than using a direct flight.
In summer and spring you can find inexpensive charter flights. As a rule, all planes from Russia land at Tivat airport.
Another fairly popular option for traveling to Montenegro on your own is by car. In this case, you will need: documents on the registration of your car, driving license, travel route, car insurance and a Schengen visa that gives you the right to cross European countries.
Train travel
Of course, the distance from Moscow to Montenegro can be overcome by train. Not so long ago, this method was very popular. But since then the situation has changed. In the old days, they traveled to Montenegro by train through Kyiv to Budapest. Now the route has been changed, and the train now goes in the direction of Minsk - Warsaw - Bratislava - Budapest. Not only will you be on the road for about 70 hours, you will also have to open a Schengen visa to cross Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. And the cost of such a trip is not at all budgetary.
Book your accommodation
Trips to Montenegro are very popular among Russians. The reason for this is the visa-free regime, reasonable prices, beautiful scenery and mild Mediterranean climate. And organizing your own trip is not difficult. Traditionally, Montenegro belongs to inexpensive European countries on a par with Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. It is this fact that attracts tourists. In order to understand how much money to take to Montenegro, consider the cost of hotel accommodation and meals in local cafes.
You can book a hotel for yourself on any service on the Internet, here you can choose the most suitable option. Cheaper housing should be sought in small resort towns. In large and famous resorts, such as Sveti Stefan or Budva, renting an apartment is quite expensive. In Bar, a standard room costs from 20 euros, in Ulcinj - from 16 euros, in Zabljak - from 14 euros, and in Sutomore - from 18 euros.
BMontenegro has many offers of accommodation in apartments. This option can be considered ideal for an independent trip, since such rooms have a kitchen, which makes it possible to cook on your own. Even in Budva, studios or apartments can be found at a price of 30 euros per day. On the island of Sveti Stefan, renting apartments is very expensive - 500-700 euros, since it has only one luxury complex - Aman Resort, but in the isthmus of the island with the mainland you can rent a room - from 40 euros.
Food at the resort
The cost of a trip to Montenegro will be significantly reduced if you avoid visiting popular cafes and restaurants. Lunch at an inexpensive establishment will cost you only 5 euros, and a multi-course dinner for two people will cost about 40 dollars. Half a liter of beer in local bars costs from 2.20 euros, and one cappuccino - from 1.75 euros.
If you still rent an apartment with a kitchen, you can cook your own food, which means you can save money. Here is the average cost of products in the markets and shops of Montenegro:
- Oranges - 0.7 euros.
- Figs - 2 euros.
- Apples - 1 euro.
- Grapes - 1.5 euros.
- Peaches - 2.5 euros.
- Potato - 0.6 euros.
- Tomatoes - 0.6 euros.
- Eggs - 1.5 euros.
- Water - 0.7 euros.
- Milk - 0.8 euros.
- Rice - 0.8 euros.
- Bread - 0.6 euros.
- Wine - from 4.5 euros.
- Shrimp - 15-25 euros.
- Chicken fillet - 5,8 EUR.
Café food cost
If you decide to eat in inexpensive cafes, then breakfast for one will cost you 4 euros, both - more than 7 euros, and dinner at least 10 euros. Mid-range restaurants offer breakfasts from €5, lunches at least €11, and a good dinner will cost more than €18.
The cost of drinks is given separately:
- Coffee or tea - from 1 €.
- Fresh juice – 2.5 €.
- Water – 2.5 €.
- Wine (glass) – 3 €.
Experienced travelers who have already organized a trip to Montenegro more than once, I recommend finding establishments that have a sign - a set menu. Approaching the waiter, you can ask what dishes are available. As a rule, the set menu includes simple, tasty and at the same time hearty food, which is usually ordered by local residents. For example, a delicious goulash will cost three euros.
In addition, travelers recommend paying attention to fast foods. Prices in such establishments are also low. A portion of splatter pizza costs 1.5 €, a pancake with cream costs 1 €, a sandwich with cheese and meat costs 2 €.
Daily expenses of tourists
In order to understand how much money to take to Montenegro, you need to proceed from what hotel you will stay in and where to eat. We want to bring the minimum package of expenses for tourists, subject to a budget holiday, which will consist of the cost of housing, travel and food.
Resting at any resort, you will needuse transport. Service Fees:
- A liter of gasoline - 1.39 €.
- Public transport - €0.5.
- Order a taxi - 1 €.
- Taxi fare for each kilometer – €0.45.
As we have already mentioned, the cost of housing in the resorts is very different. In the city center, renting a one-room apartment can cost from 240 euros per month, on the outskirts of the same apartment will cost 190 euros. If we take into account the cost of living in a budget hotel (from 16 € per day), the cost of transport and food in inexpensive establishments, then on average we can say that a tourist needs to have at least 45 € per day.
However, it should be understood that this amount was withdrawn very approximately. At the resort, as a rule, you want to see something or try some delicacies. All such expenses significantly increase the budget of the trip.
Pilgrimages
Do not forget that there are also pilgrimage trips to Montenegro. Their peculiarity is that they are focused more on visiting numerous temples and shrines, but at the same time there is also a beach holiday. Mandatory places to visit are the cities of Cetinje and Podgoroditsa.
Cetinje is a very ancient city that was founded in 1482. It houses the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin, which houses the right hand of John the Baptist, the icon of the Virgin, painted by St. Luke, the relics of the Wonderworkers Ostrog and Cetinje.
As a rule, pilgrimage tours involve visitingresidences of the Zeta metropolitans, visiting Budva, exploring the ancient Adriatic coast, relaxing on the sea. During the excursion activities, tourists can see such shrines as a thorn from the crown of the Savior himself, as well as a piece of the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos and many other items.
In addition, pilgrims are usually taken to see the Church of the Resurrection of Christ and the Moraca Monastery in Podgoroditsa. The program of events for different tour operators may vary slightly, so you should specify the route and choose the most interesting one for you.
What to choose: an independent vacation or a package tour?
According to tourists who have experience of independent trips to resorts, including Montenegro, we can say that an independently organized trip has a number of advantages. First of all, it concerns the cost. Trips to Montenegro, although not too expensive, but still an independent trip is cheaper. You have the opportunity to choose accommodation yourself, and not to relax in a hotel that is imposed on you by a travel agency. True, it should be borne in mind that sometimes tour operators offer last-minute trips to Montenegro. The cost of such tours is sometimes very attractive, so this option is also worth considering.
Reviews of tourists
Tourists who have repeatedly vacationed in Montenegro note that the country's resorts are the best place for vacations with children. Visiting the country has a number of undeniable advantages that make you choose Montenegro:
- Beautiful nature: sea, sandybeaches and mountains.
- Fairly low prices for food and housing.
- Great selection of attractions to visit.
- Cheap transport.
- Visa-free regime.
- Perfect value for money.
But among the mass of positive reviews, there are some comments. Tourists believe that in the large resorts of Montenegro, prices are noticeably overpriced. Therefore, you have to choose small villages to save money. In addition, local merchants, as in any resort, seek to cash in on tourists. However, a similar phenomenon can be found anywhere in the world.
Trip to Montenegro: travel tips
Experienced tourists who have repeatedly visited Montenegro recommend:
- Never drink tap water, stock up on bottled mineral water.
- Visit more local attractions.
- Be careful with money and never show your wallet, the local police, although they keep order, but no one has canceled petty fraud, especially. When it comes to foreigners.
- Don't be afraid of the language barrier. Montenegro is the country where almost everyone will understand you.
- There is an internal border between Montenegro and Serbia, where they can check documents and luggage, and also offer to purchase "insurance" for a car. The last requirement is completely unfounded, since the "green card" is the document you need.
What to see in Montenegro?
Montenegro is a stunningly beautiful country, visiting which, by all meansit is worth taking the opportunity to break away from a beach holiday to see local attractions.
There are a lot of canyons and picturesque places here. The real pearl of the country can be called the Budva Riviera - the most picturesque part of the coast with stunning beaches from Petrovets to Budva. This is where tourists tend to go. In order to truly see the resort, it is better to rent a car. This will make it possible to independently travel along the coast. Of course, numerous travel companies offer all kinds of trips, but you can visit all the sights on your own, which is much more interesting.
Bucha Castle is one of those places worth seeing. It is located in the center of Tivat. The building was once the summer residence of the Lukovic and Bucha families. The ancient castle can be safely called the central historical landmark of the city. It houses a cultural center that organizes all kinds of cultural events throughout the year. At one time, the castle was built in a special style, combining a villa for relaxation and the defenses of a medieval building. At present, the appearance of the building can be attributed to the classical Middle Ages, but some individual elements were completed or redone in later times.
Old Budva
Absolutely all tourists always strive to get into old Budva. The city has the best examples of Venetian architecture, ancient churches and temples, decorated with rich compositions. The winding cobbled streets of the city beckon to walk along them and sit in one of the local cafes, drinking aromatic coffee. Getting into the amazing city, you plunge into the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, which has been preserved here to this day.
Lovcen
In the south-west of the country is one of the symbols of Montenegro - Mount Lovcen. There is also a park of the same name. The uniqueness of the mountain is that it is located on the border of climatic zones: mountain and sea. Lovcen has two peaks Štirovnik and Jezerski vrh. On the second of them is the mausoleum of the famous thinker Peter Negush.
Back in 1952, the central part of the mountain range and the mountain itself were declared a national park. The unique flora and fauna needs protection. There are more than 1300 varieties of plants in the park. There are beech and coniferous forests, meadows with the rarest flowers, as well as the rarest representatives of the bird world and animals.
Many caves and depressions have been preserved in the park, which are of interest not only to travelers, but also to professionals who study mountain processes.
Saint Mark's Island
Stradioti Island (or St. Mark's) - can be called the most picturesque of all the islands of Tivat. Although it is small in size, it is all covered with greenery, and on the coast it pleases with a wonderful beach. Back in 1962, a complex for tourists was built here. Its peculiarity was the lack of electricity and running water. Tourists were offered such an uncomfortable vacation, presenting inconvenience as the highlight of the resort. Before 1991 this place was incredibly popularamong young people who spent all their time on the beach and doing water sports.
Currently, the complex has long been closed and overgrown with grass. But still, active tourists come here for the beautiful beach and clear sea.
Ostrog
Every tourist who travels to Montenegro has probably heard about the prison. An ancient monastery, maybe not the oldest in the country, but certainly very famous. Ostrog is known precisely in the circles of pilgrims; it is visited as often as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, located in Jerusalem. Here, the relics of Vasily Ostrozhsky and an ancient prayer book (1732) are buried in the walls.
The monastery has two parts - lower and upper. Moreover, the second of them is built into the rocks and is located at an altitude of one kilometer above sea level. The temple was built in the seventeenth century, but the caves served as a shelter for monks from ancient times.
Currently, the monastery is active, it is inhabited by twelve monks. But at the same time Ostrog is also open for pilgrims.
