Montenegro
Route · 7 days · round-tripYacht charter route · Montenegro

Porto Montenegro (Tivat) via Kotor & Budva.

A relaxed 7-day sailing route from Porto Montenegro in Tivat through Kotor, Perast, Herceg Novi and Budva, with quiet anchorages and fresh Boka seafood.

The route

Day-by-day route

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Kotor
Day 1

Porto Montenegro (Tivat) → Kotor

Ease out of Tivat's superyacht basin and thread the Verige narrows to the walled town of Kotor under its mountain.

Distance

3 NM

Sailing

~0.6h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – October

Duration

7 days

Departure

Porto Montenegro (Tivat)

Sailing area

Montenegro

Route summary

Click any day to jump back to the map and see its photos, narrative and mooring tip.

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The full story

Day-by-day journey

Named anchorages, mooring notes and things to do for every leg of the week — the map follows along as you scroll.

Day 1 / 7
Kotor
1
Day 1

Porto Montenegro (Tivat) → Kotor

Collecting the boat at Porto Montenegro takes half a morning once you factor in the charter briefing and a proper provisioning run, so we rarely leave before eleven. The inner bay stays glassy most mornings, and the passage through the Verige narrows is the kind of gentle sail that lets a new crew find its feet. Kotor sits at the head of the bay, its stone walls pinned against a wall of grey limestone. Tie up in the town marina, then walk straight into the old quarter through the Sea Gate. If your legs are willing, the climb to the fortress of St John rewards you with the whole bay laid out below; go late afternoon once the heat has eased. Dinner is a short stroll across worn marble squares.

Things to do

Climb to St John's fortress at dusk

Enter the old town via the Sea Gate

Provision fully at Porto Montenegro before leaving

Evening drinks on Kotor's marble squares

Mooring tip

Book a Kotor Marina berth ahead in July and August, since the quay fills by mid-afternoon. Anchoring in the inner bay is awkward because night gusts fall hard off the mountains, so the marina is the safer bet.

Perast
2
Day 2

Kotor → Perast

This is the shortest leg of the week, barely an hour under sail, so there's no reason to rush breakfast. Perast has no marina to speak of, just a line of mooring buoys off its waterfront and a short town quay that fills early. Grab a buoy, drop the dinghy, and motor across to Our Lady of the Rocks. The island itself was built by hand over centuries, ballast stones and scuttled boats piled onto a reef until there was room for a church. Inside hang dozens of votive paintings left by sailors who made it home. Back ashore, the town is a single ribbon of Venetian stone with no cars. We usually book a table at Konoba Otok Bronza and watch the light go soft over the water.

Things to do

Dinghy across to Our Lady of the Rocks

See the votive paintings inside the island church

Dinner on the terrace at Konoba Otok Bronza

Walk Perast's car-free stone waterfront

Mooring tip

Perast's buoy field is small and cannot be booked, so approach by early afternoon to claim one; the short town quay has limited depth and space. In a northerly the buoys off the point can get lumpy.

Herceg Novi
3
Day 3

Perast → Herceg Novi

Today you actually get to sail. Once the maestral fills in around midday, the run west down the length of the bay and back through the Verige narrows is a proper reach, maybe three hours with a decent breeze. Herceg Novi guards the entrance where the bay meets the open Adriatic. The old town rises in tiers straight from the water, all stairs and shaded passages, so pack light shoes and expect to work for your views. Forte Mare, the sea fort at the bottom, dates to the fourteenth century and now hosts open-air screenings in summer. The central port is small and often full; if there's no room, the anchorage just east holds well in mud at around eight metres. Coffee under the palms on the main square is the local ritual.

Things to do

Climb the stepped lanes of the old town

Visit the Forte Mare sea fort

Coffee under the palms on the main square

Swim off the boat near the bay mouth

Mooring tip

Port Herceg has only about seventy berths and fills in season, so call ahead or arrive early. Failing that, anchor just east of town in seven to ten metres of mud, which holds well and shelters from the prevailing northwest.

Herceg Novi
4
Day 4

Herceg Novi → Zanjice

Barely four miles separate Herceg Novi from Zanjice, so make a morning of the crossing and stop to swim on the way. Zanjice is a curved pebble beach on the Lustica shore, close to where the bay opens to the sea. It gets busy with day boats by lunchtime, then empties again by evening. Take the tender or a local water taxi round to the Blue Cave, a low grotto where the light turns the water an electric blue; the entrance is tight and only a few metres deep, so time it for calm conditions. Mamula, the round island fortress off the point, is worth a slow pass. This is a settled-weather anchorage rather than a marina, exposed if the wind backs south, so keep an anchor watch and be ready to move if it comes up.

Things to do

Swim into the Blue Cave by tender

Anchor off Zanjice's pebble beach for lunch

Slow pass around Mamula island fortress

Snorkel the clear water off Lustica

Mooring tip

Zanjice is an open anchorage best in calm, settled weather; drop the hook on sand and weed and dig it in well. Arrive by early afternoon before the day-trip boats take the best spots, and watch it overnight if any southerly is forecast.

Budva
5
Day 5

Zanjice → Budva

Today the sheltered water runs out. Rounding the tip of Lustica puts you on the open coast, where there's usually more swell and a steadier breeze, so an earlier start pays off before the afternoon wind builds. Budva is roughly three to four hours down the coast depending on the wind. Its marina sits right against the old town walls, so you step off the boat almost into the medieval lanes. The walled quarter is compact and photogenic, ringed by sandy beaches that fill fast in July. Budva is also the coast's nightlife capital, so light sleepers might prefer a berth away from the bars. For a quieter swim, the island of Sveti Nikola sits just offshore, and the postcard islet of Sveti Stefan is a short sail south.

Things to do

Walk Budva's medieval walls at golden hour

Anchor off Sveti Nikola island for a swim

Sail past the Sveti Stefan islet

Sample the old town bars after dark

Mooring tip

Marina Budva is large but very busy in summer, so reserve a berth ahead. If you want quiet, ask for a pontoon away from the old-town bars. Anchoring off Sveti Stefan works only in calm weather, as it is open to swell.

Budva Old Town
6
Day 6

Budva → Bigova

After Budva's noise, Bigova is the antidote. It sits back inside a deep, green inlet on the southwest corner of the Lustica peninsula, and the sail up is a straightforward couple of hours. There is almost nothing here beyond a scatter of houses, a few fishing boats, and two konobas at the water's edge, which is exactly the point. Pick up one of the buoys close to the restaurants or anchor a little further in on good holding. We tend to book a table at Grispolis, where the family fishes for its own kitchen and brings the day's catch to the table before it's cooked, Boka style. Pod Volatom next door works the same idea with its own following. Swim off the boat, eat late, and turn in to complete quiet.

Things to do

Pick the day's catch at Konoba Grispolis

Dine at Pod Volatom by the water

Swim in the calm, green Bigova inlet

Watch the fishing boats come in

Mooring tip

Bigova has eight mooring buoys in three to six metres, set right by the two restaurants, so book a table and the owner will usually point you to a buoy. Otherwise anchor north of the buoys on sand and weed in six to seven metres.

Porto Montenegro (Tivat)
7
Day 7

Bigova → Porto Montenegro (Tivat)

The last leg is short and unhurried, an hour or two back around into the bay and up to Tivat. Most charters want the boat back by morning, so check your exact hand-over time the night before and leave Bigova with a margin. There's usually room for one more swim in a quiet cove on the way, and it's worth taking it. Fuel up before you reach the marina, since topping off at the pontoon can mean a queue in high season. Porto Montenegro itself is a pleasant place to end. The waterfront promenade is lined with cafes, and the small naval heritage collection with its old submarine fills an afternoon nicely if your flight is the next day. Settle the log, rinse the salt off, and toast a week well sailed.

Things to do

Last swim in a quiet cove en route

Stroll the Porto Montenegro promenade

Visit the naval heritage submarine collection

Fuel up before the marina queue

Mooring tip

Fill the fuel tank before you enter the marina, as the fuel dock queues in peak season. Confirm your hand-back slot and cleaning requirements the evening before so the last morning stays relaxed.

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