Montenegro
Route · 14 days · one-wayYacht charter route · Montenegro

Porto Montenegro (Tivat) via Kotor & Sveti Stefan.

Two weeks from Porto Montenegro (Tivat) through Boka Bay to Bar and back: Kotor, Perast, Budva, Sveti Stefan, quiet coves and old towns.

The route

Day-by-day route

Click any pin on the map or any day in the route summary below to see that day's stop, story and photos.

Day 1

Porto Montenegro (Tivat) → Rose

A short first hop from the Tivat marina out to Rose, the old fishing hamlet at the very mouth of Boka Bay.

Distance

6 NM

Sailing

~1.2h at 5 kn

At a glance

Route at a glance

Best season

May – October

Duration

14 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 / 14
1
Day 1

Porto Montenegro (Tivat) → Rose

Most crews collect the boat in the afternoon, so day one is deliberately gentle. From Porto Montenegro it's a lazy hour or so down the bay to Rose, tucked against the tip of the Luštica peninsula where the water opens to the sea. The village is tiny: a row of stone houses, a jetty, a couple of fish tavernas that fill up by eight. Above it stands Forte Rose, an Austro-Hungarian fort that now runs a small diving centre. Swim off the back of the boat while the light drops behind the headland. There's no rush here, and no real nightlife either, which is the point. A good spot to sort out cabins, test the anchor windlass, and eat well before the proper sailing starts tomorrow.

Things to do

Climb up to Forte Rose fortress

Dive the reef with the local centre

Dinner at a Rose fish taverna

Swim off the boat at dusk

Mooring tip

Rose has a short town quay plus a handful of buoys; grab a buoy or drop anchor in the cove on sand at 4–6 m. The quay fills fast with day boats through July and August, so an early arrival helps.

2
Day 2

Rose → Herceg Novi

Herceg Novi sits just across the water, maybe forty minutes under engine if the morning is still. The town climbs the hillside in a tangle of steps and terraces, so wear proper shoes. Start at the Forte Mare bastion by the sea, then work up through the old gate to the Kanli Kula fortress and the clock tower on Belavista square. Coffee here is a ritual; nobody hurries. For a berth you have a choice: the town pier below the walls for the atmosphere, or the polished D-Marin at Portonovi a couple of miles west if you want fuel, showers and calm water. We usually take the town side and walk in. Provision here too, as the market and shops are better than anything further down the coast.

Things to do

Walk the ramparts of Forte Mare

Climb to Kanli Kula fortress

Coffee on Belavista square

Stock the galley at the town market

Mooring tip

Berth stern-to on the town pier below the fortress, or take a serviced berth at D-Marin Portonovi two miles west for fuel and laundry. The town quay catches wash from the ferry lane, so use plenty of fender and a long stern line.

3
Day 3

Herceg Novi → Perast

This is the day the scenery turns operatic. You pass through the Verige narrows, where the mountains close in and the water goes flat and dark, then Perast appears with its bell tower and its two islands offshore. One is natural: Sveti Đorđe, cypress-dark, with a closed Benedictine monastery and an old graveyard. The other, Gospa od Škrpjela, was built by hand over centuries, fishermen dropping stones onto a reef until an island held. Tie up, take the little shuttle boat across, and see the votive church and its silver plaques. Back in the village, the stone waterfront runs to a handful of konobas doing fish and local Vranac wine. Leave time to simply sit. Perast catches the last sun long after Kotor has gone into shadow.

Things to do

Shuttle out to Our Lady of the Rocks

Photograph the Verige narrows under sail

Fish and Vranac at a waterfront konoba

Climb St Nicholas' bell tower

Mooring tip

Perast's short quay has only a few berths and no anchoring right off the front, so call ahead or arrive before noon. In settled weather many crews anchor between Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpjela on sand and dinghy in.

4
Day 4

Perast → Kotor

Barely an hour from Perast, so there's no reason to leave early. Motor slowly to the head of the bay and Kotor rises straight out of the water, the town walls zig-zagging up the crag behind it to the fortress of San Giovanni. Get in, get moored, then attack the climb before the cruise crowds and the heat: roughly 1,350 steps to the top, with the whole fjord opening beneath you. Inside the walls it's a maze of squares and alleys, the cathedral of St Tryphon at its heart and cats on every step. Eat late. The old town keeps going well past midnight in season, and the marina is a two-minute walk from the gate, so there's no dinghy ride home in the dark.

Things to do

Climb the walls to San Giovanni

Find St Tryphon's cathedral inside the walls

Get lost in the old-town alleys

Late dinner on a stone square

Mooring tip

Marina Kotor sits right under the walls with lazylines and full services; book ahead in July and August as it's small and popular. Cruise ships share the channel by day, so keep a good lookout on the approach and expect some wash.

5
Day 5

Kotor → Lustica Bay

Retrace the bay in reverse, out through the narrows and round the Luštica shore to Trašte Bay on the open coast. It's a comfortable half-day, so drop the hook somewhere along the way for lunch and a swim. Luštica Bay itself is a purpose-built resort marina, all new pontoons and deep, sheltered water, with a golf course above and a couple of decent restaurants on the quay. After a week of medieval stone it feels almost startlingly modern, and that's fine for a night: proper showers, a lap pool, laundry sorted. Charge everything, run the watermaker, and let the crew spread out ashore. From here the itinerary turns south and the character changes, trading the closed-in bay for beaches, cliffs and longer open-water legs down the coast.

Things to do

Anchor for a lunch swim en route

Round of golf above the marina

Lap pool and long hot showers

Dinner on the Trašte Bay quay

Mooring tip

Luštica Bay marina has modern serviced berths on lazylines and holds well in most weather; reserve in peak weeks as it's a popular first or last stop. Trašte Bay outside is good holding on sand if you'd rather anchor and swim first.

6
Day 6

Lustica Bay → Zanjice

Short and sweet today. Žanjice lies just around the Luštica headland, a shingle bay backed by one of the oldest olive groves on the coast and ringed with mooring buoys. Pick one up, launch the dinghy, and putter round to the Blue Grotto (Plava Špilja), a sea cave where the light comes up turquoise off the sand bottom. Neighbouring Mirišta is prettier but rolls more, so most crews stay put at Žanjice. There's a wreck on the seabed off Ogada rocks between the two, which the dive boats work if you fancy it. Ashore, the beach has a couple of grills doing fresh fish and cold beer. Nothing here needs planning. Swim, eat, nap, and time tomorrow's hop to Budva for the afternoon breeze.

Things to do

Dinghy into the Blue Grotto sea cave

Walk the ancient Žanjice olive grove

Dive the wreck off Ogada rocks

Grilled fish at a beach shack

Mooring tip

Žanjice has laid buoys across the bay; take one rather than anchoring, as the bottom is patchy and drops off fast. It's day-boat central by midday in summer, so arrive early or plan to stay the night once the trippers leave.

7
Day 7

Zanjice → Budva

Now the coastal cruising begins. It's roughly 20 miles from Žanjice down to Budva, and the maestral usually fills in from the northwest around late morning, so leave by nine and you should carry a fair breeze most of the way. Budva is the busy heart of the Montenegrin riviera. Its compact walled town sits on a little peninsula, with the citadel at the tip and the Ballerina statue on the rocks below. Off the beach lies the island of Sveti Nikola, good for an anchored lunch before you go in. The marina and old harbour put you steps from the bars and restaurants, and the town runs late and loud in July. After the quiet of the bay it's a jolt, so lean into it for one night, then move on.

Things to do

Walk the citadel walls at sunset

Anchored lunch off Sveti Nikola island

Find the Ballerina statue on the rocks

A late night in the old town

Mooring tip

Budva marina and the old harbour are handy but pricey and can be rolly when the southeast swell gets in; a berth beats the exposed roadstead for a comfortable night. Book in high season, and ask for an inside berth away from the entrance.

8
Day 8

Budva → Sveti Stefan

Only a few miles today, so sleep off Budva and go when you like. Sveti Stefan is the image everyone knows: a fortified islet packed with terracotta roofs, joined to the shore by a slender causeway, now run as an exclusive hotel. You can't land on the islet itself and there's an exclusion zone around it, but the view from the water is the whole point. Anchor off in calm weather and swim toward Miločer, where the old royal beaches sit under a stand of pines. The Praskvica monastery is a short walk up the hill if you want shade and a bit of history. This is an exposed spot with no real shelter, so treat it as a long lunch-and-swim stop and drop down to Petrovac before evening if the forecast looks unsettled.

Things to do

Photograph the islet from the water

Swim to Miločer's royal beaches

Walk up to Praskvica monastery

Anchor lunch under the pines

Mooring tip

There's no marina at Sveti Stefan and the anchorage is open to swell, with a marked exclusion zone around the islet you must stay outside. Anchor on sand off Miločer in settled conditions only, and don't plan to overnight unless it's flat calm.

9
Day 9

Sveti Stefan → Petrovac

The coast between Sveti Stefan and Petrovac is one long ribbon of small beaches and swim spots, so take it slowly and dip in wherever it looks good. Drobni Pijesak and Trsteno are worth a stop, and there are shallow sea caves you can nose the dinghy into. Petrovac itself is low-key and family-friendly, built round a curve of reddish sand with a little Venetian fort, the Kastio, standing over the water. Two islets sit just offshore: Katič and Sveta Nedjelja, the second with a tiny chapel. Walk the seafront promenade in the evening when the whole town comes out for ice cream and a stroll. It's a modest harbour and gets crowded, so this is more about the beaches and the easy pace than any grand sight.

Things to do

Swim the caves at Drobni Pijesak

Walk out to the Kastio fort

Dinghy to Katič islet chapel

Evening ice cream on the promenade

Mooring tip

Petrovac's harbour is tiny and fair-weather only, with just a few visitor spots that go early. Most crews anchor off the beach on sand in 4–6 m and use the dinghy, keeping clear of swimmer lines and the rocks by the islets.

10
Day 10

Petrovac → Bar

This is the far point of the trip, so make a passage of it. Bar sits well south of Petrovac and the run down is open water, best sailed on the afternoon maestral if it cooperates. Bar is a working port first and a tourist town second, but that has its uses: the marina is large, deep and genuinely all-weather, with fuel, chandlery and customs on site, which matters if anyone's continuing toward Albania. Leave the waterfront and head inland to Stari Bar, the ruined old town on its rock, half-Ottoman and half-Venetian and slowly being reclaimed by fig trees. Nearby stands the Old Olive of Mirovica, reckoned to be over two thousand years old. It's not a pretty harbour, but it's the most secure stop on the coast and a good place to reset for the sail back north.

Things to do

Wander the ruins of Stari Bar

See the 2,000-year-old Mirovica olive tree

Climb toward Haj-Nehaj fortress

Top up fuel and provisions

Mooring tip

Marina Bar has 600-plus serviced berths on lazylines and is the most sheltered spot on this coast, so there's rarely a need to book far ahead outside peak. It doubles as an official entry and exit port, so it's the place to clear customs if you're sailing on to Albania.

11
Day 11

Bar → Petrovac

Turn the bows north and start working back up the coast. It's the same water you came down, but with the turnaround behind you the mood shifts to unwinding. Take the morning slowly out of Bar, then aim to fetch up at Petrovac by early afternoon with time to enjoy it properly this time. The two islets off the bay, Katič and Sveta Nedjelja, are worth the dinghy trip, and the wooded Buljarica beach just south is a long, wild stretch of sand that stays quiet even in August. Back in town, pick a konoba on the front for grilled squid and a carafe of house white. If the harbour's full, the anchorage off the main beach is perfectly good in settled weather, and the swimming right off the boat is some of the best on the route.

Things to do

Dinghy out to Sveta Nedjelja chapel

Find the wild sands of Buljarica

Grilled squid at a seafront konoba

Long swim off the anchored boat

Mooring tip

As on the way down, Petrovac's little harbour fills fast, so anchor off the beach on good sand in 4–6 m if there's no room. Buljarica bay just to the south is a calmer, roomier overnight anchorage if the wind stays light.

12
Day 12

Petrovac → Budva

A short leg back up to Budva, and the last chance for a proper night out before the marina hand-back looms. Break the trip with another pass by Sveti Stefan, anchoring off for a final swim toward the Miločer pines while the water's still warm. Roll into Budva by mid-afternoon. This time you know the place, so skip the tourist strip and find the smaller konobas in the back lanes of the old town, where the fish is fresher and the bill kinder. It's a good evening to gather the crew, settle the kitty, and toast the trip over local Vranac. Provision lightly too, since tomorrow is a quiet cove and the final morning is all packing. Get a berth rather than lying in the roadstead, so the last night ashore isn't a rolly one.

Things to do

Farewell swim off Sveti Stefan

Dinner in the old-town back lanes

Toast the trip with local Vranac

Sunset from the citadel walls

Mooring tip

Take a marina or old-harbour berth for this last night out rather than anchoring in the roadstead, which rolls when any southeast swell sneaks in. Booking ahead is wise in July and August, when Budva is at its busiest.

13
Day 13

Budva → Bigova

The final full day of sailing brings you back toward Tivat, with one last anchorage before the marina. Bigova is a small fishing village at the southeastern corner of Trašte Bay, set deep into the land so it stays calm when everywhere else is bouncing. It has long been the bolt-hole crews run to when the bora threatens, and the holding on mud and sand is excellent. There's not much to it: a few houses, fishing boats, and a couple of konobas that serve whatever came up in the nets that morning. Eat the fish, walk the shoreline, and enjoy the quiet after two weeks of towns and beaches. It's a fitting last night, close enough to Tivat that tomorrow's leg is barely an hour, which leaves the evening entirely free.

Things to do

Fresh catch at a Bigova konoba

Walk the quiet fishing-village shoreline

Swim in the sheltered cove

Sundowners at anchor after the towns

Mooring tip

Bigova is prized as a bora shelter, so it fills up fast in unsettled weather; arrive early to find room in the compact cove. Anchor on mud and sand, which holds very well, or take a buoy off one of the konobas if you plan to eat ashore.

14
Day 14

Bigova → Porto Montenegro (Tivat)

The last morning is an easy one. It's barely an hour from Bigova round into the bay and up to Porto Montenegro, so there's no need for a dawn start unless check-out demands it. Most bases want the boat back by nine or ten, fuelled and reasonably tidy, so leave a little time to top up the tank on the way in and square away the cabins. Porto Montenegro itself is worth a last wander once you've handed over: a slick superyacht marina with a naval-heritage museum, waterfront cafés, and a lido pool if your flight's not until evening. Two weeks, the whole Montenegrin coast from the fjord to Bar and back, and a boat that's carried you the length of it. Settle the bill, swap details with the crew, and start plotting the next one.

Things to do

Refuel before the marina hand-back

Visit the naval heritage museum

Coffee on the Porto Montenegro waterfront

Last swim at the marina lido

Mooring tip

Porto Montenegro is a large, well-run marina with lazyline berths and staff on the dock to take your lines for hand-back. Confirm your check-out slot and fuel-dock timing the evening before, as mornings get busy with boats coming and going.

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