I took the Courage to be a bit Spontaneous and planned our trip to Montenegro in just a few days.
I knew that I had two whole weeks with the little ones at home. It was clear to me that at least a week would be spent out doors, travelling, this time… I made a decision to travel with the kids, minus my husband, abroad.
Completely spontaneous about the place, with a very limited budget – I followed the low cost flights web sites.
The flight I spotted to Montenegro was perfect for me for 2 main reasons:
1. the number of days
2. the budget
I was quick to book 5 tickets for my self, my kids and beloved sister-in-law that decided to join in and help with the kids. (Thank god for her!!)
After I booked the flights, I was able to read a little about the destination, plan our road trip across the country, and book us all accommodation and a car.
Montenegro has plenty to offer for a travelling family with little ones, it is full of landscapes, lakes, rivers, black mountains and roads that connect all of these in a special way.
We toured the country for 8 days, 840 km of experiences and unique authentic places.
Accommodation, food and fuel are significantly cheaper than western Europe.
Most roads in Montenegro are limited to a drive of up to 60 km – sometimes even 40 or 30 depending on how steep or winding the road is, the slow drive greatly contributes to a sense of security especially on long mountain trips.
Traveling in a foreign country with 3 young children is not an easy task, most Montenegrins do not speak English and the language barrier is felt everywhere.
Despite the obvious and intense difficulties – Montenegro is an excellent country for a trip with children, the things I liked the most were:
The gorgeous landscapes
The clear, cool water
The sound of sheep bells
I listened to Tom and Lenny say “Thank you” in a foreign language
I ate the most delicious peaches in the world
We enjoyed the fruits of the forest and raspberries every day
I loved the roadside tunnels
My sister-in-law and my self – having long deep conversations every night
I liked to get to new places
I loved to feel the freedom of life
So what have we done in Montenegro for so many days?
Day 1
Our flight to Montenegro was on Saturday. It was important for me to pack only what I needed and to be as light as possible with the children and the equipment – to take into consideration the fact that the luggage compartment of the rented vehicle should also contain the luggage of my sister-in-law.
I packed a suitcase full of clothes for children, a little linen, towels, and a million and a half diapers,
A hand bag full of activities books, games, and lots of different colours,
And another travel bag full of everyday equipment for all of us
The flight went quit well.
The airport in the Montenegrin capital is really tiny, from the moment we landed until the moment we were in the rented car on our way to start our journey was about 40 minutes.
We started our road trip to the north, Waze navigation app worked great, our first destination was the city of Kolašin.
The drive from the airport to Kolašin was an excellent start to our trip, we began to climb the beautiful black mountains, we passed through mountain tunnels it was absolutely beautiful.
We spent our first night in a beautiful wooden cabin in between the mountains next to a river.
Because we arrived to the cabin late at night we could not see the river, but we heard through out the night.
in the morning we went looking for it and we discovered a beautiful river with cool water.
The cabin we booked called Holiday Home Milica – I ordered it through a booking site and it was at a funny price of 50 euros per night for all of us. our host was a really charming man, he treated us with a fresh jar of home made cherry juice and in the morning greeted us with a bowl of berries he had picked from his garden. Many Montenegrin residents have private vegetable gardens – they grow their own crops and fruits this is a culture of gardening and it’s absolutely inspiring!
Day 2
The second day of our trip started in the beautiful sunny morning at the cabin where we stayed at night, the children ran around with balls , Niv crawled on the grass and chased after a chicken and a puppy and me and Sigal prepared breakfast and sat with our hosts in their beautiful garden.
We took a short walk, went down to the beautiful river near the mountain and mostly felt lucky.
We said good bey to our hosts at early afternoon hour and continued to the city center of Kolašin – there we had a quick lunch, bought some groceries, and drove to the Biogradska Gora National park which has a beautiful large lake.
The Park was full of visitors, boats, camping tents and families who came out to enjoy nature.
The water of the lake is pleasant and the children enjoyed splashing on each other.
We took a round walking path around the lake, the walk was very well set with lots of seating areas arranged on the way, the full round walk by the lake took us about two hours, on the way we crossed large wooden bridges, we saw trees that were 300 years and enjoyed the lake At different angles.
Our next destination was – a small village near the northern town of Zabljak.
The mountain road between Biogradska Gora National park to Zabljak was amazing in its beauty.
Black cliffs rise high, decorated with pine trees and whole forests.
Clouds cruise between the mountains and wooden huts with red, green, and yellow tops.
The road was amazing, we arrived to our cabin late in the evening and started to settle in the new place that was our home for 2 nights. I also booked this place on booking – and I highly recommend it too! It is well equipped, has 2 spacious bedrooms and even a cute balcony! Holiday Home Stella Star.
Day 3
The morning of the third day was again devoted to checking the new environment, the children were running around on the grass playing – walking on big tree trunks and me and Siegel were busy preparing everyones lunch bags, arranging things and even washing clothes.
When we were done with all these tasks, we took a short walk by our cabin and got to know the village life in the mountains of Montenegro.
The houses in the villages are far apart, each with its own space, its own breeze and trees.
Every home has a vegetable garden or even a small greenhouse filled with crops and vegetables.
Sheeps passing by freely.
After we got to know the surroundings, we drove to the city center of Zabljak – we had breakfast at a local restaurant and went into the visitors’ center just to ask “What can you do with young children here?”
Most of the travelers who come to the area enjoy a rafting trip between 3 hours in the famous Tara river, for us it was not even an option – so we settled for two other alternative destinations:
The cable lifts of Durmitor Mountain and the Black Lake.
We decided not to take the cable lift when we got there, fearing that maybe little Niv would not be quiet and comfortable for the one our ride at an abnormal height – but lucky us! just by the cable lift start point there is a large children’s park and a nice cafe overlooking the entire mountain.
We spent two whole hours there, the children enjoyed all the facilities, swings, small jeeps for rent (2 euros per 15 minutes) and it was really fun.
We continued our road trip and took a short drive to the Black Lake.
At the entrance to the Black Lake we bought a lot of fresh berries and raspberries.
This park is full of visitors from all over the world – but it still has a great sense of freedom.
The water was clear and clean, the reflections of the mountains were great.
We rented a rowing boat for 9 Euros and enjoyed the lake.
Day 4
On the fourth day we continued our journey toward the city of Plužine.
The drive between the mountains did not prepare us for the moment when we came down from the mountain and just across from us there was one of the most beautiful lakes I had seen in my life, a hypnotic turquoise water that crossed the beautiful green mountains.
The lake in the city of Plužine is an artificial lake created by the flow of water and the use of dams, the lake is very impressive for observation – less for swimming, although we have seen people swimming in it with pleasure.
We spent the night in a tiny village nine kilometers from the city center, and we were once again close to a mountain on one side and a cool stream on the other.
We were supposed to stay in Plužine for 2 nights, but after 1 night we took the place and moved on to the next destination
Day 5
The entire trip so far was very well planned, but since we wanted to make changes in the route – we had to find a new accommodation suitable for 2 adults and 3 children at very short notice.
We started the drive south towards the Montenegrin coasts and at the same time looked for a lodging on line.
Much to our delight, we found a perfect place where we enjoyed so much that we even changed an existing reservation in order to continue our stay there.
The road from the mountainous and green north towards the south filled with beaches was as usual – interesting and beautiful.
The roads in this part of the country are wider, better, and easier to travel.
On the sides of the Montenegrin roads you can see many local people selling home made produce, cheeses, wines, honey, fruits and vegetables.
Me and Lenny chose sweet honey on the side way.
After a three-hour drive we reached the southern city of Kotor.
The city welcomed us in a wonderful holiday mood, here we were able to slow down the pace and flow with what the city of Kotor has to offer.
We settled in a vacation apartment located in an ancient stone house 400 years old. Our hosts welcomed us, spoiled us with sweet figs and a lot of explanations about the place and what it has to offer. Our room turned out to be part of the Captain’s House, a captain who lived in the bay and wandered among bays and seas. Outside our apartment, just across the street there was -a small stone terrace, tanning beds, beautiful wooden boats, and the clear cool water of the sea.
The place we booked is called Old Mariner Guest House, I booked it through booking and I highly recommend it! Both because of the location and due to the service, but mainly because of the excellent price.
6-7 days
We spent most of the next few days in the town of Kotor.
After traveling more than 800 kilometers, it was nice to settle in one place, get to know it a little deeper and enjoy it.
We were lost in the alleys of the beautiful Old Town.
We took a 3-hour cruise in the bay (15 euros per adult, half price for a child under 12, babies under the age of 2 are free of charge)
We visited churches of 500 years or more
We ate at an excellent fish restaurants (a meal for 2 adults + 3 children for an average of 40 euros)
I bought my self a little painting by a local artist
We ate berries, peaches, apples and delicious honey every day
We admired the stone houses, the beautiful wooden windows painted in so many colours
We swam and dived a lot in the sea water
We sat and watched the beaches, the yachts, the beautiful boats and the fishes.
Day 8
We reached our last day.
On our way to the air port which is about 3 hours drive from Kotor bay, just by the side of the road, we found a local craftsmen who were making baskets.
I bought 3 beautiful hand crafted picnic baskets which I’ll treasure from this trip!!
The way to the air port passes through mountains that overlook the beaches of the south of the country, small and large Kate towns emerge from all sides.
8 days in Montenegro were full of experiences, this is a country you can hike, swim, enjoy great fishing restaurants (south part) and relax in with great generosity, for me and my three children the trip sums up to a 1850 Euro cost:
for a full stay for 8 days including accommodation, food, car rental, fuel and Flight Tickets.
Attached is the map of our road trip
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