Budva
Discover Budva
Budva is a coastal tourist resort in Montenegro. It is often called "Montenegrin Miami", because it is the most crowded and most popular tourist resort in Montenegro, with beaches and vibrant nightlife. Budva is on the central part of Montenegrin coast, called "Budvanska Rivijera". It has developed around the old town on a small peninsula. It is the most visited destination in Montenegro, attracting mostly domestic, Russian, Serbian and other Eastern European tourists with an old town, bars and nightclubs, and beaches mostly consisting of small rocks. It is base for mass tourism, while in its near vicinity there are luxury resorts such as Sveti Stefan and Miločer.
Famous Beaches
Taste of Budva...
There is a wide choice of places to eat at in Budva. In old town you will find almost anything: from pizza-places, bakeries to seafood and Chinese restaurants. Across the harbour, at the very coast, there are some premium fresh seafood restaurants, notably "Jadran" and "Donna". Along the entire promenade there are many fast food places, offering barbecue, giros, pancakes, slices of pizza, and ice cream, with affordable prices. Budva is full of cafes, bars and nightclubs. During the high season it is hard to find a place to sit. Espresso will cost from €1 to €1.50. Coke and other soft drinks and juices will cost from €1.50 up to €3.50. Local beer costs an average of €2.50 and mixed drinks can go from €7 and up. Bars are allowed to play music until 01:00, when the crowds move to some of the nightclubs. Always ask for a bill, as they must provide it by law. If you don't - it's likely that they'll overcharge your drinks, especially if they see you are a foreigner! A form of tourist scam in Budva bars and restaurants is that you give the waiter, for example, a €20 banknote and expect him to bring back the change in a while. He does not, and when you ask him to come over, he will tell you that you did not give him €20, but a smaller banknote. He will also show you that in his wallet he only has €5 and €10 banknotes, so there simply could not have been a €20 banknote on your table.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThere is a direct fast ferry line from Dubrovnik to Budva organised by Adriatic Lines. Ferry runs daily from Dubrovnik to Budva or Kotor, mainly in the high season. Duration of voyage is two hours and this is a good way to avoid road congestion at border crossing. Schedule is available at www.adriatic-lines.com. Budva is very well connected by bus with cities within Montenegro and major cities in neighboring countries. Check the online bus schedule. Buses are usually on schedule though the schedules vary from season to season, with more buses running during the summer. +382 33 456 000. The bus station is a 20-minute walk from the old town. Budva can be reached by car using the coast road, which is in good condition. Travelling from Dubrovnik, this can take less than 2 hours depending on traffic. A short €5 ferry journey saves the drive around the bay of Kotor. Important area of Budva is roughly 2 km² and most of people just walk....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Important area of Budva is roughly 2 km² and most of people just walk. There is an amazing promenade that stretches throughout coast of municipality but end to end of the city can be reached within 20 minutes, and it would be a shame to miss walking down the promenade and all of its surrounding beauties. Promenade has two "lines" and the one near sea is quieter. If you came to Budva with your own car, use it inside the city only when you have to. Traffic is terribly congested during the summer, and parking spaces around the old town are almost impossible to find, and very expensive when you do. Taxis are abundant in Budva, but are not cheap—a ride anywhere within Budva will cost you around €5. Prices vary depending on which taxi company you happen to get. Try to choose a taxi that has a rate card displayed and a meter visible on the dash—and then watch to insure the meter is set appropriately when starting—to avoid getting ripped off.
Where to Stay
Accommodation in Budva is abundant, and varies from renting a room for €10-15 to handsomely priced five-star hotels. There are big differences in prices of accommodation - not only between types of accommodation but for same accommodation during different times of the year. For example, a hostel-like room that rents for €7 per person/per night during the off-season can rent for €20 and up per person/per night during July and August. There are at least 25 hotels and 105 hostels (capacity of over 13,000 beds), about 100 private villas and bed and breakfast inns and private accommodation (60,000 beds) of various options. During the summer it is easy just to come to the bus station and find local people offering rooms. There is a problem with water in Budva, however, and you should confirm that the accommodation you choose has running water. The prices range from €7 to €15 for a person/night/private room, with the cheaper rooms requiring a shared bathroom and/or kitchen.
Money & Budget
ATMs (locally referred to as Bancomats) in Budva are rare in the old town, but plentiful outside of its walls. Old town is packed primarily with little boutiques, such as Prestige, selling costume made dresses. There are other boutiques selling everything from expensive shoes to clothing and jewellery, but ALWAYS beware of counterfeited variants of world famous brands. The main Budva promenade has a long string of stands with very cheap - in quality, not always in price - clothing, sunglasses, souvenirs, etc. Friendly service in Budva shops is not the norm. Service people usually do not smile or make eye contact and are often brusque; however, this is slowly changing. There is a wide choice of places to eat at in Budva.