The final two nights of our trip were spent in the coastal town of Budva, the center of Montenegro’s tourism industry.  Between the Adriatic Sea, beaches, its well-preserved medieval walled city, restaurants, and night life; Budva attracts all types of tourists, especially the 1% jet-setters.

Just outside of the walls of Old Town was a row of very expensive luxury yachts owned by wealthy visiting tourists.  As we turned away from the docks and entered the walled city, it was like stepping back in time.  Sure, there were gift shops and restaurants to remind you that it was the year 2018; however, the architecture and cobblestone pathways were historic reminders that Budva is, indeed, old—2,500 years old!

Budva is one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic Coast.  Archaeological evidence proves that fact, and we were able to see where some of that evidence was discovered.

The walled Old Town is situated on a rocky peninsula, and it was beautiful to explore during our private morning walking tour, before it was overrun by tourists.  We looked forward to returning in the late afternoon, following our driving tour into the mountains to see Cetinje, the former capital.

The views were spectacular!  We were fortunate to have sunny skies, so we could enjoy the view of the city below.

On our way to Cetinje, we stopped at a restaurant up in the mountains where we were treated to a local beer, and a “snack” of a delicious sandwich of prosciutto and cheese, after being shown their smokehouse where we learned about the smoking process.

Following our tour of Cetinje and its museum, our little group had a nice lunch together at a restaurant.  We then headed back to Budva to enjoy the remainder of the afternoon on our own.  This was the highlight!  Exploring the Old Town and coastal walking path during the golden light of the evening was the exclamation point to cap off our visit to Montenegro.

Dinner the previous night was enjoyed with our guide, Sinisa, and our new Canadian friends; however, this final night was just the two of us enjoying a fabulous buffet while dining on the patio of our hotel.  It was a lovely evening, and a perfect way to relax and reflect back on our amazing experiences in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and, finally, Montenegro.

Thank you, dear readers, for hanging in with me until the end—nearly five months after our travels concluded.  I hope you will join me again later this year when I return with more traveler’s tales!