LOCATION

Montenegro

Montenegro is a country in Southeast Europe on the Adriatic Sea.

Internationally, Montenegro borders Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and Albania. Its capital Podgorica is one of the twenty-three municipalities in the country. Cetinje is designated as the Old Royal Capital.
Montenegro has both a picturesque coast and a mountainous northern region.

The Montenegrin Adriatic coast is 295 km (183 mi) long, with 72 km (45 mi) of beaches, and with many well-preserved ancient old towns. National Geographic Traveler (edited once in decade) features Montenegro among the “50 Places of a Lifetime”, and Montenegrin seaside Sveti Stefan was used as the cover for the magazine. The coast region of Montenegro is considered one of the great new “discoveries” among world tourists. In January 2010, The New York Times ranked the Ulcinj South Coast region of Montenegro, including Velika Plaza, Ada Bojana, and the Hotel Mediteran of Ulcinj, as among the “Top 31 Places to Go in 2010” as part of a worldwide ranking of tourism destinations.

Montenegro was also listed in “10 Top Hot Spots of 2009” to visit by Yahoo Travel, describing it as “Currently ranked as the second fastest growing tourism market in the world (falling just behind China)”. It is listed every year by prestigious tourism guides like Lonely Planet as top touristic destination along with Greece, Spain and other world touristic places.

Montenegro has two international airports, Podgorica Airport and Tivat Airport.

Bay of Kotor

The Bay of Kotor known simply as Boka (“the Bay”), is the winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated around the bay.

The bay has been inhabited since antiquity. Its well-preserved medieval towns of Kotor, Risan, Tivat, Perast, Prčanj and Herceg Novi, along with their natural surroundings, are major tourist attractions. Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor has been a World Heritage Site since 1979. Its numerous Orthodox and Catholic churches and monasteries make it a major pilgrimage site.

The Bay region is under the protection of UNESCO due to its rich cultural heritage. On the landward side, long walls run from the fortified old town of Kotor to the castle of Saint John, far above; the heights of the Krivošije (Krivoscie), a group of barren plateaus in Mount Orjen, were crowned by small forts.

The shores of the bay Herceg Novi house the Orthodox convent of St. Sava near (Savina monastery) standing amid surrounding gardens. It was founded in the 16th century and contains many specimens of 17th century silversmiths’ work. 12.87 km east of Herceg Novi, there is a Benedictine monastery on a small island opposite Perast (Perasto). Perast itself was for a time an independent state in the 14th century. Today Boka has about 100 Catholic churches and chapels and about 200 Orthodox churches and chapels, as well as some Orthodox monasteries. The Cathedral of St. Trifun in Kotor is Boka’s oldest cathedral, built in 1166. The churches of St. George and Lady of Škrpjel (near Perast) were built on two of the bay’s islets in the first half of the 17th century.

Kotor

Kotor is a coastal town in Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Gulf of Kotor.

Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor. The fortified city of Kotor was also included in UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list as part of Venetian Works of Defence between 15th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar in 2017.
It is home to numerous sights, such as the Cathedral of Saint Tryphon in the old town (built in 1166), and the ancient walls which stretch for 4.5 km (3 mi) directly above the city. Sveti Đorđe and Gospa od Škrpijela islets off the coast of Perast are also among the tourism destinations in the vicinity of Kotor.

Kotor hosts several summer events, such as the Summer Carnival or Bokeljska Noć. Together with Budva, and the small town of Tuzi, near Podgorica, the city hosted the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) World Carnival City Congress in May 2009.

Kotor has a large population of cats that have become a symbol of the city. The city has several cat stores and a cat museum, as well as the Cats’ Square (Trg od mačaka). Water and food is left throughout the city for the cats to feed on, and cardboard boxes are often arranged to be a place for the cats to sleep in.

Orahovac

Orahovac is a small, peaceful fishing village, located near Kotor, towards Perast. It has a beautiful pebble beach, and it is a special environment – a harmonious combination of the coast and the sea with pontoons and stone coastal houses, surrounded by lush Mediterranean vegetation. Along with this, as well as the nearby beaches, the sea is extremely clean, for which the sea fields for growing edible shells are proof.