Montenegro in 5 Days on a Budget (Costs)
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5 Days Adds Ostrog Monastery to the Kotor/Cetinje/Budva/Skadar Route
The previous version of this page repeated itself across four different “Day 1”/“Day 2” blocks, invented a “Blue Cave” day trip and a “Kršancija” wine that don’t appear in any Montenegro source, and never actually reached Day 5. This is a full rewrite. Five days here covers Kotor’s bay, a Njeguši/Lovćen/Cetinje mountain day, Budva’s coast, a Lake Skadar wine day, and a fifth day out to Ostrog Monastery. Want the shorter version without Ostrog? See the 4-day itinerary . Have two more days? The 7-day itinerary adds Durmitor.
Book these before you go
- A Bay of Kotor boat trip for Day 1
- A rental car picked up in Kotor and kept through Day 5; you need one for the mountain days and for the drive to Ostrog
- A Skadar Lake boat tour for Day 4
Day 1: Kotor and Perast
Climb Kotor’s walls to San Giovanni/St John’s Fortress early, before the heat and cruise crowds; €15 (verify) for around 1,350 steps. The Bay of Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , and a Blue Line bus to Perast (around €1.50) sets up a boat to Our Lady of the Rocks.
| Day 1 cost (EUR, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Bed (Kotor Old Town) | 10 | 44 |
| Kotor wall climb (verify) | 15 | 15 |
| Perast bus + Our Lady of the Rocks boat (verify) | 6.50 | 13 |
| Lunch + dinner | 18 | 35 |
| Day 1 total | 49.50 | 107 |
Day 2: The Njeguši Road, Lovćen, and Cetinje
Take the Njeguši serpentine, around 25 hairpins climbing out of the bay, into Lovćen National Park . Njeguši’s smokehouse pršut and cheese cost only a few euros. Continue to the Njegoš Mausoleum (fee unconfirmed, verify) and Cetinje , the old royal capital, for a cheap museum afternoon.
| Day 2 cost (EUR, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Rental car, per day (verify) | 11 | 41 |
| Fuel share | 5 | 10 |
| Njeguši tasting + Cetinje museums (verify) | 3 | 14 |
| Lunch + dinner | 18 | 35 |
| Day 2 total | 37 | 100 |
Day 3: Budva and a Sveti Stefan Viewpoint
Budva’s walled Old Town, rebuilt after the 1979 earthquake, is free to walk, and Mogren I beach beside it costs nothing. Drive to Queen’s Beach for a view of Sveti Stefan; the causeway itself is for resort guests and diners only. Cheap ćevapi or burek beats a tourist-menu sit-down here.
| Day 3 cost (EUR, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Museum of Budva (optional) | 0 | 3 |
| Free beach (Mogren I) | 0 | 0 |
| Lunch (ćevapi/burek) | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner | 12 | 25 |
| Day 3 total | 14 | 34 |
Day 4: Lake Skadar and Plantaže Wine
Base around Virpazar, roughly 48 minutes from Budva, for a boat among the reed islands looking for Dalmatian pelicans. A shared boat trip runs cheap split across a group (verify locally). Stop at Plantaže, one of Europe’s largest single-piece vineyards, for cheap Vranac and Krstač tastings on the way back.
| Day 4 cost (EUR, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Skadar boat trip, shared (verify) | 10 | 20 |
| Wine tasting at Plantaže (verify) | 5 | 12 |
| Lunch + dinner | 23 | 48 |
| Day 4 total | 38 | 80 |
Day 5: Ostrog Monastery, Respectfully
Ostrog is roughly 1h45-1h55 from the coast, and it’s a working Orthodox pilgrimage site, not a sightseeing stop, so budget a half-day minimum and treat it accordingly. Cover shoulders and knees, women bring a headscarf, skip shorts, and keep quiet and unhurried, especially past the barefoot pilgrims making the final approach. Entry is free; bring cash, since donations of money or practical goods (food, blankets, soap) are customary and there’s no card infrastructure. Food on-site is very limited, so pack water and a snack. For background before you go, the monastery’s history is worth reading; if you’d rather not self-drive, arrange a low-key transport option through your hotel rather than turning the visit into a hard sell once you’re there.
| Day 5 cost (EUR, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel share for the drive (verify) | 8 | 15 |
| Entry | 0 | 0 |
| Donation (customary, cash only) | 2 | 10 |
| Snacks/water to bring in | 3 | 6 |
| Dinner back on the coast | 12 | 25 |
| Day 5 total | 25 | 56 |
Getting Around on This 5-Day Plan
Keep the rental car through all five days; Ostrog has no direct bus from the coast, and the mountain and Skadar days both need it too. Days 1 and 3 are the only ones you could do on foot or by local bus alone.
If you only remember one thing: Ostrog isn’t a bucket-list photo op. Go for the right reasons, dress properly, and give the pilgrims around you the same quiet you’d want at any place of worship.