Montenegro in 6 Days on a Budget (Costs)

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6 Days Is Enough for a Real Durmitor Overnight, Not Just a Drive-By

Six days here covers Kotor’s bay, a Njeguši/Lovćen/Cetinje mountain day, Budva’s coast, a Lake Skadar wine day, and then a genuine Durmitor overnight for Black Lake and the Tara Canyon, rather than the rushed same-day dash to Durmitor the old version of this page tried to squeeze into Day 3. Durmitor is roughly 2h50 from Kotor each way, so a day trip only ever manages the Tara Bridge and a Black Lake photo stop; two full days is what it actually takes. Shorter trip? The 4-day itinerary skips Durmitor entirely. Want Ostrog too? The 7-day itinerary fits both.

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Day 1: Kotor and Perast

Climb Kotor’s walls to San Giovanni/St John’s Fortress early; €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 + boat (verify) 6.50 13
Lunch + dinner 18 35
Day 1 total 49.50 107

Day 2: The Njeguši Road, Lovćen, and Cetinje

Pick up the rental car for the Njeguši serpentine into Lovćen National Park . Njeguši’s smokehouse pršut and cheese cost a few euros. Continue to the Njegoš Mausoleum (fee unconfirmed, verify) and Cetinje 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 Old Town, rebuilt after the 1979 earthquake, is free to walk, and Mogren I beach beside it costs nothing. View Sveti Stefan from Queen’s Beach; the causeway itself is guests and diners only.

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 for a boat among the reed islands looking for Dalmatian pelicans, a shared trip that’s cheap split across a group (verify locally). Stop at Plantaže, one of Europe’s largest single-piece vineyards, for Vranac and Krstač tastings.

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: Into Durmitor

Drive to Žabljak, the highest town in the Balkans at 1,456 m and the base for Durmitor National Park , roughly 2h50 from Kotor. Spend the afternoon on the easy ~1.5 hour circuit around Black Lake, the best-known of Durmitor’s 18 glacial lakes, and settle into one of Žabljak’s budget hotels or sobe for the night; mains around town run €2-15.

Day 5 cost (EUR, per person, lodging separate) Low Higher
Rental car day + fuel 16 51
Bed in Žabljak (sobe/hotel, verify) 15 40
Black Lake circuit 0 0
Lunch on the road 6 15
Dinner in Žabljak 6 15
Day 5 total 43 121

Day 6: Tara Canyon and the Drive Back

The Tara River Canyon, part of a UNESCO World Heritage designation separate from Kotor’s, reaches roughly 1,333 m deep, often cited as the deepest canyon in continental Europe (world rankings are disputed, so leave it there). The Đurđevića Tara Bridge, a 1937-40 concrete arch about 172 m above the river, is the classic free viewpoint and photo stop; zip-line adventures now run near the canyon if you want more than a look (price unconfirmed, verify). Rafting the Tara, roughly €40-50 for a half-day (verify), is Montenegro’s signature outdoor activity if the water levels cooperate. Drive back to the coast for your onward flight; budget the same 2h50-plus you spent coming in.

Day 6 cost (EUR, per person) Low Higher
Rental car final day + fuel 16 51
Tara Bridge viewpoint 0 0
Rafting (optional, verify) 0 50
Lunch + dinner 20 45
Day 6 total 36 146

Getting Around on This 6-Day Plan

Keep the rental car the whole trip; Durmitor has no direct bus from the coast that works on this schedule, and every other day here is easier with the car anyway. Don’t try to compress Days 5 and 6 into one; that’s exactly the mistake the old version of this page made.

If you only remember one thing: Durmitor needs the overnight. A same-day tour from the coast only ever gets you the bridge and a quick look at Black Lake, not the actual park.