Beaches

Jaz Beach: Concerts, Camping and the Free End

Jaz is the beach Budva locals go to when Budva's own beach is full. It is 1.2 kilometres long, half of it is developed and half of it is not.

Updated · 2 min read

The two halves

The western end, nearest the road down from the highway, has the bars, the sunbed concessions, showers and the crowd. The eastern end has none of that. Walk ten minutes and the density drops by three quarters.

That eastern section is free, unshaded and backed by scrub and a campsite. It is where people who come regularly put their towel.

LengthAbout 1.2 km
SurfaceFine gravel and some sand
Two sunbeds and parasol€15 – €25
Parking€2 – €5 for the day
From Budva2 km, 5 min by car, 25 min on foot
Free sectionEastern half, most of it

The concerts

Jaz has hosted enormous open-air shows — the Rolling Stones and Madonna both played here, to crowds that dwarfed the population of Budva. That history explains two things a visitor notices: the oversized car parks behind the beach, and the flat scrubland at the eastern end that is a festival site rather than an accident.

In years when a large event is scheduled, the beach closes for setup for several days. It is worth a check if your dates are fixed and the beach is the reason for them.

The camping

There is a campsite behind the eastern end, which is unusual on this stretch of coast where almost everything is apartments. It is basic, cheap and busy with vans in August. For anyone travelling that way it is one of the few legal options near Budva.

The water

Jaz faces open sea rather than sitting in a bay, which means clearer water than Budva's town beach and more movement in it. It shelves moderately — not the gentle wade of Ulcinj, not the immediate drop of Mogren. There are no lifeguards on the free section.

When the jugo blows there is real swell here, which is enjoyable for some people and not for small children.

Getting there

Two kilometres north of Budva on the Adriatic Highway, with a marked turning and a road down to the car parks. Walkable from Budva in about twenty-five minutes along the road, which is not a pleasant walk — most people drive or take a taxi for a few euros.

Trsteno, a small cove another kilometre north, is the quieter alternative if Jaz is full. It is smaller, prettier and has almost no parking.

Where it ranks

Not the best beach on this coast — Kamenovo has better water, Buljarica has more space, Plavi Horizonti has sand. But it is the best combination of size, water and proximity to Budva, and the free end means a day there costs the parking and nothing else.

Book locally

Run by a licensed operator in Žabljak. Send a request, pay the operator on the day.

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