The list, by distance
| Where | Driving | Without a car? |
|---|---|---|
| Perast and the islands | 20 min | Yes — bus, then boat |
| Tivat and Porto Montenegro | 25 min | Yes — bus |
| Budva | 30 min | Yes — bus every 20 min |
| Lovćen and Njegoš | 1 h up the serpentine | No — nearest bus is Cetinje |
| Cetinje | 1 h | Yes — direct bus |
| Blue Cave / Luštica | 40 min plus boat | Boat from Kotor or Herceg Novi |
| Sveti Stefan | 45 min | Yes — bus towards Petrovac |
| Lake Skadar (Virpazar) | 1 h 40 | Bus to Podgorica, then local |
| Ostrog monastery | 1 h 45 | Organised tour is easier |
| Durmitor | 3 h 30 | Too far for a day |
The three that are worth the whole day
Lovćen and Cetinje. Up the twenty-five hairpins, prosciutto at Njeguši, 461 steps to the mausoleum at 1,657 metres, then down into the old capital for the museums. Back on the Budva road. Eight hours and the best day in the country.
The Blue Cave by boat. Leaves from Kotor as a full day including Perast and a swimming stop, €30 to €45. Or drive to Žanjice and take a short boat for €15 to €25, which is the efficient version.
Lake Skadar. An hour and forty each way, which sounds like a lot until you are on a boat at dawn among pelicans with nobody else on the water. Combine it with a family wine cellar in Crmnica afterwards.
The two that are shorter than people expect
Perast is twenty minutes and most of a morning. Boat to Our Lady of the Rocks is €5 to €8 return from the waterfront, the church is €2, and the bell tower of St Nicholas gives the view from above.
Tivat is twenty-five minutes and mostly interesting as a contrast — a superyacht marina built on a former naval base, with prices to match and a good beach at Plavi Horizonti twenty minutes further on.
What not to attempt in a day
Durmitor. Three and a half hours each way. People do try it and spend seven hours driving to walk round a lake for an hour. If the north matters, move base for two nights.
Dubrovnik is two and a half hours plus the border, which in August is unpredictable. It is done as a day trip constantly and it is a long day; going early and crossing at Kobila rather than Debeli Brijeg makes it considerably better.
Without a car
Kotor is the best base in the country for anyone not driving. Buses along the coast run every twenty to thirty minutes in summer for €3 to €5, boats leave from the quay, and Cetinje has a direct service. The only real gaps are Lovćen and Ostrog, both of which are covered by organised day tours at €30 to €60.
