When to come

September Is the Month Locals Recommend

Ask anyone who lives on this coast when to come and they will say September. They are not being contrarian. The sea is warmer than in June and the crowd is gone.

Updated · 2 min read

The date the country empties

Around 20 August. Serbian, Bosnian and Kosovar schools go back in the first days of September, and those countries supply a large share of the summer visitors by car. The change over that week is abrupt rather than gradual — the same beach is two-thirds emptier on 1 September than on 15 August.

The numbers

AugustSeptember
Sea temperature25–26°C24–26°C
Air, coast30–33°C26–28°C
Double room, Budva€110 – €140€70 – €95
Sunbeds, popular beach€25 – €40€15 – €25
Kotor at middayImpassableWalkable
Restaurant table without bookingNoUsually yes

Why the water is still warm

The sea lags the air by roughly two months because water holds heat. It spends all summer absorbing it and only starts giving it back in October. September water is a degree or two warmer than June water, while September air is five degrees cooler — which is the combination most people actually want.

The mountains are at their best

September is the most stable month in the north. The afternoon thunderstorms that build over Durmitor in July and August largely stop, the air is clear enough to see across to the Albanian Alps, and the trails are dry and empty. Rafting still runs — see the current Tara rafting trips — though the water is low and gentle by then; May is the month for the big water.

What starts closing

Nothing much until the last week. From about 25 September the beach concessions start pulling in sunbeds, and through October the seasonal restaurants on the smaller beaches shut one by one. Kotor, Budva, Tivat and Podgorica carry on year-round.

  • First half of September — everything open, everything cheaper. This is the window.
  • Second half — still excellent, some beach services winding down.
  • Nevidio canyon closes when the water rises, usually late September.
  • Mountain huts and katuns close through September as the herders come down.

Book anyway

Cheaper does not mean available. The good apartments in Kotor and Perast are booked through September by people who worked this out years ago, and the rafting camps run fewer boats once the season winds down. Two or three weeks ahead is enough; turning up expecting to find something is not.

Book locally

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

Tara Rafting 14 km — Durmitor National ParkRafting · ŽabljakTara Rafting 14 km — Durmitor National ParkThe shortest Tara section Tara Kula runs: a half day on the river inside Durmitor National Park, passing under the Đurđevića Tara bridge.from €60 Tara Canyon Rafting 36 km — the Deepest PartRafting · ŽabljakTara Canyon Rafting 36 km — the Deepest PartA full day on the Tara through the canyon’s deepest stretch, with a jeep leg and an optional lunch.from €120 Family Day: 3 h Rafting + 4 h Jeep SafariRafting · ŽabljakFamily Day: 3 h Rafting + 4 h Jeep SafariHalf the day in a jeep, half on the calmer lower Tara, with breakfast and lunch sorted.from €120 Durmitor Retreat — Apartment in ŽabljakStay · ŽabljakDurmitor Retreat — Apartment in ŽabljakA renovated apartment in the middle of Žabljak, two minutes on foot from the rafting agency.Book on Airbnb

More in When to come

When to comeThe Best Month to Visit Montenegro Depends on the AltitudeThe coast and the mountains have different seasons three months apart. Pick the month that suits the half of the country you actually came for. When to comeSea Temperature in Montenegro, Month by MonthAverage Adriatic water temperatures through the year, why September beats June, and why the Bay of Kotor does not behave like the open coast. When to comeMontenegro in May: High Water, Empty CoastThe month the rivers are at their loudest and the beaches at their emptiest. What is open, what is still under snow, and why rafting is different.