Budva & Sveti Stefan: the back story

About Budva & Sveti Stefan: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Podgorica Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

An hour from Podgorica, Budva is the heart of the Montenegrin riviera: a compact walled old town on a headland, beaches on either side, and in summer the liveliest nightlife on the coast. A few kilometres south, Sveti Stefan sits on its islet like a postcard.

An ancient town

Budva is one of the oldest settlements on the Adriatic coast, with a history that runs back to Greek and Roman times; finds from its ancient necropolis fill the town’s Archaeological Museum.

The old town

Inside its walls, the old town is a tight maze of stone lanes, small squares and churches, among them Santa Maria in Punta and the Church of the Holy Trinity, with the Citadel on the seaward point. Much was carefully rebuilt after the earthquake of 1979.

Sveti Stefan is one of the most photographed views on the Adriatic: a walled village of stone houses on an islet joined to the shore by a narrow causeway.

Sveti Stefan

Sveti Stefan began as a 15th-century fortified fishing village on an islet. In the 1950s it was turned into a hotel, and it became one of the most glamorous addresses on the Adriatic. The islet is a private resort, but the view from the shore and the beach facing it are open to everyone.

Beaches and nightlife

Budva’s town beaches are busy in summer, and its seafront and clubs make it the party capital of the coast. For something calmer, walk the cliff path to Mogren beach, or head south towards Sveti Stefan and Pržno.

Our advice: visit in June or September, when the sea is warm and the crowds are smaller. Walk the old town in the morning, swim at Mogren or near Sveti Stefan, and come back to the old town walls for sunset.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Budva & Sveti Stefan: the back story before you go.