Brief information
Montenegro is now deservedly considered an ideal place to relax. The beauty of this small country lies in its picturesque medieval towns and villages, amazingly beautiful rivers, lakes and mountains, and, of course, excellent ski resorts and magnificent beaches of the Adriatic Sea. When you go to Montenegro – do not forget to take your camera with you!
Geography of Montenegro
Montenegro is located in southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. In the west, Montenegro borders on Croatia, in the northeast – on Serbia, in the east – on Kosovo, in the northwest – on Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the southeast – on Albania. The Adriatic Sea adjoins Montenegro from the southwest. The total area of this Balkan country is 13,812 sq. km, including the islands, and the total length of the state border is 571.6 km.
Mountains in Montenegro are located mainly in the east of the country. The highest peaks are Zla Kolata peak on Prokletiye mountain (2536 m) and Boboltov Kuk peak on Durmitor mountain (2522 m). The coast of the Adriatic Sea of Montenegro is a narrow plain.
There are a lot of rivers in Montenegro, which are distinguished by their beauty. The longest of them are Tara, Lim, and Cheotina.
Capital
According to itypejob.com, the capital of Montenegro is Podgorica, which is now home to about 150 thousand people. Historians believe that a Roman settlement once existed on the territory of modern Podgorica.
Official language
In Montenegro, the official language is Montenegrin. Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Albanian are officially used as regional languages in Montenegro.
Religion
More than 72% of the population of Montenegro are Orthodox Christians (Greek Catholic Church). Another 19% of Montenegrins are Sunni Muslims, and 3% are Catholics.
State structure of Montenegro
According to computerminus.com, Montenegro is a parliamentary republic. The head of state is the President. The official residence of the Montenegrin President is located in Cetinje.
Legislative power belongs to the unicameral parliament – the Assembly (91 deputies).
Climate and weather in Montenegro
In the coastal regions of Montenegro, the climate is Mediterranean with an average air temperature of + 10-12C in winter and + 25-28C in summer.
In the north of the country, the climate is temperate continental with an average air temperature of -10C to +5C in winter and +19-25C in summer.
Sea in Montenegro
The length of the Adriatic coast in Montenegro is 295 kilometers. Of these, 72 kilometers are beaches. The attention of tourists is always attracted by the Montenegrin Bay of Kotor.
Montenegro includes 14 small islands in the Adriatic Sea, some of them are an excellent tourist destination (Perast Island, St. Stephen Island).
The average temperature of the Adriatic Sea in Montenegro:
- January – +13С
- February – +13С
- March – +14С
- April – +16C
- May – +20C
- June – +24С
- july – +24C
- August – +25С
- september – +24С
- october – +21C
- November – +18С
- December – +15С
Rivers and lakes
Several large rivers flow through the territory of Montenegro – Tara, Lim, Cheotina, Moraca and Zeta. The length of the largest of them, Tara, is 144 km. In addition, Skadar Lake is located on the territory of Montenegro.
History of Montenegro
According to legend, when God created the Earth, he left many mountains, and he collected them all in one place – this is how Montenegro appeared.
Slavic tribes came to the territory of Montenegro in the VI century. Before them, Illyrian tribes lived in Montenegro, who were conquered by the legionnaires of Ancient Rome. The Montenegrin tribes were, of course, pagans at first, but through assimilation they adopted Christianity from the Romans.
Montenegrins claim that Montenegro was the only country in the Balkans that the Ottoman Empire could not conquer. Indeed, the troops of the Ottoman Empire often invaded Montenegro, but were never able to completely conquer it.
The founder of the Montenegrin state is considered to be Stefan Crnojevic. In the middle of the XV century, Montenegro began to have vassal relations with Venice, which helped her in the fight against the Ottoman Empire.
From 1515 to 1696 Montenegro was a theocratic state ruled by bishops. Then, until 1918, princes from the Petrovich dynasty ruled Montenegro.
In 1905 Prince Nicholas gave Montenegro its first constitution. In 1910, the Montenegrin Parliament proclaimed Montenegro a constitutional monarchy headed by the king (Nikolai became him).
In 1918, Montenegro voluntarily joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and from November 1945 this country joined the socialist Yugoslavia. Montenegro became an independent state only in 2006. The Constitution of Montenegro was adopted in 2007.
Culture of MontenegroThe culture of Montenegro was significantly influenced by its neighbors. However, this country still has a unique original culture.
The architecture of Montenegro, especially in the central part of the country, was formed under strong Byzantine influence. Montenegrin medieval monasteries are decorated with thousands of unique frescoes.
The first literary work of Montenegrins was written 10 centuries ago, and the first printed book in the Montenegrin language was published more than 5 centuries ago (it was “Oktoih”). The first printing house in Montenegro was founded in 1495 in Cetinje.
Montenegrin traditions are kept by local clans. Throughout the history of Montenegro, local clans have played a huge role. In principle, even now the situation in this respect has changed little.
In Montenegro, a lot of different festivals are held annually. The most famous of them are Budva Music Festival, Fasinada in Perast, Days of Mrkojevici in Bar, Cetinje cultural summer, International summer carnival in Kotor, etc.
Cuisine of Montenegro
There are three “directions” in Montenegrin cuisine – northern, continental and Mediterranean. Northern Montenegrin cuisine is somewhat similar to Eastern cuisine. In turn, the Mediterranean Montenegrin cuisine is characterized by a wide use of seafood. As for the continental cuisine, fish is also widely used there, but from rivers and lakes (carp, trout, and eel).
We recommend tourists in Montenegro to try Brodette fish soup (it is prepared from three types of fish), buzara (fish baked in wine and oil), Čorba (vegetable and meat soup), Pašticada (meat with garlic ), “Japraci” (a dish similar to “stuffed cabbage”), “Polenta” (corn porridge), “kačamak krtolovi” (corn porridge with mashed potatoes), “prsuta” (pork ham), “Prevreli sir” (cheese).
A traditional Montenegrin soft drink is buttermilk, which resembles slightly salty yogurt.
Montenegro makes excellent wine. Tourists are advised to try the red wine “Vío Vranac” and the white “Krstač”.
Sights of Montenegro
Now in Montenegro there are about 3 thousand archaeological and historical and architectural monuments. For such a small country like Montenegro, this is a very large figure. The Top 10 most interesting Montenegrin sights, in our opinion, include the following:
- Cetinje Monastery
- Monastery Ostrog
- Fortress Citadel in Budva
- Cathedral of St. Trypun in Kotor
- Church of the Virgin Mary in Budva
- Monastery of Celia Piperska near Podgorica
- Forte Mare fortress near Herceg Novi
- Palace of King Nikola in Bar
- “Bloody Tower” in Herceg Novi
- Ruins of the Roman city of Dioclea
Cities and resorts of Montenegro
The largest cities in Montenegro are Niksic, Bijelo Polje, Pljevlja, Cetinje, Herceg Novi, Budva, and, of course, the capital is Podgorica.
Most tourists come to Montenegro in order to relax at local beach resorts. 72 kilometers of the Montenegrin coast of the Adriatic Sea are beaches. The most popular Montenegrin beach resorts are Budva (the so-called Budva Riviera), Ulcinj, Bar, Becici, Sveti Stefa, Sutomore, Tivat, etc.
Top 10 best Montenegrin beaches:
- Sveti Stefan Beach
- Grand Beach Ulcinj
- Slovenska Plaza in Budva
- Jaz Beach in Budva
- Red Beach near Sutomore
- Kraljicina Beach
- Valdanos in Bratica
- Perazica Do near Petrovac
- Crvene Glavice beach
- Murici Beach
In recent years, ski resorts have been actively developing in Montenegro, but this is understandable, given that most of the country’s territory is occupied by mountains. The most popular Montenegrin ski resorts are Durmitor, Bielasica-Ezerine, and Vucje.
Souvenirs/Shopping
We advise tourists from Montenegro to bring Montenegrin tea, essential oils, wine, cheese, handicrafts, ceramics, traditional women’s folk clothes, and, of course, various plates and cups depicting famous Montenegrin sights.
Office Hours
Banks:
Mon-Fri: 09:00-19:00
Sat: 08:00-15:00
Some banks are also open on Sunday mornings.
Shops:
Mon-Fri: 09:00-21:00
Sat: 08:00-15:00
Some shops are also open on Sundays.
Visa
Ukrainians who want to travel to Montenegro for up to 3 months do not need a visa (this rule is valid only for air travel).
Currency of Montenegro
Although Montenegro is not a member of the European Union, the official currency in this country is the euro. Most hotels, restaurants and upmarket shops accept major credit cards (Diners Club, Visa and MasterCard, but American Express). Nevertheless, in Montenegro, cash is still preferred.
Customs restrictions
You can import currency into Montenegro without restrictions, but the amount of 2,000 euros and more must be declared. Customs rules in Montenegro are almost the same as in other EU countries (although Montenegro is not yet a member of this union).
Useful phone numbers and addresses
Address of the Embassy of Montenegro in Ukraine:
Index – 04070, Kiev, st. Voloshskaya, 4
T: (044) 416-6060
F: (044) 416-6047
Address of the Embassy of Ukraine in Montenegro:
Index – 81000, Montenegro, Podgorica, st. Pileticha, 15
T: (+382) 20 227 521
F: (+382) 20 227 181
Email. address: [email protected]
Emergency numbers
122 – Police
123 – Fire brigade
124 – Ambulance
112 – All emergencies
Time
The difference with Ukrainian time is -1 hour. those. if in Podgorica, for example, in the summer it is 9:00 am, then in Kyiv it is 10:00 am.
Tips
Tipping in restaurants in Montenegro is 10% of the bill. Taxi drivers, as a rule, do not expect a tip, but they will be grateful if you leave a small amount for a tip.
The medicine
No special vaccinations are required to enter Montenegro, but medical insurance is required.
Security
Montenegro is a safe place for foreign tourists. However, of course, you still need to adhere to reasonable security measures. Unexploded mines are sometimes found on the border with Kosovo, but, by the way, these places are not included in the tourist programs.
