Kotor Montenegro

ElisaAtWar

The most beautiful holiday I ever had. And this Summer it will be a mix of Albania and Montenegro. Amazing countries

whomadewho

Was in Kotor last September, quality spot. Check out Bosnia if you can, probably the best place I've visited in Europe

ElisaAtWar

Can you recommend specific parts of Bosnia

whomadewho

Myself and the missus stayed 3 days in Mostar, we travelled by public bus to Blagai and Medugorje which are close by. Then we travelled on to Sarajevo for 2 days, loads to see and do there, we went up the cable car where the winter Olympics were held and went out to the war tunnel which is a bit awkward to get to but worth it.

If I was doing it a again, I would stay for 7 to 8 days and add in day trips kravica falls and Travnik

Lovely people, great local food and drink which were for nothing, cheap accommodation, highly recommend

tesla_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058291003/kotor-montenegro

we were in Montenegro ( back a week ) in late September and early October, we loved it and only regret we didn’t do more homework in advance as we really needed to stay in other places apart from our base in Kotor to take in all the top attractions, Montenegro is a small country but a slow country to get around as roads are narrow ( surface good though) and it’s mountainous nearly everywhere

we took in everything in Kotor including the climb to the fort overlooking the bay , took a three hour boat tour in the bay of Kotor that took in the blue caves , our lady of the rock and a few other places

we also spent an evening in nearby Perest which is really charming

we visited Budva twice , I think I slightly preferred Budva to Kotor , from Budva on one of the days we travelled to Lovcen national park and did the climb to the mausoleum which provides the most spectacular views

regrettably however we didn’t get to Durmitor national park and many travellers we met swore it was the standout attraction, it’s in the North and a three hour drive from Kotor in the south , in hindsight I think the capital Podgorica might be the best base , we didn’t go to the capital and apparently it’s totally forgettable but geographically it’s a good strategic base for exploring everywhere , a better idea might be to spit the trip between five days in Kotor or Budva and maybe two in one of the small towns in the north

Montenegro is spectacular , the food is very good, the coffee excellent, we found Montenegrin people nicer than Croatians though customer service is certainly not as polished as in Ireland , cash is the main transaction, cards tend not to be overly welcomed

the drivers are nothing short of maniacs , be careful if driving or even on foot in towns ,especially in Kotor , incredibly busy place with traffic

wonderful place to visit though not a low effort - everything served on a plate destination, it’s an active holiday destination as it’s considerably less developed than neighbouring Croatia , that didn’t bother us but perhaps would others

Did you smash it

the euro is not just accepted everywhere but is the official currency?

Nigel Fairservice

Montenego uses the euro is their currency. They did it unilaterally without agreement of the European Union. I have used ATMs in Budva and Kotor and got Euros from them. No trouble spending Euros while there.

Muahahaha

What airlines/routes do you use to fly there?

ElisaAtWar

aer Lingus to Dubrovnik, shuttle bus from airport to Dubrovnik bus terminal, bus to Kotor from same bus terminal. Takes about 2.5 Hours

Nigel Fairservice

I travelled there from Dubrovnik as well.

cdeb

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122280979#Comment_122280979

Fun fact - before the euro they used the Deutschmark (even while part of Serbia & Montenegro)

ElisaAtWar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122298965#Comment_122298965

didnt know that. it always puzzled me that Montenegro could use the Euro while not being part of the Eurozone. It suggests that any country can use any currency they want as their main currency should they decide to not generate their own currency?

cdeb

I guess - there's countries use the US dollar for example (Cambodia and Ecuador), but how it works in practice I don't know. I mean, where do they get the notes from, for example? There must be some sort of agreement, however informal.

johnire

Kosovo uses the Euro as well as their currency.

ElisaAtWar

Did a bit of reading about this because I was interested to get the background. Apparently both Kosovo and Montenegro used the Yugoslav Dinar which went into hyperinflation in the 90s (I guess after the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1992). So some countries decided to use the Dinar to buy the Deutsche Mark. Germany switched to the Euro in 2002 which meant that the Deutsche Mark became defunct. So Kosovo and Montenegro used their Deutsche Marks to buy Euros on the currency markets.

Both of these countries cannot print/mint Euros. Instead they depend on tourism to increase their reserve of Euros. So there you have it. Found this very interesting. As I understand it the EU is not terribly happy about this but have not blocked it

Did you smash it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122302779#Comment_122302779

wonder why they aren’t happy about it. Sure the more the merrier

ElisaAtWar

I believe it's related to countries using the Euro when not agreed within the rules of the European Union. Legally I don't believe the EU can object. I believe they never considered that such a situation could occur.

On other matters I am in Sicily this year on holidays and I believe it is even better than Montenegro. You absolutely need a car. We travelled to Palermo, then Sciacca, then Agrigento on the west coast of Sicily. It's so beautiful

mickmmc

I was in Montenegro last year and I enjoyed the trip. It is a Country of great natural beauty (mountains, lakes and Sea). The Bay of Kotor is beautiful.

You see beautiful cats on the streets of Budva and Kotor. There is a mural of a cat as you enter Budva Old Town.

The history for the love of cats that I came across was that the shippers brought various breeds after returning from at being at sea as presents.