8 days in Montenegro and Dubrovnik with children (3 and 6 years old) in early April.
In small Montenegro, as it turned out, you can find everything: the sea, with its beautiful beaches, the mountains that look like the Alps, and at the same time, you can visit the south of Croatia.
This season is good because there were very few tourists, but on the other hand, the sea water was still cold, and there was a lot of snow up in the mountains. If you want to see green and to go to beach, I would recommend you to go to Montenegro in late summer or early autumn.
Brief route:
Here you can see all the waypoints on the Google Maps and also use Google navigation to the place:
You can also download KML file and open it in other offline application for navigation and editing:
Day 1:
Dubrovnik Airport in Croatia.
By car to Montenegro, to “Apartments Vedrina”, for 3 nights not far from Kotor in the village of Prcanj.
Day 2:
The old town of Kotor.
The towns of Herceg Novi, Bijela, Risan and Perast.
Get on a ferry across the bay and back home.
Day 3:
The Marina in the city of Tivat.
The old town in Budva.
Sveti Stefan.
Day 4:
Summer plan:
Lovcen national park – viewpoint from the monument to Njegusi.
Scenic road with the views of Skadar Lake.
The way to Kolasin in the mountains, along the Moraca River and stop at the Moraca monastery.
Actual route because of heavy snow:
Local food restaurant in Rijeka Crnojevica by the river.
The house Rooms and Apartments Mirović in Kolasin for 2 nights.
Day 5:
Summer plan:
National Park Biogradska Gora, Bjelasica, Pesica Lake, rafting on the Tara River, Durdevica Tara Bridge.
Winter plan (as it was):
Kolasin ski resort.
Pool, jacuzzi and sauna in a luxury Bianka Resort & Spa in Kolasin.
Day 6:
Summer plan:
National Park Durmitor, Crno Jezero, Zminje jezero, Piva Lake and Monastery Ostrog.
Log house Family Farm Apartments in the mountains for 3 nights.
Backup plan while snowstorm in the Durmitor region:
Driving to the Adriatic and booking an apartment in Dubrovnik Apartments Marija Lapad.
Day 7:
Dubrovnik – the route on the fortress wall around the old city.
The cable car to the observation deck, overlooking the city and the see.
Day 8:
A cruise to the islands near Dubrovnik: Lopud, Sipan and Kolocep.
Day 9:
The stunning cliff views over the sea at Park Suma Velika I Mala Petka in Dubrovnik.
Dubrovnik airport.
Photos and description:
Day 1:
We drove to the border of Montenegro, or, as the locals call it, Crna Gora, from Dubrovnik Airport (Croatia).
Montenegro welcomed us with good weather (+16 degrees), quiet provincial villages, free from tourists, and very narrow roads.
We rented an apartment online through Booking.com “Apartments Vedrina”, for 3 nights, not far from Kotor in the village of Prcanj. The apartment was completely new with a stunning view of the bay and mountains.
Booking.com
Day 2:
In the morning it was already 23 degrees and sunny. We drove along the bay coast, surrounded by high mountains, to the town of Kotor. It is an interesting old port town with stone streets, where it is easy to get lost.
After that we drove along the coastal road that doesn’t have any fences close to the water. On the way, we stopped in the beautiful towns of Herceg Novi, Bijela, Risan and Perast until we reached a ferry, which took us in our car across the bay. Then we returned home on the other side of the bay
Day 3:
The Marina in the city of Tivat.
The Old Town in Budva and a fish restaurant on the beach with a playground for kids.
Sveti Stefan Island, which you can get to via a bridge. It looks like a view from a postcard, but you can’t get inside, because the whole island is a big hotel.
Day 4:
On that day we had to change our plans due to the unpredictable weather in the mountains.
On our way to the next house, which we rented in the mountains in Kolasin, we planned to visit Lovcen national park with its mountain views from the monument to Njegusi, and then we planned to continue our trip along the scenic road with the views of Skadar Lake. However, during the ascent to the mountain we entered an area, which was covered with snow, and there was zero visibility in park.
We drove on to the small town of Rijeka Crnojevica, over a bridge by a river, to the delicious local food restaurant.
We continued our way to the mountains along the Moraca River and stopped at the monastery of the same name. In summer the river is well worth the plunge in its turquoise water.
In the evening we arrived at a village house Rooms and Apartments Mirović in Kolasin, where we stayed for 2 days.
Booking.com
Day 5:
Initially, we planned to go to the National Park Biogradska Gora, Bjelasica, Pesica Lake and Tara River, where you can go rafting, and Durdevica Tara Bridge in the Bistrica area. All this must be done in the summer when everything is green and the weather is warm.
The day began with snowfall near our cabin. At night, we burned all the wood in the fireplace, so in the morning I went to a barn to chop firewood with a big axe.
Everything around was covered with snow. That made us change our plans and go to Kolasin ski resort, which was 10 minutes from our house.
After dinner we jumped into the pool, jacuzzi and sauna in a luxury Bianka Resort & Spa in our village. I was very surprised to find such a hotel, but, like in every ski resort, in Kolasin you can find high level accommodation. Everything was made of wood and very stylish, and we were completely alone there.
Day 6:
The plans were to go to the National Park Durmitor, Crno Jezero, Zminje jezero, Piva Lake and Monastery Ostrog. We rented a Log house Family Farm Apartments in the mountains for 3 days.
Booking.com
Due to the snowstorm in the Durmitor region we had to cancel the order and change the direction to Dubrovnik.
In the morning we quickly booked an apartment in Dubrovnik Apartments Marija Lapad, however in the summer this would not be as simple as it was for us in April.
Day 7:
Dubrovnik – the Pearl of the Adriatic. Don’t miss the route on the fortress wall around the city! Just walk through the streets of the old town, feed the pigeons in the square and, of course, dine in the seafood restaurants.
If you have time, take the cable car to the observation deck, overlooking the city. We did not have time.
Booking.com
Day 8:
That day we made a cruise by boat, including lunch on board, to the three islands near Dubrovnik: Lopud, Sipan and Kolocep. The hostess of the apartment recommended it, and she also booked everything. In April the islands were almost empty, but in the summer you will meet crowds of tourists and there are a lot of nudist beaches in this paradise. On the Lopad island be sure to visit Sunj lagoon beautiful beach.
Day 9:
On the way to the airport we stopped at Park Suma Velika I Mala Petka in Dubrovnik. The park has several places with stunning cliff views over the sea. Do not miss it.
