May 17, 2025 – Budva, Montenegro, Here We Come!
We were up early to be picked up by our lovely driver, Rada, once again. She was taking us, along with all of our luggage, to our new home for the next five days in Budva, Montenegro. We had all read ahead of time that the border could be downright miserable to get through, with plenty of people complaining about hours-long waits. With that in mind, we left very early and crossed our fingers. Thankfully, luck was on our side because we sailed through without a single issue and collected another stamp in our passports.
The drive from Dubrovnik to Budva is long, but it really is beautiful. It rained on and off, though the forecast for the next few days looked great so none of us were worried. The route hugs the sparkling Adriatic Sea before cutting inland toward the Bay of Kotor. We pulled over at the well known restaurant Verige 65, which has stunning views over the bay and the charming town of Perast can be seen on the other side of the bay. We treated ourselves to chocolate croissants and much needed caffeine while we soaked in the view.
After a nice break, we got back into the car to continue toward Budva. We almost immediately hit a long stretch of road construction. Rada groaned and told us it felt like this part of the roadwork had been going on forever. It took nearly two hours to creep past it. By the time we were near Kotor, one of the cities on our must visit list, we were all cranky from the slow crawl and decided to press on. Since we were renting scooters in Budva, we figured we would just come back another day. And of course, that turned into a lesson in doing things when you have the chance, because we never did make it back to Kotor. But that story can wait.
We finally pulled up to our condo on a hill in the mid afternoon. We were exhausted and made our way inside. I can’t remember exactly, but I’m fairly sure it was a surprise to discover there was no elevator and that we were on the fourth floor. Always fun with luggage. Luckily, we pack light. The apartment itself was very nice. Spacious, and decked out with everything we need. The real treasure though, was the deck, which overlooked the Adriatic Sea. Absolutely gorgeous.
After a quick freshen up, we grabbed an Uber and headed to the tourist office to pay our tourist tax, as our landlord opted not to do it.
HOT TIP: Tourist Tax in Montenegro – Visitors are required to pay a small daily tourist tax of about €1 per adult. Here’s what to know:
Adults 18+ pay around €1 per night. Teens aged 12 to 17 pay 50 cents, and children under 12 are exempt. Your accommodation host is legally responsible for registering your stay and paying the tax on your behalf. The tax is often included in your accommodation bill.
If your host sends you to the tourist office to pay it yourself, they must give you the proper paperwork or receipt (sometimes called a pink slip). Keep this with you. Border officials sometimes ask for proof of registration and payment when you leave the country, so don’t toss your documents! **If you stay more than 30 consecutive days at the same address, you don’t pay the tax after that point, though you still must be registered.**
After finishing up at the tourist office, we walked over to the scooter rental shop that Tami had arranged. Our plan was to ride the Serpentine Road on scooters, and the rental guy insisted we would need larger ones for the climb. So we climbed onto 150cc scooters and wobbled off into the world. Well, I wobbled off. Ron and Tami always seem to glide away like pros.
For context, aside from the little scooter in Korčula, I had never actually driven one before. Starting out on a larger scooter in a much busier city started to feel like a truly terrible idea. The main road in Budva is also the main coastal highway for the entire country. That means every vehicle under the sun uses it. Cement trucks, semis, buses and all sorts of enormous machines appear out of nowhere and roar past you on your tiny scooter. It felt like a recipe for disaster.
To make things even better, the road leaving our building sat on a blind corner with an almost ninety degree turn. You basically had to rev the scooter and launch yourself the second there seemed to be a gap in traffic. Intimidating doesn’t even begin to describe it. My hands shook the entire time. This is exactly what happens when you say yes to something you should absolutely be saying no to. Another lesson learned.
We rode into the old town for dinner at a pasta place. It was fine, nothing special. I was far too nervous about the ride home to relax with a cocktail or beer, so once we finished eating, we headed straight back to the condo. We ended the evening on the patio with rum and cokes, grateful to be off the scooters and safely back on solid ground.
