Montenegro's Next Chapter in Luxury Travel

Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor is best experienced by water, and this itinerary leans into that from the start. After landing in Tivat—the better choice versus Dubrovnik, given the border-crossing traffic—head to the newly re-opened Aman Sveti Stefan.

From there, the days unfold as a mix of sightseeing and time spent on the water. Take a walk through Kotor’s UNESCO-listed Old Town early in the morning, before it gets hot and before the cruise ships arrive. A stop in Perast, one of the bay’s most elegant seaside villages, is a must, and lunch at Conte Perast, right on the water, is a real treat. Another hotel I’d recommend is the uber-luxury One&Only Portonovi. A nice outing from here is wine tasting at Savina Winery, overlooking the bay—go at sunset for beautiful views.

Mamula Island by Banyan Tree is one of the most special, interesting hotels in the region. It’s a restored 19th-century fortress at the mouth of the bay, and getting there by boat is genuinely part of the experience—arriving by water sets the tone for what is, at its core, a private island retreat. From Mamula, spend a full day exploring the Bay of Kotor by boat: swimming stops in secluded coves, lunch by the sea, and a stop at Our Lady of the Rocks and Saint George Island.

You can pair Montenegro with Croatia, but with the border crossing, you could spend the better part of a day in the car. You can also combine it with any major European city—Rome and Montenegro sound like a lovely pairing, or, for a trip of extreme opposites, combine it with Norway via a direct flight from Oslo to Tivat.

• Montenegro uses Euros but is not part of the EU (yet).

• The stone towns get very hot, so plan accordingly for trips into town.

• Kotor and most other towns were not built for tourism, so expect traffic.

• The border crossing to/from Dubrovnik is unpredictable and can have a long line during high season.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Montenegro page.