MONTENEGRO

Location - South east Europe; Capital - Podgorica; Population - 650,000; Currency - Euro MORE MONTENEGRO

From Budva on the coast it's a quick 45min bus ride to Kotor, gateway to the gorgeous Bay of Kotor - October 2017.

Montenegro uses the Euro, though it's not in the EU

If you have the legs, take a climb up hundreds of steps for brilliant views of Kotor and the Bay of Kotor, shown here with the Church of our Lady of Remedy just below

It might not look it but this view is a lot further up the hill compared to the first - see the city walls in the bottom right - Kotor

The terracotta roofs of the Old Town - Kotor

A bird's eye view of St Tryphon's Cathedral close to the marina - Kotor

The Bay of Kotor from high up on the castle ruins - Kotor

The domes of the Serbian Orthodox St Nicholas' Church - Kotor

Drying laundry in the Old Town - Kotor

Entering the Old Town via the southern Gurdic Gate - Kotor

The quiet early morning streets of the Old Town - Kotor

The rugged and rocky mountains sheltering Kotor

The city walls climb the slopes above Kotor. In the bottom left is the Church of our Lady of Remedy

A slightly crumbling entrance door inside the Old Town - Kotor

You can just make out the town walls rising behind St Tryphon's Cathedral - Kotor

Cafes stand next to the 12th century St Luke's Church. The Old Town is an excellent place for al fresco dining, plus a spot of drinking of course - Kotor

A revisit, this time at sea level, to St Nicholas' Church - Kotor

When the cruise ships are in town it's heel-to-toe with tourists. Otherwise, it's a great, atmospheric place to visit - Kotor

One of several squares in the Old Town (trg means square) which tend to be lined with cafes, bars and restaurants and plenty of outdoor seating - Kotor

The clocktower lies just inside Sea Gate, the main entrance to the Old Town - Kotor

There's a cat obssession in Kotor - there's even a Cat Museum!

A view of the Skurda River and the town walls - Kotor

The mountains rise above Kotor

The morning cloud begins to burn off - Kotor

The lovely still waters of the Bay of Kotor from a bus heading for Perast. It might look like a lake and feels like one too, but the bay forms part of the Adriatic Sea

Perast is an easy day trip from Kotor, further along the bay

Its big draw are two tiny islands. On the left is St George while on the right is Our Lady of the Rock - Perast

St George, or Sveti Djordje, is home to a 12th century monastery and a cemetery - Perast

Our Lady of the Rock, aka Gospa od Skrpjela, was created artificially in the 15th century - Perast

The Roman Catholic Our Lady of the Rock Church lies on the island, which is a five minute boat ride from Perast

A view of Perast as the boat returns

Perast is a small place but all the tourist activity happens on the waterfront

And the waterfront is easily the most attractive part - Perast

A beautiful scene on the Bay of Kotor - Perast

Perast is peppered with churches, but I'd say the best thing to do is laze at a seafront cafe and chill

Head back to Kotor and keep going, to visit the place where the wealthy live - Tivat

Yachts and boats docked at Porto Montenegro, a complex consisting of marinas, shops, bars, restaurants and luxury residences - Tivat

Is this a cute old Yugoslavian car? I think it might be a Zastava 750, on show outside a restaurant - Tivat

Zanjic is located in the bay's more remote and wilder Lustica Peninsula

You'll need a car, taxi, boat or good bicycle legs to reach this part, though apparently it gets very busy in the summer - Zanjic

But my reason for coming here was to get a glimpse of Mamula Island. During WWII Italy's Mussolini turned the island into a concentration camp. Despite this it's slated to become a luxury beach resort - unbelievable!

Another island close by is Otocic Gospa, just off Mirista beach

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LINKS

https://getbybus.com - good site for booking bus tickets across the Balkans

www.montenegro.travel - official tourist site

www.zcg-prevoz.me - Montenegro trains

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