Montenegro Country Guide
Playing at the feet of the Balkan Mountains is the Adriatic coastline of tiny Montenegro; a cultural mix of Montenegrin, Albanian, Croatian, Serb and Bosnian that has survived through histories turbulence and is emerging into the future in a spectacular way.
Despite its small size, Montenegro is full of blinding contrasts and unsurpassed beauty!
Our Montenegro Country Guide will give you all the travel information you need to know to plan your holiday in Montenegro, while our Montenegro Destination Guide will give you some handy information about some of the exciting things to see and do during your visit. Joining a Montenegro tour or activities is a safe and easy way to explore the country!
Check out the latest travel information from YouTube.
We currently have a local connection in the following destinations:
- Bay of Kotor
- Budva
- Podgorica
Montenegro Country Guide
Follow the links below or scroll further down the page for some handy details to help you plan your Montenegro holiday:
Check out our Montenegro weather page for current Montenegro weather conditions and also for a six-day Podgorica weather forecast.
The Euro is the official currency in Montenegro.
ATMs and cards: Almost every city has ATM machines. You can use Visa, MasterCard and Maestro cards in most shops and gas stations. It is also possible to use other cards in some banks of Montenegro.
The official language of Montenegro is Montenegrin. There are some municipalities such as the Plav, Ulcinj and Gusinje municipalities and also the Malesia district in Podgorica municipality which have an Albanian majority. Here the Albanian language is commonly spoken. Most people in Montenegro also understand Macedonian and Slovene.
English is spoken mostly in Podgorica and some coastal area that people manage to speak English, albeit sparingly. The people in the northern region have no such a good knowledge of English. But younger population and business people speaks English commonly. A working knowledge of German is known to some of the older generation of Montenegro.
The Montenegrin language orthography is phonetic (you pronounce the words as they are spelt). It uses both the Latin and Cyrillic script. Here the letter ‘j' makes a ‘y' sound; the letter ‘z' with a line going through it has a sound similar to ‘zh'. In addition, the letter ‘c' has three forms. One is the normal ‘c' and the other two are ‘c' with a small ‘v' on top and a ‘c' with a dash on top make a ‘ch' sound. Though there is a slight variation in the ‘ch' sound, no one will mind if you make the ‘ch' sound for both of them.
Here are some words which will be useful on your visit to Montenegro.
dobro jutro: good morning
zdravo: hello
dobro vece (veh-cher): good evening
laku noc (noh-ch): good night
hvala: thank you
molim te (moh-leem teh): please
Kako si? (if you are addressing one person): How are you?
Kako ste? (If you are addressing two or more people): How are you?
kolko ovo kosta(koh-shta)?: How much does this cost?
ciao (chao): bye
The dominant religion in Montenegro is Orthodox Christianity and most Montenegrins and Serbs adhere to its practices. The Serbs are attached to the Serbian Orthodox Church and its Montenegro-based diocese, known as the Metropolitanate of Montenegro and the Littoral. The Montenegrins are attached to either the Serbian Orthodox Church or the Montenegrin Orthodox Church. The latter is still non-canonical and unrecognized by mainstream Orthodox theological circles.
In the northern municipalities, Islam is the dominant religion. This is particularly true in the Sandžak geographical region and also in regions where Albanians are in the majority. Islam is the dominant religion even in Ulcini, Rozaje and Plav, especially amongst Bosniaks and Albanians.
Catholicism is prevalent in the region of Boka Kotorska, where there is a considerable population of ethnic Croats. A section of ethnic Albanians also follow Catholicism.
Visas and passports are required by all foreign nationals except EU nationals who have a valid identity card. Visas are not required by British, Canadian, Australian, and American nationals who are visiting the country to sight see. People of these nationalities also do not require a return ticket upon arrival. However, if they plan to stay more than 90 days they need to apply for temporary residence permit a week before the 90-day deadline expires.
People from other nations are advised to contact their embassy to check on visa requirements. Visitors to Montenegro who are not staying at hotels are also required to contact and register with the police within 24 hours of arrival.
You can check information about visas at:
www.mip.gov.me/en/index.php/Visas-for-Foreign-Citizens/
Note: It is recommended that you check the latest visa and passport requirements with your embassy before planning a trip to Montenegro. These rules are subject to changes very often.
Montenegro borders Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania. It has a varied terrain, with high mountains on the side where it shares borders with Albania and Kosovo. Through a part of the Karst of the western Balkan Peninsula the land is connected to a four-mile wide narrow coastal plain. This coastal plain disappears totally when you approach the northern region where the mountain ranges, including Mount Lovcen, plunge abruptly into the inlet of the Gulf of Kotor. Montenegro's Karst formations are located at elevations just below 1000m (3,000 ft) above sea level. However, some areas are found at 1800m (6,000 ft) above sea level. The lowest region of the Karst is found in the valley of the Zeta River, which flows at an elevation of just 460m (1,500 ft) above sea level. The mountains of Montenegro have an average elevation of about 2100m (700ft) and have some of the most rugged terrain in Europe.
To view a map of Montenegro, click on this link to WorldAtlas.com.
Montenegro was a Serbian principality in the Late Middle Ages and got its independence and formal recognition from the Ottoman Empire in 1878. Later, in 1918, Montenegro was part of Yugoslavia's history. It suffered badly during World War I. After the break up of communist Yugoslavia, it went through a series of upheavals and it was only in 2006, on the basis of a referendum, that Montenegro declared its independence on June 3, 2006, making it the youngest fully recognised country in the world. It also became the 192nd member state of the United Nations on June 28, 2006. A year later, on May 11, 2007, Montenegro became the 47th member state of the Council of Europe.
Some care has to be taken about how you dress in Montenegro. For instance, short pants or shorts are not allowed in public institutions such as hospitals. Also if you are visiting Serbian Orthodox Churches and monasteries, you will have to take care to dress modestly.
At the beaches, you are not permitted to remove the bottom piece of the swim suit. There are designated nude beaches where this is permitted.
History has been the decisive factor in shaping the culture of Montenegro. It has been generously influenced by variety of cultures ranging from Slavonic, Islamic, Arabic, Orthodox and Central European cultures. The sea-faring Adriatic cultures such as Italy and the Republic of Venice have influenced Montenegro in recent history.
The region has contributed a lot to the literary world of Europe. The first literary works which were written are ten centuries old. The first printed Montenegrin book appeared some five hundred years ago. In 1494, the first printing press was established in Cetinje. This was also the year when the first South Slavic book, titled Oktoih, was also printed. Some of the Montenegrin monasteries house ancient manuscripts.
Podgorica, Montenegro's capital, and the former royal capital of Cetinje are responsible for preserving and propagating art and culture in the country.
Compared to other European destinations, travelling in Montenegro is relatively inexpensive. Transportation, accommodation and meals are generally more expensive in the cities than in rural areas.
Here is a guide to average daily costs in Montenegro you can expect to pay:
- Beer €1-1.5
- Cocktails €3-5
- Pizza €2 - medium, €5 large
- T-shirts €20
- Car hire approx €60/day
- Red wine bottle ‘Vranac' €3-3.5
- Accommodation ranges from €7-30 budget, €30-100 mid-range and €100-250 top-end
- Meals range from €1-7 for budget, €7-15 for mid-range and €15-50 for top-end.
Backpackers generally spend €20-60/day though it is possible to spend up to €200/day if you choose to stay in the top hotels, dine in the best restaurants and drive hire cars.
Telephone - The country guide for Montenegro is 382.
Mobile Telephone - Coverage is mostly good across Montenegro. Most international mobile phone companies have global roaming agreements in existance.
Internet - Internet connection can be readily found in main towns and cities.
Montenegro runs off a 220V; 50Hz system.
To view a list of Montenegro embassies around the world, as well as foreign embassies within Montenegro, click on this link to EmbassyWorld.com.
Population - 678,177 people
Total Area - 14,026 square kilometres
Capital - Podgorica
Time Zone - Standard time zone: UTC/GMT +1 hour, UTC/GMT +2 hours during daylight savings time
To view the current time in Podgorica, Montenegro click on this link to TimeAndDate.com.
Follow the link to view a current list of public holidays in Montenegro.
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