Why you should visit Montenegro - A beautiful Balkan country surrounded by the Adriatic coast

Montenegro, a place of tranquility and indefinite beauty surrounded by the Adriatic coast.

From the vast landscapes with mountainous views to the cobbled old towns and their ruins, this small Balkan country has many things to offer.

The most wonderful aspect of this place for me was the lack of tourists meaning that the trip was far more relaxing for me and enjoyable, as Montenegro lies next to Croatia and opposite from Italy it tends to be less heard of than other destinations within Europe. Montenegro is also a great place to visit as it is beautiful yet still within a reasonable price range for a get away, for somewhere with clear blue seas and stunning scenery it is well worth the visit.

When I often told people that I was going here they often said they had not heard of it or wondered where it was, I was even questioned once by a man at the airport in the UK who said he had never heard of the country before.

Montenegro was somewhere I found myself immersed with instantly, the kindness and gratitude of the people were welcoming. Sveti Stefan, Budva and Kotor all being diverse to one another, making them great places to explore.

Sveti Stefan being a more quiet and reserved area of Montenegro is home to the well known 5-star resort 'Aman Sveti Stefan' that was previously converted from a coastal fort during the provincial war.

‘Aman Sveti Stefan’ Resort, Montenegro 2018

The clear seas and pink sand beaches are an asset to Sveti Stefan and beautifully surround the coastal perimeter of the small peaceful destination.

West of Sveti Stefan lies Budva, a medieval town over 3,000 years old with narrow streets and cobbled paths, contrasting to this, is the vibrant nightlife Budva has to offer, with multiple clubs and bars that lie on the coast.

The place I found to be the most appealing was in fact, Kotor. Although it was away from the coast and hidden within the mountains. The views from the Old Fortress are breath-taking, especially as the walk up to the Fortress consists of over 1350 steps.

Kotor’s old town is marginally bigger than that of Budva and is said to of been a settlement used by the Ancient Romans.

Another unusual characteristic of the place is their fascination for cats and how they are cared for by the residents, however, some of the stray dogs are not so lucky and are often found sleeping outside shop fronts or roaming the narrow streets of the old towns.

Despite Kotor's fascination with cats, the issue is the overpopulation of these animals and how many are left uncared for, meaning that they often get injured and pass away.

The history behind the population of these cats started when the Slav Sailors would dock their boats in the Bay of Kotor. Multiple cats from the boats would leave and remain in Kotor, this happened frequently and eventually, the number of cats increased into an uncontrollable number.

More recently, Non-Governmental Organisation 'Kotor Kitties' begun its mission to control the fractious population. It all started when a tourist from America noticed how bad the problem was and how little was being done to prevent it, she then started this organisation to help better the lives of many kittens and cats in Kotor and to put an end to this issue.

Vets have offered their free time to spay and neuter these animals free of charge and residents/ tourists have committed to help by catching these cats and bringing them to the local vets.

The organisation can be found on Facebook under @Kotorkitties where you can see their daily updates and donate to their cause.

Kotor by far was the place I felt most drawn to on the trip, despite being allergic to cats I felt truly sad for them and wanted to help by raising awareness of the great organisation.

Besides the busy old towns within Montenegro, there is also an extensive selection of stunning landscapes such as the Lake Skadar and other various National Parks that live within the mountains, home to all kinds of wildlife and nature.