10-Day Montenegro Road Trip Itinerary (+ 1 & 2 Week Options)

The best time to plan your 10 day Montenegro itinerary is in the summer, from June to September.  Many bars, restaurants, and tourist attractions are only open during this peak season, and shutter their doors when the tourists head home.  If you’d like to save a few bucks, May and October are also workable as the shoulder season, but we wouldn’t recommend visiting Montenegro in spring or winter (unless you’re visiting Kolasin to ski!).

Montenegro is a pretty cash-heavy economy, especially after you’ve left the coastal cities, where even hotels we reserved through Booking.com were paid for in cash.  Given this, you’ll want to keep plenty of cash on hand during your visit.

Montenegro uses the Euro, so it’s fairly easy to get some in advance of your trip, otherwise you can always use an ATM once you get to town.  But pay attention, or they’ll hit you with a hefty fee!  Make sure to follow our pro tip to avoid translation markups:

Pro-tip:  When offered an exchange rate by an ATM, you can – and should – always decline the rate displayed.  This rate often includes a heavy markup.  In Montenegro, they add a standard 10%! on top of the market exchange rate.  This means you are paying an extra $30 on a draw of 300 EUR, a fee that really adds up in a cash-based economy like this one.  Declining the rate will not stop your transaction, but rather allow your personal bank to set the rate instead.

Tipping at bars and restaurants is not standard in Montenegro, though rounding up here and there is always appreciated.  If your waiter is specifically asking you for a tip, you’re in a tourist trap.  We always recommend tipping on free tours or for exceptional service though!

Citizens from most countries can enter Montenegro visa-free for at least 30 days and up to 90 days.  To confirm whether Montenegro requires visas for visitors from your country, check their official site here.

Definitely not.  We had no issues interacting with people in the service industry in English during our 3 months in Montenegro, though knowing a few key words will definitely win you some brownie points with the locals.  Practice these ones before your trip:

• Hello – Zdravo – ZDRAH-voh
• Goodbye – Ciao – chow
• Please – Molim – MOH-leem
• Thank you – Hvala – HVAH-lah
• Excuse me (to call attention) – Izvini – is-VEE-nee
• Can I pay? – Mogu li platiti? – MOH-goo lee plah-TEE-tee
• The bill/check – Račun – RAH-choon

While it’s not required, we highly recommend travel insurance, especially if you’ll be renting a car, hiking in Prokletije National Park, or taking part in some of the adventure sports at Durmitor National Park.  You never know when something might go wrong, and it’s best to be prepared.  We use and recommend SafetyWing, which is an especially good option for those traveling for a month or more.  For as little as $63, it covers everything from lost luggage to hospital stays – a heck of a deal if you encounter any emergencies while abroad.

Absolutely!  These are the top apps we recommend you download before your trip to Montenegro:

• Airalo – having full use of your phone while traveling is incredibly important!  eSIM apps like Airalo make getting cell service anywhere you travel easy and affordable.  If you haven’t used it before, you can use this Airalo code to get a discount on your first purchase.
• Google Translate – we recommend downloading the Croatian language (the closest comparable available language) for offline use on Google Translate, so you can always communicate even if you lose cell service.
• Google Maps – for the same reason, we also recommend downloading the offline map of the city you’re visiting on Google Maps.

For starters, use our site!  Check out all of our Montenegro travel guides to help you decide where to go, what to do, and where to stay.  We’ve got detailed itineraries and travel guides, plus recommendations on all our favorite bars, restaurants, and more.

Once you’re ready to plan your trip, we recommend the following resources:

• Flights – we use Google Flights and Skyscanner to book our flights.  These resources help you compare all the airlines at once, plus give you tips on the best times to purchase.  I use their price tracking features religiously to make sure we get the best deal.
• Hotels – we always use Booking.com for choosing hotel stays.  We think they have the best prices, their star ratings are super reliable, and we love the perks we get with their rewards system.
• Transit – for those without a rental car, Montenegro has a very well-connected and affordable bus network with comfortable, air conditioned coaches.  Routes and prices are detailed on their website, BusTicket4.me, which you can also use to purchase tickets online.
• Trip Planning – the most frequently opened app on our phone, regardless of our destination, is Wanderlog.  This app makes travel planning SO easy.  You can import all your flights, hotels, and transit information, add top sites to your itinerary, and even track and split your budget amongst your travel buddies.  It also provides recommendations on where to visit and a map of all the attractions you plan to see, with transit time between each.