We spent the day exploring the Bay of Kotor, the town of Kotor, and three towns within Montenegro’s “Riviera”: Budva, Rafailoviči, and Sveti Stefan.

Sveti Stefan claims to be the “Mont St-Michel” of Montenegro. In reality, no one is allowed on the island unless they have a reservation for one of the restaurants or hotels. Tough to become Mont St-Michel if you don’t let hordes of tourists flock across the isthmus, but maybe they are better off for it.

Sveti Stefan

Between rain showers, we enjoyed stunning views of the Bay of Kotor, which Lord Byron described as “the most beautiful encounter between land and the sea.”

Bay of Kotor

In the middle of the bay are two islets: St. George and Our Lady of the Rocks, each with a chapel.

St. George on the left, Our Lady of the Rocks on the right.

Since gaining independence in 2006, Montenegro has been trying to regain its international popularity and tourism appeal. It’s doing a pretty good job, but clear signs of a war, that is less than twenty years past, are still evident: countless abandoned buildings and even really large burned-out hotels. However, given twenty more years, I’m sure this region really will be able to compete with the other “Rivieras” of the world.