Free Lions Guide to Budva (Montenegro)

England play Montenegro on Tuesday 26th March at City Stadium, Podgorica. You can rely on your FSF Fans’ Embassy team who’ll be out in Montenegro supporting the Three Lions’ travelling fans. Our guides encompass Budva, where many fans are staying, and Podgorica where the match will take place.

• Read the Free Lions Guide to Podgorica (Montenegro) here.
• Read the Free Lions Guide to Rimini and San Marino here.

GETTING THERE

The two airports in Montenegro aren’t too far away from Budva; Podgorica Airport is 60km away and the smaller TivatAirport is only 20km away. Alternatively, you can travel to Airport Cilipi in Dubrovnik, Croatia which is 25km away from Hercig Novi.

A taxi from Dubrovnik to Budva will cost in the region of €100.

Border crossings by car:

• From Serbia: Rance. Cemerno, Dobrakovo, Kula, Draženovac, Vuce.
• From Albania: Božaj, Sukobin, Grncar.
• From Bosnia & Herzegovina: Sitnica, Ilino brdo, Vraçenoviçi, Krstac, Nudo, Šçepan Polje, Metaljka, Šula.
• From Croatia: Debeli brijeg, Kobila.

Border crossings by rail:

• From Serbia & Albania: Tuzi

As from Feb 2012 you no longer have to pay Eco-tax when bringing a car over the border into Montenegro.

Driving in the city isn’t ideal as roads are usually congested and finding a parking place is difficult.

IN THE CITY

ORIENTATION

Walking is the best way to explore Budva as there literally is no public transport other than taxis.

TAXIS

There are plenty of taxis but they aren’t cheap; make sure before you start your journey that you get an approximate price for your journey from the driver and that the meter is not just switched on but is set appropriately on the correct tariff. Tariff cards should be displayed in the vehicles; if there isn’t one you are best to walk away and find a cab that does tariffs on display.

Local taxi companies:

• Terrae Taxi – 19717
• Taxi De Luxe – 19766

OTHER TRANSPORT

As previously mentioned there is no other public transport in Budva although a number of buses from other destinations do drop off there.

Budva Bus Station is located at Mecur, Popa Jola Zeca Str. Tel: +382 (33) 456000.

Bar Bus Station is in Bar believe it or not! If you trvel into here on a bus you’ll then have to get a taxi into Budva. Tel: +382 (30) 346141.

The nearest train station to Budva is in Bar, which is approximately 39km away.

Bar Train Station – Tel: +382 (30) 301615. Reservations for the train can be made at Mercur Bus Station

Train timetables can be found at www.zcg-prevoz.me. There is no facility offering English translation on the site.

RENT-A-CAR

Aksiom Rent-a-Car, Budva – CDS Potkosljun. Tel: +382 (33) 459477

ACCOMMODATION

There’s plenty of accommodation ranging for cheap and cheerful hostels to 5* hotels although a number of the smaller establishments are likely to be closed as the holiday season doesn’t start until later in the year.

If you haven’t got anywhere to stay yet you can book accommodation on www.travel-budva.com

MONEY

If you’re heading into the OldTown make sure you have enough cash with you as ATM’s are a bit thin on the ground.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

• OldTown (Stari Grad) has lots of winding streets with plenty of cafes and bars.
• There are a number of iconic churches, most of which are still operational.
• The Dancing Girl statue is just outside the OldTown on the way to Morgan Beach. Myth is that the statue is of a young girl who drowned in the sea.
• As it is notyet the start of the holiday season most of the boat operators may not be trading but there is a possibility the odd one or two may be offering boat trips around the coastline.

EATING AND DRINKING

RESTAURANTS

Being on the coast there are plenty of fresh seafood restaurants but don’t worry if that’s not to your liking, there are plenty of other options including pizza, Chinese, Italian, and French as well as traditional Montenegrin food. As with Podgorica, you won’t find any western fast-food chains such as KFC, McDonalds etc but there are still plenty of places to grab something for on-the-go.

BARS/NIGHTLUBS

There are plenty of bars and nightclubs in Budva although the majority may well be only open during the holiday season.

Always ask for a receipt so you know you aren’t being charged too much (they have to provide one by law), and try to give the correct money or point out to the bar staff the value of the note as you hand it over as there are numerous stories on travel websites of tourists being overcharged or not receiving change from large notes.

Local beer costs around €3 a bottle, imported beers are considerably more expensive.

Wi-Fi is available at the Prince English pub but at a cost whereas it’s free at ChestO’Shea’s Irish Pub in the OldTown.

THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

HOSPITAL

The nearest public hospital is the Kotor City Hospital located on Skaljari, Kotor. Tel: +382 (32) 16548.

MEDICAL CENTRE

TheANEA HBO Medical Centre, Str. Zrtava Fasizma is a private medical centre which means you’ll have to pay for any consultation and treatment therefore you will have to obtain and keep receipts so you are able to claim on your travel insurance on your return home. Tel: +382 (32) 325602.

TAXIS

Taxi ranks can be found at Slovenska Obala (Near the JAT Airways Office), Merkur BusStation, the tourist complex on SlovenskaBeach and at the hotel complex in Becici.

TRAINS

The nearest train station is in Bar, approximately 39km from Budva.

BANKS

• Crngorska Komercijalna banka a.d.Podgorica, Str. Mediteranska 7.
• NLB Montenegrobanka, Str. Mediteranska 19.

BRITISH EMBASSY

There is no representation in Budva. If you do require assistance you will have to contact the office in Podgorica.

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

• Police 122, Fire 123, Ambulance 124
• Road assistance 987

WEATHER

The weather is typically Mediterranean so expect highs of around 15˚C and lows of around 6˚C. Also expect showers.